The Importance of Continuous Development

April 2012

Dear clients,

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a

better tomorrow. ” - Doug Firebaugh

This quote effectively introduces the theme for this

LeMaSa Chronicle. LeMaSa is about unlocking

the potential of everyone that we work with and we

are often impressed with the effort that people

put in to develop themselves and to stay ahead of the


At the same time we sometimes despair at the lack of

recognition for the importance of continuous self- and

career development. That is why we spend a sizeable

chunk of the time at our Development Centres

discussing the importance of actively taking charge

of your career and own development.

In this edition we also discuss how E-valuation™

can assist you in building a deep pipeline of

talent to address business challenges

in the future.

We trust that the latest economic woes in the world

will not have a major negative impact on your

organisations, but that you will create

opportunities for future success amidst these

difficult conditions.

Warm regards

Sandra Schlebusch

The Importance of Continuous Development
The Importance of Continuous Development

“One of the biggest reasons people don’t reach their full potential is because they don’t really understand continual improvement. Skills and capabilities aren’t things that you achieve and then coast on for the rest of your life. You can’t exercise for three months and then decide you are set for the rest of the year. Pretty much everything you wa nt to i mprove will require at least a small amount of effort on a regular, ongoing basis” (Mark Shead, 2010).

At LeMaSa we see this everyday - People who have completed their studies 10 or more years ago, attended a few courses and seminars along the way and still think that what they had done in the past will be sufficient in future. As WealthNut ( puts it so eloquen tly: ”To earn more, you must learn more. You are maxed out today at your current level of knowledge and skill. However much you are earning at this moment is the maximum you can earn without learning and practicing something new and different”.

Deloitte stated in 2010 that 60% of the jobs in the 21st century require skills possessed by only 20% of the workforce. This means that most of us do not have the necessary skills to be successful in the 21st century. The reason for this is that our accu mulated knowledge and experience are becoming obsolete bit by bit, day by day. The knowledge in any of our fields is doubling every three to five years. This means that our knowledge must double every three to five years just for us to stay even.

The solution to the dilemma of unavoidable change is continuous self-development. To stay on top of our world, we must continually add to our knowledge and ability. We must continually build up our mental assets if we want to enjoy a continuous return on our investment. And only by building o n our cu rrent assets do we stop them from deteriorating.

We know that it takes effort and time to stay ahead of the game, but unfortunately we have no choice. If you want to position yourself for tomorrow and be able to ride the waves of change, you have to deliberately learn something new every day. Pat Riley, in his book The Winner Within, wrote that, “If you are not committed to getting better at what you are doing, you are bound to get worse.”

Mark Shead, 2010, Continual Self-Development, ht tp://

E-valuation™ Technology-enhanced Assessments Centers for Selection and Development
Most of you know by now that LeMaSa partnered with Fenestra to bring the E-valuation™ product to South Africa. E-valuation™ is a top-shelf assessment solution that is scalable, cost-effective, highly realistic, and engaging. Fenestra’s clients enjoy exceptional Return-on-Investment with the E-valuation™ process and view the process as a market differentiator for recruitment, selection, and professional development. As the theme of this LeMaSa Chronicle focuses on continuous development, we would like to show how E-valuation™ can be used for development purposes. The need for both organisations and individuals to focus on continuous development is amplified by the following: The exit of many “baby boomers” from the workforce leaves a massive talent void. This is creating an international skilled labour shortage so significant that it is forcing companies to propel their talent management processes into high gear. Staffing and retention represent one of the two most significant costs confronting businesses (real estate being the second). The eradication of many middle management positions over the past two decades has left many companies with a shallow talent pool from which to replace retiring leaders. Organisations with the most effective talent management systems are more likely to use simulations to identify and develop candidates. The key to success in identifying high potentials and developing greater bench strength in your talent pipeline is in distinguishing those with the greatest aptitude and ability to leverage development opportunities. In the light of the above, don’t we often wonder in our efforts to develop the pipeline in our companies: What if - You could observe people’s operating style instead of only hearing them talk about what they have done in the past or would do in the future? Participants could “test drive” a job or new skill set? You could significantly increase your effectiveness at identifying extraordinary talent? You could significantly increase retention and keep a ready stock of high potential talent? You could identify individual strengths and development needs to ready your people for the future and create actionable development plans? E-valuation™ can be very helpful in this process as the E-valuation™ virtual Assessment Centers create a realistic “day in the life.” Through the simulation of a series of job-related activities in a fictitious organisation, participants test drive a job while employers test drive the participant. Simulations are designed to replicate important elements of the actual job responsibilities, work environment, and culture. During the simulation trained assessors observe and evaluate participant performance against role-specific competency models. Our assessments help our clients pinpoint the most qualified candidates for selection and develop outstanding talent. All recommendations are documented with competency-based feedback reports. E-valuation™ identifies strengths and developmental opportunities, which can then be fed into actionable development plans. Source: