Develop Good Habits

36 Personal Development Goals Examples for Work and Life

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If you’re like many other people, you probably make a resolution or two at the beginning of each year to try to improve yourself in some way– get a promotion , start a family, get in shape–things of that nature. And if you’re like many other people, that resolution probably becomes history by January 15th.

However, this common focus on self-improvement derives from our desire to be in the driver’s seat of our own lives and be successful in all of our endeavors.

And it’s true that focusing on continuous personal development will greatly improve your chances of being successful in every area of your life, however, simply having any type of goal will not do you any favors unless you follow through by acting on it.

Having clearly defined personal development goals ( as opposed to only having resolutions ) is a great way to start improving your performance in any area of your life, yet the benefit that you derive from it depends on the effort you put forth in achieving it.

I know that once I stopped making vague intentions (lose weight, save money, spend more time with the family), and started to make specific and actionable personal goals, not only did I start achieving my goals and noticing improvements in my life, I also realized the importance of tracking my progress and measuring my success to keep myself motivated to consistently better my life.

In this post, I am going to give you 36 examples of personal development goals both for your career and personal life that will help you cultivate widespread success.

If you'd like a few resources that can teach you all the skills on this page, then I recommend checking out these platforms to learn any skill.

  • Masterclass (You can read the review of it here .)
  • Skillshare (You can read the review of it here .)
  • Udemy (You can read the review of it here .)
  • Coursera (You can read the review of it here .)

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

What are Personal Development Goals?

Personal development goals are those that are made in an effort to improve your outcomes and overall experience in life. 

A personal goal can be any milestone related to improving yourself through skill acquisition , character building experiences, interacting with other people, improving your perception of yourself and your abilities, or how you envision the possibilities for your future.

The purpose of having personal development goals is to continuously create a better life for yourself.

These life goals impact you in both tangible and intangible ways. While some personal development goals may relate to improving your ability to be patient with other people, others may have to do with advancing your education in some way.

Some of your personal development goals may clearly fall into a “personal” or “professional” category, however, many can easily overlap into both categories because ultimately, who you innately are as a person remains the same whether you’re at work or at home.

Your “soft” skills –such as your ability to motivate yourself and your capacity to feel empathy toward others–will help improve all areas of your life.

Now that we've defined personal goals, let's talk about the specific ones you can work on developing to improve your life.

Personal Development Goals Related to Your Career

1. build and improve professional relationships.

You spend a lot of time with your colleagues, so it is important to build good relationships with them. After all, team cohesion relies on mature working relationships, as people typically work better together if there’s a personal element to their relationship .

Having positive professional relationships can lay the foundation for your ultimate success. Because each person’s role in your organization either directly or indirectly affects your performance, it’s important for you to nourish these working relationships so you can work in harmony with others.

To improve your professional relationships, help other members of the team whenever you can, and engage in open and honest communication with your colleagues. (And if you're not an effective communicator, these 11 strategies can help improve your communication skills .)

Doing so will help you build trust and strengthen your relationship with the people at work, which will make your professional life much more enjoyable.

While it is also important to develop positive relationships with people in your field who work with different organizations (which we will address later), don’t neglect those who are on your own turf.

How to Achieve This Goal

To build and improve your professional relationships, you will need to practice good workplace habits . Not only will this help you develop better relationships with your colleagues, it will also help increase your level of work satisfaction. Be sure to welcome diversity , both in cultures and ideas, by listening to what others have to say in your workplace.

Factor various insights into your decision-making processes and recognize that you can learn something from everyone . If the people you work with can see that you value them and what they bring to the table, you will be more likely to have a good relationship with them.

2. Improve Your Time Management Skills

Throughout your professional career, you’ll face deadlines and competing tasks that fight for your attention every day. As your workload increases, it may seem impossible to be able to get everything accomplished.

In these instances, your ability to manage your time will be tested. Having effective time management skills will help increase your productivity and efficiency, decrease your stress , and  allow you to have more time to dedicate to other endeavors .

Make sure that you’re keeping track of how you spend your time if you feel like time management is an issue for you ( this app can help you do this).

Schedule a specific amount of time for every item on your to-do list and don’t allow interruptions during these times. This will help you be more efficient, and once you get the hang of working this way, it will become second nature.

Now, if you'd like to discover additional resources related to time management and productivity, then I recommend checking out the other articles we've published on this site:

  • The Eisenhower Matrix: How to Use 4 Quadrants to Make Important vs. Urgent Decisions in Your Life
  • The 80/20 Rule: How to Apply This Principle to All Areas of Your Life
  • The Pomodoro Technique: How to Manage Your Time in 25-Minute Blocks
  • 27 Best Books on Productivity and Time Management
  • The Rock, Pebbles, and Sand Story About Time Management

We’ve provided you with the tools you need to improve your time management, but having these tools without having the skills to properly use them doesn’t quite cut it.

Think of it like this: you could have the highest quality set of knives and most innovative oven on the market, but if you don’t know how to cook, those tools won’t automatically make you a master chef.

So what underlying skills do you need in order to effectively manage your time? Research shows that there are three skills in particular that will make your time management efforts successful, including:

  • Being aware that time is a limited resource and being realistic with how long it takes to accomplish a task
  • Having the ability to organize your daily tasks, schedule, and goals in a sensical way
  • Being able to monitor the use of your time on an ongoing basis and adapt to changing priorities as needed

With this in mind, take these steps to improve upon these three skills:

  • Time yourself at work for every task you do for about a week. Keeping track of how you spend your time can be a huge eye-opener.
  • Put your most important tasks at the beginning of your daily schedule and fill in the rest like Tetris. If you have a really short break somewhere, throw that 5 minute task right there into your schedule.
  • Have a backup plan in case your day gets a little jumbled… which it often will.

3. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first hit people’s radars, it was the answer to a puzzling question: How do people with mid-range IQs outperform those with the highest IQs almost three-quarters of the time?

People originally thought that one’s IQ was a direct indicator of their success. However, decades of research uncovered that a high EQ is an element that brings star performers to the top.

This means that your EQ has a huge impact on your professional success. When you have a high EQ, you are better equipped to understand your own feelings and the feelings of others, which helps you relate to people.

Not only does this improve your communication skills, but it also gives you the social competence that’s needed to understand other people’s emotions, behaviors, and motives so you can respond appropriately and successfully manage your personal interactions.

One interesting thing about people with a high EQ is that they have a large emotional vocabulary. While everyone experiences emotions, very few can accurately identify them as they happen, which becomes a problem because unidentified emotions are easily misinterpreted, leading to irrational decisions and ineffective actions.

However, those who have high EQs can understand their emotions, and they have a large vocabulary of “feeling words” to do this. So, while others may say they feel bad, a person with a high EQ would be able to identify if they’re frustrated, hurt, overwhelmed, etc.

The more clearly you can define your emotion, the more insight you have into what caused your feelings and how you can address them.

To learn more about this topic, here is a seven-step process on how to improve your emotional intelligence.

Additionally, having a good sense of self-awareness is the most important component to being able to develop a high EQ. With a high level of self-awareness, it will be easier for you to recognize how other people perceive you and adapt to social situations as needed.

One effective way to increase your self-awareness is to keep a mindfulness journal , which will help get you in the habit of living in the moment and being aware of yourself and your surroundings.

4. Define Your Own Success

You don’t have to abide by everyone else’s definition of success . You can define what being successful and happy mean to you , which will help you clarify what you need to do to achieve it.

Once you dig deep to uncover your values and purpose and career aspirations , you will recognize that if you try to chase everyone else's idea of what success is, you won’t achieve it. ( Discover your core values with the help of these core value quizzes. )

In doing this, you have to make it a point to not compare yourself to other people . The things that you see other people have don’t define or impact your success. You’re the only one who can decide if you have achieved your goals thus far.

And if you want to be more successful, here are 12 rules to live by.

There isn’t one universal definition of being successful. To define your own success, you need to observe and recognize the characteristics that make you unique from everyone else in the world and celebrate them. The Huffington Post offers three steps to defining your success:

  • Figure out what makes you, YOU. What makes you unique? One way to reflect on this is to write your personal mission statement .
  • Remove your limiting beliefs and open yourself up to taking risks and reaping the rewards.
  • Keep doing whatever you have to do to help you be your best self. This involves practicing self-care , increasing your love for yourself (and here are some more tips for loving yourself more ), and living an authentic life to your true self .

5. Find New Challenges

Finding new challenges in your current position will help keep your job interesting and fulfilling.

This personal development goal shows your ambition and can be especially helpful for your organization if they’re frequently coming up with new ideas that are never acted on or no one supervises to ensure any type of follow-through.

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Finding new challenges could be as easy as revising that employee handbook that hasn’t been touched since 2005, or as complex as proposing and creating a prototype for a new product.

Finding new challenges for yourself will also help you show your leadership abilities and could lead to further progress within your organization.

If you need a jumpstart, here are 129 30-day challenges you can use to improve your personal and professional life.

The first thing you need to do to find new challenges is to take the initiative to talk to your boss about your current responsibilities.

Inquire about other projects you can get involved with and try to provide a fresh perspective on issues as they arise. Doing so could lead to job advancement in the future, which will certainly offer new challenges.

Secondly, find new challenges by focusing on yourself rather than constantly trying to impress your employer . If you are always in the mindset that you’re working for someone else, you may become bored and lazy with your work.

Remember that your work reflects on you , not just your employer, and when you think of your work as being for yourself , you’re more likely to challenge yourself to continuously improve .

6. Don’t Be Passive

Passive behavior occurs when you put other people’s preferences or needs ahead of your own. While sometimes this is necessary to build relationships, it can become a problem if you are consistently passive in a way that allows it to become a barrier to your success.

If you like to avoid conflict, you probably tend to be passive. If you simply allow things to happen without standing up for yourself or offering a logical argument in return, others will see this and start taking advantage of your willingness to please.

In doing so, you may accept an offer that would be unacceptable by other people’s standards, which could negatively impact your performance and even your organization.

While being passive in the short-term may make you feel good because you are getting other people’s approval, it is damaging in the long-run because it will require you to make larger sacrifices to maintain these relationships.

If you want to take a more active approach in your career, start by writing your career goal statement . This will give you a clearer vision of the professional life you want and how to achieve it.

Also, you can avoid being passive by communicating directly with people ( don’t be shy! ) and being genuine when you’re talking about how you feel about things. You can certainly be assertive without being aggressive by being clear and straightforward with people.

7. Develop a Growth Mindset

People who have a growth mindset believe that they can continue to develop their talents throughout life.

These people are often able to achieve more than those with a fixed mindset, who believe that they were born with their abilities already set into place and therefore don’t invest time or energy into learning new skills.

People with a growth mindset are continuously aiming to better themselves, and are therefore able to break away from complacency and achieve their goals.

Watch the video below for a quick overview of growth mindset, how it can help you and the 11 actionable strategies you can use to develop it.

In a professional environment, people who have a growth mindset often share information, collaborate well with others, look for feedback, strive for innovation, and are able to admit their mistakes.

On the other hand, those with a fixed mindset are less likely to take risks for fear of failure or embarrassment. They don’t look forward to the potential learning opportunities from trying new things because they think they were born with the maximum amount of talent they will ever have.

Those with a fixed mindset can develop a growth mindset by embracing imperfection and altering their viewpoint on challenges. This is advantageous in the workplace because it offers a greater opportunity to become successful.

If you'd like to develop this quality, there are many resources out there that can help you. First, here are 7 exercises that can help you develop a growth mindset , and h ere are 27 habits you can adopt to support you on this journey as well.

By cultivating self-awareness, seeking out learning opportunities and challenges, and being mindful about valuing the process of everything that you do rather than just the end result, you can stop your limiting beliefs that your talent and abilities are finite.

Additionally, h ere are 20 growth mindset examples that will help you fully understand the importance of having this trait, which can help motivate you to make a genuine effort toward adopting it. You can also check out these growth mindset journal prompts if you're already journaling.

Finally, check out these growth and fixed mindset quotes to encourage you to continue to learn throughout your life. And–if you have children–you can get them started on the right track by teaching them how to develop a growth mindset .

8. Grow Your Network

People do business with others whom they know and trust. And the truth is, “companies” don’t make business decisions, people do. Having a strong professional network can help you advance in your career in ways that you would not be able to do alone.

Not only can networking lead to connections with people who can help you enhance your expertise and knowledge, it can also help you stay on top of potential opportunities for advancement in your career.

In order to grow your network, you need to be willing to put yourself out there in new situations, which may feel uncomfortable at first.

However, once you do it a few times, not only will you get used to it, but you will start running into the same people multiple times at networking events, which will help you strengthen your network as it grows.

Actively look up networking events in your area and GO. Even if you have to bring a co-worker so there is someone there you know, GO.

You can also grow your network through social media , however, having that personal face-to-face time is invaluable when you’re trying to learn about someone and really attempting to make a valuable connection.

Read this post to learn how to create SMART goals that focus on networking.

