Personal Development
When I first looked at the criteria for this assignment, I had to take a long hard look at myself. Creating a development plan for yourself forces you to critique yourself to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You expose yourself for who you are professionally, identifying goals and accomplishments to put all of this information into perspective. I think a professional development plan is a circle that will be continuously revised through time. As you accomplish short term goals and gain knowledge your focus on development will be fine-tuned to give you an in depth look at your personal development.
Upon completion of my self-assessment, I will discuss four types of development that I would like to pursue in the future. The number one goal I would like to accomplish is to continue with my learning processes through mentor ship/ temporary assignments to grasp how other educational professionals are using the knowledge and skills learned at Walden. I want to understand how they implement new practices and technology to assist learners in obtaining the objectives stated in their course/s. As Noe stated in our text, continue to close the gaps “between my current skills and/ or interest and the type of work or position” I would like to have in the future.
The second goal, is to use all or most of the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through Walden University to become more proficient in my current position. Identify when to use specific technology that is the best fit for the learners to acquire the information in a training environment. Develop a system to showcase various techniques to show the importance of technology and the advantages of using it in the classroom.
Collaborate with my manager to set short and long term career goals, get additional ideas on how to accomplish those goals. Devise a pathway and match the goals with the company’s mission. Develop an accurate evaluation system to assess if the goals are being accomplished and devise strategies to assist if challenges or barriers arise while accomplishing those goals.
Lastly, be a team member on different projects or temporary assignments that have a start and completion date. Temporary assignments can include sabbaticals and/ or volunteer assignments. A sabbatical is a leave of absence from the company to renew or develop skills (Noe, 2013) Volunteer assignments may give employees opportunities to manage change and be exposed to other job demands (p. 393). It also gives an employee exposure to other businesses/ occupations and a chance to learn something new.
There are so many approaches to achieve personal development. Both employees and the employer are responsible for personal development and growth. The employee’s responsibility is to set and strive for short and long term goals. The employer’s responsibility is to give constructive feedback so the employee can make the necessary adjustments to learn and grow. The relationship between these two is very important for the individual and the corporation.
I have developed a slide presentation identifying the importance of an employee development plan below.
I have developed a slide presentation identifying the importance of an employee development plan below.
References
Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
