Top Ten Things to Remember for Your Career Development Plan

Over the next ten weeks I am going to write each week about the things to remember for your Career Development Plan. Each of these points are part of a talk I have given on Career Development Planning for Entrepreneurs.  Keep in mind, these suggestions are company-agnostic, meaning that it shouldn't matter what company you may work for, they should apply to wherever you are at. They are also based upon my personal experience in doing my own planning as well as acting as a subject matter expert at the company that I work for.

Does any particular suggestion pique your interest? Does one in particular cause you to feel overwhelmed or afraid that it may be too late? Have I missed something about planning that you think should be included?

I look forward to the dialogue and thinking through the suggestions with you.

1.      To answer the question about what a successful career would look like, ask yourself, “What would I be doing on a weekly, monthly or daily basis if I was doing what I wanted in 10 years?”

2.      Of those activities that describe a successful career, which of those things could you be doing now?

3.      Is there someone you know that is doing what you think you want to do, can you ask them about it? Specifically, some of the intangibles and challenges.

4.      Do you know what Mastery in your chosen career looks like? What are the technical and soft skills that are required?

5.      Every year, your plan should be filled with SMART actions you can take using the 70, the 20 and the 10 from the 70-20-10 Adult Learning Principle.

6.      Most adults learn most from doing rather than from sitting in a classroom

7.      When considering a mentor…people can mentor you in two ways, you either want to be like them or you don’t want to be like them.

8.      You don’t have to be best friends with your mentor, select something specific to learn from them

9.      Talk to your spouse or those closest to you about your mobility and willingness to move

10.   Share your plan with someone that could give you a “reality check” on your plan. Look for someone that would add something constructive or ask you challenging questions.