9. Tweak Your Work Life Balance

Having a healthy work-life balance is an important part of living a happy life . Not only will taking sufficient breaks from work have a positive effect on your wellbeing, but it will also influence your productivity by improving your performance while you’re working.

Create boundaries between your professional and your personal lives that are strong, yet realistic.

To you, this may mean sticking to an 8-hour work-day, or it could mean leaving work at work and leaving home at home (i.e. not checking your work email while having dinner with your family).

Having a healthy work-life balance will help you maintain your professional motivation and allow you to work smarter , not harder .

One of the first steps to achieving this goal is to work efficiently while you’re at work so it doesn’t have to spill over into your personal life. Here are 26 smart hacks to help increase your work productivity.

It’s also smart to go into each week with a plan so you don’t end up wasting time wondering what you should do next–or feeling so overwhelmed that you just sit there and do nothing. Here are 7 steps to help you plan out your week so you can stay focused.

10. Improve Upon Your Weaknesses

Make your biggest weakness into your biggest strengths by being aware of areas in which you can improve and focusing directly on them.

Being able to recognize your weaknesses shows self-awareness and strength in your character. But what do you tell potential employers when they ask about your weaknesses? Do you tell them the solid steps you’re taking to improve upon them?

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You won’t improve without accepting that your skillset isn’t perfect and then creating a strategic plan for improvement. ( A personal development plan template can help you! )

If you can take concrete steps to turn your weaknesses around, not only will you be a role model for other professionals, you will also be engaging in self-improvement.

This is not to say that your biggest weakness has to turn into your biggest strength, but being aware of the areas in your work where you have room for improvement and trying to bridge that gap is a constructive personal development goal.

First, practice some activities in self-awareness so you can gain this important characteristic, such as:

  • Asking yourself “Why?” three times
  • Label your emotions
  • Go for a walk
  • Keep a journal

Secondly, it is important to get guidance from someone you trust . In doing so, you may be able to learn about some weaknesses that you have but may not have noticed.

And for some things? You really just need to get good enough . It’s alright if you’re never an expert at every task involved in your company–but some tasks are important enough to gain minimal competence, just so you can understand the comprehensive work of your company.

For example, let’s say you’re an internet entrepreneur…but you have very few technology skills.

You can trust your employees to take care of the technology piece, but you’ll still want to learn just enough so you can tell if they’re doing their jobs as they’re supposed to and you know if your expectations for their outcomes are realistic.

11. Pursue Ongoing Professional Development

This is another personal development goal that will keep you on top of your game at work.

Employers are often reluctant to invest the money in sending their employees to seminars or conferences, but engaging in professional development will help you maintain your competence in your field and excel when faced with the competition .

This continuing professional development can take the form of listening to the best business podcasts and reading the best business books .

Ensuring that your professional skills remain up-to-date in our rapidly changing world is critical to your long-term success . Think of your five-year plan .

Your education certainly doesn’t stop with your diploma, and staying abreast of changing trends in your industry will help you be an in-demand candidate for prospective future employers.

You can engage in continuous learning on your own by seeking out opportunities for webinars and new research and things of that nature.

You can also look for senior executives at your job whose job may be your goal to obtain one day and ask if you can spend some time shadowing them to learn what they do on an everyday basis.

But if you want to be able to attend and participate in more intensive trainings, you may need to learn how to ask your boss how your company can fit that into their budget.

And to convince anyone of this you have to have a strong argument as to why or how your attendance at this conference will benefit the entire company and what kind of knowledge you can bring back from it.

So do your research first and approach your boss with a strong argument in mind as to how spending this money will benefit the company.

12. Learn How to Motivate Others

If you want to be a leader in your industry, it is important to know how to motivate your team members. Otherwise, your organization will go through periods of struggle with productivity and overall morale.

If you aren’t in a leadership position, you can still look for opportunities to bring to your leaders’ attention that address motivation if you feel that this is an obstacle in your workplace.

If you are able to enhance the motivation of your team or have a positive impact on the work ethic of the employees, you will be helping to maximize the effectiveness of your organization.

Here are 9 ways you can motivate others. Part of doing this is to challenge people and be encouraging when they start to make progress .

You want to set others up to be in a position where they’re ultimately motivating themselves, and sometimes this requires prompting them to do some self-reflection as to why they are doing the job that they’ve chosen and what they’re ultimately working toward.

And if they’re still not quite sure, try to get the person to create a vision for their future so they can have a more clear picture of what they want out of life.

You can teach them about making vision boards to help them think about their future or add some inspiration to their current work as they make connections to where it may be taking them for the future.

Personal Development Goals for Self-Growth

13. enjoy life more by taking it less seriously.

A lot of people fail to keep the bigger picture in mind on an everyday basis. The majority of us are fortunate to have been born healthy and into families that could provide us with our basic needs. However, many still get caught up in the small things that happen and completely forget about how well-off they are.

Think about someone you know who earns a large salary, but still gets mad at small inconveniences. Taking life less seriously will help you be happier, reduce stress, and make you a more enjoyable person for other people to be around.

If you’re able to move past the small and insignificant things that happen, you will get more enjoyment out of life. Laugh at unexpected inconveniences, laugh at yourself when you make a mistake , and laugh because it will reduce the amount of stress that you’re putting on your body.

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” — Elbert Hubbard

There are several things you can do to take life less seriously. Practicing gratitude is a great place to start since it will help you focus on the good things in your life. This will also help you m aintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

Try to let go of any stress, worry, or anger so you can live in a more relaxed state of mind. Be mindful of the stress in your life and do your best to rise above it. As you know, there a lot of things in life that you have no control over.

Align yourself to a brighter and lighter version of you by adding humor to your life , learning to be comfortable with feeling vulnerable, and spending more time enjoying life.

14. Engage in Self-Care

You can’t be an effective partner, mother, cousin, or friend to anyone if you don’t take care of yourself first. Too often, people fail to take care of their own basic needs, either because they’re too busy or they’re not making it a primary concern.

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Learning how to engage in proper self-care and making it a priority in your everyday life will greatly improve your life and the lives of the people with whom you interact. You can’t take care of anything else in your life to the best of your ability until you take care of yourself.

Check out 274 self-care ideas here . Some of my personal favorites that I feel apply universally are:

  • Find a creative hobby that you enjoy
  • Write in a journal
  • Reward yourself when you do something positive
  • Spend time drawing in an adult coloring book
  • Declutter your living space
  • Learn vital self management skills

15. Be Proactive

Things will go wrong in life–it’s inevitable. These negative situations can either have a large impact on your life, or they could be a bit inconvenient. This all depends on whether you’re pro active or re active .

If you always wait to react to problems until after they have already presented themselves, it expands the associated challenges and adds additional stress to your life.

On the other hand, if you’re proactive, it will minimize the issue and give you more stability because you will be facing a challenge that you were prepared for. It’s easier to remain relatively undisturbed if you’re proactive because you’ll always feel like you’re in control of your circumstances.

Being proactive is about being a good problem solver and being solution-focused. It’s about not wasting time and getting things done ahead of time by anticipating issues that may arise or being ahead of the game when it comes to an emerging trend in your industry.

Surround yourself with other people who are driven to increase your probability for success.  You cannot have people around you who drag you down and expect to keep the motivation to be proactive, rather you need to associate with like-minded people who also want to stay ahead.

Doing so will also keep you abreast of new research or best practices in your field because you will be able to learn from the people you’re around, and they will be able to learn from you.

16. Practice Patience

It can be tough to be patient, especially if you tend to be short-tempered. However, this is something that can be managed with practice.

It’s beneficial to maintain your patience during times of despair because it will help you keep a calm state of mind, which will allow you to effectively problem-solve without being impacted by frustration.

Also, having continuous patience will help you make decisions that will be beneficial for you in the long term because you won’t rush yourself into making decisions that will suit your needs for instant gratification.

One way to ensure that you are practicing patience is to stop to think critically before making any decisions . Taking the time to do this will help you avoid having to re-do work, make corrections, or do something that you later regret.

Here are some concrete steps you can take to become more patient. A big part of practicing how to be patient is exactly that– practicing .

I know this may sound like a unique thing to work on because it’s not really tangible–you’re not practicing how to play the piano or practicing perfecting a perfect recipe of some sort. However, practicing patience is not as passive as it sounds.

You can practice by focusing on your breathing, finding the silver lining in the extra time that you’ve been given while you’re waiting for something, and learning to battle feelings of anger and frustration that really are the negative aspect of being impatient.

Looking for some inspiration? Here's a collection of our favorites quotes about patience .

17. Say “Goodbye” to Toxic People

Do you have negative people in your life who drain you of your energy and confidence? Or, can you think of some people who are constantly complaining or judging others in some way?

These people are known as being “toxic” and you should avoid having them in your life as much as you can .

Toxic people will hold you back from achieving your goals. Because putting an end to any relationship is difficult, and you may not want to completely cut ties with a friend from childhood (for example), you can make a concerted effort to spend a minimal amount of time with them rather than completely cutting them off if you feel that would be more appropriate.

Instead, surround yourself with uplifting people who will inspire you and support you in being the best version of yourself . Spending your time with like-minded people will make it easier for you to achieve your ultimate goals in life.

Don’t sit around waiting for toxic people in your life to change. Rather, establish boundaries and maintain them by being comfortable with saying “no” to them . Don’t allow yourself to be pulled into someone else’s crisis just because they’ve been in your life for a long time.

Sometimes it’s ok (and necessary) to let go of the past and old relationships and move on with your life rather than holding onto them because the person has been a friend since childhood.

People grow in different directions and while you may be able to have a mutually beneficial relationship with someone at one point in your life, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the relationship should last forever.

Keep in mind that toxic people have a tendency to keep coming back into your life if you let them, so once you decide a relationship of any kind is over, make sure to be firm with that decision.    

18. Accept Your Reality

You may feel like you know yourself, but have you accepted yourself and your life? Have you settled for “less than” what you hoped? Failing to connect with reality may keep you stuck in jobs, relationships, or even living situations that are just not right for you.

You will always be a work in progress and it is perfectly acceptable for you to make mistakes, but in order to make some sort of progression in your life, it is important to accept your reality if you're not living your dream.

Accepting your reality is one of the best things you can do for your future. Even if your current situation is awful, the first step to making positive changes is acknowledging and accepting it in its current state and then identifying the specific things you can do to improve it. Otherwise, you will remain unhappily complacent.

Dealing with the bad stuff takes a lot of practice, but you have to do it in order to make it to the good things.

To accept your reality, you have to own responsibility for your mistakes and acknowledge any role you played in getting to where you are today, whether it’s good or bad. What have you done in the past to foster success? What about failure?

You don’t have to beat yourself up about your past mistakes, just look for lessons in them . And make sure to give yourself credit wherever it’s due.

Accepting your reality means accepting all of it–starting with your competencies. Focus on your positive characteristics because even if you aren’t where you want to be right now, you’re sure to have done some good things that have put you ahead of where you could be.

19. Don’t Let Your Past Define Your Future

A lot of us have a terrible past, and you may believe that your goals are out of reach due to your undesirable history. Perhaps you’re discouraged, you feel unworthy, or you may even be embarrassed by your past.

But it doesn’t take too much research to find success story after success story of people who were able to overcome their past struggles and become very triumphant .

Don’t let your past be an obstacle to achieving the future that you dream of. Rather, commit to your goals and realize that change can occur at any point, and you have endless opportunities for transformation.

Sure, it can be hard to let go of the past, especially if you believe it makes up such a large part of your identity. However, it can be done.

If you’re trying to deal with negative emotions from a past trauma and you want to be heard or understood, you can talk about your experiences with people, but you also have to identify how those experiences are now causing emotions that are holding you back.

Once you identify your limiting emotions, you can think about what positive motivating factors you may have to help you move past those feelings.

Then, create new, positive experiences to replace the negative things that have happened in the past so you can reinvent yourself and live a happy and fulfilling life.

20. Let Go of Your Limiting Beliefs

Holding onto limiting beliefs will delay your progression because you will be stuck inside of your comfort zone, unwilling to try new things or take any risks.

While you may have a fear of failure or you are scared you’re going to get hurt in the process of working toward your goals , these thoughts cannot mark the end of the road to your success.

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You could have limiting beliefs about a variety of things, ranging from finances to relationships to your own abilities. The key is to identify the beliefs that are holding you back, overcome them, and replace them with positive thoughts that support your path to success.

To learn more, here is a step-by-step guide on how to identify and overcome your limiting beliefs . You will first need to overpower your limiting beliefs with empowering thoughts that can help you move past these roadblocks.

Do this by questioning your beliefs. Are you sure they’re true? Do you have any evidence or are you making an assumption? Are you thinking in “ all or nothing ” terms?

Being honest with yourself about your beliefs and thinking outside the box to find potential new solutions can help you realize that your beliefs probably started out as being ideas, then turned to opinions, then cemented themselves in your belief system.

