Ready to take your professional life to the next level? Read on…

Modern work life is not about stagnating for years on end. You want to be continually developing and growing your skill set. Not only will this help you climb the career ladder – one giant step at a time – but it will also offer a sense of personal achievement and pride. It's a win-win scenario. So, ready to identify your areas of development, upgrade your skills, and get ahead? Then you've come to the right place.

What are an employee's areas for development?

Varied across roles and individuals, an employee's development areas comprise those key competencies and attributes that enable them to perform optimally on the job. These development areas typically provide a manager or employer with a baseline for assessing an employee's progression or promotion. 

Important areas of development at work

The first step in your professional development journey is pinpointing those talents to hone – something that you may be asked to do during an employee evaluation. But even if there isn't any appraisal scheduled anytime soon, proactively keeping track of your development areas can do wonders for your personal and professional growth. Here are 13 areas of development examples to consider: 

1. Teamwork 

Teamwork, or collaboration, is vital to the success of any business. When working with other professionals, you need to cultivate this skill so everything goes swimmingly. That means ensuring that you understand others' goals, using clear and direct communication, and – of course – supporting one another. 

How to improve your ability to work with a team

  • Develop communication and listening styles 

  • Take the time to understand co-workers' roles 

  • Encourage feedback from your team, and take it on board

  • Attend team-building training schemes or away days

2. Goal-setting

Where do you see yourself in five, 10, or even 15 years time? If you don't have a solid answer for this, you might be missing a trick. Goal-setting is a muscle you need to flex every now and again. If you're looking for a way to develop professionally, this is a major area of development. While you may have regular meetings with your Line Manager, it's worth considering setting personal goals, and sticking to them long-term. 

How to improve your goal-setting abilities

  • Start with a career vision board to determine where you want to be

  • Create a long-term goal plan, splitting it up into years 

  • Break down each goal into smaller, more manageable steps

  • Give each of these steps a clearly defined timeline

Bonus tip: Find an accountability partner to help you stick to the plan

3. Communication

Clear communication is vital anywhere, and especially in the workplace. If you want to engage with colleagues, you need this skill. It's not just about getting your point across clearly, it's about tailoring communication to your audience so they're on the same page. This can be tricky – especially if it doesn't come naturally. Taking the time to develop this skill can help you get ahead.

How to improve your communication

4. Organisation

Put simply, if you haven't got your act together, you'll struggle to stay on top of your workload. Over time, this problem can grow and grow, until it looms over every area of your working day. Don't allow that to happen. Learning how to be more organised can help you move forward in your job. The first part of this process is learning where you currently are and looking for key areas of development.

How to improve your organisation 

  • Look for ways to strengthen your organisational skills

  • Dedicate at least 10 minutes each morning to planning your day

  • Separate tasks into “urgent,” “high priority,” and “low priority”

  • Use a journal, online calendar, or whiteboard to plan activities 

5. Conflict resolution

Conflict in the workplace is rarely pretty. However, it's unlikely you'll always agree 100% with co-workers. So, how do you overcome this hurdle? Honing your conflict resolution skills is the answer. This is one of the most important areas of development for leaders. If you can't overcome disagreements with other professionals, you can't manage them.

How to improve your conflict resolution skills

  • Attend conflict resolution training – either via your workplace or in your own time

  • If you feel emotional, take a break, and come back to the conversation later 

  • Avoid blaming the other person for the situation at hand if possible

  • During disagreements, use “I” statements rather than using “you” statements

Bonus tip: Ask a mediator to be present when you have difficult discussions

6. Presentation skills

Presenting to an audience is many peoples' idea of hell on earth. According to a 2023 YouGov study, glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, is the third most common phobia among the UK population. It's one of the core areas of personal development we should all be working on. If the very idea fills you with fear, there are ways to combat this. Preparing well in advance is key, and the more presentations you give, the easier they'll become. If your job includes an element of presenting, it's time to put in the groundwork.

How to improve your presentation

  • Volunteer to give presentations within your team or department 

  • Try breathing exercises to calm your nerves beforehand 

  • Prepare and practise your presentation in advance

  • Ask for constructive feedback after each of your presentations

7. Productivity

Do you get enough done during the working day? If the answer is no, you need to improve productivity levels. This is one of the major areas of development as it affects the vast majority of us. If you find you're falling behind on your work, there are ways that you can get around that issue.

