An IDP (Individual Development Plan) is a tool that is essential for personal growth. Again, personal development plan is a tool that will smooth the process of development. As Abraham Maslow puts personal development is a desire to turn out to be more and more of yourself, to become everything that your potential can achieve. As such, a personal development plan helps an individual to scheme a plan to reach full potential. In that connection, development objectives and actions to support objectives plays a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness of the IDP (Noah, 2009).
Development objectives will ensure that the plan remain the focus in accomplishing the needs of the areas that an individual want to develop. As such, individuals will remain focus when they have specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound objectives. Objectives will unearth the weak areas and, therefore, the plan will prescribe the necessary actions for the development of the abilities. As a road map, development objectives act as a foundation for individuals, therefore, stone-roll the development process. Furthermore, objectives create a sense of ownership since the individual will own the IDP. As a result, an individual will pioneer in the design and execution of the personal development plan. It also provides an outline of development activities that need to be accomplished. This will eliminate unnecessary activities in the development process.
In addition, personal actions are another aspect that contributes to the effectiveness of the IDP. Actions will make certain that an innovation strategy is well communicated and align with the overall objective of the organization is available. Motivate individuals within the organization to come up with viable ideas for new services and product development; ensure availability of resources such as time for idea generation, idea development and idea testing. Moreover, evaluate business plans and cases as well as approving those that are viable and at the same time monitor their progress. Furthermore, effective IDP will seek advice on how to design a business strategy, techniques for identifying and implementing opportunities, how to locate and control risks, how to give constructive feedback concerning ideas to individuals and teams, how to evaluate development plans, as well as business cases. Finally, it seeks advice on how to put in place systems necessary for reporting and measuring to relevant parties.
The other action such as planning change will result in an excellent performance that will equip an individual with skills such as; the ability to assess the gap present in the current and anticipated state of procedures, structures, systems and roles. In addition, it will provide the aptitude to ascertain the benefits and risks associated with plans and strategies as well as come up with contingency arrangements. The action will boost the ability to ensure that plans comprise of short-run wins and long-run deliverables, the ability to develop systems that are useful in monitoring and evaluating progress, and the ability to build up a communication strategy that facilitate proper feedback. Furthermore, it ensures the ability to identify support and training needs and at the same time plan how to accomplish those needs. Action will ensure acquisition of certain abilities and skills such as, being able to make certain that everyone involved in the program can link the program to the strategic targets.
The accomplishment of this plan should be guided by timelines that must be adhered to and followed to the later. The development in skills and abilities should both be learned and nurtured coupled with a sign of willingness. The weaknesses must be translated to strengths and opportunities that will propel the achievement of business’ targets and mission (Caplan & Torpey, 2001). Given the nature of the plan, it should be personalized and internalized in order for it to fetch the required outcome. Personal actions and advice are also necessary for the total achievement of the requisite skills and abilities.
References
Caplan, J., & Torpey, J. (2001). Documenting individual identity: the development of state practices in the modern world. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Noah, B. (2009). Kick your IDP up a notch: put another dimension in your Individual Development Plan. Boyceville, WI: Noah Onboard.