 An individual development plan serves as a roadmap for your ongoing career journey and it’s also an opportunity to build a framework for how people view you on a personal and professional level. In this episode of The Future Leaders podcast, guests Sheryne Glicksman of Sharp Electronics, Alec Stanners of bvoip and Chris Fabes of Lenovo talk about the new Individual Development Plan tool from CompTIA’s Future Leaders Community, and why making a plan for your future really matters. An IDP is part of the professional toolkit, but is there a right or wrong way to complete an IDP? One mistake is to create it and let it collect dust. Use the information you find in your IDP discover to find strengths and weaknesses, which can translate into areas to work on in your career. It’s also important to remember an IDP is a commitment to yourself and no one else. “It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and it’s easy to lose yourself in that,” Alec said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re starting your career or halfway through it, it’s important to understand where you at and where you’re going.” Listen for reasons why an IDP can help at any point in your career — even if you’re 20 years in. Subscribe to the Future Leaders podcast for more tips from young leaders and ways to bridge the generation gap in technology. For more, follow CompTIA’s Future Leaders Community and get a template to start your own Individual Development Plan at comptia.org/communities. 

CompTIA Future LeaderCast

How to Develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP)

  CompTIA Communities Leader Yvette Steele leads a fireside chat with three CompTIA 2019 ChannelChangers in this kick off episode of the Future Leaders Podcast. Listen for the unconventional paths that brought these three young women into technology, plus the valuable lessons and advice that helped them in their IT careers. Lauren Beliveau of BarracudaMSP shouted out her mentor, Neal Bradbury, a leader in CompTIA’s MSP Community, as the one who helped her find her voice in technology. Tori Mannix of ConnectWise said it was Heather Ptak who mentored her into a leadership role and Miranda Ruane of vCom Solutions said mentor Hilary Gadda of TPX Communications helped her build the confidence to step up. Throughout the podcast, the women discuss being influencers in the industry, how to be a strong woman in tech and the value of bringing youthful confidence to the modern multigenerational workforce. The ChannelChangers also outline their views of the industry, share their successes and talk through the challenges they’ve overcome as young technologists. Tune in for their thoughts on building true diversity into the workplace, and how that responsibility falls to each of us. “I think it’s so important to continue to extend that ladder down to the people that haven’t had the same advantages as I have,” said Ruane, “and to use my position of privilege to make that climb as easy as possible for the people who come after me, or who are working alongside me.” Listen for their personal IT stories and how mentors and influencers stepped along the way, and how self-awareness and generosity are prevalent among young leaders. Subscribe to the Future Leaders podcast from CompTIA’s Future Leaders Community to hear all the interviews with young leaders in tech and get advice on how to further your own career in technology.  

Meet the ChannelChangers

A podcast from the CompTIA Future Leaders Community focused on understanding and embracing the multi-generational workforce and building best practices. If you’re not already a part of the CompTIA Future Leaders Community, join here (https://bit.ly/2JpdDqf) to belong to a community that encompasses the next generation of IT professionals and management where we will explore the drivers and best practices to become future leaders.

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CompTIA Future LeaderCast

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