Charting Your Course

Before beginning any voyage, a good skipper will determine the ship's destination, the best course to take given weather and other conditions, and what supplies and equipment will be needed while underway. Planning for career development is much the same as beginning a voyage. First, you must determine where you want to go; then, given external conditions, you must decide the best way to proceed. Finally, you will need to determine what skills or development you will need as you get underway. Your development deserves thoughtful planning. Lack of planning for your development is like sailing in the dark without a compass. Without planning, the chances of reaching your destination are not likely.

Who's Responsible

for Training and Development? You, the employee, have the primary responsibility for your own development. No one is more interested in your development than you, so take the initiative. "One hand for the ship and one hand for yourself" applies to your career. Taking care of your development will help you to be a more valuable and productive employee. Take time to think about your career goals and the skills you need to be successful. The payoff in the long run will be greater rewards and satisfaction from your work.

When you have enrolled in a training course, plan your work so you can concentrate on learning the new skills during the class. Try to limit

interruptions and distractions. Participate fully, ask questions, and make sure you understand and have all the help you need. Once back on watch, use your new skills immediately and don't give up if your first attempts are less than what would be expected of an old salt who has been weathered by his experiences. (See The Individual Career Planning Process on page 5.) Managers also carry some responsibility for training and development. Staff development is a joint management and staff responsibility. Managers need to communicate job requirements as they see them and give feedback to employees on how well they meet those requirements. By defining gaps between desired and actual performance, and relative importance, the manager is defining training needs. The manager's role also is to help the employee secure the necessary training. This may mean giving approval and getting approval from others in the division. Managers should help employees schedule workloads so that they can attend the necessary training they need. Managers should discuss training goals with employees before training and follow up with them after the training to make sure newly learned skills are used and reinforced on the job. (See The Development Planning Process Model on page 6.)

Trainers are responsible for offering useful, relevant programs. They make sure that the instruction is of professional quality, and may lead the training personally or contract with outside consultants. After the training event, trainers evaluate each program's success based on how well the courses met objectives and make

Defining Training Needs

Before you start looking for training, you should do your homework and define specific objectives. You should be able to fill in the blanks in this statement:

What I want to learn is how to

because

and I expect the following benefits:

There are many things you will want to consider when defining your training needs, including the following:

• Feedback on your performance, including your PMP

• The amount of time you have been in your job • Your level of experience in important job skills • Your career interests

• Your boss's needs and priorities

• The possibility of building on valued strengths

• The need to overcome skill deficiencies

• Your section's or division's priorities and needs