How to put together a personal development plan

If a manager neglects their team's personal development too long, sooner or later it will become evident in their productivity, motivation and loyalty. No progression and no personal development are among the most commonly cited reasons for employees leaving. In this article we will look at how you can simply put together a realistic personal development plan and at what outline and structure it should have.

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This overview was published by the Brian Tracy blog.

The following steps should be discussed by you, the manager, and the employee. Go through the individual points together, define them and set them up in cooperation with the  team member. They have to agree, otherwise the chances of success are very slim.

Step 1: Identifying their  strengths

First of all, you must define their strengths. What are they good at, what is their expertise, what can they be proud of? The answers to these questions will help you understand the employee's situation and the skills that the employee can use in their personal development.

Step 2: Overview of points that require improvement

Write down a list of weaknesses and points that need improvement. You then need to  focus on these points when putting together the development plan.

Step 3: List of specific action steps leading to improvement

The next step is to make a list of specific action steps that will lead to improvement. Plan these development activities point by point, in a completely specific way.

Step 4: Defining indicators and measurable success parameters

Define the goals, using measurable and specific indicators. Only then will you be able to know if you reached the goals or not.

Step 5: Defining the time frame for the whole process

Determine the timeline of all the steps and define a realistic schedule. Also plan for checkpoints on specific dates when you will check progress.

Step 6: Follow the plan and monitor progress

Then it's time to put the plan into action, follow the steps one by one and keep monitoring your progress. Monitor the situation and evaluate if you are diverging too much from the plan. Alternatively, you can always make changes as needed. 

 

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Article source BrianTracy.com - Brian Tracy's official blog
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