It takes a lot of self-reflection and challenging your own thoughts to move past your limiting beliefs, but doing the work is worth the reward because whatever is holding you back has tangible consequences, whether it’s preventing you from pursuing the job of your dreams, keeping you in an abusive relationship, or anything in between.

21. Set Personal Boundaries

If you’re like me, you have a hard time saying no to people. You want to please those who come to you for help or who need you to do them a favor. However, it’s important to remember that you’re not an endless resource to be used by other people.

You have to know your limits so you have enough time and energy for the things that you need to accomplish. Once you know where your limits stand, set strict boundaries for others and stick to your guns.

This could mean boundaries in romantic relationships, with your family members, friends, or even in the workplace. Setting clear personal boundaries is an important part of ensuring that your relationships are mutually supportive and respectful.

If you have weak or undefined boundaries, you will be left vulnerable and others may take you for granted. However, with strong boundaries, you’re setting the limits for what’s acceptable behavior from the people with whom you associate.

Learn to recognize when the boundaries that you have set are being pushed and be direct about that.

With a strong sense of self-awareness, you will notice when your boundaries are being pushed because you will feel yourself becoming resentful toward the other person .

When this happens, if you have a proper sense of self-respect, you will not feel guilty about sticking to your boundaries.

If you want to learn how to set boundaries, you can start small. For example, let your friends and extended family know that you’re turning your phone on silent every night at 8pm and won’t look at it again until 6:30 the next morning–at the earliest.

This is a good first step to learning how to set boundaries with your time. A next step to consider may be to stop checking work emails when you’re at home. Work at whatever pace of progress feels right to you.

For more on this, here is a 7-step process for saying “no” to people and the requests for your time .

22. Become an Active Listener

We listen to people talk every day, so you would probably think that everyone is pretty good at it. However, this is not the case–in fact, research shows that we only remember about 25% of what we hear.

So when you’re talking to your boss, coworkers, family, and friends for, say, 20 minutes—and you’re speaking for 10 of those minutes–they will only remember 2.5 minutes of what you said. This also means that when someone is telling you something that’s important, you’re most likely going to miss parts of it.

Learning how to actively listen is a skill that pretty much everyone could benefit from. When you improve your listening skills, you can improve your productivity , your influence on others , and your negotiation and persuasion skills.

Also, part of being a great communicator is being a great listener. You give off a good impression to others when you lend them a listening ear, which helps you earn trust.

When you are actively listening, not only are you showing the speaker that you want to understand what they’re saying, you’re also offering empathy and support, which builds stronger relationships.

To improve your active listening skills , mimic the speaker’s body language and ask questions to make sure you’re understanding what they’re saying .

You don’t want to interrupt the person who is speaking, but nodding along in agreement and repeating back to them what you heard are effective ways to show the speaker that you are engaged in the conversation.

Also, maintain eye contact and ask clarifying or follow-up questions so they know that you’ve been paying attention to what they’ve been talking about. Try to have some empathy while you’re listening so you can feel what the speaker is trying to relay.

23. Learn to Let Go

Holding on to the past will prevent you from becoming the person that you want to be. But, letting go of things that have happened is much easier said than done.

In fact, I think we have all heard someone say at some point in our lives, “let it go” and, if you’re like me, it makes you even madder than you were before.

While it seems counterintuitive, Psychology Today reports that painful feelings can ultimately be comforting, especially if most of your past is painful, because these unpleasant emotions become part of your identity, making them nearly impossible to let go.

However, if you carry the negative things from your past around with you for the rest of your life, it will only act as a burden and ultimately hold you back from living a fulfilling life. Remember the lessons that you take away from your hardships, but let go of the emotional weight that you’re holding on to .

A large part of letting go involves learning how to forgive . This doesn’t mean that you have to forget what someone else has done to hurt you, it simply means that you will not allow their actions to have a negative impact on your future. 

Offering forgiveness is therapeutic when you’re trying to move past something, and if you share this forgiveness with the offender, it may motivate that person to seek moral growth, and improve themselves as a result of your forgiveness.

Aside from learning how to forgive, it’s important to always remember that the only thing you can control are your own actions and feelings .

Don’t waste your energy trying to dictate the paths of other people, and don’t worry about what other people’s opinions are of you. Just focus on being your best self and living the life that you want to live from start to finish.

24. Build Resilience

Even for those who are relatively self-aware, life’s challenges can come at a surprise. But learning how to move through these painful times in a healthy way can help people bounce  back more quickly–or at least start moving in a positive direction.

When you’re resilient, you are able to cope with adversity and adapt when a situation doesn’t go the way that you expected.

Having resilience is the difference between feeling powerless and being able to stand up to your problems with confidence and bravery. When you can recover quickly from a problem , you will come out on the other side a stronger person.

Having resilience is what helps you cope with whatever comes your way and just focus on what you can learn from the experience. 

This personal development goal can help you in any area of your life, as it will prevent you from becoming easily overwhelmed and allow you to use your strengths to recover from challenges.

Many people use journaling as a way to build resilience, as this exercise helps you explore your thoughts, stop ruminating on past experiences, and it gives your thoughts structure by organizing them on paper. This can help you gain a new perspective and a sense of control over your past.

Journaling can also help you find the silver lining in things as you have the opportunity to purposefully think of positive things that may have come out of an upsetting experience.

For example, if you got in a fight with your partner, it may have brought some significant issues to light , allowing you both to open up to each other’s points of  view. 

25. Wake Up 30 Minutes Earlier

Waking up early, energized, and with a purpose is a huge key to success .

The most successful people are known for waking up early and getting a strong start to their day. Because of this, a great personal goal that could really enhance your life in all domains is to start waking up earlier than  you’re used to.

Set your alarm to get up early –at least 30 minutes before usual. There are many benefits to being an early riser, such as giving yourself time to eat a healthy breakfast , get some exercise , or complete some productive work before other people are awake and the chaos of your day begins.

Waking up earlier than is necessary gives you quiet time to focus on anything that is important to you.

If you're aiming for waking up at 5A, watch teh video below to learn about the 7-step process for training your body and mind to wake up at that hour.

Studies have shown that people who wake up early tend to procrastinate less and get ahead of the game as opposed to their later-sleeping counterparts. So, if you want to get ahead, this is one simple change you can make that can give you a head start.

The first step to being able to wake up early is to make sure you’re going to bed at a reasonable time and getting a good night’s sleep .

If you try to go to bed at the same time every night, you will eventually start to wake up at the same time each morning, without needing an alarm clock.

If you need to, you can make this change gradually by starting to set your alarm 10 minutes earlier than usual, and then 20, and so on.

Once your body gets into this routine, you will become a natural early bird and wonder why other people waste so much time in the morning staying in bed or hitting the snooze button.

If you're having trouble with your morning routine in general, then this step-by-step resource can help .

Personal Development Goals for a Performance Review

26. improve operation processes.

While operations processes can look quite different depending upon the industry in which you work, the underlying concept is the same for all organizations of any size.

The operation process involves turning inputs (raw materials, information, labor, money, etc.) into outputs (products, services, customer satisfaction , etc.)

Companies that can figure out how to do this well end up with a competitive advantage. Because of this, every component of an operations process has to be closely monitored so management can determine if their team is working at an optimal level of performance.

Well-designed operations process goals can help teams stay informed of all necessary information, standard operating procedures, and training.

And, ultimately, when these processes are done well, they are what make an organization successful. If you’re at the helm of this, you’re on the right path toward professional success.

The best way to improve operation processes is to streamline them . Look at how your organization works and identify if there are any areas where you can improve efficiency. It’s important to not stay stuck in your old ways because that’s what has “always worked” before.

Technology and businesses are constantly evolving, meaning there are new methods and tools available to streamline operations to increase workers’ productivity .

Another thing you will want to keep in mind to improve business operations is to fix small problems before they become big ones. Some seemingly insignificant glitches in your system can turn into a setback that can end up wasting a lot of time and being expensive to fix.

So, make an effort to reduce any issue that you can identify within your organization. One way of doing this would be to create a new protocol guide for your team and then review its impact on a regular basis, tweaking the processes as needed.

Here are some specific examples of how a business can improve their operations processes.

27. Improve Clients’ Service Experiences

Goals related to clients’ service experiences with your organization involve greater engagement and client satisfaction.

These types of goals may involve elements such as creating more self-service online features on the organization’s website, reducing phone hold times, or improving the timeliness of client follow up.

This type of goal will be highly individualized based on your industry, but whether you are dealing with retail clients in a small business setting or your clients come in the form of the kindergarten students that you teach, you can always find a way to improve others’ experience when they’re on the receiving end of your organization’s services.

Here are a variety of ways to improve clients’ service experiences that can apply to a diverse group of industries.

But, in addition to this, it’s important to make sure that the employees are able to show that they truly care about their work and stand behind the company especially when they’re interacting with those receiving your services or buying your products.

To do this, you need to ensure employees have a sense of intrinsic motivation to do their job. When employees are intrinsically motivated to do their job, they will:

  • Respect and enjoy the process of the work rather than simply receiving a paycheck
  • Find pleasure in their everyday tasks
  • Show a sense of enthusiasm for their work
  • Seek opportunities to learn
  • Welcome challenges
  • Live up to their potential

For more information, read our examples of SMART goals for small business .

28. Improve Employee Morale

You don’t have to be in a leadership position to boost employee morale. When employees have a positive attitude about their environment at work and believe they can be successful in their job, employee morale naturally increases.

When working among other people, you can have an impact on the working environment and encourage a positive morale. For example, you can:

  • Praise your fellow co-workers for their hard work or success
  • Avoid using negative language or expressing complaints without offering a possible solution
  • Do something as simple as keeping your office door open or putting a bowl of candy on your desk to make fellow employees feel welcomed when approaching you

The culture of an organization cannot be changed by just one person, however, without at least one person making an effort to improve employee morale, no changes will ever occur. Do your part in creating positive general norms in your workplace.

The most effective way to improve employee morale is to demonstrate it yourself. Your own positive attitude about your work will be contagious to everyone around you. Go out of your way to point positive aspects of your job out to other people– no matter how small they are.

For example, if the company buys a new Keurig for the breakroom, make the effort to point that out to someone in passing. Add as much positivity to your workplace as you can to negate any negative attitudes that tend to hang around there .

This video offers some more great ideas on how to improve employee morale.

29. Offer Solutions to Problems

Pointing out problems that are occurring within your organization time and time again gets exhausting for those who have to listen to you.

Instead, be proactive about coming up with solutions to challenges that arise before complaining about the problem in the first place.

For example, let’s say that you’re finding frequent mistakes in your coworkers’ reports and you’re having to spend time going back and fixing them.

If your method of attempting to deal with this problem involves complaining directly to your boss about your coworkers’ mistakes, you’re just going to sound like you’re whining or speaking poorly about others with whom you work.

There’s not much worse than sitting around wasting time talking about problems without planning on doing anything about them.

If you notice a problem at work, have an honest conversation with the offending coworkers about these mistakes, what can be done to improve their work, and what (if anything) you can do to help.

This way, when you do talk to your boss about the problem, you can report the action you’ve already taken to try to ameliorate the issue.

Don’t play the blame game , because remember, you’re a part of a team. This means that ultimately, everyone is responsible for the company’s success.

This video talks more about the importance of offering solutions rather than just problems.

30. Make Your Boss’s Job Easier

You were hired to make your boss (and their boss) successful. And the first step to making that happen is to understand exactly what is expected of you and how you should deliver on those expectations. Get to know your boss and his or her preferences so they don’t have to go back and correct your work.

In doing this, it’s important to maintain a sense of personal responsibility and stay accountable for your work . If you commit to something, make sure to follow through with it. By doing so, you’re letting your boss know that they can count on you.

One way that you can make your boss’s job easier is to stay ahead of your work. When you’re given a deadline, be sure to have your work completed at least one day in advance .

This will allow your boss to have some time to go over the work on their own schedule rather than waiting until the last minute when you finally turn it in.

Some other ways to make your boss’s life easier include:

  • Learn how he/she operates, what they need from you, and how they want it done. Doing so will help you meet their expectations.
  • Know your boss’s goals so you can help ensure they’re met.
  • Be resourceful and respect your boss’s time. For example, if you have a question about health insurance, ask someone in HR. Save your time with your boss to talk about work-related issues that involve collaboration between the two of you–not questions that should be directed toward someone else.
  • Stick to your promises. Better yet– under-promise and over-deliver.

Here are some more useful tips on how to make your boss’s job easier.

31. Expect Change

Being flexible and accepting of change is critical in today’s job market. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2030, the average person who is entering the workforce will have to learn entirely new job skills between eight and ten times before they retire.

As jobs evolve, the uncertainty regarding what skills will be needed in the future also changes, which makes it hard to be able to predict an organization’s future needs.

Because of this, it’s critical to be flexible and prepared to change paths at any moment. It’s important to be aware of the inevitable changes that are yet to come and the fact that the responsibility of keeping up with trends and new technology has shifted to workers rather than employers.

Being a lifelong learner allows for personal employability, which is important to focus on now since it will be a principal component of employment moving forward in this age of rapid automation.

Having a personal goal of continuous skill development will become increasingly important as some of the more traditional jobs become replaced by emerging technology.

Being successful in the future job market will be less about current knowledge and more about your willingness and capacity to learn and evolve while your role is potentially redefined .

This is where the importance of being able to easily adapt to waves of disruption is already extremely important. Furthermore, you need to stay on top of your skillset and always be on the lookout for anything new happening in your industry.

To “level up” your skills, we recommend three resources:

Finally, here are some growth strategies for being more flexible and adaptable in the workplace.

32. Be Resilient

Being resilient is important for a variety of reasons.

Being able to bounce back from adversity helps you develop the tools you need to protect yourself from overwhelming situations and it helps you stay balanced when times get tough. 

Resiliency can also help with the prevention of mental health issues down the line. 

Having resiliency and cognitive flexibility is also important for your short-term success at work. While some are born with a better ability to deal with unpredictable change than others, this skill can be learned .

And, through your learned resilience, you will be able to develop an internal toolset to help you manage stress and find ways to use your inner strength that you may not have even known you had during the times that you need it the most.

Resilience can be built up with time as you make your way through difficult experiences in life.

It’s beneficial to be able to develop the ability to determine when you can draw from a difficult life event and then be able to use that experience to your advantage during future stressful times.

You can work toward the goal of becoming more resilient by increasing your self-awareness , getting exercise, and switching up your normal routines.

Getting daily exercise encourages your body to release chemicals such as dopamine, opioids, serotonin, and endorphins that not only make you feel good, but also increase your ability to learn .

Also, adding some variety to your routine promotes cognitive flexibility because doing new things makes your brain have to quickly adapt to and work with new stimuli.

Here is some helpful information on the importance of having resilience in the workplace.

33. Develop Transdisciplinary Skills

This term is often used in school settings, but it also applies to your career performance . Having an understanding of your entire organization from various perspectives as well as understanding the synergy and alignment between all of the departments is becoming progressively important in businesses.

There are a few ways you can improve your transdisciplinary skills at work.

One would be to schedule coffee dates with people who work in other areas of the organization where you can talk about each of your responsibilities and how you contribute to the success of the business. Or, you could spend some time shadowing a coworker who has a different job title than you do.

Knowing more about how your company works as a whole can help you understand and appreciate how your efforts fit into that puzzle.

One thing you will recognize while you’re working on this goal is the four stages of learning . There is probably a lot that goes on in your company that you’re unaware of, which also means you’re unaware that there is even so much to learn.

But once you start talking with other people and getting to know how processes work in the business, you will likely uncover a huge gap in knowledge that you would have otherwise never realized you had.

Here are some good ways to learn about other areas of your organization , such as:

  • Volunteering for projects
  • Joining informal work clubs or groups (like a sports league)
  • Researching about the history of your company

34. Improve Your People Management Skills

An important component to generating innovation in your workplace is being able to collaborate with your team .

Despite your assigned level of leadership within your organization, being proactive in leading by example in your willingness to be a team player and actuate progress in the people working with you is essential to the success of your team.

Therefore, being an influential employee who can manage people–even if it’s not done in an “official” manner–is a significant skill to have in today’s work environment.

Effective people management skills are necessary for both current and future leaders who want to improve efficiency and communication at work. Building the skills that are required in order to effectively manage others can help you uncover your strengths as well as find areas in which you could improve.

Here are a few examples of how you can practice your people management skills, even if you aren’t their designated manager:

  • Have empathy for your coworkers during periods of conflict by imagining yourself in their shoes in order to assess how they may feel and consider what your behavior may look like if you were in their position
  • Give your colleagues positive (and constructive negative) feedback
  • Recognize your colleagues when they do work that’s beyond what is expected of them
  • Encourage an inclusive work environment by involving everyone and allowing all team members to have the time and space to share their ideas and opinions
  • Create an environment of cultural humility ( formerly known as cultural competence ) to improve communication, respect, and encourage collaboration

Here is a video that explains some more ways you can improve your people management skills.

35. Stay Informed and Teach Others About Emerging Communication Channels

Having clear channels of communication and creating a culture of welcomed feedback is a critical element of having a successful organization.

Innovative apps, social media avenues, and new methods of communication are steadily surfacing in today’s workplace–and many companies have started to reduce their overhead costs by having their employees work remotely if it isn’t necessary to maintain a large office space.

The increase in physical distancing among team members on an everyday basis that was trending even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the use of new modes of communication, productivity apps , and video conference calls.

To stay ahead of the game, it’s essential to stay informed and literate with new communication tools and be a pioneer in educating your colleagues about which new technologies can increase (or decrease) the efficiency of your unique work .

Doing this will demonstrate your commitment to excellence to your employer.

Here are some actionable steps you can take to keep up with emerging channels of communication in the workplace:

  • Do some research every two to three months on new communication channels available
  • Outline the current productivity and communication tools your company uses and assess what’s working and what areas could use some improvement
  • Present new options to your team if you believe there is a tool that could increase your communication or productivity
  • Lead training sessions on any new tools that are implemented

To learn from those who are already successful in keeping up with these trends, here is how some top CIOs stay up-to-date with technology .

36. Be Confident in Your Decisions

It’s difficult to develop strong decision-making skills, but it’s essential to your performance in an organization. If you think about the thousands of decisions that you make every day , you can recognize their positive or negative consequences.

Having the skills that you need to increase the positive results you achieve is a fundamental part of being productive in your job.

Developing strong decision-making skills will offer you that chance to increase positive outcomes and decrease the consequences of your mistakes. However, there is a learning curve to gaining this skill– it takes time to learn from your mistakes so you can make better decisions in the future.

There are a few things that you can do to increase the confidence in the decisions that you make, such as:

  • Limit your choices. Having too many options for any decision is overwhelming, so narrow them down as best as you can.
  • Do a cost-benefit analysis (weigh the pros and cons) before coming to your final decision. This will help you uncover any potential opportunity costs that you may incur if you decide on one thing over another.
  • Set a time limit for making a decision. This will prevent you from mulling over a decision for 10 hours that should take 10 minutes.
  • Do as much research as you can before making a decision– including talking to other people who have some more experience than you do. For example, I recently had to purchase a new dryer so I called the company in my town who fixes appliances and asked them what machines they get called on the most and the least often to work on. That narrowed down my options really fast.

Here is a video with some more information to help you improve your decision making skills.

Final Thoughts on Personal Development Goals

Your brain and thinking methods both have an impact on every aspect of your life. The personal development goals discussed in this article are all dependent on your ability to retrain your brain to think (and therefore act) in new ways.

Your brain is flexible and can quickly adapt to reaching your new goals when you use the right approach and become more goal-oriented . Take a moment to think about your personal development goals and which of the aforementioned are the most important to you.

If you have had some other goals on your mind, how can you incorporate some of these personal development goals into your own to leverage your success?

Reaching one goal can easily open a door to work on another of its kind or help you recognize another area of improvement you may be able to work on in your life.

To tie things up, writing down your goals in the form of professional goal statements can help you stay focused on your purpose . For specific examples, check out these posts:

  • 8 SMART Goals Examples for Your Nursing Career
  • 9 SMART Goal Examples for Teachers
  • 7 SMART Goals Examples for Administrative Assistants
  • 15 Leadership SMART Goals Examples for Your Workplace

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals .

individual professional development plan sample goals

Connie Mathers is a professional editor and freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in Social Work. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with her daughter and two dogs, running, or working at her full-time job as a social worker in Richmond, VA.

examples of personal development goals | personal development plan examples professional personal development objectives for work examples

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For Business

Your guide to individual development plans (with examples)

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Understand Yourself Better:

Big 5 Personality Test

Find my Coach

It’s often said that any organization’s most valuable asset is its people. If you prioritize retention (a top area of focus in today’s labor market ), it’s not enough to focus on just getting people in the door. Researchers are consistently finding that a strong career development program is one of the top benefits employees are looking for . If you’re looking for a meaningful way to begin emphasizing employee growth, individual development plans (or IDPs) are a strong place to start.

IDPs were traditionally used to coach poor performance, but they’re becoming increasingly more common in the workplace. It’s a good idea to offer them to everyone at your company. You can integrate IDPs into your performance review process or one-on-ones . 

What is an individual development plan?

Giving your employees feedback is a multi-part process — but not everyone follows through on all the stages. First, the area for growth needs to be identified. Secondly, it has to be brought to the employee’s attention. Then the need for change should be made clear, along with the benefits of it. An action plan should come next, followed by consistent review and adjustment.

An individual development plan, or IDP, outlines an employee’s development needs and career goals. While typically used to coach underperforming employees, IDPs are excellent tools for career planning and tracking skill development.

An IDP measures an employee’s current job performance against the expectations of their role. It highlights their current skills, as well as development opportunities. If they’re interested in moving (either up or sideways) into a new position, an IDP can help them chart the core competencies needed to get there.

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How do individual development plans support employee growth?

In many ways, IDPs take the best parts of a performance review and a career conversation and put them into one action plan. 

Giving feedback has many benefits — among them increased productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction. But a key part of making the most of feedback is having a plan in place to implement it and follow up. IDPs aren’t meant to be punitive, and companies that only use them in that way are missing out on huge growth opportunities.

A thoughtful IDP can:

  • Support professional development
  • Increase productivity 
  • Lay a clear path toward long-term goals
  • Build trust between managers and employees
  • Improve retention

What goes into an individual development plan?

At a minimum, IDPs should be a list of personal and professional development goals. However, if you’re creating an IDP template (for yourself or your organization) it’s a good idea to include the following components:

  • Key milestones to date
  • Any area for development
  • Self-assessment
  • New skills to focus on

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Steps to write an individual development plan

Your organization should have a formalized individual development plan template in place. If they don’t, it’s a good idea to create one to standardize the growth and feedback process. Because people tend to associate feedback with deficiency, singling out a person or team to complete one can feel like implicit criticism.

A good practice is to follow every performance review by revisiting the IDP. While you don’t have to spend the bulk of your time going over every line, it should serve as a place to record areas for improvement and short-term goals. Here are 3 steps to take for every performance development plan should have:

1. Note the date and review period

This may seem simple, but SMART goals are highly dependent on the time frame available. Make a note of the date that you’re implementing the plan and set a time to revisit it. What kind of growth do you expect to see within the next week? Month? Quarter? Year? If the time frame is longer than a month, set interim action steps to keep you on track.

2. Current expectations and performance

In order to get someone on track for their professional goals, you need to have an understanding of where they currently are. While this isn’t a full performance review , you should make a high-level note of the expectations for their role and how they currently measure against them. This is true even if they’re exceeding expectations. Remember, an individual development plan tracks action steps needed to go to the next level. And even if you’re doing well, there’s always a next level to go to.

3. Set goals 

Together, the employee and manager should brainstorm goals for the next period (likely a month or quarter). These should be SMART goals: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely. You might include a certain number of finished tasks, projects, presentations, or sales calls. You may also want to focus on results, like increasing sales by a given percentage.

There are an endless number of goals that could go in this blank, but the important thing is that they address the specific area of improvement. To be effective, goals need to be anchored in feedback at one end and an objective at the other. Put another way, if you don’t know where point A and point B are, you have no idea if you’re on the right road.

Individual Development Plan for [Employee Name Here]

Date: October 2022

Growth Period: Q4 (October 2022 - December 2022)

Current performance:

[Employee] is an associate account manager with the goal of soon becoming an account executive. They are performing well in their role, with ratings of ‘meets expectations’ in the last three performance reviews. [Employee] has exceeded revenue goals this quarter. However, the employee’s customer response rate is below average.

In order to become an account executive, [Employee] needs to gain more experience with identifying new business opportunities. Here are the steps we will take over the next quarter:

  • Increase revenue goal by 5%
  • Increase customer response rate to 100%
  • Assign and meet with a mentor on the account executive team
  • Enroll in and complete sales coaching program
  • Identify one potential business opportunity and create a plan for approaching them

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Measuring the success of an individual development plan

When the goals are clear, it should be easy to review the success of an IDP. That’s why it’s critical to start with measurable objectives and expectations. Both managers and employees should work together to create the IDP. This kind of buy-in at the start reinforces it as a developmental (rather than a punitive) process. 

The IDP process is an important tool for performance management , but it’s an equally valuable part of leadership development . These types of initiatives help employees feel valued and supported in their growth. Ultimately, it’s an investment in building the individuals who can move the organization forward.

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Allaya Cooks-Campbell

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  • 25 professional goals to advance your c ...

25 professional goals to advance your career

Caeleigh MacNeil contributor headshot

Professional development goals are objectives that help you advance in your career. In addition to giving your work a direction and purpose, setting goals helps you decide where you want to go and the steps you need to get there. In this article, we describe how to create professional goals you really care about and offer real-life goal examples from Asana employees.

When you plan a road trip, what do you think of first? Aside from fast food and gas mileage,  road trips usually start with the destination. After all, it helps to know where you’re going before you put your keys in the ignition. 

The same principle applies to your career path. It’s easier to progress at work when you know what goals you want to achieve, because clear objectives give you a direction and path forward. That’s why professional development goals are so important—they’re an opportunity to intentionally decide what you want, and how you’ll get there.

What are professional goals? 

Professional goals are concrete objectives you want to achieve in your career. They are typically a combination of short-term goals (like taking a course this month) and long-term goals (like becoming a manager in the next two years). 

Long-term career goals provide a north star to work towards, while short-term goals break up the work into more immediate and actionable steps. 

Why do professional development goals matter? 

It can be easy to stick to what you’ve always done, or just take any opportunity that comes your way without thinking critically about what you want. But that can be a quick ticket to feeling unsatisfied and directionless with your work. 

Goals also help with hard work and intrinsic motivation . When psychologists tested the impact of different motivational techniques on group performance, they found goal setting was one of the most effective. Just setting a handful of specific, ambitious goals boosted the participants’ performance into the 80th percentile.

quotation mark

The act of attempting new things helps us grow. Whether or not we achieve a specific goal, it’s the courage to try and succeed—or fail forward—that builds resilience, character, and the energy needed to propel us forward in our careers.”

How to set professional goals you care about, in 3 steps

To set the best goals, you first need to reflect on what you want. Here’s how to narrow down your career aspirations and decide which objectives you want to pursue. 

[inline illustration] how to set professional goals (infographic)

Identify your values 

Basing your professional development goals on your core values helps you feel more fulfilled on a day-to-day basis, because you’re striving for something that really matters to you. When your goals and values are aligned, you’re less likely to get burned out and more likely to stay motivated . 

So first, you’ll need to identify your values. A good starting point is to ask yourself what’s most important to you, and what type of work has fulfilled you most in the past. Be honest, and try to separate your personal values from what you “should” want or what you think would look best on a performance review. 

If you get stuck, try these exercises: 

Imagine your ideal future self, and craft present-tense sentences about who you are in that future moment. For example: “I am honest,” “I help others grow,” or “I create new ideas.” Try to come up with roughly three statements, and distill those down into their respective values (e.g. honesty, leadership, and creativity). 

Write down the accomplishments you’re most proud of, and pair each with the values they embodied. For example, if one of your fondest career moments was when you revamped and streamlined your team’s onboarding process, efficiency and organization might be two of your values.

Picture your ideal work role

Now that you’ve identified your core values, you can start to think more specifically about how they could manifest in your career. To start, try asking yourself these questions: 

What do you want to do more of?

What do you want to do less of?

What type of work fulfills you the most?

What does an ideal work day look like to you?

Where do you excel?  

Give yourself time to think this through—you don’t need to nail everything down at once. It’s normal for you (and your goals) to change over time, so remember that iterating is a part of the process. 

Write down your goals

With that internal work done, it should feel easier to set career goals. You now have a sense of what you value, and how those values might apply to your professional career. Now let’s turn that knowledge into long-term and short-term goals. 

Plan to set your long-term goals first, then break them up into more immediately attainable short-term goals. Think of your long-term goals as the direction you’re heading in, and your short-term career goals as the stepping stones you need to get there. For example, if you value honesty and interpersonal connection, your long-term goal might be to become a manager that people can rely on and trust. In the short term, that might mean taking a course on people management or exploring leadership opportunities at your company. 

Whether your objectives are immediate or further out, make sure they’re SMART. Not in the savvy sense, but rather aligned with the SMART goal acronym and framework: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. For example, here’s what SMART professional development goals might look like for both the long- and short-term: 

Long-term goal : 

Become a manager with at least one direct report in the next 15 months.

Short-term goals : 

This week, get coffee with a manager you admire and ask for their advice.

This month, talk to your manager about potential leadership opportunities within your current role and identify three action items to help you grow. 

In the next two months, take a people-management course.

25 examples of professional goals

If you feel stuck, here are some different types of achievable goals to consider, plus specific examples for each.

1. Boost your time management skills 

Long-term: Incorporate up to four hours of sustained focus work per day over the next six months.   

Short-term: This month, set aside 90 minutes of dedicated focus time each morning. 

2. Find new challenges in your role 

Long-term: Manage a new project or process this year. 

Short-term: In the next five weeks, take a project management course. 

3. Learn a new skill 

Long-term: Learn Javascript in the next six months. 

Short-term: This month, read an introductory Javascript book and complete all practice problems. 

4. Improve your work-life balance 

Long-term: This year, set clear boundaries between your work and home life. 

Short-term: This week, sign off completely every day by 5:30pm. 

5. Foster team collaboration

Long-term: Identify two opportunities for cross-functional collaboration per team member over the next 12 months.

Short-term: This week, create a recurring team standup during which everyone can share what they’re working on. 

6. Expand your professional network

Long-term: Gain 50 new LinkedIn connections this year. 

Short-term: Attend a conference next month to meet other industry professionals and improve your communication skills .

7. Take on leadership responsibilities

Long-term: Over the next year, coordinate 6 monthly lunch-and-learns for members of your organization.

Short-term: Volunteer to give a 30 minute presentation to your team about an area of your field this month.

8. Consume content from thought leaders in your industry

Long-term: Read 15 books written by industry leaders in your field this year.

Short-term: For a week, start each day by reading an article from a relevant publication in your industry.

9. Become an expert in the latest tech 

Long-term: Learn one new tool a month for six months.

Short-term: Try a tool you’ve never used before on your next project. 

10. Learn from those above you 

Long-term: Over the next six months, study how team members in roles above you work and identify one characteristic per person that you want to emulate in your next project.

Short-term: This month, set up a 30-minute meeting with one higher-up in your organization and ask for tips on how to advance in your career.

11. Become a thought leader 

Long-term: Over the next quarter, devote at least two hours per week to writing articles about trends In your industry.  

Short-term: Write a LinkedIn post this week about something that interests you in your field and offer your thoughts on it.

12. Broaden your skill set

Long-term: In the next six months, take a class in something different but applicable to your field. 

Short-term: Set up a 30 minute meeting this month with someone in a different department to learn more about what they do.

13. Track your success

Long-term: Create a list of what qualifies as success in your field, then try to increase it by an achievable margin each month. 

Short-term: Think of one “quick win” you can get this week and accomplish it in order to boost your motivation. 

14. Go above and beyond with your deliverables 

Long-term: In the next quarter, deliver all work at least 2 business days before it’s due. 

Short-term: The next time your manager asks for help, offer to assist, even if it’s not something you’d typically work on.

15. Limit distractions 

Long-term: This quarter, spend up to $500creating a workspace and routine that enhances your focus and deters distractions.

Short-term: Turn off notifications on your phone during the workday every day this week. 

16. Nurture relationships

Long-term: The next time you shift jobs, identify three colleagues you want to stay in touch with and set up monthly chats with them.

Short-term: Reach out to someone in your field to learn more about their day-to-day this month.

17. Be vocal about your goals

Long-term: This year, share your work goals with your team and manager via a work management tool , and send status updates on a monthly basis.

Short-term: Tell your manager what your aspirations are and ask for their advice on how to get there in your next 1:1. 

18. Identify your weaknesses 

Long-term: Over the next six months, volunteer yourself to work on at least two projects that require professional skills that you’re weaker at.

Short-term: Identify one hard or soft skill you need to improve and dedicate a week to improving it.

19. Prioritize self-care

Long-term: For the next three months, maintain a routine that incorporates at least two healthy non-work-related habits like exercise, meditation, and healthy eating.

Short-term: Hold yourself accountable to getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night for a week.

20. Learn constantly   

Long-term: Take one online course in the next six months to polish and grow your skills.

Short-term: Subscribe to a weekly newsletter that highlights major topics in your field. 

21. Help your teammates  

Long-term: This year, identify a process in your organization that could use a refresh and create a plan for how to improve it.

Short-term: In your next 1:1 with your manager, ask how you can make their job easier. 

22. Improve communication skills

Long-term: Take a presentation course and lead one all-team presentation by the end of this year.

Short-term: Next time you’re sending an email, read it through a few times and pinpoint two places where you can improve your language. 

23. Be vocal about your opinions 

Long-term: Share your opinions about aspects of your industry on LinkedIn once a month for six months.

Short-term: Offer your opinion at your next team meeting or brainstorm.

24. Give the best feedback  

Long-term: By the end of this quarter, practice and master the COIN model of feedback to ensure you’re always focusing on the “why” when you give project recommendations.  

Short-term: Share one piece of positive feedback during your next 1:1 meeting. 

25. Create new responsibilities for yourself 

Long-term: By the end of the year, establish recurring office hours about something you’re an expert in at your organization.

Short-term: In the next month, coordinate a 60 minute brainstorm with your team. 

Professional goals in real life 

At Asana, we believe that goals can unlock our best selves and help us be more productive . In that spirit, here’s how three Asanas have used professional goals to foster their career and personal development.

Changing roles within an organization

“A professional goal I set was to transition from a risk management role at a tech company to the legal field. I thought I might have to leave tech and join a law firm, but after seeking advice from paralegals and attorneys in my network, I realized I could transition without leaving my company. 

I started volunteering for projects where I could collaborate with our in-house legal team and learn more about their work. I kept a close watch on open positions within the legal department, and eventually two positions became available that seemed like a good fit for my skill set. I applied for both positions, documented my transferable skills in the application, and emphasized those skills during my interviews. I was offered both roles, selected one, and have been in Legal ever since!” —Charlotte Manning, Legal Operations at Asana 

Seeking new challenges within a role 

“One of the most impactful professional goals I’ve achieved has been the creation and evolution of Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index . What started as a smaller goal to create a topical piece of thought leadership has quickly grown into our landmark industry report and one of our most prominent annual campaigns. It’s enabled me to work cross-functionally across our entire organization and hone my own skill set on full-funnel campaigns and storytelling for internal and external audiences.” —Erin Cheng, Head of Public Relations and Analyst Relations at Asana

Pursuing a new degree 

“When I worked at a science museum, I was once in a meeting where every leader in the room had a master’s degree or PhD. So that same month, I set out to research and apply to master's programs. Imposter syndrome had previously kept me away from pursuing education beyond my BA, but with 20+ years of work experience under my belt, I finally felt ready to take on this new challenge. And this May, I graduated from USF with a Master’s in Organizational Development and even had the privilege of giving the commencement speech at my graduation. 

It wasn't so much achieving my goal, but the process of working towards my goal that was so incredibly transformative. By trying something challenging, I gained deep insight into who I am and what I can do. While in the program, I had the audacity to daydream about a career where I was solely focused on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging work. And before my program was over, I found myself at Asana doing just that!” —Liliana Blanco, Inclusion & Belonging Program Manager at Asana 

Tips to keep your goals on track 

The act of setting professional goals is an important step, but it’s equally important to follow through. 

[inlinOnce you’ve set your professional goals, try these three tips to stick with them.

[inline illustration] tips to keep professional goals on track (infographic)

Create short-term goals 

This is most helpful if your long-term goals are more broad. For example, the long-term goal “Set clear boundaries between your work and home life this year” isn’t very specific or quantifiable. In this case, it’s a good idea to set more quantifiable short-term goals to support what “clear boundaries” mean to you, such as “This week, sign off every day at 5:30pm.” When you create these smaller milestones, the work feels less daunting and you’re less likely to procrastinate . 

Schedule regular check-ins

Don’t just set goals and forget them—decide in advance how often you’ll check in to see how you’re tracking towards each milestone . For example, if you’ve set a goal to write 10 blog posts this month, you could schedule time at the end of each week to track your progress. Establishing a regular check-in cadence in advance helps you stay accountable and avoid procrastination. 

Use goal tracking software   

Goals work best when they’re tied to your day-to-day work. That’s why Asana connects tasks and projects to the goals they support, so you know at a glance why your day-to-day work is important. When you use goal tracking software in Asana, you can set a due date and create automated reminders to update your goal progress—for example, you could create a reminder for the end of each week that prompts you to update your progress towards a monthly goal. And within each goal, you can create sub-goals to help you break work down into manageable chunks.

Grow with intention 

Professional development goals are one of the best ways to build the career you want. Setting goals helps you actively decide what to pursue and how you’ll get there, so each day you know you’re progressing towards something that matters. And while change can feel daunting, professional goals give you peace of mind, knowing that you have a clear purpose and path to achieve your career aspirations.

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Individual development plan template + examples for leaders

individual-development-plan

Many business leaders are quickly realizing that providing professional growth opportunities to employees can increase retention rates  and satisfaction levels. And one way of helping employees achieve career goals is to use what’s called an individual development plan.

According to a McKinsey study , 41% of participants cited the reason why they quit their jobs between April 2021 and 2021 as due to a lack of opportunities for career development . Making it the top factor leading to attrition, even more so than inadequate compensation and uncaring leaders.

