Do You Have a Career Development Plan?

Copyright (c) 2009 Pat Brill

Do you have 'development plan' in place mapping out where you want to go professionally and what you need to learn in order to move forward in that direction? In today's business environment, you need to manage your own learning. When you are managing employees, you think about their development within the organization. What about yours?

Managers generally don't think in terms of a 'development plan' for themselves If you one of the few that do, you know that you have to map out career development strategies and increase your knowledge and skills in order to meet your goals.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN QUESTIONS

**Where are you now in the organization? What aspects of your current role do you like and what areas do you find more challenging.

**What would be motivating you to create a 'development plan?' Are you receiving feedback around performance or do you desire to build a bigger career for yourself?

**List your strengths (knowledge and skills) and areas that 'need to improve.'

**What is your ideal career choice - either within the organization or outside or potentially a new career choice?

**What steps will you need to move through to be at your ideal position? For example, you are currently Manager, North American Sales. Your goal is to be Global Sales Director. In your organization, are their career steps in place? If so, for the next rung on your professional ladder, what skills and knowledge do you need to have to meet the requirements? If not, how can you find out?

**Networking - connect with others who can help you with your career goals or individuals in the company that can mentor you in moving forward in your career goals.

CREATE A PLAN

**Objective - what are your career development goals

**What steps will you have to take to reach your career goals?

**Start and end dates for each step

**What will you need to learn - knowledge and skills you will need to have in order to perform each step of your development plan?

**What learning method will you use to increase knowledge or skills?

**How will you financially support your plan?

**Who will be your partners in your career development plan - your manager, mentor within the organization, career coach, outside mentors, and learning organizations?

LEARNING AVENUES

**Books

**Seminars

**University Degree

**Certifications

**Varied responsibilities that teach 'on the job' lessons. Take on new projects or assignments.

OUTSIDE RESOURCES

**Read about career development - the internet and books can provide you with a wealth of knowledge and help you create your 'development plan.'

**Check out if your company has a "career development" program in place.

**Find a career coach to support you through the process as well as keep you accountable to your overall development goals.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Creating a 'development plan' doesn't have to be perfect. Rather you want to be proactive in building the career you want.

Your manager is not in charge of your career. They can be helpful in guiding and supporting your goals, but you need to create your own career by maximizing the opportunities that are presented and creating new ones. You need a plan to guide you towards your goals.