DEVELOPING A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Why have a personal development plan
(PDP)
As the world of work and leisure is
changing so fast many people are finding that the role they thought they had for
life now only last a few years or even a few months.
Even where the job does last for life, like parenting,
there is a need to keep up to date with changes in your
customers needs and the environment.
Personal development plans are a way of
capturing the things you need to do in order to grow and learn either in your
current role or a new one.
Who should write the PDP?
In some organisations the manager takes
the lead in writing the PDP. However, if the PDP is to be of real benefit it
needs to be led by the individual helped by a guide. Your guide might be a
manager at work, a good friend or a professional careers advisor. Personal
Development Plans work best if you trust your guide and feel you can be open
with them.
How do I build my PDP?
While many people focus their personal
development plans on their current role or job there is a strong benefit in
taking a more holistic approach. By first creating or updating your Curriculum
Vitae you can build a picture of yourself in both work and leisure as a starting
point for your PDP.
What do my guide and I do next?
The next step is for the guide to take
you through a series of questions. The will help you to build up a picture of
your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.
The following questions are likely to be
most helpful
 |
Describe your previous jobs (paid
or unpaid ) |
|
What did you like best about each
of them? |
|
What did you like least |
|
What did you learn from each of
them |
|
Describe your current job/ role |
|
What do you like best about it |
|
What do you like least |
|
What do you find easy |
|
What do you find hard |
|
What do you find exciting about
you role in the future (opportunities) |
|
What worries you about your role
in the future ( threats) |
While this discussion is taking place it is a good idea for you and your guide to write down some notes under the headings of:
|
Likes |
|
|
|
Strengths |
|
Weaknesses |
|
Opportunities |
|
Threats |
Creating a SWOT (strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats) Analysis
Strengths and weaknesses are those
skills and qualities within us that help and hinder us when we try to achieve
things. Strengths inappropriately applied can become weaknesses and weaknesses
when understood and developed can become strengths
Opportunities and threats are those
things external to us which create excitement or fear in us. With a positive
attitude many threats can be turned into opportunities while a negative frame of
mind can turn opportunities into threats
A SWOT analysis is a tool often used by
consultants to analyse the state and prospects of a business.
This tool can also be applied to individuals as a means of identifying
activities for a personal development plan.
The SWOT analysis is simply a way of
structuring your ideas from your earlier discussion into a table:
| Strengths | Weakness |
|
|
|
| Opportunities | Threats |
|
|
Looking at this table shows you those things you feel positive about on the left and those things you feel negative about on the right.
Now you and your guide need to consider
| Which of your weaknesses is
having the most negative impact on your current role |
| Which will inhibit you most from
progressing in the future |
| Who/ Where can you ask for help in addressing these weaknesses (manager, training manager, consultant, person I respect, friends)? |
| When are you going to take the
first step in asking for that help and advice |
| How are you going to review your progress? |
| Which of the threats are you most
worried about? |
| Who/ Where can you get more
information from |
| What could you do to reduce the
threat or turn it into an opportunity |
| Who do you know who had been in
this situation before that can advise you |
| When are you going to take the first step in asking for that help and advice? |
|
You
are now ready to write your Personal Development Plan
GOOD
LUCK!
A sample Personal Development Plan
|
What am I trying
to achieve |
What internal weakness is standing in the way? |
What external threat is worrying me ? |
Who/ Where can I
go to for help? |
When Am I going to
ask for help? |
How will I review progress? |
|
Meet
increasing demands from customers |
Time Management |
Competition.
|
A project manager. A working mother.
A training course. |
Meeting arranged for
next Monday with project
manager. Email request for
training course sent |
Discuss with my guide
at least every three months |
|
Managing a
complex team |
Confidence
Experience |
Redundancy |
An experienced
manager to act as coach. The internet or a
training manager for details on courses |
This Friday afternoon
|
Discuss
with my guide at least every three months |
|
Promotion or
new job |
Confidence
Knowledge of what is
wanted |
Other applicants
|
People who have done
this type of role before. |
After drafting but
before completing the application forms.
|
Discuss
results of applications with
my guide after each interview or at least
every three months |
|
Ó Isabelle Iny 2001. This document or parts of it may be copied free of charge provided that this box is reproduced with each copy and copies are not sold. Isabelle Iny is an Organisation Development Consultant with particular expertise in personal and career and development. isabelle_iny@hotmail.com |