If you talk to people from a certain generation they will tell you how they started working for a company and stopped there for most of their working lives.

The reason for this was that the growth and development opportunities were part of the job. If the company was big enough for you forge out your entire career there.

Those days have long since gone.

I am not saying that companies don't develop people. There are many companies that do this well but the majority don't have this as a priority. Why? Because they can go out and hire people with the qualifications that they want. They see this as a quick win, with minimal effort required.

We know this to be wrong when you look at metrics like staff retention.

But we can't change that. What we can do is play the game. Take personal responsibility for our own development and make sure that if needed we have the skills and experience to take advantage of opportunities.

HERE ARE 4 REASONS WHY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY:

1 – IT FORCES YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

If there are areas of your job that you doN'T like or are not good at, those are the weaknesses that a personal development plan can help you improve on. Confronting these areas and improving on them can help to push you out of your comfort zone. This allows you to experience growth and improve your skills.

2 – IT DEVELOPS YOUR STRENGTHS

A personal development plan not only helps you to improve on your weaknesses, but it can also help you to develop your strengths. By taking time to focus on nurturing and using your strengths more, you go from being good at something to being excellent at it. You can reach your potential and achieve great growth by developing the skills you are already good at.

3 – IT BOOSTS YOUR CONFIDENCE

Making the decision to improve on your skills takes you a step closer to feeling more confident. Once you have achieved a certain goal, gained another skill, or developed a certain area of your life, you naturally feel good about yourself. The more you keep on developing in the areas of your life you are not confident in, the more you can boost your confidence.

4 – IT IMPROVES YOUR SELF-AWARENESS

Personal development is closely linked to self-awareness. It gives you the opportunity to take an honest look at the areas of your life that need improvement. Through this process, you get to know who you really are, what your true values are, and where you would like to go in life. Once you go through this process, you will improve your self-awareness and experience fulfilment.