Thursday, November 28, 2019
Individual Development Plan Examples
Individual Development Plan ExamplesIndividual Development Plan ExamplesAn individual development plan (IDP) is a tool that helps facilitate employee development. The benefits of IDPs are They are a commitment between the employee and manager on what the employee is going to do to grow and what the manager will do to support the employee.They are a catalyst for dialog and idea sharing.When something is put in writing, its more likely to get done.They provide a framework for how to develop. Preparation If youre going to help someone else write an IDP, Id strongly recommend that you have current one yourself. Otherwise, you could come across as a hypocrite(Its good for you, but I dont need one). Showing your employee your own plan, or referencing your own IDP is being a good role model and sends a homilie that development is foreveryone. Most organizations will have some kind of IDP form to fill in, or an online version, with instructions. The employee should fill in the form thems elves first, but the manager should also review the form in preparation for the discussion with the employee. IDPs usually consist of the following Career Goals This answers the question Development for what purpose? To get better at the current job? This is the time to have a career discussion with the employee, to find out what they aspire to some other job, either a promotion or lateral move, or if are they satisfied with where they are currently. Its also a chance toprovide feedbackon if the employees career goals are realistic, or to offer additional suggestions. Good development plans often address both the current job and at least two potential future roles. Top Strengths and Development Needs An assessment of top strengths and development needs (often selected from a list of competencies or from wertzuwachs review criteria). While the employee will do their own self-assessment, this is the time to provide your own assessment of the employees strengths and developmen t needs. These may be areas that were identified in a performance appraisal, a 360 leadership assessment, or feedback from others. Dont forget to take the opportunity to recognize and reinforce strengths. Strengths will often be enhanced and also be leveraged in order to address development needs. Development Goals A brief development goal for each development need. For example, Improve listening skills, or Learnhow to lead a product team. Action Plan to Address Development Goals The most common development actions, listed in order of developmental impact are move to a new job, take on a challenging assignment within your current joblearn from someone else (your manager, a coach, a subject matter expert or role model)get educated on the topic take a course and read up on the topicand a section for follow-up dates, status updates, and signatures. Select dates, costs, and whos responsible for what. This part will be filled out during the discussion. The dates will help each of you keep your commitments. Any costs should be approved or not. The Discussion With Your Employee Schedule an hour with your employee to discuss. Allow the employee to lead the discussion and go through each section of the plan. Listen to the employee, ask questions for clarification, probe to find out the reasons why the employee chose a goal, and offer your own development goal if you think the employee missed a critical goal. Listen to the employees action plans, and accept, modify, reject (explain why), and offer your own ideas. Here are some additional dos and donts Do ask yourself, Is it really worth it? before you add your comments.Do provide clarification or additional feedback.Do provide additional development ideas.Do offer to open doors and make connections.Do be supportive, encouraging.Do be available for follow-up, keep your commitments.Dont treat this like a performance review.Dont be a know-it-all.Dont insist on all of your own ideas.Dont talk about yourself.Dont be vague when asked for clarification.Dont chicken out and sugar-coat development needs. When you come to an agreement on your goals and plans, decide and agree on completion dates and follow-up dates. Sign the form, with copies for both of you. By both of you signing the plan, its a symbolic two-way commitment. Keep Your Commitments, and Follow-up Often. Your follow-up discussions with your employee will help your them reflect on what they learned, and the two of you will assess progress and come up with any modifications to the plan. The IDP should be a living document, and a catalyst for ongoing discussions about your employees development.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The 5 Things You MUST Do After Attending an Industry Conference
The 5 Things You MUST Do After Attending an Industry ConferenceThe 5 Things You MUST Do After Attending an Industry ConferenceJust returning from an industry conference? Heres what to do now.Industry conferences can be both invigorating and overwhelming. Traveling, attending sessions, meeting scores of new people, and taking in tons of information can wear a person out. After getting back to the office, many conference attendees look at all the work that piled up while they were out and reflexively jump right back into their routine.Big mistake.No matter how tired or behind you are, its important to give yourself time to digest the industry conference experience and firm up connections with new contacts. Consider this your post-conference action plan1. Strike while the iron is still hot. Within a few days of the conference ending, follow up with those you met whom you feel could be valuable contacts. Connect on LinkedIn or send an email. The key in both cases is to write personalized - not generic - messages. Make a point to mention something related to a conversation you had with the person. And if you really bonded with someone in particular, dont be afraid to pick up the phone.2. Start putting what you learned into practice. Going to an industry conference isnt just about collecting business cards and expanding your professional network its about your professional development. Reflect