Tool 7: The Development Plan

Hi, I’m Ted Fleming, author of “Develop: 7 Practical Tools to Take Charge of Your Career“. This series covers the seven tools I share in my book.

The final tool in our series is the development plan. It has four parts: the work plan, the learning plan, the mentoring plan, and the life plan.

The Work Plan
Describe two job experiences you want to have over the next 12 months.

The Learning Plan
Identify two learning experiences that will help you grow over the next 12 months. Are you going to take a class or read a book? Or are you going to visit a new company or part of the country?

The Mentoring Plan
Identify two mentors that will work with you over the next 12 months. One should be a strength mentor. This is someone that has the exact same area of strength as you do, but they deploy that strength at a higher level than you do right now. The other should be a mentor that will help you overcome a weakness you have or develop a new area strength.

The Life Plan
Identify two outside of work experiences that will help you grow and develop. Perhaps you’ll serve in your community, serve on a board of directors, or perhaps you’ll even write a book.