Professional Development Research Paper

My professional development seminar class has taught me a great deal. It has enhanced my knowledge of the subject a great deal. One of the first things I learned was about professionalism. “Professionalism is defined as workplace behaviors that result in positive business relationships” (Anderson 2). Professionalism is key to any business relationship. It is important to carry yourself in a manner that depicts the business in a great light. I learned that it is all about how a person conducts themselves when in a business setting or situation. Showing professionalism is key at all levels in a business. Professionalism can also help the business’s reputation. It is not only the people in leadership positions that have to display professionalism.

There are two different types of goals. The first ones are long-goals. “Long-term goals are goals that take longer than a year to accomplish, with a realistic window of up to 10 years” (Anderson 8). These goals can be buying another food truck or opening up another brick and mortar establishment. The second types are short-term goals. “Short-term goals are goals that can be reached within a year’s time. They are commonly set to help reach long-term goals” (Anderson 8). These types of goals could be anything from making a credit card payment to paying the card off in full within a couple of months. Goals are important in the development of any business. They keep businesses on track and moving forward. Without goals, a business would never survive. I learned that it is important to come up with well thought-out plan of action. It is crucial for me to take the time to gather all of my smaller daily and weekly goals in one place so I can easily check my progress. Goals should be a source of joy in life. They should be one of the main reasons a person gets out of bed in the morning. If a person’s goals don’t excite them, then that person desperately needs to re-think them. I think it is important to not just reserve goals for a career. People should also challenge themselves to set fitness, finance, family, relationship, educational, spiritual, health, and adventure goals. Every area of a person’s life that they value should have a goal to help them improve upon it. Many of the things that happen are outside of a person’s control. For example, someone may have a goal to climb a mountain. The person follows a plan and trained daily. Suddenly, a terrible storm makes the person turn around and retreat. The weather was out of the person’s control. Life just happened and they weren’t able to climb the mountain. That does not mean they will not get another chance to reach