Your self-development is so important to your work journey. Often we get so tied up with what’s happening in our current role we forget to stop and think about where we are heading.
Knowing where you want to be in 3, 5, 10 years and setting out a development plan to get there can really help to keep you focussed on the bigger picture.
Setting and achieving goals in your current role is great, but without a bigger plan in place people can often start to feel stagnant in their job, and as a result lose motivation. But with a clear development plan you can see how the steps you are taking now, will impact a future you are working towards.
Making a development plan
Have a think about where you would like to be down the line, this could be simply being more confident within your current role, or getting a promotion to the next level up in your department in the next year, or it could be a big step, like becoming a department head in 5 years’ time.
If you’re not sure where to start with this, maybe talk to other people at your organisation about their job and what it involves, this might give you a better idea of a role or department you’d like to one day get in to.
Make sure your goals are ambitious, but achievable, going from a new starter to CEO in 2 years might be a bit of a stretch!
Once you’ve figured out your development plan you can start thinking about the steps it takes to get there. We recommend bringing your manager in at this point.
As part of your performance conversations with your manager you should be able to discuss development too, tell your manager what your aspirations are, and work together to set development goals as well as performance goals.
These goals could range from some additional responsibilities, to shadowing someone in the organisation for a day, to taking a course that will give you a qualification that could help with your career journey.
Remember that these goals don’t need to end in you getting a crazy promotion or making a huge leap in your career, they can be small steps on your way to where you want to ultimately end up.
And once you get there, ask yourself what you want to do next! Self-development only stops when you want it too, you can always grow and learn new things.
If you are nervous about asking your manager to help with your self-development remember that you are an asset to your organisation, and your development is an investment for them, the stronger your skill set gets, the more you can contribute.
So what are you waiting for? Take the first steps towards your self-development journey today!
To find out more book your free demo with our team today, and start saying yes to a clearer path to self-development.
