Owning Your Development: Seven Considerations for Your Professional Development Plan
Once you are settled into your role and are ready for new challenges, you can begin to work with your leader to develop a professional development plan (PDP).
Your PDP will help you identify areas of strength (and opportunities for improvement), develop goals, set a timeline and milestones, and encourage you to track and evaluate your progress. “Professional development boosts confidence and credibility. By increasing professionals’ expertise through professional development, their confidence in their work will increase as well. No one likes to think they’re missing important skills in their industry.” (1). Whether you are creating a PDP to advance within your current role, to switch roles or companies, or simply achieve a better understanding of your industry, your professional development plan should be an actionable plan for success.
Thousand Mile View Goals
Begin your PDP with an in-depth assessment of your skillset.
Start with basic questions such as “What do you love to do? What are your strengths? Where do you excel?” Be sure to consider any weaknesses or opportunities for improvement in your reflection by analyzing past performance or situational reactions to new or challenging scenarios (6).
From there, you can create actionable goals to upskill your strengths and address your weaknesses. “Lots and lots of goals is not the goal. Aim for higher quality and less quantity. You don’t want to get ‘bogged down’ on setting too many goals, but rather, you want to pick a few BIG goals to work toward” (6). These goals should fill the gaps shown by your self-assessment.
Identify Support Resources
Once you have your goals in mind, seek meaningful resources to support your first steps toward achievement.
Begin by brainstorming professional organizations that may have mentorship programs, written development resources, or other opportunities for direct support. You can also find seminars, workshops, or webinars on recent industry news.
If your employer instigated your PDP, they should be able to assist with support. “Your interest in career development planning is good for your employer—companies that partner with employees on career growth tend to improve employee retention and decrease turnover. So if you’re comfortable letting them in on your plans, you can foster a mutually productive relationship by seeking support within your organization (4). Employer resources could include Human Resources, your department leadership, or even an established colleague whose workstyle you admire. Ask your manager if there are projects that can help you develop your desired skillsets or accreditations that are customary in your industry. Finally, begin to grow your network on professional platforms, like LinkedIn.
Evaluation Metrics
How will you know when you have achieved a goal from your PDP?
Your evaluation metrics will be determined by your goals. Some examples could include specific performance milestones, new skill acquisitions, or deliverables per quarter. Consider asking your leader if there are customary or aspirational metrics you can use to achieve industry or role-specific goals (8).
Develop a Timeline
Your development timeline is one of the most important parts of your PDP.
“Depending on the type of goals you set for yourself, you may want to think in weekly, monthly, or quarterly increments. Try to find a happy balance between giving yourself enough time to achieve your goals but also challenging yourself” (2).
Setting milestones and smaller goals along the larger timeline will keep you motivated and on-schedule. However, try to be flexible and adjust your timeline as needed. “Before setting a goal end-date, be sure to research all the milestones and possible roadblocks you might run into along the way. For example, if your goal is to get promoted to the next level at your company, you might give yourself six months. If you haven’t achieved your goal, you might give yourself extended time or reconsider whether your goal is achievable and realistic” (7). Remember that reflection and re-evaluation of your goals is essential to developing meaningful skills; it is perfectly acceptable to pause, refine, or even restart your progress if your goals change or you identify the need for additional resources.
Strategies
Your professional development plan strategies are the actionable steps you take toward your goals.
Start with small actions and be sure to reflect on the steps you took (or didn't take) during the process: “[S]et a monthly reminder to write down your 3-5 monthly goals at the beginning of the month and follow up on what was accomplished the previous month. . . On the last day of the month, [] open the document and reflect on the goals. Then I would assess the actions I took on them” (6).
If your strategy involves leaning on your support resources (such as attending a conference or presentation), prepare for the events by familiarizing yourself with the speakers and topics, including any questions you may have for the panelists afterward. Your strategy could also be a goal; perhaps you are seeking a mentor and connecting with an established professional in your field will both achieve that goal and represent an actionable step toward later goals.
