Personal Development Plan (Page 3 of 4) in pdf

Personal Development Plan Page 3

Personal Development Plan

Step 3 - A SMART Action Plan

Working with the areas you have selected in Step 2, identify the specific actions you are going to take to

bring about change and development for yourself. The plan you make should be a SMART plan, i.e.

Specific

Is your goal well-defined? Avoid setting unclear or vague objectives; instead be as precise as possible.

Instead of: “To listen more”

Make it specific: “To use the next meeting of the European marketing managers as an opportunity to

practise listening behaviours and to reinforce this by writing a detailed minute of the meeting”

Measurable

Be clear how you will recognise when you have achieved your goal. Using numbers, dates and times is

one way to represent clear objectives.

Instead of: “To find out about South Africa”

Make it measurable: “To use the internet and the local library to identify and read key references and

make notes on the history, economy, and politics of South Africa. This to be completed by the end of

next month.”

Attainable

Setting yourself unrealistic goals will only end in disappointment. Make your goals challenging, but

attainable.

Instead of: “Learn German by Christmas”

Make it attainable: “Register with a language school and attend classes to learn German on a weekly

basis for the next 12 months. Then review progress and set new goals”

Relevant

Ensure that any development actions that you plan are directly relevant to the international context that

you are currently, or will be, operating in. Test them for relevance against the answers you gave in Step

1 above.

Time-bound

Set a time scale for completion of each goal. Even if you have to review this as you progress, it will help

to keep you motivated.

Now use the table on the following page to finalise an action plan in three areas.

Personal Development Plan Page 3