For Senior Executives, Personal Development Is Professional Development

Executives have the difficult job of thinking about the world from different perspectives, including those of their employees, stakeholders, customers and everyone in between.
One day they might have to speak with a business partner experiencing challenges. Another day they might have to work with a department that has just gone through budget cuts.
As an executive, one needs to be attuned to all of that at any given time, having to navigate through situations where there is no set outcome.
Executives must be able to maintain composure and stability amid tough situations and practice compassion and empathy. They need to develop a systems-thinking
view and make connections between ideas or decisions and have an understanding of the interconnectedness of those within the organization, within the industry and beyond. They also need to be able to balance compassion with boundaries.
Executives need to be proficient in people leadership, business management, strategy, systems thinking, vision, inspiration and innovation. Therefore, professional development for leaders now calls for opportunities to develop not skill, but mindset.
Professional development for executives might be found in:

· Board roles in non-profits.
· Mentorship (peers, same industry and diverse industries).
· CEO roundtables.
· Executive coaching.
· Personal board of advisors.
· 360° assessment.
· Reading about strategy, leadership and managing people (emotional intelligence).
· Leading a different business function outside of your functional expertise.

Some leaders think about development for everyone else but not themselves, not out of complacence or arrogance, but perhaps because they have forgotten about themselves or don’t know where to begin. You never know it all or have it all figured out.
This world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) is ever-changing, and you must evolve with society, your industry and your organization to lead your teams into the future.

Source: forbes.com