on the most helpful or enlightening things you learned. What resonated with you most? How can you use that information to do your job better or faster? Did the conference make you realize that you have a skills gap or need to create a more detailed career development plan? If so, what concrete steps can you begin taking today to get up to speed or improve your work performance?3. Pass along your newfound knowledge. If others on your team werent able to attend the industry conference, share key learnings with them. Write a brief report, create a PowerPoint presentation or set up a brownbag lunch session. At minimum, share relevant handouts you received and draft an email with a bulleted list of useful takeaways and include pertinent links. (After the event, you can often find a treasure trove of helpful information on the conference website - or on the blogs or websites of those who presented.)4. Offer feedback. If you receive a post-conference survey, fill it out. Better yet, send a note to the conference organizers to offer your praise or to provide constructive feedback on improvements you feel could be made. Also, if a conference speaker impressed or inspired you, be bold and email him or her. In addition to simply being a nice thing to do, this font of gesture can potentially lead to a valuable connection.5. Thank your boss for sending you. If your employer paid for you to go to the industry conference, be sure to offer your appreciation for the opportunity and reiterate the benefits of the experience. A sincere thank you can go a long way, particu larly if youd like to attend future conferences.RELATED POSTTried and True Networking Strategies for ConferencesIcebreaker Ideas How to Introduce Yourself at Business Networking Events
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Why You Should Reach Out to Your Former Co-worker - The Muse
Why You Should Reach Out to Your Former Co-worker - The MuseWhy You Should Reach Out to Your Former Co-worker How often have you told your former work friends that youll stay in touch, only to find that three years have gone by, and you have no idea what theyre up to? Probably quite a bit- which can make asking them for something seem awkward. You dont want to make them think that youre only in it for number one, and you want to come across as sincere. But reaching out to someone you havent talked to in years totenstill might feel uncomfortable because there is a connection youd like an introduction to, or theres some knowledge that they have that you want. And while its entirely reasonable to think that you should just avoid the whole thing altogether, here are a few reasons why its totally OK to email that person. 1. You Lost Touch, But You Didnt Burn a BridgeTheres a huge difference between falling out of touch with someone and burning the bridge down in an inferno-like rage of em otions. If youve just forgotten to check in with someone over an extended period, thats more typical than you think. Life happens, people move, and suddenly that work spouse you swore would be in your wedding party doesnt even pop up on your Facebook feed anymore. But when you want to ask that person for a favor down the road, I doubt that he or she will read your email and think, What a jerk. He didnt even check in to see how I was doing after I got my cavity filled the other day. If youre still feeling uneasy about asking, keep things simple when you reach out. Start by acknowledging that you wish you had kept in touch more, and then get right to your request. The odds are that the person will be happy to hear from you, so things will only get awkward if you make them uncomfortable. 2. People Are More Willing to Give Career Advice Than You ThinkEven if its been years since you talked to someone you promised to stay in touch with, I bet theres one thing you always forget about why you got along with that person so well in the first place. The chances are that your long-lost work friend is empathetic about the challenges youre facing in your career. And while it might have been a while since that person even thought about what youre up to, an email out of the blue will likely make her say, Oh, wow I hope shes OK. And if you have a specific request, your former friend will do what she can to help- even if that means telling you she doesnt know how to help you. In fact, this happened to me recently. I received an email from someone I used to commiserate with over college football at work- and I was thrilled to hear from him, even though I couldnt do anything for him at the moment. Unless the people you were friendly with at work turned out to be complete jerks, more often than not, this will be the case for you as well. 3. You Have Nothing to LoseSure, even when you write the best networking email youve ever written, there will be times that wont get a response. Maybe he has a critical project to work on, or maybe your message just fell through the cracks. There are a million reasons why someone might not get back to you, but heres the thing You have nothing to lose by sending the email, even if youre asking for something that feels inconvenient. Again, unless that persons transformed into the meanest person on the planet since the last time you spoke, theres no reason to brace yourself for a nasty response. The worst thing that might happen is a bit of radio silence. And while that might be hard to digest at first, youll get over it sooner than you think. Even better, youll have a better idea of who you should count on for help when youre in the middle of a job search going forward. Emails to people you havent spoken to in a while are never fun to write. Youre always going to feel guilty for asking someone you havent kept up with to lend a helping hand. But the thing is that not only will most people be willing to help, but theyll also be excited to catch up with you. So dont be afraid to put together a thoughtful email when you want to ask those former friends for a favor, and get ready to do some serious talking about what youve been up to for all these years.Photo of man emailing courtesy of Hero Images/Getty Images.
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