ON THE RIGHT TRACK…

“An individual development plan can ensure that you don’t lose your way”

           A lot of us move forward with a baby or an absolutely no idea regarding our professional or personal life and in worst cases, continue without any planning.

                In our careers, some of us mindlessly climb the corporate ladder till we run out of rungs or reach a rung that we cannot climb over. That is the time we stop to check the wall the ladder is leaning on  and ask ourselves- is this what I wanted?  Am I right now who I want to be, and am I doing what I’ve always dreamt of doing? If our ladder of success is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take gets us to the wrong place faster.

                As humans we are endowed with great imagination and the ability to foresee what we cannot at present see with our eyes. If we do not make a conscious effort to evaluate: who we are?? and what we want in our life??, then we lose this power to others and become victim to circumstances that shape us and our careers by default. To begin with the future thought in minds gives us clarity to begin each day or task with clear vision of the desired direction and destination and then continue to flex our muscles to make the things happen. One of the best ways to tune this into one’s life is to develop a personal mission statement that focuses on what an individual aspires to be in his her life and provides you with a sense of purpose to achieve that goal. It reaffirms who you are, and provides you clarity to plan for your success. Your mission statements make you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you’ve envisioned.

                Appraisal times are followed by numerous rounds of ratings, feedbacks development plans, etc that give impetuous to plan your professional growth. Resolutions are made at the start of the plan; some followed some forgotten. It is in your hands to make this cycle different. Build a vision of who you truly want to be in the future, and chart ways to achieve those goals in life. Keep a track of the milestone, and create your own “Individual Development Plan” (IDP), keeping in mind the timeliness to achieve your ultimate goals. An “Individual Development Plan” is a learning plan that puts you in command of the situation and sets you in the direction of your true worth.

Evaluate yourself on the basis of some questions:

What are those skills and capabilities that will help me reach my ultimate destination??

What are some of the things that make me future ready??

Which book should I read??

What is the project I want to signup for?

Which training programs I need to build this goal??

Go ahead and make this cycle your own life. Do review this plan once you feel you are close to your goal, as you can accomplish a lot more than you think you can..

Thank you all for reading this article.

# Special Thanks to Mr. Arindam Lahiri , (HR, DLF Pramerica)