In this article, we’ll first explain what is an individual development plan (IDP). Then, we’ll go over the process of creating an individual development plan step-by-step. Lastly, we’ll include an individual development plan template and examples for you to adapt for your team.

employee journey map template

Table of Contents

What is an individual development plan (IDP)?

An individual development plan or “IDP” is a framework that helps individuals evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and short-term objectives. It is often completed during performance reviews, self-appraisals , or one-on-one meetings and allows employees to self-reflect on their professional growth. 

Aside from being helpful for employees, individual development plans can be a useful tool to help company leaders with succession planning and restructuring. It is a great way to support leadership development initiatives, assess skill gaps , and embed better, more transparent communication practices between managers and direct reports . Ultimately, it can help to align individual ambitions with company growth objectives.

How to create an individual development plan

Although used for different purposes, creating an individual development plan is similar to the process of creating a performance improvement plan (PIP) . You need to create objectives and a realistic timeframe in which individuals should achieve those objectives. Here, we’ll explain every step in depth.

Set a timeframe

Like living organisms, companies are continually growing and changing. And, logically, the individuals that make up these teams have goals that are continually changing as well. While creating an Individual development plan, you’ll want to make sure that employees revisit and adapt their plans after set periods.

The first step is deciding how often you want for employees to self-assess and complete the individual development plan. Should it be on a quarterly, biannually, or yearly basis? As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to coincide IDPs with the employee’s regular performance reviews. That way, there’s less confusion and you can ensure that it’s incorporated into their evaluation routine.

Include the employee’s skillsets and performance

Next, you’ll want to create the individual plan itself. Or, if you’d prefer, simply use the individual development plan template that we’ve already created in the next section of this article. For the first portion of the plan, you should include a space in which the employee and their manager can collaboratively evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance. There should also be room for them to compare the employee’s performance with the expectations of the position. 

For this section, be sure to have past performance reviews, skills evaluations, and any other employee feedback records on hand and accessible. You’ll want managers and employees to have a complete picture and reference points to discuss employee progress.

Look at growth possibilities

The following space should be designated for the employee’s career growth interests and possibilities. Note, there might be more than one area that captures the employee’s attention. For employers, this can be advantageous because it’s more probable that employees can fill in-demand roles and skill sets through their career growth. 

On the other hand, perhaps the employee has a very clear vision of their career goals and ideal position. If that’s the case, employees should think about the skills and qualities that they need to cultivate. For example, if an employee would like to one day manage their team, perhaps they would need to develop delegation and resource management skills.

Set short and long-term goals

Next, it’s about making these ambitions concrete through short and long-term goals. Ideally, you want to clearly map out how employees get from point A to point B through measurable targets and focused areas of improvement.

Ideally, long-term goals should be set for the employee’s next 3-5 years in their position, while short-term goals can be set for the next 1-2 years (or even shorter). Keep in mind here that there’s no guarantee that a plan will go 100% unchanged. It’s not always possible to see what is coming next, and sometimes a little bit of flexibility can pay off.

While setting goals, it’s important for employees to consider factors that drive them to succeed. Do they like working on a specific set of tasks or feel especially competent with a certain skill set? If so, it might be wise to have goals that allow them to expand their knowledge of this specific area. The idea is to create goals that are cohesive with their interests and ambitions. 

Measure employee progress

After going through the process of creating an individual development plan, it’s important to measure employee progress toward completing their objectives. If you don’t already have software to keep track of employee goals, be sure to keep individual development plans stored and organized in a shared drive. Both managers and employees should be able to access this document at any time for their own use.

If you’re looking for a more efficient and streamlined alternative, the best option is to invest in OKR software to keep track of employee goals. With OKR software like Factorial, employees and managers alike can visualize progress toward goals through a user-friendly interface. More on this later. 

Individual development plan template

Creating an individual development plan template should be a simple process. Here’s an example template that you can use for your own reference:

Individual development plan example

Drive performance with okr software.

No two employees are the same and neither should be the way that you measure their individual development. With Factorial, you can customize and define OKRs and KPIs for every employee on your team. Don’t hesitate, try Factorial today .

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How to Create Strong Individual Development Plans (With Examples)

Introduction to individual development plans, why do your team members need individual development plans, components of a strong individual development plan, how to write a strong individual development plan, examples of individual development plans, individual development plan template (free), wrapping up.

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What is an Individual Development Plan?

  • Personal and Professional Growth: Individual development plans are crucial for both team members and managers because they facilitate personal and professional growth. They allow individuals to identify their strengths and areas in need of improvement, which is the foundation for continuous development.
  • Concrete Goal Setting: IDPs enable team members to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals . This level of goal specificity provides a clear direction for improvement and helps individuals stay focused on their development objectives.
  • Performance Improvement: IDPs are instrumental in improving performance. By addressing areas that need development, team members can enhance their skills, knowledge, and capabilities, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the team and organization.
  • Alignment with Organizational Goals: Individual development plans help align personal aspirations with the team’s mission and objectives. This alignment ensures that team members are actively contributing to the team’s success while pursuing their own professional growth.
  • Feedback and Progress Tracking: IDPs establish a framework for continuous feedback and progress evaluation. They help team members and managers assess how well individuals are advancing toward their goals, providing a structured means of tracking growth over time and promoting accountability.

components of individual development plans

  • The individual development plan should include a skills assessment that identifies areas for improvement and potential learning opportunities.
  • Creating a step-by-step action plan with timelines can help you progress toward your goals while providing a framework for ongoing feedback and evaluation of progress.
  • Regular assessment of the plan is crucial to ensure success and adjust as needed.

Professional Goals and Aspirations

Strengths and talents, development opportunities, action plans.

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Review the Past Performance

Set realistic goals, create an action plan, define a timeline, evaluate regularly.

steps to create an individual development plan

IDP Example #1: Team Manager Sarah

  • Improve team management skills: Develop skills to manage and  motivate team members effectively.  Implement a new system for tracking and measuring team performance.
  • Develop project management skills: Implement a new system to improve project execution and delivery.
  • Enhance communication and collaboration skills: Practice these skills in team meetings and one-on-one conversations with team members to ensure smoother operations.
  • Develop strategic thinking skills: Practice developing and implementing a strategic plan for the team.
  • Find relevant courses or workshops: Select a team management course or workshop to attend within the next three months. Similarly, look for courses on communication and collaboration skills that can help overcome hurdles.
  • Implement a new team performance tracking system: Find a new method for tracking and measuring team performance. Implement the new system within the next six months and monitor progress.
  • Implement new project management system: Research and select a new one to implement within the next six months. Train team members on the new system and monitor progress.
  • Develop and implement a strategic plan for the team: Meet with team members to gather input and ideas for a strategic plan. Develop a plan and present it to the supervisor for approval within the next six months.
  • Monitor progress and adjust goals as needed: Monitor progress regularly and adjust plans as needed. Seek feedback from team members to ensure goals are aligned with team needs and expectations.

IDP Example #2: Team Manager John

  • Enhance technical leadership skills: Effectively provide technical guidance and support to the team.
  • Improve project management skills: For leading projects and ensuring successful delivery within budget and timelines.
  • Foster a culture of continuous learning:  Encourage team members to engage in ongoing learning and skill development. 
  • Attend leadership workshops/conferences: Identify relevant leadership workshops or seminars in the software development industry. Register and attend at least two events within the next year to gain insights into effective technical leadership.
  • Mentor junior team members:   Assign mentorship roles  to experienced team members and guide junior developers. Regularly meet with mentees to discuss their progress, challenges, and career aspirations.
  • Lead a complex project: Take on a difficult task to demonstrate technical leadership. Coordinate with team members, facilitate effective communication, and ensure the project’s successful execution.
  • Implement a learning and recognition system: Research and introduce a learning management system that enables team members to access relevant learning resources. Establish a recognition program to acknowledge and reward individual and team achievements.
  • Follow the process: Start by conversing with your team members to understand challenges from their perspectives and share from your own. List the common areas of improvement that you want to work together on for the next period.
  • Initiate a realistic plan: Based on the discussions, create a set of goals for your team members. Ensure the goals are SMART and practical , and supplement them with the resources and support required to achieve them within the set timeline.
  • Talk of reviews: The best way to use IDPs with your team includes making them holistic and relevant to the team members. Thus, as a manager, you should provide support through reviews and checks to resolve queries and concerns as they come. You can integrate IDPs into your performance management system to improve it!
  • Remember that IDPs are not one-size-fits-all: Individual needs and growth pathways are different. While a template can help you start, be ready to accommodate your team’s and individual members’ varied needs. It will show care toward their growth – enabling a relationship based on mutual trust.

individual professional development plan sample goals

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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What are some examples of individual development plan?

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individual professional development plan sample goals

Status.net

Individual Development Plan [Examples & Templates]

By Status.net Editorial Team on June 15, 2023 — 10 minutes to read

An individual development plan (IDP) is a valuable tool that helps you identify your goals, strengths, and areas for growth. By creating and regularly reviewing your IDP, you can align your personal development with your professional aspirations, ensuring continued growth and improvement in your career. When crafting your IDP, it is important to include your specific short-term and long-term goals, identified skills to develop, and the necessary resources or support. You may also wish to set specific timelines or milestones to track your progress. To simplify the process, we have provided a complete IDP template and a detailed example to guide you in creating your own. By following this guide, you will be well on your way to designing a strategic professional development plan that will unlock your full potential and elevate your career.

What Is an Individual Development Plan?

An individual development plan (IDP) is a tool designed to help you identify your professional development needs and set clear goals for personal growth. IDPs can improve your overall job satisfaction and performance, and they are often used by employers to support employee development and retention.

In an IDP, you should include a thorough assessment of your current skills, as well as a list of areas where you would like to develop further expertise. This may involve identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth. To maximize the effectiveness of your IDP, it’s important to set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that focus on your desired outcomes and actionable steps to achieve them. Related: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

Implementing an IDP in your office can be a valuable way to boost employee performance, job satisfaction, and long-term career development. Consider encouraging your team to create individual plans by providing resources and guidance, scheduling regular progress meetings, and offering relevant training and development opportunities.

The Importance of Individual Development Plans

Employee engagement and retention.

An individual development plan (IDP) is a valuable tool for improving employee engagement. By investing in your employees’ professional development, you show that you care about their long-term goals and career success. This can lead to higher job satisfaction, increased motivation, and ultimately, better retention rates.

Career Growth and Succession Planning

IDPs can also support career growth and succession planning within your organization. By actively identifying your employees’ strengths and areas for improvement, you can help them pursue their career aspirations. Moreover, you can align their professional goals with the needs of your company, ensuring a pipeline of qualified candidates for key positions in the future.

Performance Improvement

Implementing IDPs can lead to significant performance improvements as well. By setting clear expectations and measurable objectives, employees are better equipped to focus on their areas of growth. Additionally, regular performance reviews and monitoring of their progress can help keep them accountable and invested in their development. This not only benefits the individual employee but also contributes to the overall success of your organization.

Components of an IDP

Goals and objectives.

When crafting your Individual Development Plan (IDP), it’s crucial to establish clear goals and objectives. Ensure that your objectives are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to set a strong foundation for success. Consider both short-term and long-term aspirations as you outline your desired milestones.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is vital in developing a well-rounded IDP. Your strengths can be areas where you naturally excel, such as communication skills or proficiency in software like Excel. Recognize and list your weaknesses, as well, to help you target areas for improvement and growth.

Action Steps

Once you have determined your goals and assessed your strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to outline action steps. These are specific, manageable tasks that will lead you toward accomplishing your objectives. Be thorough in your planning, and ensure that your action steps provide a clear path toward achieving both short-term and long-term goals.

Establishing realistic timeframes for each action step is essential in holding yourself accountable and measuring progress. For each action step, set a target completion date. Remember to give yourself enough time for each action, and be prepared to adjust your timeframes as necessary throughout the implementation process.

Creating an Individual Development Plan

Self-assessment.

Begin by conducting a self-assessment to evaluate your current skills and identify areas for improvement. Use performance reviews as a starting point and consider the following steps:

  • Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses
  • Determine your career goals and desired outcomes
  • Identify skill gaps between your current abilities and future goals
  • Create a plan to address these skill gaps

Related:  20 Examples of Strengths for Self Evaluation

20 Self-Evaluation Weaknesses Examples

Mentorship and Feedback

Seek out mentorship and feedback from colleagues, supervisors, or industry professionals. It can be tremendously helpful to have experienced individuals provide guidance and advice. Use their feedback to:

  • Refine your self-assessment and skill gap analysis
  • Gain insights into industry trends and opportunities
  • Develop new skills or further improve existing ones

Establish regular check-ins with your mentors to track your progress and maintain accountability.

Career and Skill Development

Explore development opportunities to acquire new skills and enhance your career prospects. Consider the following options:

  • In-house training programs
  • External workshops, seminars, or courses
  • Professional certifications
  • Online resources and self-paced study materials

Remember to align these opportunities with your self-assessment results and feedback from mentors.

