44 Explore & Engage: Development Action Plan

You now have a prioritized list of skills you want to develop but you can’t develop without taking action. Let’s turn your prioritized skills list into a set of skills development goals and an action plan.

1. Review your prioritized skills list and choose 3-5 skills you want to focus on first. It’s up to you what skills you would like to focus on. Keep in mind that the prioritization exercise was focused on aligning what you are good at with what you are passionate about and what the world needs. You do not have to select only from priority 1 skills! When it comes to the actions you will take now, you also need to consider your current situation. Depending on what is happening in your career, you may need to focus on a skill further down the list. For example, maybe you are applying for a specific type of job and it makes more sense for you to focus on a priority 2 job enabling skills right now. Or, you might be working on a project at work that requires a priority 3 skill in the immediate future.
2. For each skill, focus on the why. Answer any or all of these questions to help give purpose and meaning to why you are committing to – and why you will follow through with – these skill development goals.
   • Why do you want to develop this skill?
   • How will developing this skill benefit you personally or professionally?
   • What are the potential rewards of achieving this goal?

3. For each skill, create a SMART goal. SMART stands for:

   • Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
   • Measurable: How will you track your progress?
   • Achievable: Is the goal realistic given your resources and time?
   • Relevant: Does the goal align with your overall objectives?
   • Time-bound: Set a deadline for when you want to achieve the goal.

4. For each goal, create an action plan.

   • Break it down: Divide your goal into smaller, manageable tasks. (For example, if you want to build your community, you might list actions like: search and sign up for live people analytics webinars happening this year, join the Society for People Analytics and attend one meetup, or comment meaningfully on at least 3 insightful people analytics posts this month, ask (insert name) for a zoom coffee date to talk about people analytics, etc.)
   • Assign resources: Identify what you need to accomplish your goal (time, money, materials, support).
   • Set deadlines: Establish a timeline for completing each task.
   • Identify obstacles: Anticipate potential challenges and develop strategies to overcome them. (For example, if you want to build your community, you may write, “My obstacle is that I am an introvert and tend to avoid in-person social activities. To overcome this, I will focus on building relationships with people online first.”

Tips for Creating Your Action Plan

• Be realistic and keep it exciting: Don’t overload yourself with too many goals at once. I recommend focusing on at least 3 (to give you some variety) but not more than 5 (to avoid spreading yourself too thin or getting overwhelmed). I also recommend having a mix of technical and non-technical skills in your action plan. This way you’ll have a wider variety of development activities you can undertake – that way you will have different types of things you can be doing to develop, depending on your mood or what is going on in your life at the time.
• Prioritize but be flexible: Focus on the most important skills first. But adjust your plan as new opportunities come up, or as you discover new interests or see changes in priorities over time.
• Track your progress and celebrate it regularly: Regularly review your goals and action steps. Monitor your progress with regular check-ins to see if you are on track. And don’t forget to enjoy the journey and acknowledge your achievements. I highly recommend instituting a rewards system. Celebrate each milestone along the way.