An employee uses IDP to prioritize and develop a plan of action to reach his or her short- and long-term career goals. An individual development plan also identifies the training and other developmental experiences needed to achieve those goals, for the benefit of the individual and organization, within a specified time frame. It is definitely to your advantage to position yourself for long-term employability in the rapidly changing world of work. Begin preparing now for the future. Additionally, the company benefits from having a competent and motivated workforce, capable of “re-tooling” itself to meet the demands placed on it by constant organizational and technological changes.

Your Individual Development Plan (IDP)
To the extent that any of your career goals involve acquiring some new skills or expertise, especially in bearing manufacturing, an individual development plan is very helpful. Follow the IDP process to begin drafting your IDP by incorporating your current or future goals. To assist you in formulating your goals, you can incorporate the goals you will formulate on the relevant developmental activities. In selecting developmental activities, try to achieve a balance between formal training activities (e.g., courses, seminars) and other kinds of learning experiences (e.g., work assignments, reading books). Also, include realistic time frames for completing your actions.

To gain a better understanding of yourself for your individual development, answer the following questions:

● Of the new and recent developments in my company or field, what interests me the most?
● What are my current strengths for pursuing these interests? What do I need to do to reposition my career so that I can get involved in these new developments?
● Of all the things I have done in the last several years (work and non-work related), what specific activities and functions have energized me the most?
● What developmental activities--work experiences, learning, skill building--would help me grow in or increase these energizing functions?
● Other things I would like to learn are...

For your individual development, you should focus on following factors:

Vision : Takes a long-term view and acts as a catalyst for organizational change; builds a shared vision with others. Influence others to translate vision into action.

External Awareness : Identify and keep up to date on key national and international policies and economic, political, and social trends that affect the company. Understand near-term and long range plans and determines how best to be positioned to achieve a competitive business advantage in a global economy.

Creativity and Innovation : Develop new insights into situations and apply innovative solutions to make organizational improvements; create a work environment that encourages creative thinking and innovation; design and implement new or cutting-edge programs/processes.

Strategic Thinking : Formulate effective strategies consistent with the business and competitive strategy of the company in a global economy. Examine policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective. Determine objectives and sets priorities; anticipate potential threats or opportunities.

Continual Learning : Grasp the essence of new information; master new technical and business knowledge; Recognize own strengths and weaknesses; pursue self-development; seek feedback from others and opportunities to master new knowledge.

Problem Solving : Identify and analyze problems; distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical decisions; provide solutions to individual and organizational problems.