Thanks Sandi. It sounds like you understand the important of a personal leadership development plan. Now, the next step is implementation and follow-through. I'm curious, what suggestions do you have for following through with your plan?
I feel that developing a strong PLDP is great because it gives you foundation as well as guides and drives you to reach your professional, work and career goals. It also allows you to put down an attainable set of activities to reach these goals. This not only maps out the path, but it also motivates and helps you to envision how to get there. For me, this is a less frustrating and more "SMART" way to prioritize your time as well as make your PLDP obtainable.
It's great that you're using your PLDP to help keep you on track to achieving the goals that you have set for yourself, Frank. At times, the daily responsibilities and tasks related to our jobs can make it difficult to remember the long term goals. Using the plan to remind you of those and stay on track to achieving those goals is a wonderful practice. Let me know how it goes.
Having very specific and measurable goals is the only way to continue to develop into the leader i want to become. The day to day grind of managing the office and its deliverables takes away from actaully leading others in the the right direction. By keeping an eye on the written plan I can stay on track.
Best of luck in your search to find the best fit for your Ph.D, Michael! I get the feeling that your process for achieving your goals has served you well. Good luck.
Yes, I do feel that setting goals for myself gives me guidance and motivates me. I have the type of personality where I like to be working towards something and thinking long term with my goals. An example of this that I am going through right now is obtaining my PhD. I am still in the process of researching schools and applying but I know that this is something I want to do for myself and will help me reach my professional goals. Thinking long term and setting smaller goals and objectives that will help me reach my major goals will also help me stay motivated and focused.
I agree 100%, Michael, having goals to strive to achieve can be a powerful motivator. Developing your PLDP gives you the opportunity to put your goals on paper and then outline specific steps that you can take on a daily basis to achieve those goals. The PLDP also helps you to feel accountable to those goals (professional or personal) especially when you share those goals with others. Have you found this to be true?
I feel that developing a strong PLDP is great because it gives you guidance and the satisfaction that you are working towards something. For me there is nothing worse then an uncertain future with no goals or destination in both my professional and personal life. My job and my life is better with goals and they allow me to envision myself achieving them which really motivates me. It is this motivation that gives me the power to achieve better results at work. When you have no motivation or drive the work you do can seem endless with no purpose which can be frustrating and unhealthy. You have to do what you love in order to be successful at reaching your goals. Having a plan or PLDP to help you get there can really make the journey achievable.