Achieving better results with a Personal Leadership Development Plan
How can creating a Personal Leadership Development Plan help you achieve better results at work? Your personal life?
I feel that developing a strong PLDP is great because it gives you guidance and the satisfaction that you are working towards something. For me there is nothing worse then an uncertain future with no goals or destination in both my professional and personal life. My job and my life is better with goals and they allow me to envision myself achieving them which really motivates me. It is this motivation that gives me the power to achieve better results at work. When you have no motivation or drive the work you do can seem endless with no purpose which can be frustrating and unhealthy. You have to do what you love in order to be successful at reaching your goals. Having a plan or PLDP to help you get there can really make the journey achievable.
I agree 100%, Michael, having goals to strive to achieve can be a powerful motivator. Developing your PLDP gives you the opportunity to put your goals on paper and then outline specific steps that you can take on a daily basis to achieve those goals. The PLDP also helps you to feel accountable to those goals (professional or personal) especially when you share those goals with others. Have you found this to be true?
Yes, I do feel that setting goals for myself gives me guidance and motivates me. I have the type of personality where I like to be working towards something and thinking long term with my goals. An example of this that I am going through right now is obtaining my PhD. I am still in the process of researching schools and applying but I know that this is something I want to do for myself and will help me reach my professional goals. Thinking long term and setting smaller goals and objectives that will help me reach my major goals will also help me stay motivated and focused.
Best of luck in your search to find the best fit for your Ph.D, Michael! I get the feeling that your process for achieving your goals has served you well. Good luck.
Having very specific and measurable goals is the only way to continue to develop into the leader i want to become. The day to day grind of managing the office and its deliverables takes away from actaully leading others in the the right direction. By keeping an eye on the written plan I can stay on track.
It's great that you're using your PLDP to help keep you on track to achieving the goals that you have set for yourself, Frank. At times, the daily responsibilities and tasks related to our jobs can make it difficult to remember the long term goals. Using the plan to remind you of those and stay on track to achieving those goals is a wonderful practice. Let me know how it goes.
I feel that developing a strong PLDP is great because it gives you foundation as well as guides and drives you to reach your professional, work and career goals. It also allows you to put down an attainable set of activities to reach these goals. This not only maps out the path, but it also motivates and helps you to envision how to get there. For me, this is a less frustrating and more "SMART" way to prioritize your time as well as make your PLDP obtainable.
Thanks Sandi. It sounds like you understand the important of a personal leadership development plan. Now, the next step is implementation and follow-through. I'm curious, what suggestions do you have for following through with your plan?
I think in the beginning I will look at my plan at the beginning of each week to see if I was effective in using my plan the prior week and also to guide me in prioritizing the upcoming weeks activities and goals. I may tweak this as I go, but that is how I plan to start implementing it.
Great ideas, Sandi! Assessing your plan for what works and what hasn't is a great way to know how to move forward. Thanks for sharing.
Writing down a goal is proven to have better results than just thinking about it. It solidifies that goal in your mind and helps you act in ways to get you closer to it. By creating a plan and writing down your professional goals, you can set yourself on the path to success.
Absolutely, Christine! How has writing down your goals helped you to achieve success in the past?
Although this is different than a PLDP, every day I write down what I hope to accomplish the next day. This allows me to begin my day with a idea of what I need to get done. If my deadline changes and I have to push something back, I am flexible with this plan and move it to the next day. Writing down what I need to accomplish reminds me to always work towards that, no matter what distractions come across my desk. The same is true for larger, long term goals.
Great practice, Christine. It looks like you like to plan your day around the specific goals that you are looking to accomplish but also allow yourself flexibility when needed. I imagine that this practice is helpful in keeping you on track to achieve your stated goals and even more! Keep up the good work.
I agree, Sandi, by having concrete goals and expectations, I can have a measurable way to see if my activities are on board. By looking at my plan weekly, I can systematically review what works and what does not to better refine upcoming events and work activities to better serve my staff and students
I agree, Michael, everyone needs to set attainable goals as a motivating force. I am in a new position after teaching for 40 years. Now I am a director of education in the medical field. By setting goals, I am able to motivate myself to do necessary things in this new field. I need to focus myself on learning new information in educating medical students. This involves learning new terminology and procedures which will definitely be a part of my P.L.D.P.
As a former teacher I was always writing down goals and objectives for the students. Now I will be doing the same for myself as educational director in a medical school. I have much to learn and by writing down my own goals, objectives and target areas, I can review my plan weekly to see how I am doing. Great way to track my progress!
As a former teacher I was always writing down goals and objectives for the students. Now I will be doing the same for myself as educational director in a medical school. I have much to learn and by writing down my own goals, objectives and target areas, I can review my plan weekly to see how I am doing. Great way to track my progress!
Laurel, that is a great point. I love the idea of writing down your goals and doing a weekly review. So often people write them down, but don't take the time to review them. Keep up the great work.
Shannon Gormley
