The Closing Ceremonies for the 2012 Olympic Games are over, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to pen the closing post to this Olympics Blogging Blitz I started nearly three weeks ago. It was a great exercise to post something daily, incorporating the drama of the Olympics into fresh material that translated into professional development lessons, but it was very challenging to post daily, and I'm very happy to go back to two or three new posts per week.
Today’s Olympic Nugget: Be a positive contribution to the story of your profession. When each athlete qualified for the Olympic Games, he or she was invited to contribute to the legacy of the Games and their sport. Some contributed positively through breaking world records, winning a medal, becoming the stories that capture our hearts and simply playing by the rules and giving the competition everything they could. Others contributed negatively through connections to doping, poor sportsmanship or straight up debauchery.
When we enter a profession, we too are accepting to be a part of that profession's legacy, and we have a responsibility to contribute to the story positively with strong work ethic and values. Some of us rise to the occasion and make the profession better because of our small contributions (or big splashes!) that reinforce the integrity of the profession. Others take away from the integrity of the profession through poor customer service, questionable ethics or blatant criminal behavior. We must remember this burden and do our best to make the profession stronger because of our hard work and good ethics.
How will you contribute to the story of your profession?
Photo by Andrew Evans
Cecilia is a professional in the non-profit world that makes professional development part of her daily routine, just like brushing teeth, preparing a meal, or walking the dog. She knows what she wants out of her career and takes small steps daily to realize her goals. Follow Cecilia and learn how to see professional development as an ongoing process that you can work on a few minutes every day so you can be ready for desired opportunities at a moment’s notice. Updating your resume is not a chore with the Resume Reviver!