How to Create IDP

To create your own IDP, consider including the following key components:

  • Personal Information : Your name, job title, department, and contact details.
  • Current Skills Assessment (Strengths) : A list of your skills, experience, and areas of expertise.
  • Development Needs Assessment (Weaknesses) : Areas where you would like to improve or develop new skills.
  • Objective Statement : A clear statement of your career goals and what you hope to achieve through your IDP.
  • Goals : Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals to work towards.
  • Action Plan : Concrete steps, resources, and support needed to achieve your goals.
  • Timeline : A timeframe for achieving each goal, including benchmarks and milestones.
  • Progress Tracking : A system for monitoring your progress and adjusting your plan as needed.

IDP Template 1

For example, let’s say you’re a marketing professional seeking to improve your digital marketing skills. Your IDP might include the following:

  • Example of Objective Statement : To become a versatile and skilled digital marketer within two years, proficient in key areas such as content marketing, search engine optimization, and social media advertising.
  • Improve content marketing skills to the level of industry best practices within six months.
  • Achieve Google Analytics certification within three months.
  • Develop a comprehensive understanding of search engine optimization, with the ability to implement effective strategies within nine months.
  • Attend online courses, workshops, and relevant industry events to learn from experts and gain practical experience.
  • Seek opportunities to collaborate with colleagues on digital marketing projects and initiatives.
  • Allocate time each week for self-study and practice of new skills.

IDP Template 2

Let’s say you’d like to get a promotion in your marketing department. Your IDP could look like this:

Objective: Become a Marketing Manager in the next two years.

Performance improvement plan: Improve project management skills and acquire higher-level marketing certifications.

Skills development:

  • Learn advanced project management techniques
  • Complete professional certification in digital marketing

Mentorship and coaching: Work closely with your manager or a senior colleague to get guidance on project management and marketing strategies.

Goal Setting:

  • Complete a project management course within six months.
  • Obtain a professional marketing certification within one year.
  • Successfully lead at least three major projects by the end of year two.

Action Steps:

  • Research and sign up for a suitable project management course.
  • Study for a professional marketing certification exam.
  • Request to be assigned to key projects as project lead.
  • Project management course: completed within six months
  • Marketing certification: obtained within one year
  • Lead three major projects: completed by the end of year two

Tracking and evaluation: Regularly review your progress with your manager, seeking feedback on your performance and adjusting your IDP as needed.

Implementing IDP in the Workplace

Manager’s role in idp process.

To implement an Individual Development Plan (IDP) in your workplace, it is crucial to understand and emphasize the manager’s role. As a manager, you should collaborate with your employees and HR to develop personalized IDPs. This will help your employees reach their professional goals while contributing to the organization’s success.

During the IDP process, you’ll assist your employees in setting realistic goals aligned with their career aspirations as well as the objectives of your organization. It’s essential for you, as a manager, to offer guidance, provide resources, and create a supportive environment that encourages growth.

Monitoring and Adjusting IDP

An effective IDP is a flexible and dynamic tool that requires ongoing evaluation. To ensure successful implementation, regularly monitor your employees’ progress towards their objectives. Schedule periodic performance reviews, solicit feedback from both employees and supervisors, and adjust the IDP as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key components of an idp.

An individual development plan (IDP) includes a clear set of goals, a timeline for achieving them, and actionable steps to help you get there. The key components are:

  • Objective – Identify your long-term career goals.
  • Skills – Determine what skills you need to develop or improve on.
  • Action Steps – List specific activities to enhance your skills and work towards your objective.
  • Timeline – Establish deadlines for completing each action step.
  • Measurement – Identify benchmarks to gauge and track your progress.

How do you create an effective IDP?

To create an effective IDP, follow these steps:

  • Self-assess: Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations.
  • Set SMART goals: Choose specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound objectives.
  • Identify the necessary skills: Determine the competencies and qualifications needed to achieve your goals.
  • Develop action steps: Map out detailed activities, courses, or projects to improve the required skills.
  • Collaborate with your manager: Seek feedback and support from your manager to ensure alignment with organizational goals.
  • Monitor and revise: Regularly review your IDP to update your goals and make adjustments as needed.

What are some common goals in an IDP?

Common goals in an IDP can vary, depending on your career aspirations. Examples include:

  • Developing leadership or managerial skills.
  • Gaining expertise in a specific field or industry.
  • Enhancing communication or presentation skills.
  • Learning a new technical skill, such as software programming or data analysis.
  • Building networking or collaboration abilities.

How can you track progress in an IDP?

To track progress in your IDP, establish regular check-ins with yourself and your manager. Monitor your progress by comparing your achievements to the benchmarks and deadlines set in your plan. Update your IDP as needed to reflect changes in your objectives, skills, or action steps.

What is the role of a manager in an employee’s IDP?

A manager plays a critical role in an employee’s IDP by:

  • Providing guidance and support in setting realistic goals.
  • Offering resources, such as training and mentorship opportunities.
  • Facilitating regular check-ins to assess progress and address challenges.
  • Advocating for the employee’s growth and development within the organization.
  • Encouraging the employee to own and take responsibility for their career development.

How can an IDP contribute to career growth?

An IDP contributes to your career growth by providing a structured framework for personal and professional development. By setting clear goals, identifying required skills, and planning actionable steps, you gain a deeper understanding of your aspirations and what it takes to achieve them. Your IDP can also help you navigate potential opportunities within your organization and chart a path for long-term success.

Related: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

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Employee development  is most helpful to your employees when it’s intentional and carefully planned. In fact,  Culture Amp research  found that employees who don’t feel they have access to clear development opportunities are 41% more likely to leave their current company.

This is where individual development plans (IDPs) are especially valuable. These detailed plans clearly outline an employee’s career goals along with the tangible steps the employee can take to achieve their goals.

In this blog, we explain what an individual development plan is, why they’re important, and how to create one. We’ll also give you individual development plan examples and a template so you can build your own and start prioritizing employee growth today.

What is an individual development plan?

An individual development plan, also known as a  personal development plan , is an actionable document used to guide employee development. It defines an individual’s long-term career goals, highlights their current strengths, lists areas of improvement, and shares an action plan detailing how the employee can invest in their skills and make their career aspirations a reality.

An IDP is typically a collaborative document created by an employee and their manager. These plans are often put together following professional development conversations, which are typically held complementary to, yet separate from, a company’s formal  performance management process .

Why are individual development plans important?

IDPs are a crucial part of employee development. Aside from helping employees define the next steps in their careers, individual development plans also:

  • Guide employee growth:  IDPs outline the steps employees can take today to reach their larger career goals tomorrow. They provide clarity and direction while breaking larger goals into attainable tasks. They also empower employees to take ownership of their growth and development.
  • Inform managers:  Managers that know their direct reports’ long- and short-term career aspirations are equipped to be better coaches and advocates. IDPs give each manager a detailed account of employee strengths, goals, and action plans to support direct reports throughout their career journey.
  • Boost loyalty : Showing employees that your business is invested in their development can inspire loyalty and trust.
  • Increase productivity:  Working towards a tangible goal can keep employees motivated and productive.
  • Improve retention:  When employees can imagine a future with your business, they are likelier to pursue their career goals within your company.

A step-by-step guide to making an IDP

While an IDP has a few different components, these plans aren’t difficult to make. You can help an employee create an individual development plan in just four steps. Here’s how:

1. Complete a self-reflection

To start, have the employee fill out a  self-reflection . The reflection should touch on three key areas – the employee’s:

  • Motivation and strengths
  • Long-term career vision
  • Short-term objectives

Together, these criteria give employees a better understanding of their career goals and the skills and experience they will need to achieve this level of success. An honest and open self-reflection will guide the rest of the IDP process.

2. Build an actionable individual development plan

With the information from the self-reflection in hand, your employee is ready to start building their individual development plan. Walk them through these three steps:

  • Review your plan objective:  This will most likely be the short-term objective from the self-reflection or what the employee will work towards following the creation of their individual development plan.
  • Identify growth areas:  Work with the employee to determine the skills and behaviors they need to learn or strengthen to achieve their objective.
  • Build development goals:  Lastly, encourage employees to set realistic, measurable goals that will help them improve the identified growth areas and bring them closer to their overall objective.

Let’s see what this looks like in practice. Here’s an individual development plan example for a sales account executive aspiring to become a regional sales manager:

Objective:  To be promoted to a regional sales manager next review cycle

Growth areas:

  • Product knowledge
  • Leadership and coaching
  • Sales forecasting

Development goals:

  • Hit or exceed quota for the next three quarters
  • Receive a manager net promoter score of >70 during the following  engagement survey
  • Improve internal awareness of my team’s performance by sharing a monthly recap email with senior department leaders

Using this detailed IDP, the employee will clearly understand the actions they need to take today to work towards their promotion.

3. Review the plan together

This step can go before or after step two, depending on your organization or employee preferences. Wherever you choose to place this step, just know that each employee and their manager must meet to discuss their self-assessment and proposed IDP. This ensures both parties agree about the employee’s strengths, areas for improvement, interests, goals, and organizational requirements.

During these conversations, encourage managers to ask lots of questions and work to understand each employee’s career aspirations. Managers can  provide a business perspective  and shed light on how they see business priorities evolving in the coming months. This will help employees envision how their career aspirations can align with changing business needs.

4. Implement the plan and evaluate outcomes

Now it’s time to get to work. While the employee pursues the training and development identified in the plan, meet with them frequently to help track progress,  share feedback , and evaluate their performance. These continuous manager check-ins, or  1-on-1s , provide an external perspective, remove obstacles and barriers, and help employees reach their goals more efficiently.

Individual development plan template

Here’s a closer look at what to include in your IDPs as well as an individual development plan example to guide your creation.

1. Employee details

At the top of your plan, start with the key details – who the plan is for (employee name), their position/job title, their manager, and the creation date. This will help you keep track of the IDP and remember when it was made.

In the following examples, we’ll be creating an IDP for a content marketing specialist. Here are her employee details:

  • Employee Name:  Jane Doe
  • Job Title:  Content Marketing Specialist
  • Manager:  John Smith
  • IDP Creation Date:  January 15, 2023

2. Career goals

Next, document the individual’s specific job-related developmental goals, both immediate and long-term. In this example, our content marketing specialist wants to pivot her career to event planning. Her overarching goals might be:

  • Be an integral part of the company’s conference planning team
  • Advance into a role specializing in event planning

These goals will act as her North Star for the rest of the IDP creation process and influence what skills and experience she needs to develop to successfully complete her career pivot.

3. Strengths and development areas

Pulling from the employee’s self-assessment, jot down any skills, strengths, and developmental areas. For the aspiring event planner in our example, this might look like:

  • Organizational skills
  • Time management skills
  • Communication skills
  • Building strong interpersonal relationships

Development areas:

  • General event planning knowledge and skills
  • Familiarity with negotiation and budgeting
  • Learning how to use the company’s event software
  • Creative problem-solving

Now the employee has a clear picture of the strengths she can lean on as well as areas she needs to focus on in order to grow professionally and achieve her goal of becoming an amazing event planner.

4. Action plan

This section describes how the employee plans to acquire the knowledge and skills outlined above. At this stage, try to be creative by using various learning strategies and activities. Employees can learn and  grow in many ways , including:

  • Classroom or online training programs
  • On-the-job training
  • Stretch assignments
  • Conferences
  • Professional certifications
  • Job shadowing
  • Mentorship programs

However your employee decides to improve their development areas, work with them to create a detailed, measurable action plan. Break down their overarching career goal into attainable steps they can start taking today. Include specific KPIs you and your employee can use to track progress and understand the impact.

To revisit our content marketing specialist example, her action plan could be:

  • Assist with the planning and execution of the company’s annual user conference (stretch assignment)
  • Work closely with the Event Manager to better understand her role and expertise (mentorship)
  • Complete “Event Planning 101” and earn a certification (online training/certification)

While these steps may be detailed enough for some individuals, it never hurts to tie specific KPIs to action plans to help assess progress and evaluate success. Our employee might decide to use feedback from the event planning team post-conference to assess her contributions to the event. She could also set up a recurring 1-on-1 with the Event Manager and track meeting occurrences to measure the effectiveness of her mentorship. Her last action is more cut and dry – if she completes the class and earns her certification, this can be regarded as a success.

5. Time frame

You’ll also need to define the timeline the employee has to execute this action plan. Is it a week? Month? Quarter? Year? Be sure to document how long the employee has to complete the action plan, so you can hold them accountable and help track progress along the way. Managers and employees should meet regularly throughout the time frame to share feedback, discuss roadblocks, and touch base on how things are going.

Lastly, leave space for your results. After the specified time frame elapses, complete this section with the employee as a way to reflect on performance and assess success.

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How HR Professionals Can Use an Individual Development Plan

A detailed professional development plan can help HR practitioners grow in their careers.

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Human resource professionals know how to pair people with jobs that match their skills and aspirations. But HR practitioners who are not as dutiful about mapping their own career paths may be missing opportunities to help themselves advance.

