Start the Year Right with Your Development Plan!

Happy New Year from the Center for Leadership Excellence! With the changing of the calendar, we have a natural tendency to look back over the prior year and then look ahead towards what the next year will bring. Resolutions are made to “do better,” whatever that means for each of us - eat healthy, exercise, spend time with loved ones, among others.

It should be no surprise that goals related to education, career development, and new job opportunities are often included on our lists of resolutions. In the rapidly changing world of work, employees are expected to be flexible, adaptable and creative in identifying ways to broaden their experience and leverage their skills. Rapid advancements in technology require employees to upgrade their skills and “retool” themselves just to remain current with their job requirements.

Considering all the time and energy you spend at work, why not ensure that you get maximum satisfaction from your work and career? Having a sense of where you are headed in your career helps you — and your manager — make good choices about work assignments and learning opportunities that can enrich your current job, lead to promotion through job growth or help you transition to another position. It also helps your manager to better understand the strengths and interests of their team, creating a more effective organization and a more satisfying work environment.

Here at UVa, we believe that career development is a shared responsibility between the employee, the manager and the University. Your Leadership Team in the Finance Division is committed to ongoing employee growth and development as demonstrated by their 2015 AVPF goal to “Create a development plan for each employee including internal and external training offerings.”

So how do you make that happen? Creating a development plan can be done in three steps – Explore – Think – Act!!!

• Step 1 Explore - Reflect on who you are, what you do well and when you are most alive and energized by exploring your skills, preferences, values and interests.
•  Step 2 Think - Set career goals and map out a strategy to achieve them by collaborating with your manager to develop an annual career development plan using LEAD@UVa.
• Familiarize yourself with the UVa Job Structure and the skills, knowledge and experience required to be successful in your current position, as well as those that support career progression and transition.
• Explore Education Opportunities and Training Opportunities
• Identify professional development opportunities using the Career Development Tool
• Select development activities that support goal achievement, competency development or career growth. Activities may include attending a training class, joining a professional association, participating in a mentoring program, attending a conference or reading a book.
•  Step 3 Act - Take action to accomplish your goals and manage your career.
• Monitor your career progress by checking your goals and development plan in LEAD@UVa frequently and record your success.
• Update your development plan as needed and continue to have frequent conversations with your manager regarding your progress.

Career development is a lifelong process of managing learning, work and job-related transitions. The Center for Leadership Excellence is here to encourage, support, and provide opportunities for the ongoing growth and development of each employee. For more information about creating development plans or programs offered by the Center for Leadership Excellence, contact us at leadership@virginia.edu or 434.982.0123.

No matter your resolution, we wish you a happy and fulfilling 2015.