What Do I Need to Know?

As you might expect, with a title of SVP of Professional Development, much of my time is spent identifying industry, people and performance issues and creating solutions through research, training and shared insights. As I work through the complete rebuild and re-creation of one of our certification courses, it occurred to me that while I spend most of my time thinking about this, you probably don’t.

Author Daniel Pink, in his book Drive, says that we are all motivated by three things:

1. Autonomy
2. Mastery
3. Purpose

Let’s focus on mastery today. I believe we all want to #GetBetter at what we do. While I spend my time learning and creating, you spend yours consuming. We probably both ask the same question, but from opposite sides of the issue. We both ask, “Where do I start?”

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, they share four “self-diagnosis” questions to help you determine where to start (or continue) your professional development journey.

1. What does success require in my role? Identify the capabilities you need to perform effectively. These requirements establish the baseline below which you cannot fall.
2. What are my current capabilities? Rigorously map your strengths and weaknesses against role requirements. This is harder than it sounds.
3. What is or can be compensated for? Identify which weaknesses you can address through team design, partnerships or support systems. Not every flaw needs personal development.
4. Where is my untapped potential? Identify capabilities you have yet to develop or discover. This differs fundamentally from fixing weaknesses because it involves exploration rather than remediation.

Once you’ve answered those questions, they suggest focusing on just three categories.

• Superpowers – What are the things you do really well, like to do and, with just a little bit of practice or effort, you can do even better?
• Dangerous Derailers – Organization, temper, follow-through, over-promising? We all know what we struggle with. Those are areas of weakness that must be addressed.
• Untapped Potential - Many top performers have never explored certain capabilities because their current strengths have always been enough. Enter 2026—AI, the economy, multi-channel and multi-platform marketing sophistication, time management, new technologies and the fundamentals that still matter. What are you resisting? Where do you have untapped potential to grow, especially when our business is shifting in ways that require new capabilities, or you are moving to a role requiring skills you haven’t previously needed?

So now what?

Don’t try to fix everything. Don’t try to learn everything. Pick one or two things. If I can be so bold as to make a recommendation, start with one from the Dangerous Derailers list and one from the Superpowers list. One skill. One behavior. One area of growth, each in a different category. One helps eliminate something holding you back. The other helps maximize something you already do well. That kind of balance creates momentum—and momentum builds confidence.

Because mastery isn’t built by consuming more information alone. It’s built by applying what you already know—and adding what you need next.

The best performers aren’t constantly asking, “What else do I need to know?” They’re asking, “What do I need to do next—and what do I need to learn to do it better?”

Because at some point, the question stops being, “What do I need to know?” and becomes, “What am I actually going to do with what I know—and what will I learn next to get better?”

I love talking with people on a professional development journey. I’d welcome the opportunity to help you determine what’s next for you. I don’t have all the answers—not even close—but I do know the right questions to help get you on the path that works best for you.

I’ll be traveling to Fargo, North Dakota; Bloomington, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; and Washington, D.C. this month. Maybe we can spend some time together. Or you can always call or email.

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.