A day away from your village: Time-waster or game-changer?
Can you believe it’s February already! The DCM Institute team is about to hit the road again for the start of the Professional Development Days in 2025. Last time I looked at the registrations our locations were filling up, so be sure to register!
These days are always jammed packed with ideas, tips for you to take away and implement into your Retirement Living Community. But let’s be honest – finding the time to actually implement what you learn can be tough. You return to work, play catch-up, and before you know it, those great ideas get lost in the daily juggle.
Time is your most valuable resource, yet it often feels like there’s never enough of it. As a Village Professional, you juggle resident needs, staff issues, operational demands, and strategic planning—all while trying to grow your own skills. Our days present a rare opportunity to step back, reflect, and implement changes that can make a lasting impact. The key isn’t just attending—it’s about making the most of it.
Maximising Your Professional Development Day
A day dedicated to learning and improvement is only as effective as the action you take. Here’s how to ensure your professional development day leads to meaningful change:
Set Clear Intentions Before You Arrive
Review the program and prepare yourself for each session. Ask yourself, what is it you’d like to take back to your village?
Identify what you need most from each session, and the overall day. Consider tips to implement, challenges to tackle, or insights to gain.
Set a goal: What’s one key change you want to implement in your role after today?
Be Fully Present and Engaged
Minimise distractions. Set an ‘out of office’ message, tell your residents where you are offsite and that you will get back to them when you return the next day. Silence notifications to focus on the day.
As you take notes, don’t just write verbatim what is said, write with action in mind. Highlight key takeaways and jot down how they apply to your community.
Participate, ask questions, share insights, and connect with peers outside of your day-to-day work colleagues.
Turn Learning into Action at the end of the day
Identify one immediate change you can make this week based on what you learned.
Create an action plan: What will you implement? When? What resources or support do you need?
Share your takeaways with your team and discuss how to apply them collectively.
Follow Up and Stay Accountable
Schedule a follow up check-in with yourself in a month (schedule it in your calendar)—are you applying what you learned?
Connect with an accountability buddy and colleagues from the event to exchange insights and keep each other accountable.
Now, take a moment — what’s one change you’ll commit to making? Block time in your calendar now to turn your insights into action. Because learning is only valuable when you put it to work!
Looking forward to seeing you on the road!
Tag:Leadership, Management
