If you find you have nothing to add to your dairy this indicates that you need to become proactive. You could request permission to attend a training program or commence a course in your own time; talk with your boss to see if you can be included in the planning team for the next sales promotion; talk with colleagues about ways you can improve the productivity of your team; or offer to mentor the new team member. Remember that there may be hundreds of people applying for the same job as you at some stage in the future, and your work history needs to show that you have a history of using your initiative to create value for your current employer.

Professional development helps employees continue to not only be competent in their profession, but also excel in it. It should be an ongoing process that continues throughout an individual's career. Actively pursuing professional development ensures that knowledge and skills stay relevant and up to date.

Employees are the outward face of your company. As a CEO or a manager, you want the best people on your team because in the end, they are a reflection of you and your company.

Professional development helps employees continue to not only be competent in their profession, but also excel in it. It should be an ongoing process that continues throughout an individual’s career.

Actively pursuing professional development ensures that knowledge and skills stay relevant and up to date. It also allows employees to be more aware of changing trends and directions in an industry.

With the professional world moving at a faster pace than ever before, standing still will cause you to be left behind as peers expand their knowledge and skills.

There is always room for growth and improvement of professional skills. Attending a conference or seminar can provide employees with new ways to sharpen skills within their professions. The more knowledge an individual gains of a specific skill set, the more confidence they will have when performing these skills.

Retaining the best talent

Additionally, professional development helps employees stay interested and interesting.

While experience is a great teacher, it often means that we tend to continue what we have done in the past. Professional development opens us up to new possibilities, strategies, knowledge and skill areas.

Attending conferences is one of the largest contributors to new information in respective professions. It can also benefit employee retention since it helps cultivate and preserve the best talent.

As a leader or supervisor, encourage your employees to seek out conferences that are a fit for your business. You can also plan ahead and budget for these events. They don’t always have to be conferences in different cities, but can be as simple as a webinar that an employee can watch at their desk.