Planning
your development
Planning your development
There are lots of different Ways to think about your personal development
ways to think about
The process can be daunting, so we have broken it down into 3 key buckets that focus on - what you love doing, building
on your existing strengths and understanding how you work towards your career aspirations.
planning your personal
We don’t want you to spend all your time focusing on the things that you are not great at as this can be demotivating and
may have a negative impact on your confidence. That doesn’t mean we don’t want you to be working on those areas but it’s
also important to look at how you build on your strengths.
development, sometimes
it´s not easy to know
where to start and how
to prioritise your actions.
This guide aims to help you with simple How do I build
pointers to make it an easy and fun process. on my strengths?
Remember however, no guide will ever replace a great
development conversation with your line manager, peers What do I love doing?
and mentors. Having someone to help you with this
important task is probably the best way to identify what
you want to focus on when it comes to developing
our skills.
We have provided you with guidelines and templates to
assist you. However it is important that you spend timing
finding your own way to connect what you want to learn
and get better at to your development plan. This will
help you to become the best and most authentic version
of yourself. How do I work towards
my career aspirations?
2
3 simple steps to follow
Before you start working Once you’ve got clear on the ‘why’ for your development plan, the next step is to get crystal clear on the ‘what’.
The three key areas to focus on are:
on what you want Leadership – what’s expected from you as a leader – and depending on how you’ve defined your ‘why’, this might
be about how you become a stronger leader at your current level, or looking at how you need to lead at the next level.
to develop, get clear Functional expertise – what are the skills knowledge and experience that you need that are relevant to your function.
Some may be quite technical – i.e. Understanding accounting practices or completing a relevant qualification, whilst others
on why… could be softer – i.e Being a strong business partner.
Skills/knowledge – the skills and knowledge that will help you be better at your job. For example, understanding our
have you started a new role? Is it about brands, or, being a strong presenter, or being able to use excel.
getting up to speed in that? Do you want You may find that the ‘what’ that you want to develop falls into one, 2 or all 3 areas. But for you to be able to really work
on your development plan, it shouldn’t be a list of 10 things – we’d suggest 2-3 areas of focus are realistic.
to strengthen your performance in your
current role? Or is it about getting the
development that you need to help you To p
prepare to do a different role in the future? tips Top tips on planning your development
This is a great conversation to have with
S
pend time gaining insights on yourself – strengths, development areas, gaps in experience
your manager before you dive into the ‘what
D
on’t expect your manage to provide all the answers
to develop’. It will be different things for
B
e open to feedback & ideas
different people, at different points in time.
B
ring ideas about development solutions & experiences
B
e honest about where you are committed to focus on and make it happen!
Step 1: Why
Getting clear on the focus for your development Keep a record of your development plan
The next bit is simply capturing what you’re planning to do so you can reference and build on it throughout the year.
Step 2: What At IHG we have designed a global template to support you, however you are most welcome to use any other template
or creative way to capture your development goals and actions.
Being clear on what you want to develop For more information, visit Our
Our People
Peopleportal.
portal.
We don’t create a deadline for completing PDP’s – as we want you to be using it as a working document throughout the
year in your regular check-ins with your manager, peers and team.
Step 3: How
Planning how you will make development happen