Focusing Your Personal Development
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. (William Jennings Bryan)
Planning and preparation are key elements for achievement of any objective goal or target. Planning and preparation include understanding what is required and the process for fulfilling the requirements. Now, let's think ahead to the time that you would like to apply or be considered for a position. The position could be your ultimate job, the position at the top of your organization or profession. It could be your dream job. Or, it could be a position that will provide the experience and other development that you will need to advance to your ultimate job.
The potential employer or hiring decision maker will establish the requirements for the position. The position description will be developed and posted to invite candidates to submit resumes or complete an application. I imagine that many of you have been through this process in your careers. As you prepared your resumes or completed applications for positions, you thought about your experience, accomplishments, education, training and certifications. You may have found yourself saying, "I wish that I had more of that experience or education or training, earned that certification or participated in Project XYZ that would have provided the opportunity to deliver accomplishments that would have strengthened my candidacy for this position."
How can you turn these I should haves into I did? You can accomplish this conversion (should haves to did) by setting the target and clarifying how it will look when the opportunity presents itself. In other words, you can walk through the process ahead of the opportunity to prepare yourself for the occasion, the time when the opportunity appears. This preparation will provide the requirements for a blueprint that will position you as a strong candidate for your target, your ultimate job or one that is on the path to your ultimate job. You can capture the input into your blueprint by developing your Target Position Description. How can you determine the input?
Guess what! Your Target Position Description or a similar position is posted today. It can be found in jobs posted in websites such as Career Builders or Monster.com; your company's employee portal or career website; career websites for other companies; and printed or online publications such as The Wall Street Journal.
You can also seek information from individuals who are familiar with your field (Accounting, Engineering, Information Technology, Marketing, etc.) or individuals who have advanced to the position that you have targeted, individuals who have migrated the path that are designing.
This information can guide you in developing your personal development plan. Following are examples of how you can use this information to prepare your personal development plans.
- Responsibilities (What experience do I need to acquire? What accomplishments should I seek to demonstrate my ability to perform the responsibilities?)
- Education, training and certifications (What additional degrees or certifications will I need? Which things must I have? Which things are nice to have?)
- To whom the position will report (You may need to understand how to interact with senior management.)
- Role of the position in the organization or company (What functions other than my function do I need to understand to be considered as a candidate for my target position? Should I seek an assignment in these functions or project assignments that will provide the understanding?)
- Scope of responsibilities (Do I need global experience? What level of budget management experience will I need to acquire?)
- Key attributes or traits (How can I demonstrate these attributes?)
- Compensation (Will the compensation provide an excellent return on what I may have to invest in training and education to qualify for the position?)
- Travel (Will I be able to balance work and personal life with the level of travel that is customary with this position?)
Ready, Aim, Fire! It is difficult to hit something you cannot see.
Linwood Bailey
Principal
Fields of Success
Career Management Partners 
