Let’s talk about professional development. I’ve written about this a lot over the years because I strongly believe in always investing in your personal and professional growth.
My own journey is a great example. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a teaching degree, but today, I’m the President and CEO of a tech services company. How did I get here? A big part of it was the personal and professional development I committed to along the way.
For over 20 years at Service Express, I read 12 books a year. I also created my own book summaries to reference later. I’ve always been a big believer in continuous learning, and I talk about it with everyone at our company—and anyone else who will listen!
That being said, I’m not reading 12 books a year right now. But it’s not because I think I know everything or have nothing left to learn. None of that is true. Instead, I’m evolving how I learn and process information. So, I wanted to share my new learning strategy for 2025.
I’m now combining microlearning with podcasts. Here’s how:
- I use Blinkist for book summaries.
- I also use ChatGPT to generate book summaries when someone recommends a title. I can even ask it to expand on specific areas for more detail. This helps me gauge my interest in the topic, the author and the writing style.
- If I find the book valuable, I search for podcasts where the author has been a guest. I typically look for interviews that are 60–90 minutes long.
What I’ve found is that instead of reading a full 300-page book, I can get most of the key insights from a combination of a book summary and a deep-dive podcast. Then, I focus on applying those lessons at Service Express.
I’m still reading, but I’m shifting more toward reading for pleasure—something I haven’t done much of in the past 20 years. That doesn’t mean I won’t read business books, but this new method allows me to learn more efficiently and apply what I learn faster.
So, those are my microlearning tips for 2025. How are you approaching your own professional development? Do you have any recommendations for me?