On a smaller scale, consider taking a more active role in day-to-day meetings, attend conferences or workshops, find a mentor, or collect with colleagues on LinkedIn (2). These small steps toward your goal are just as important as large investments of time. As you continue to take consistent, meaningful action, your strategies will become positive habits.
For more productivity tips, check out FGPM’s Time Management | How to Balance Priorities and Productivity
The More You Know
While not a formal section of your PDP, identify and list any continuing education requirements of your industry (or licensure) or relevant professional conferences.
Not only is continuing education necessary, it is beneficial to keeping your skills relevant and sharp. “Continuing education is required to maintain most professional licenses and designations. Proactive professionals take advantage of their continuing education courses to hone their knowledge and update themselves on their industry” (1). You can also pursue certifications and accreditations to sharpen your skills, while also growing your resume (and elevating your candidacy for later roles).
Short-term, you can identify relevant and interesting professional conferences, seminars, or presentations on specific topics or areas of specialization. Many of these professional offerings are featured virtually to flexibility for busy schedules, while in-person attendance can provide excellent networking opportunities.
Not all continuing education needs to be formal. “Take advantage of microlearning. Also known as “bite-sized learning”, microlearning consists of brief learning units that give brief, focused bursts of content (usually between 1 and 10 minutes long) allowing professionals to fit short learning sessions into their busy schedules” (1). LinkedIn Learning is an excellent resource for microlearning, as well as platforms such as Coursera and Skillshare.
Strengths, Wins, and Successes
Another optional section for your PDP could be an outline of your strengths.
These are areas where you feel there is an opportunity for upskilling or that you are ready to leverage more frequently. As you accomplish your goal milestones and begin to utilize your new skillsets, be sure to track your progress. Consider what strategies and action steps worked in your approach and what should be changed moving forward? “Remember to keep your PDP alive by updating and adjusting it as you go. You could also add your goals to a goal-setting software that allows you to track your progress and connect with others” 2.
You can also track your wins and successes throughout your development timeline. Not only will tracking your positive steps commemorate your growth, but it will also allow you to draw conclusions regarding productive strategies, timelines for achieving each goal, and identify other tactics for growth.
Your Professional Development Plan will be a meaningful tool for any stage of your career.
Your PDP will help you set meaningful goals, brainstorm productive strategies, and motivate you to observe your timeline by tracking your progress. As you accomplish your goals, you will reassess your skillset and career trajectory to continue your development.
Citations
Antley, Trevor. “What Is Professional Development and Why Is It Important?” WebCE, 6 July 2020, https://www.webce.com/news/2020/07/16/professional-development#:~:text=Professional%20development%20refers%20to%20continuing,trends%2C%20and%20advance%20their%20career.
Asana. “What Is a Professional Development Plan (PDP)? 6 Steps to Create One.” Asana, 20 Dec. 2022, https://asana.com/resources/professional-development-plan.
Team, Glassdoor. “Professional Development Goals: Steps and Examples.” Glassdoor Career Guides, Glassdoor Inc., 4 Nov. 2021, https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/professional-development-goals-steps-and-examples/.
Coursera. “How to Create a Goal-Oriented Career Development Plan (Template + Tips).” Coursera, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.coursera.org/articles/career-development-plan.
Laurinavicius, Tomas. “Employee Development Plan: How To Guide & Template.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/employee-development-plan/.
Van Edwards, Vanessa. “Professional Development Plan: What It Is and Why You Need One.” Science of People, 5 Dec. 2022, https://www.scienceofpeople.com/professional-development-plan/.
Keiling, Hanne. “Setting Goals To Improve Your Career.” Indeed, 27 Feb. 2023, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/setting-goals-to-improve-your-career.
“A Step-by-Step Guide to the PDP Process.” Lucidchart, 25 June 2020, https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/performance-development-planning-pdp-process.
This article is not sponsored by any of the development platforms discussed above.
More Posts You May Like
