Development plans

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: 2023-09-05 by Elsa Mendes
4 min read

Stages

To prepare a successful development plan, we recommend you to plan it in at least three different stages:

#1 Retrospective and planning

Let’s reflect on what happened in the past and start planning actions for improvement going forward.

Teammate’s reflection 🤔

Manager’s reflection  🤔

Teammate’s reflection 🤔

Manager’s reflection  🤔

  1. Why did I miss a previous goal (if applicable)?

  2. What is my next career aspiration?

  3. How is that linked to MOSTLY AI’s OKRs and KPIs?

  4. What do I need to do in the next 6 months to be on track to achieve that career aspiration?

  5. What is stopping me from achieving it now?

  6. What type of:

    1. Education should I complete?

    2. Exposure should I pursue?

    3. Experience should I gain?

  1. Highlights and praises the previous achievements and goals.

  2. Understands what could have been done differently to achieve the missed goals (if any).

  3. Understands what helped on the goals that were achieved (if any).

Learns from previous experiences B. and C. and puts the knowledge into practice.

#2 Definition of the development plan

Session 1

Discuss the assessment of the previous year (#1 Retrospective) and trigger the conversation about the development plan.

Session 2

Align and define the development plan for the upcoming 6 months. The development plan should include a minimum of 1 SMART goal, which should be aligned with MOSTLY AI’s OKRs and KPIs (or go to Leapsome > Goals > Company & team goals).

#3 Execution of development plan

The development plan should be a recurring topic of conversation during your 1:1s (check here how to create and manage a meeting on Leapsome).

If adjustments are needed, these should be agreed by both parts and must be recorded on Leapsome.

Important things to remember

  • As part of our benefits, all MOSTLIES have a 1000€/$ / year budget to invest on their professional development.

  • We use Leapsome to record the development plans.

Roles and responsibilities

Managers and teammates have different roles and responsibilities when defining the development plan.

Teammate will wear one hat 🎩

Manager will wear a different hat 👒

Teammate will wear one hat 🎩

Manager will wear a different hat 👒

  • Reflects and plans for the next months, bearing in mind their next career aspiration(s).

 

  • Should be proactive and prepare the plan independently and in advance.

 

  • Uses this plan to set themselves up for success.

  • Coaches and supports the teammate defining and achieving the goals. The goals should be challenging enough but also achievable.

 

  • Ensure the teammate’s plan and goals are aligned with MOSTLY AI’s OKRs and KPIs.

 

  • Uses this plan to set their direct reports up for success.

SMART Goals framework

S

M

A

R

T

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time-bound

❌ generic

A generic and weak goal would be ”I want to be a better public speaker.”

✅ precise
An example of a SMART goal would be “I will attend a training course on Presenting to help me improve my public speaking skills”.

✅ quantifiable

A quantifiable goal is easier to track and achieve.


Ex: I will compare three different online courses on Presenting for content and price. I will enroll on the best option within one month.

Your goal should be realistic and attainable (but also ambitious).

Ex: I have got the time and the funds available to pay for the course. I will graduate with distinction.

Your goal should relate to your longer-term ambitions.

Ex. I lack the confidence in public speaking, it is one of my weaknesses, and I feel it is holding me back in my career growth.

Set realistic timescales to achieve your outcomes.

Ex: I will complete the course in October and November because in December I will be busy with year-end tasks.

Approach

There can be different approaches to define a development plan:

  1. Maximising existing strengths and competences.

  2. Developing the areas that need to be improved.

  3. Combining both a) and b)

There isn’t a magic formula, the best approach will depend on what needs to be achieved.

Tips

A good development plan should include:

  • Education - ex: read books, do online courses. 

  • Exposure - ex: attend conferences, watch talks, shadow someone in a task.

  • Experience - ex: take on new responsibilities, lead a new project, start a new team initiative.

Action plan

A good action plan should be specific, customised to the individual needs, challenging but also achievable. The plan should also work toward benefiting the whole MOSTLY AI team and be aligned with MOSTLY AI’s OKRs and KPIs.

Some of the most common actions are:

  • Mentoring others (usually junior teammates)

  • Learning from a mentor (usually a senior teammate or an industry expert)

  • Completing development courses

  • Earning professional certifications

  • Cross-training for another position within MOSTLY AI

  • Networking and team-building:

  • Attending meetups, professional conferences or seminars

  • Presenting meetings, workshops, talks, etc

  • Organising team-building events (ex. MOSTLY Mini Meetups; MOSTLY Lunch & Learn)

  • Creating onboarding and learning programs for other MOSTLIES

  • Taking on more challenging tasks in their current role

 

Development plans

  • 2022 Q3 presentation: