The Individual Development Plan IDP: Creation and Sustainability

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The Individual Development Plan (IDP)Creation
and Sustainability

• Denise M. Douglas, Ph.D.
• Associate Dean
• Rachel Begley, Manager
• Postdoctoral Affairs
• Office of Postdoctoral Affairs School of
  Graduate Studies

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Discussion Topics

• Why is an IDP important?
• Postdoc Responsibilities
• Taking Control of Your Career
• Next Steps-Developing Your IDP
• Sample IDP

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Why is an IDP Important?

• Helps you to identify both short-term and long
  term goals
• Milestones along the way can be acknowledged and
  celebrated
• Serves as a communication tool between postdoc,
  faculty mentor, and others

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NSF Mentoring Requirement for Postdocs

• For proposals submitted after Jan 5, 2009 that
  request funding to support postdoctoral
  researchers there is additional information
  required on mentoring activities
• Mentoring activities include career counseling,
  training in preparation for grant proposals,
  publications and presentations, guidance on ways
  to improve teaching and mentoring, etc.

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Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey

• In 2005, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research
  Society, conducted a landmark postdoc survey
  designed to improve the training and research
  environments for postdocs by providing a better
  understanding of their experiences.
• Information was gathered from 7,600 postdocs at
  46 American research institutions on such issues
  as pay, working hours, benefits and many other
  factors.

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Survey Findings

• Among other things, survey data suggest that
  administrative oversight and structured training
  can significantly enhance the quality of
  postdoctoral experiences and may bring about
  increased research productivity.
• Research/career plans for postdocs provide a
  framework of accountability and responsibility,
  and indeed, Sigma Xis survey data showed that
  postdocs with such plans were considerably more
  productive than those without.
• Source Geoff Davis, Principal Investigator,
  Sigma Xi Postdoc Survey

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Postdoc Responsibilities

• Obtain the experience necessary to advance in
  your career
• Contribute through your research accomplishments,
  publications, presentations, etc.
• Take charge of your own professional development
  actively seek opportunities outside the
  laboratory (e.g. professional development
  seminars and workshops in oral communication,
  scientific writing, and teaching) to develop the
  full set of professional skills necessary to be
  successful for your chosen career.
•  Communicate!

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Intentional Change Theory
The Ideal Self
The Real Self
Practicing new behaviors
Strengths where my Ideal Self and Real Self
overlap
Trusting Relationships that help. support, and
encourage each step in the process
Experimenting with new behaviors
Gaps where my Ideal Self and Real Self differ
My Learning Agenda building on strengths while
reducing gaps
Richard E. Boyatzis, 2001.
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Taking Control of Your Career Self Assessment

• Ideal Self
• Real Self
• Strengths
• Gaps

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Self Assessment Ideal Self

• How you view your knowledge, skills and abilities
• Values, philosophy, purpose and aspirations (what
  you want out of life)
• Sometimes based on facts that you collected
  along the way
• Lack of self-awareness may cause inflation or
  deflation of the ideal self

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Real Self

• How others view your knowledge, skills and
  ability
• Receive this type of feedback through performance
  reviews and other assessment opportunities
• Seek out feedback from others

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Strengths/Gaps

• Strengths where your ideal self and real self
  are similar
• Gaps where your ideal self and real self are
  different
• When setting goals, balance is important

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Defining Goals

• Meaningful to you
• Have concrete action steps
• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
  Realistic, Timeframe)

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Defining SMART Goals

• Specific be able to answer who, what, where,
  when, why
• Measurable establish a criteria for measuring
  progress
• Attainable if it is important to you it becomes
  attainable
• Realistic Are you willing and able to work on it
• Timeframe Helps you establish and endpoint

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Defining Goals

• Common Roadblocks
• What if you dont accomplish the goals you
  established?
• What if I dont like to write things down?
• Is this really useful beyond my postdoc position?

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Developing Your IDP

• Opportunity to create a sustainable document
• Useful practice in all industries
• Helps you to articulate to others who may be
  interested (networking tool)

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Sample IDP

• Handout Discussion

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The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

• Denise M. Douglas, Ph.D.
• Associate Dean
• denise.douglas_at_case.edu
• Rachel Begley
• Manager, Postdoctoral Affairs
• rachel.begley_at_case.edu
• Nord Hall 6th Floor
• 216-368-4390
• http//www.case.edu/provost/gradstudies/postdoc.ht
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