Reviewing current business trends can help steer professional development choices for 2008. Determine how you can position your career to benefit from these trends.

Analyzing business trends can be helpful when deciding where career development energies should be spent. Selecting New Year’s resolutions that take into account trends in business, the economy and in society can increase your employability and potentially your promotability.

Baby Boomers Retiring Causing a Skills Shortage

As Baby Boomers turn 65 in 2011 and some take early retirement packages prior to this, employers will start to see the skill shortage that has been predicted for years start to emerge. For those who hope to benefit from Baby Boomers retiring, now is the time to gain educational credentials and leadership experience if you hope to attain a senior role in your company or organization. For 2008, choose to resolve that you will create a 5 year professional development plan to position yourself for the skills shortage.

Changing to Environmentally Sound Practices

Choosing a professional resolution to be more environmentally aware in 2008 will not only help the environment, it will increase your awareness of how your company or organization could use more environmentally sound practices. Environmental awareness is becoming more important as companies and organizations strive to do their part to reduce, reuse and recycle. For 2008, resolve to find greener ways to commute, shop, eat, and live in general. Can you bike to work one day a week? Can you bring your lunch in reusable containers? Can you change your home office light bulbs to energy efficient ones?

Technological Advances Mean More Mobility

As technology becomes more compact and devices become more and more all-in-one, look at how this could impact your professional life and resolve to use technological advances to grow professionally. Your commute time could be used to search the net for market trends or to learn more about your competitors. As computer giants make software that is more and more user friendly, make sure that any technology based changes in your organization or company follow this philosophy of simple is best (e.g. simplified database structures, systems etc.). Keep up on the latest advances or upgrades that could significantly impact the way you work or could assist your company’s strategic initiatives. For example, would providing GPS systems to your sales or repair force improve commute times? Could you develop podcasts on new product releases?

Access to the Globe

With internet access becoming commonplace, the globe is at your finger tips. Would choosing a new year’s professional resolution to learn a language help you break into a new market that presents a language barrier? Another option is to resolve to develop your cultural sensitivity by taking cultural awareness training.

For additional reading on business trend predictions:

IBM’s Next Five in Five

7 Trends Fueling the Most Business Opportunities

If you have comments or suggestions on this article, please start a discussion

If you liked this article, try:

Preparing for Career Resolutions

Professional New Year's Resolutions

Assessing Professional Development

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