An individual development plan—commonly known as an IDP—can be a helpful tool for keeping your professional growth on track.

“Even if you’re in the right job at the right company, you’re probably hoping to grow,” says Mark Herschberg, author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You (Cognosco Media, 2020) and co-founder of a career development program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “You’ll need a plan to do that.”

The first step in creating an IDP typically involves completing a questionnaire that asks about your career goals, including how and when you plan to meet them. You also may be asked to identify your professional weaknesses and commit to taking specific steps for overcoming them. Generic IDP templates are widely available for free online, including on shrm.org/IDPform. You can also find them in most career planning guides.

There are no right or wrong answers when completing an IDP questionnaire. But experts agree that for the process to be effective, your responses must be honest and realistic. And regular follow-up—to ensure you’re meeting your short-term goals and that they remain relevant to your long-term plan—is key.

Here’s how HR professionals can get the most out of the IDP process.

Keep Leadership Requirements Top of Mind

Focus your IDP on honing the skills that all HR leaders need, says Bradford Frank, a Philadelphia-based partner with recruiting firm Korn Ferry who specializes in placing HR executives. These include:

  • Building partnerships with departments outside of HR.
  • Translating business strategy to people strategy.
  • Understanding the nuances of the full breadth of HR disciplines.
  • Cultivating cultural awareness, especially if you’re interested in working in a large, global organization.

Close Skills Gaps

Compare your current skills with those you will need to meet your long-term career objectives, Frank advises. Then establish short- and medium-term goals that involve working on projects or taking other steps that will help fill your skills gaps. For example, consider shadowing colleagues in different HR disciplines, attending meetings in other departments to learn their part of the business or even taking on a new job within your organization.

To enhance your knowledge of how business is handled outside the U.S., look for opportunities to work abroad or with colleagues in other countries, advises Kate Zimberg, vice president for employee experience and enablement at F5 Networks, a Seattle-based technology company.

Zimberg aspires to be a chief people officer and has been seeking ways to increase her knowledge of other cultures to prepare herself for such a role. Although the pandemic has curtailed opportunities for international travel, she holds informational meetings over the phone and via Zoom with her company’s HR departments in India, Singapore and England.

“It’s so important to learn what others are working on,” she says. “I ask for invitations where I can learn and listen. When travel opens up, I will go abroad.” 

Look for Training Opportunities

If you need an additional credential or degree to move forward, use your IDP to set goals related to selecting the most appropriate program, making arrangements to fit classes into your schedule and financing the training if your employer won’t cover the full cost.

Be creative about where and how you receive your training. Community colleges, professional associations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and online platforms like Coursera are obvious choices, but there are countless others. For example, Washington, D.C.-based HR consultant Jocelyn King, SHRM-SCP, says when she was an HR director for a tech firm, she tapped the company’s outside legal counsel to design a class addressing her organization’s specific labor relations challenges.

Training doesn’t have to be conducted in the classroom or even on the job. Andrew Marcotte, SHRM-SCP, an HR manager for Blain’s Farm and Fleet, a regional chain of 44 retail stores in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, says he expanded his professional skills by volunteering with SHRM and its affiliates. As president of the Blackhawk Human Resource Association in southern Wisconsin, Marcotte has been able to practice public speaking, negotiate contracts and manage a relationship with a technology vendor. He also participates in SHRM-sponsored employer education initiatives where he provides guidance to companies considering hiring veterans, people with criminal records and people with disabilities. In the process, Marcotte says, he strengthens his own understanding of recruitment strategies.

Get Feedback

Some people view the process of creating an individual development plan as a personal matter and prefer to work through it on their own. But don’t underestimate the value of a second opinion when assessing your strengths and weaknesses or for pointing you toward advancement opportunities.

Schyler Houck, corporate director of HR and labor relations for Saratoga Casino and Hotel in Saratoga, N.Y., says he sought advice from executives within and outside his company to identify projects that would help build the skills he needs to be a viable candidate for a chief human resource officer post. Following the guidance of one of his advisors, Houck volunteered to help build an employee skills database for the hotel. Participating in the project sharpened his technical and analytic skills and gave him the chance to prove his ability to link a business need with an HR strategy, he says.

Following the advice of his mentor, Marcotte uses his individual development plan to focus on goals that offer a direct and quantifiable benefit to his company, such as developing his organization’s recruitment and retention strategy. The mentor also provides him with honest advice on the areas in which he needs to improve. “We’ve had some tough conversations,” Marcotte says, “but that’s an important part of learning.”  

Rita Zeidner is a freelance writer in Falls Church, Va.

Illustration by Visual Generation/iStock: Grivina.

When Setting Goals, Think Beyond the Job

Aligning your career objectives with your organization’s needs is, of course, the most reliable way to get management support for your individual development plan (IDP). But don’t limit the objectives to skills you want to develop or positions you want to land, advises career development expert Mark Herschberg. Goals that reflect your interests, strengths, preferred location and desired schedule are key to your overall job satisfaction and should be part of your IDP, he says.

There also is something to be said for sharing your personal and lifestyle goals with your employer—even if there’s no obvious match with your organization’s business strategy. If your organization is interested in keeping you on board, management might just find a way to help you get what you want, Herschberg says.

To make his point, he uses the example of an employee who is willing to give up a pay raise in exchange for scheduling flexibility. “It doesn’t mean an employer can or should try to meet the need of the employee,” Herschberg says. “But the more information the employer has, the more the employer can potentially help.” —R.Z.

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Individualized Professional Development Plans to Support Career Pathways

Success in any career requires the continued development of skills and knowledge. This is not an automatic process. Instead, it begins with a vision and a strategy. It requires a commitment to lifelong learning, continuing effort, and accountability. Setting career goals is an excellent means of self-motivation and actively steering one's life toward their desired direction. This page explores Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP) tools and resources that program leaders can use to help staff identify and pursue career pathways.

Professional development is especially important for staff in early childhood education because they must continuously keep their skills and knowledge current to keep pace with the field. It also gives staff a competitive advantage in achieving their career goals. Benefits of professional development for employees may include:

  • Increased earning potential
  • Networking opportunities
  • A boost in confidence
  • Enhanced competency, capacity, and service delivery for children and families
  • Timely attainment of required credential degrees or certifications

For Head Start programs, professional development helps ensure effective delivery of comprehensive services to enrolled children and families.

Are Head Start programs required to support employee professional development?

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When considering an employee's individual professional development, the 70-20-10 rule is an important concept. It emphasizes that:

  • 70% of all learning is experiential – reflective practice, hands-on experience, team project, rotational assignment, volunteer work
  • 20% is social – networks, mentors, coaches
  • 10% is formal –  structured courses, professional development workshops

While the Office of Head Start does not require a specific form or method for building professional development plans with staff, an IPDP can help employees achieve their goals.

What is an Individualized Professional Development Plan?

An IPDP is a written plan developed by the employee and their supervisor that outlines career goals and describes the steps the employee needs to take to meet the necessary competency requirements. It directs the employee through self-assessment and reflection and helps them identify the learning and development objectives for their chosen career pathway they want to pursue. An IPDP plan with explicit goals provides structure for future learning and a blueprint for achieving goals at every stage of a career.

The IPDP also serves as a reference tool to track progress, set new goals, and adjust career plans as needed. It can also be used to communicate career objectives and achievements to direct supervisors and other professional contacts. Creating and following an IPDP encourages staff to take ownership of their professional development and enhance their career opportunities.

Why should Head Start programs invest in having staff complete IPDP s?

Ensuring that all staff have an IPDP requires the Head Start program to make an investment of time, finances, and energy. However, research shows that the return on investment can be significant not only for the individual, but also for the organization. Investing in employee professional development can help programs:

  • Combat the nationwide skills shortage 
  • Stay up to date with industry and technology trends
  • Increase engagement and reduce turnover
  • Aid in succession planning
  • Increase earning potential
  • Provide networking opportunities
  • Attract better talent
  • Boost confidence
  • Enhance competency, capacity, and service delivery for children and families
  • Ensure the timely attainment of required credential degrees and certifications 

What is involved in developing an IPDP ?

Career development is a valuable opportunity for individuals to identify their potential career goals and create a road map to achieve them. A well-designed professional development plan should consider an individual's aspirations, motivations, preferred learning styles, and encompass their overall career path, rather than focusing solely on their current job responsibilities. This may include continuing education or training to fulfill the requirements of a current position or exploring a new career pathway.

The IPDP Guide provides information programs can use and a process to design and document one's professional development efforts. The process and related forms may be of special interest to programs without a formal approach to staff professional development or programs exploring planning options. The sample forms in IPDP Profile and Action Plan Sample can help staff and their supervisor or human resources specialist explore potential career goals and plan steps to achieve them.

Check out the IPDP Decision Tree infographic for a visual representation of key considerations when creating an IPDP and addressing HSPPS and local program requirements.

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STEP 1: Complete the IPDP Profile.

The IPDP Profile helps staff reflect on their skills, knowledge, interests, and abilities. The completed form provides valuable information for an individualized professional development action plan.

STEP 2: Create IPDP Action Plan.

The IPDP Action Plan is developed by the staff and the supervisor or a human resource professional. It captures career goals and outlines the steps, resources, and time frames expected to achieve desired career goals. The form includes a mid-point review date for revising the plan. The IPDP Action Plan provides space for one goal. Use one Action Plan for each career goal and make additional copies of the form as needed.

STEP 3: Document progress.

The IPDP Action Plan, Follow-up Notes, and Status Updates helps staff capture meetings and identify personal barriers, coaching opportunities, related resources, and additional considerations as needed.

Here are some tips for developing IPDP goals

While vision defines the direction of development, goals and action plans support professional development outcomes that bring the greatest rewards.

Things to consider when developing IPDP goals:

  • Identify desired career goal. Goals should be simple and clearly define what will be done. Consider the SMART model for writing goals.
  • List steps needed to achieve the goal. Examine and identify gaps in training and education.
  • Identify key resources needed to achieve the goal. These might include training and professional development, non-credit training or college courses, financial resources, coaching, mentors, etc.
  • Create a timeline to review and revise the IPDP plan as needed.
  • Identify potential challenges that may prevent goal achievement and ways the program and staff can address them.
  • Consider how to measure progress toward   achieving goals and how and when to adjust the plan if needed.
  • Schedule regular meetings to assess the need for additional resources, determine if adjustments to the plan are necessary, and celebrate progress toward goals.
  • Encourage staff to share their goals. Telling others about goals boost accountability and commitment to the action plan.

Resources to Support the IPDP Process

The resources below can help program leaders and staff develop individualized professional development plans and work toward career goals.

  • Head Start Qualifications briefs can help programs determine and justify how employees meet the requirements of their position.
  • Steps Local Agencies Can Use to Determine Credential or Degree Equivalency outlines three steps and considerations to help guide programs in the equivalency determination and justification process.
  • Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Credit for Professional Development provides an overview of the purpose and types of CEUs .
  • Early Educator Central is a one-stop online portal that links to free- or low-cost federally funded courses and resources geared for the infant-toddler workforce.
  • Individualized Professional Development (iPD) Portfolio is a learning management system with free, self-paced online courses to support the ongoing professional development of staff in Head Start and child care settings. Many courses offer CEUs or certificates of completion that align with Child Development Associate® credential subject areas.

The following example IPDP forms show how plans can support individual growth and development, as well as succession management for staff in various roles.

Leadership Staff

  • Fiscal Officer
  • Human Resource Professional

Education Staff

  • Child Development Specialist
  • Early Head Start Center-based Teacher
  • Disability Services Coordinator
  • Education Manager
  • Family Child Care Provider
  • Head Start Center-based Assistant Teacher
  • Head Start Center-based Teacher
  • Home Visitor

Resource Type: Article

National Centers: Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning

Audience: Directors and Managers

Last Updated: February 20, 2024

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Process Street

Professional Development Plan Template Free

Identify the personal and professional goals, identify the areas of expertise needed to achieve these goals, calculate the time required to attain these skills, identify the resource materials and tools needed, approval: manager on the required tools and materials.

  • Identify the resource materials and tools needed Will be submitted

Create a timetable to reach these goals

Decide whether to require professional guidance or self-study.

  • 1 Professional guidance
  • 2 Self-study

Approval: Mentor for the study path

  • Decide whether to require professional guidance or self-study Will be submitted

Commence the learning process

Keep a record of progress and challenges faced, regularly review the progress, approval: manager on the performance progress.

  • Regularly review the progress Will be submitted

Adjust the plan as necessary based on the regular reviews

Seek out feedback from superiors and colleagues, approval: colleagues feedback.

  • Seek out feedback from superiors and colleagues Will be submitted

Apply the new skills and knowledge on the job

Evaluate the impact of the new skills and knowledge on job performance, adjust the plan based on on-the-job application of skills, approval: manager on the final results of the development plan.

  • Adjust the plan based on on-the-job application of skills Will be submitted

Create a report on the achieved goals and plan for the future

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