Guest Blogger - Help has arrived for Development Planning Pt. 1
written by Margaretholtman
Mention the phrase “development plan” and eyes begin to roll. Why? Well, there are many reasons for this universally negative reaction, and some of the bad press is understandable. Writing a good development plan can take a lot of time (something none of us have enough of). More often than not, plans can be vague and seem to just linger in the corporate black hole with no way to track progress or maintain accountability.
Luckily, a solution has arrived - the Myers-Briggs® ThinkBox. Myers-Briggs ThinkBox is an online learning tool that allows individuals to understand type and preferences by providing expanded descriptions of the 16 types and offering a plethora of resources, coaching tips, videos, and e-coaching sessions with worksheets and articles that provide helpful information about the strengths and challenges of each type.
An added bonus of this new and exciting tool is that it offers the three things that make development plans successful and sustainable - Practical plans, Partners and Progress.
Practical Plans
Development plans should be clear, focused, and specific, including concrete, on-the-job experiences. Every development plan needs clear goals, and it is critical that the individual picks items that match his/her preferences and that are truly actionable. As an individual develops a plan, it’s crucial to consider the following:
What is to be accomplished? There also needs to be action steps and tactics.
How is this going to happen?
And we can’t forget the target time frame. When will it get done?
MBTI ThinkBox has addressed all these practicalities with its development planning functionality. There is ample space to include the development objective as well as a description and the additional opportunity to answer the question “What will success look like?”
Partners in Learning
Plans do not work in isolation. Certainly, an individual has the major obligation in following through with the plan, as the person who “owns” the plan needs to put the sweat equity into designing it. However, the manager also plays an important role by providing support through continuous feedback. Other people also act as additional learning partners to give crucial feedback along the way.
Progress to Measure
Plans must have timeframes and should be monitored routinely. This is easily accommodated by MBTI ThinkBox. For each activity there is room to add a due date, a completion date, and an overall completion score that appears in a visible position at the beginning of the plan.
MBTI ThinkBox is a 24/7 learning tool. It is contains hundreds of resources that are updated continually. It is your new “best friend” in the development planning world.
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Margaret Holtman LLC Leadership Solutions
www.margaretholtman.com
MBTI Master Practitioner
With over twenty years of experience as a leader herself and a developer of leaders in a variety of organizations, Peggy Holtman understands what it is like to be a leader today. She offers practical advice for the executive to be successful especially in changing and complex business environments. She is an author, consultant, coach and motivational speaker. She holds a B.A. in English from The College of New Rochelle, an M.A. in English from The University of Wisconsin and a M.S. in organizational behavior from The University of Hartford. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and The Cape Cod Human Resource Association, and has been awarded the prestigious MBTI® Master Practitioner Designation by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type and Consulting Psychologist Press.
In addition to providing leadership coaching for individuals, she also offers team development and organizational consultation to her clients. She works with teams to enhance their effectiveness. For organizations she consults on strategic talent management and effective organizational change that supports business goals.
Her key skills include executive and leadership development, talent management and succession planning, on boarding and retention strategies, training delivery, meeting design and facilitation.