How to improve your productivity

  • Time each task and activity you complete in the day 

  • Eliminate distractions, such as constantly checking your phone

  • Make lifestyle changes that will boost your workplace productivity 

  • Keep 20% your day focused on important tasks

8. Decision-making

If you can't decide between an egg and cress sandwich or tuna mayo for lunch, this one's definitely for you! To climb that professional ladder, you need to know how to make decisions quickly and effectively. While we all get hit with a case of decision paralysis from time to time, a method that allows you to decide what to do and feel confident in that choice is what you need.  

How to improve your decision-making skills

  • Be clear on your goals and how each decision impacts them

  • Gather any relevant evidence or information beforehand

  • Avoid listening to too many opinions as this can muddy the waters

  • If in doubt, write a definitive pros and cons list to help you out

9. Leadership

Want to be the leader of the pack? Before achieving that, you need to ensure that you have top-notch leadership skills. These include the ability to communicate, demonstrate, listen well, and understand your co-workers. It's a tall order. With that in mind, it's no wonder that this is one of the most important areas of professional development for workers today. 

How to improve your leadership 

  • Work on your communication and collaboration skills 

  • Take real accountability for your actions and the impact that they have

  • Play to your strengths, delegating tasks that you're not suited to

  • Remain authentic at all times; no one wants to follow a boss who's not true to themselves

10. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence  is “the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you.” Learning to do that will transform workplace relationships and avoid conflict in all areas of your life. Fostering this skill will help you to improve your self-awareness and be able to relate to colleagues better.

How to improve your emotional intelligence

  • Stop, breathe, and think carefully before reacting to a certain situation 

  • Try to develop your empathy and see things from others' perspectives

  • Get to know your own strengths and weaknesses better

  • Foster a positive mindset, as being optimistic and resilient help towards your emotional intelligence and overall well being

11. Reflective listening

If you ever feel as though your wires are getting crossed, you can avoid that situation by using a reflective listening technique. This means hearing someone out, taking that information on board, and then repeating it back to them in different words to show you understand what they've said. This unique communication approach ensures that you and your colleagues are on the same page.

How to improve your reflective listening

  • Don't interrupt when someone is talking – hear them out first before having your say

  • Consider what they're trying to say in simple terms

  • Clearly and concisely repeat back what you think they mean

  • Be open to hearing about any misunderstandings you might have had

12. Taking feedback on board

While we've covered some of the essential areas of development at work, this is one that you can't afford to ignore. Taking on feedback, and using it to your advantage, could be one of the most important skills you'll ever learn. If you're looking for a way to progress, the criticism you gain from those around you could be your secret weapon (as long as you use it well!). 

How to improve on accepting feedback

  • Create a culture of openness at work by actively seeking feedback from colleagues

  • Don't take feedback personally, but see it as a chance to learn and develop

  • Look for training opportunities to strengthen any weaknesses

  • Set goals based on the feedback and revisit each issue at a set date

13. Ability to innovate

Moving with the times is essential if you want to get on in the workplace. This is especially true with technology and artificial intelligence (AI) coming on in leaps and bounds. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! A government think tank on the future of work cites technology and innovation as being one of the most influential trends on UK jobs and skills up to 2030.

How to improve your ability to innovate

  • Sign up to workshops on innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving

  • Free your mind by being open to change, as innovation often emerges when you adapt to and welcome new challenges and ideas

  • Aim to bridge the gap between knowledge boundaries by incorporating skills from other areas of your life into work, as cross-disciplinary thinking can lead to innovative actions

  • Project confidence when showcasing any innovative ideas; even if some of them don't get implemented, the mere discussion can spark even more ideas and new insights

Your next step: upskilling

After looking at some of the core areas of development or improvement examples, ask yourself, “which of these skills do I need to improve on?” Whatever field you're in, it's worth evaluating your current competency gaps – having this knowledge allows you to set clear goals and pursue specific professional development opportunities. That may mean taking online courses, asking for more responsibility, or looking at schemes that your company offers. Whichever development path you choose, deciding to invest in your professional life will always pay off. 

Levelling up your skills sets you up for more career opportunities out there. As you open up more doors for yourself, make sure your CV is up to scratch and ready to impress by checking out our free CV review service now. 

This article was originally written by Charlotte Grainger and has been updated by Elizabeth Openshaw.

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