Team Engagement Journey > Team Engagement Toolbox > Development Plan

Development Plan

A SCHOOL TOOL: LEARNING & GROWTH

Continued personal development is important not just for the individual, but for their value in a team. This tool provides a practical framework for a team member to identify a development goal and achieve it within the constraints of the organisation.

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Purpose

To help team members systematically create a personal development plan.

Typical scenarios

  • Team members aren’t developing as much as they could
  • A shortage of a learning and growth culture within the team
  • Unclear career pathways for team members
  • Someone wants to learn and grow personally or professionally but struggles with momentum
  • Managers want to encourage their team members to grow and keep them accountable

Why this is important

Mastery and continuous improvement are vital aspects for each team member to stay motivated in their work and to progress professionally. Many people do not progress in their careers because they do not intentionally plan for their development. 

This tool will help team members to set up a development plan through a series of important questions.

The process

Steps to build a personal development plan

A simple coaching framework which helps managers and team members with their learning and growth, is the TGROW model.

T_opic. This is the broad area the team member aspires to grow into. The aim here is for the manager to get a better understanding of the interests of the employee by asking specific questions about the employee’s interests, and then listening deeply to their responses. Guide the person away from positional titles, rather discussing growth in skills and exposure (which could ultimately result in the positional title). 

G_oal. Once the manager has a better understanding of the employee’s interests and desired course of growth, the manager can talk to the employee about formulating goals that will help them learn and grow in the direction they are interested in.

R_eality. In this stage, the manager needs to communicate the reality of the organisational constraints within which the team member is functioning. For example, it is usually unrealistic for a company to send all of their employees for accredited courses. The manager and employee can explore the current situation together to see how it impacts the progress and success of the employee’s goals. Helping the employee be realistic about the goals and direction of their growth is necessary here.

O_ptions. Managers can help employees discover potential options for growth, after taking into consideration the reality of the situation. Managers can ask an employee to think of actions, solutions and ideas that will help resolve or move the situation forward. Having options is important, as choice enables employees to take ownership and be empowered. 

W_ay forward. Here the manager needs to communicate for commitment. A manager should help team members set appropriate goals. See the Achieving Milestones tool for assistance in setting goals. It is also important to help the team member find support to keep them accountable to the action plan. This could be the manager or someone else.

Even though one-on-one meetings might not be customary for the manager, they can still be initiated by the team membe, as each person needs to take ownership of their personal growth. Take the below template to your next meeting with your manager and ask them to go through it with you.

Use the template below as foundation for your developmental growth plan.

Problem-Solving Sample Spreadsheet

Development Plan

DEVELOPMENT PLAN NOTES
TOPIC — The broad development area Growing in exposure and skills to assist the organisation in strategic decision-making.
GOAL — Realistic goals in the development area Lead or co-lead a significant project within the organisation.
REALITY — The organisational constraints There are 4 upcoming projects that still need to be assigned a lead
OPTIONS — Practical avenues for growth Applying to lead one of the upcoming projects, even if this means doing some work in another department.Exposure in sitting in on project pipeline exploration meetings.
WAY FORWARD — Commitments & accountability See the Achieving Milestones tool for assistance in setting goals.

Download resources

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DOWNLOAD THE SPREADSHEET