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Make Your Own Luck With a Career Plan

Have you noticed that some people seem to be really lucky in getting great assignments? While you’re toiling away at your regular job, they get picked for high-profile assignments or promotional opportunities. When you look closer, you’ll find that they probably have spent some time creating a career development plan. A career development plan documents your goals and aspirations, the skills you need to be competitive for your dream job and your plan to acquire those skills and experiences.

Most of us focus on doing a great job in our current positions. We think that by doing so, we will be considered for the next opportunity. Most of the time it doesn’t work that way. The position or promotion goes to the person who has already expressed an interest in the job and has built the skills and competencies that are essential for success in that job.

Creating a development plan is an excellent opportunity for you to have a career discussion with your boss without the stress of a formal performance review. You get the opportunity to find out if your boss agrees with your assessment of your strengths and get their opinion on whether you have a serious weakness that would prevent you from achieving your career aspiration.

Start by identifying your short and long term goals. When I created my first development plan, my boss gave me this advice: “If you’re an IT architect, becoming the lead pilot for the corporate jet is not a realistic career goal”.

Your goals should be aggressive but in the realm of possibility. Then identify those actions and assignments that will help you fill the skills and experience gaps. Negotiate with your boss to gain agreement that he/she will work with you to accomplish the actions you’ve identified.

You can also use your development plan to help you stretch into an area that is outside of your normal career path. It’s a great time to think strategically about where your company is headed and what skills will be valuable in the future. Many companies are increasing their emphasis on security. If this is an area that you have a passion for, one of your action plan items could be to attend a security conference to gain some insight into security trends and products. Or you might discuss the possibility of a special assignment that would give you visibility to that area of the business.

Use your development plan to make your own luck and put you on the path to career advancement.

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