Your career is one of the most important projects in your life, yet many people don’t think of it that way. However, when you apply a project management mindset and project management strategies to your career, you’ll achieve much more!
Career Planning
PIP vs. PDP: What’s the Difference?
We can probably all agree: Business abbreviations are the worst! The professional development world is full of abbreviations too, and they can be just as confusing. PIP and PDP are two common abbreviations that cause a lot of confusion. Here’s what you need to know.
The Problem with Employer Created Professional Development Plans
I am a big believer in taking ownership of your career. That’s why I recommend that everyone create their own PDP, even if your manager or employer has created one for you.
Why Planning is Beneficial (Even in Unpredictable Times)
I love planning. When I have a plan in front of me, I feel more in control of my destiny. I’m less stressed, more empowered.
Here’s the most interesting part: A plan helps me feel these positive things, even when I can’t follow the plan perfectly.
Over the past year, I’ve really had to come to terms with this. After all, the pandemic has made life unpredictable for most of us. But I haven’t stopped planning. In fact, I’ve become even more diligent about it!
Is Your Job in Danger?
As a career coach, I often work with people when they’re dealing with an expected job loss. They’ve either been terminated for cause, laid off, or asked to resign. In any case, it’s never an easy situation. Most people tell me they were blindsided—they had no idea! Yet, after some time spent...
The Art of Career Crafting
No job is perfect. However, there are almost always things you can do to make an imperfect job a little closer to perfect. When you’re not happy with your current role, instead of jumping ship and finding a new job, you might want to first engage in a process referred to as “career crafting” or...
What to Do When You’re Put on a Formal Performance Improvement Plan
No one goes to work with the intention of performing poorly. Yet, it happens. Quite frequently, I hear from people who have been put on a formal Performance Improvement Plan (or PIP) and they’re wondering how to handle it. The process can be overwhelming and emotional. However, if managed well, a...
Do I Really Need a Professional Development Plan?
If you’ve been following my work for any period of time, you know that I’m a big fan of Professional Development Plans (also referred to as PDPs). I often create these plans in collaboration with my career coaching clients, and I frequently provide training workshops on this topic. However, one...
How to Write a Professional Development Plan
This is the second article in a two-part series on the topic of Professional Development Plans. Read the first article here. In the first part of this series, you learned that a professional development plan (or PDP) is a written document used to focus, evaluate and prioritize professional...
Professional Development Plan Basics: The Purpose and Benefits of a PDP
This is the first article in a two-part series on the topic of Professional Development Plans. As a career coach, I spend a lot of time helping my clients create plans for professional growth. One of the most important tools we use is known as a Professional Development Plan or PDP. Many...
Your Professional Development Plan: 3 Surprising Truths
As a career coach, one of my main roles is to help my clients develop the professional skills and abilities required to achieve their goals. It’s a process that takes time and planning, but I love helping people figure out what needs to be done, how to get started and how to stay on track....
Do You Really Need a Career Plan?
In a recent Eat Your Career community poll, there was a resounding request for more information on career planning. As always, your wish is my command! One of the first questions I always hear around the topic of creating a career plan is this: “Do I really need one?” If you’ve been in the...