How to take collective responsibility for individual development

Personal development plans are a great idea in theory, but in practice simply become another file at the bottom of the desk drawer. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that all the responsibility lies with the individual to put the plan into practice.

Here’s a simple, but highly effective approach to change these dynamics. The starting point is that the personal development plan becomes a business plan for Me Inc. The plan includes:

• A “business case” that integrates personal growth objectives with the team’s business strategy
• A schedule for achieving each key objective

Me Inc. has a Board of Directors, made up of team colleagues. This could be the whole team or just some members. The Board meets at regular intervals to help the person review progress and to offer them support.

The benefits of this approach are:

• The learner feels supported
• It’s much easier for them to maintain attention to personal development
• There’s a much clearer link between individual development and outcomes for the team