What are your goals for professional development?

2. Improve my creative thinking skills.

Creative thinking is the number one on-the-rise skill, according to a 2023 Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum. In F4S, we call this trait "Difference," which is a pioneering approach that motivates a person to start new things rapidly and disrupt the status quo.

This can be incredibly useful in certain circumstances, such as a startup looking to disrupt a particular field, or even an established business seeking to branch out into new opportunities.

With F4S, you can see how you score in Difference. If you're on the low end, don't worry! F4S will show you how to move that score higher so you can boost your creativity. For example, you could take our coaching program Start Fast. In just eight weeks, you'll increases your motivation for trying new things, and most importantly, being the one to initiate them quickly!

Further, F4S features a "Me Over Time" tab, which allows you to take the assessment once a year and compare results. That way, you can see how your Difference score changes over time.

3. Brush up on effective communication.

Don't mistake speaking or writing a lot for effective communication. In reality, having good communication skills requires active listening, identifying facial expressions, picking up on body language, learning the nuances of tone of voice and adjusting to each person's preferred communication style.

The best way to begin communicating better with your team is to learn their communication and learning styles from their F4S report. Within it, you can see if they're a Neutral versus Affective Communicator as well as if they learn better by Reading/Writing, Visual, Hearing, or Kinesthetic.

The above motivations affect everything your teammates do. For instance, if a team member is an Affective Communicator, they'll understand you better if they can see your facial expressions and hear your voice, rather than just reading your words. And if they're a Visual Learner, they'll make better decisions if you send them videos to watch or map out the idea for them on a whiteboard.

Knowing these motivations will help you adjust your communication and get your messages across.

4. Put my leadership skills into practice.

If you want to become a more effective leader, it begins with learning the critical leadership skills and then putting them into practice to hone them.

To begin, Coach Marlee helps you step into your personal power and develop executive presence that helps you positively influence others. The 8-week self-paced online program is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule.

Once you've gone through the coaching program, put your skills to the test by seeking more leadership opportunities. Here are some ideas:

• Volunteer to head up an Employee Resource Group (ERG).
• Raise your hand and present a new idea at the next team meeting, and let others know the steps you'll take to bring it to fruition. See if you can rally the team around it!
• Be the one to take the initiative and plan a social event that your coworkers have been talking about for months.

5. Get better at delivering constructive feedback.

Delivering constructive criticism can feel cringe-worthy, but it's often more helpful than positive feedback. Why? Constructive criticism helps people improve. You're actually doing them a favor!

To do it well requires a healthy dose of EQ and an understanding of the recipient's preferred communication and learning styles. If getting good at giving feedback is one of your professional development goals, then the Multiply Your Impact coaching program might be just what you need.

In just two sessions per week, you'll learn how to deliver transformational feedback that empowers your team. Coach Marlee will demonstrate how to leverage the power of questions to get to the heart of the matter and help others make their best decisions.

6. Sharpen my technical skills.

Technological literacy is the #3 top skill on the rise, according to the World Economic Forum. This makes sense, as technology becomes more advanced and increasingly important for business operations.

Here are some ideas for gaining tech skills that will give you a competitive edge in this landscape:

• Learn a programming language.
• Incorporate more AI tools into your workflow.
• Try video editing.
• Get into UI/UX design.

7.  Polish my public speaking.

Whether you're in a leadership role or not, brushing up on your presentation skills and public speaking will definitely contribute to professional growth. There's no way around it! When you work with a team, at some point, you'll need to present something in front of them.

The best way to strengthen your public speaking skills is to practice them. You can do this by:

• Volunteering to present at your next all-hands meeting.
• Joining a local Toastmasters club.
• Applying to speak at an industry conference.

8. Find a mentor.

Mentoring can make the difference between floundering or thriving in a role. A skilled mentor is someone who's been to the destination you're trying to reach; maybe they currently hold your dream role, or they've held it in the past. They can check in with you, offer advice, help you set goals and be a sounding board for ideas.

Here are some ways to find a mentor:

• Talk to your manager.

When you tell your manager that you're looking for a mentor, this shows you're taking your professional goals seriously. On top of that, it's likely they'll know someone within your organization or team who can mentor you.

• Attend networking events.

Networking isn't just about finding new job opportunities; it's also a fantastic way to meet potential mentors!

• Join professional organizations.

Look for organizations to join in your field. Often, they'll have a directory of people in your industry who have volunteered to become mentors.

9. Enhance my systems thinking.

Those who have a high motivation for Systems Thinking are masters at optimization. They like to zoom out and take a holistic view of processes, and then see how each part and person interrelates with another, affecting the entire system.

For early-stage ventures, this motivation may not be that important, but as businesses grow, Systems Thinking becomes essential to scaling a business steadily.

To improve your ability to step back and take a broader perspective of long-term goals, take our free Big Picture Thinker online coaching program. In it, you'll learn the power of asking the right questions, how to grasp abstract concepts and how to avoid getting bogged down by details. Gaining this kind of perspective is useful for achieving long-term goals.

10. Grow my analytical thinking.

Yet another top skill that's growing in demand, analytical thinking means that you're able to pause and reflect on the facts of the situation before making a decision. It mitigates risk because you're not prone to jumping into anything without doing your due diligence.

Within F4S, the motivations that are related to analytical thinking include:

• Skepticism
• Problem Solving
• Detail-Oriented
• Methodical
• Self-Starter
• Status Quo Bias

To develop analytical thinking skills, take the Reflection & Patience online coaching program. In just two sessions per week, Coach Marlee will help you cultivate the self-awareness and mindfulness required to take a step back and think things through before acting.