TRAVEL broadens the mind and the skills. The Old Masters were the best travelled people of their generation and you too can help your career by exposing yourself to as rich a mix of influences as possible.

El Greco, born in Crete in 1541, was well travelled. By the age of 26 he was in Venice with its array of artistic influences; by 29 he was in Rome as a pupil of Titian and a student of Michelangelo; and seven years later he was in Toledo with a whole gamut of new influences. All this adventure was at a time when few people ventured beyond the edge of the village green. Little wonder that he was to develop the art of painting so far that, four centuries later, Picasso credited him with having invented modern art.

In whatever domain your career lies, following El Greco’s example fosters your professional development in many ways. Seeing excellence in action. If you are in IT, then having spent time within Microsoft, Google or Oracle (or ideally all three) will give you glimpses of what is happening at the leading edge of the field. In banking you might go for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup. In consumer marketing there is Diageo or Johnson & Johnson.

You don’t merely add to your CV, you see and feel what great looks like. Without meeting Titian and Michelangelo and experiencing the passion of Spain, El Greco would never have become the artist we know.

Personal development is a fine art

The Old Masters can teach us a thing or two about developing skills

Gaining unexpected inspirations.

Sahar Hashemi was a lawyer when she visited her brother in New York, became hooked on lattes, and returned to the UK to found Coffee Republic. Adding more locations to your career journey helps you to innovate.

Building your personal network.

The most successful executives have excellent networks and are active alumni of many institutions. The more places you have visited, the greater the range and depth of your network. This fuels your fund of mentors, advisers and patrons.

So travel broadens the mind, but it also broadens your skills; how can you programme this into your career? 1. List the companies that are at the leading edge of your field and find ways to work with them or see them close up. 2. Attend lectures or workshops delivered by experts in your field. 3. Find ways to travel within your present company — assignments to new countries, product areas, functions. 4.If you can’t get the full-time assignment, find (or propose) a cross-company project that you can lead or support.

Like El Greco, locate and visit your Venice, your Rome and your Toledo. As Saint Augustine said: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Next week: The value of examining prior art Max Landsberg is a partner at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search and leadership consultancy, and is author of The Tools of Leadership , The Tao of Motivation and The Tao of Coaching (Profile Books, £8.99)

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