You hate this task. What are your development goals for next year?
Ugh. I used to die a little inside when I got to that portion of the annual performance review. Your mind goes blank. You blink a few times, and before you know it, half an hour has gone by. No words on the page.
It’s gotta be SMART or some other acronym.
You want it to be meaningful. You want to work on something that will actually help you in your day to day work, and will help you in your career. Get that promotion. Get on that cool project.
So what the hell do you write?
It’s as bad as that question “where do you want to be in 5 years?”.
But wait, what if it didn’t have to be?
I was interviewing a past client for a project of mine. We talked about the future, and as they were describing that they wanted to achieve, I replied
“So you want people to listen when you speak in meetings, and to switch gears easily to deal with unexpected events. those are your development goals then”.
“Yes, that’s right” they replied.
We were both a bit surprised. It happened so fast. And it was so easy.
How did I name their development goals so quickly?
After the call I listened back and realised that what I had done.
In my head, I had checked what they said against my Leadership Checklist.
In just a few minutes we had figured out their development goals.
So I want to share it with you, so you don’t have to dread that part of your performance review
If you are managing people, and want a development plan that is going to really elevate your leadership, then use this tool.
review the checklist.
- tick off everything you’re comfortable with. you’ve already got these under your belt, excellent
- add a * to the ones that you’re kinda doing or want to do.
- Pick the two most important for you
- Tada! you’ve got your development goals
Try it out and let me know how it went.
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Call me and let’s make a Game Plan together.