ecific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with

Now more than ever you need to take charge of your career! Our work environments are rapidly changing. Lifelong employment is a thing of the past and the threat of layoffs loom ahead. Organizations are now flatter with fewer management layers, which results in fewer promotional opportunities. Employees need to do more with less and become more flexible to quickly learn new skills and adapt to change. As a result employees need to own their development and actively manage their career in the midst of change.

Now is a perfect time to assess your career and your development. What do you hope to accomplish in your career? What position or role do you aspire to? What specifically do you want to achieve in the next year? Write down your career goal. Here’s one example, “Become qualified to attain a management position by the end of the year.”

How are you going to achieve your career goal? To best accomplish your goal, create a written development plan. Your development plan should include development objectives, measures, development activities, and a timeline.

Development Objectives

Ask yourself, “What knowledge, skills, or abilities do I need to develop to reach my goal?” Say, for example, you aspire to a management position. If so, then you need to determine the skills required of managers and identify those skills that you need to develop. Look at several sources of feedback on your skills. Solicit feedback from your supervisor, review past performance evaluations, and complete a skills assessment.

Select one to three development objectives to work on this coming year and write them down. For example, 1) develop project management skills, 2) develop leadership skills, and 3) develop and improve my ability to cope with change.

Measures

For each development objective, identify how you will measure it. Ask yourself this question, “How will I know that I’ve been successful?” Your measures should be specific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with

midst of change.

Now is a perfect time to assess your career and your development. What do you hope to accomplish in your career? What position or role do you aspire to? What specifically do you want to achieve in the next year? Write down your career goal. Here’s one example, “Become qualified to attain a management position by the end of the year.”

How are you going to achieve your career goal? To best accomplish your goal, create a written development plan. Your development plan should include development objectives, measures, development activities, and a timeline.

Development Objectives

Ask yourself, “What knowledge, skills, or abilities do I need to develop to reach my goal?” Say, for example, you aspire to a management position. If so, then you need to determine the skills required of managers and identify those skills that you need to develop. Look at several sources of feedback on your skills. Solicit feedback from your supervisor, review past performance evaluations, and complete a skills assessment.

Select one to three development objectives to work on this coming year and write them down. For example, 1) develop project management skills, 2) develop leadership skills, and 3) develop and improve my ability to cope with change.

Measures

For each development objective, identify how you will measure it. Ask yourself this question, “How will I know that I’ve been successful?” Your measures should be specific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with

plan should include development objectives, measures, development activities, and a timeline.

Development Objectives

Ask yourself, “What knowledge, skills, or abilities do I need to develop to reach my goal?” Say, for example, you aspire to a management position. If so, then you need to determine the skills required of managers and identify those skills that you need to develop. Look at several sources of feedback on your skills. Solicit feedback from your supervisor, review past performance evaluations, and complete a skills assessment.

Select one to three development objectives to work on this coming year and write them down. For example, 1) develop project management skills, 2) develop leadership skills, and 3) develop and improve my ability to cope with change.

Measures

For each development objective, identify how you will measure it. Ask yourself this question, “How will I know that I’ve been successful?” Your measures should be specific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with

ew past performance evaluations, and complete a skills assessment.

Select one to three development objectives to work on this coming year and write them down. For example, 1) develop project management skills, 2) develop leadership skills, and 3) develop and improve my ability to cope with change.

Measures

For each development objective, identify how you will measure it. Ask yourself this question, “How will I know that I’ve been successful?” Your measures should be specific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with

ecific, measurable and realistic. Let’s say you want to increase your effectiveness in building support for your ideas. Your measure might be to influence at least three of your peers to accept your ideas.

Development Activities

Which learning activities will help you to develop your skills? These can include a whole host of activities, including reading books, listening to audiotapes or CDs, taking a class, shadowing someone on the job, interviewing an expert, working with a mentor, taking on challenging projects, etc. Shadowing and projects are great learning vehicles. Research shows that people learn best by observing experts and by taking on “stretch” assignments. Identify several activities to help you develop the specific skills you’ve identified.

Timeframe

Finally, identify a completion date for each development activity. Make sure you choose a timeframe that is realistic for you.

A written development plan will provide a framework and focus for your development. By following your plan to develop yourself, you’re significantly more likely to achieve your career goal. Ultimately, your development and your career are up to you, so take the time to focus on your development.