Leadership Excellence - IDP: Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an IDP? An Individual Development Plan ( IDP) is a form designed to help you plan and monitor your career development. Filling out an IDP helps you and your supervisor identify your career goals and the development opportunities available to meet them. There may be other IDP versions available in your office. However, the central idea is the same, to assist you in career development.

An IDP is a living document. You should regularly update your IDP and track your progress towards your career goals. You should also periodically reexamine your goals and the developmental activities you have chosen to reach them.

Although available for use by all employees, the automated form is required for some employees (see question 4: Does my IDP have to be automated?). Each section has instructions to assist you in completing the form. You will use the form to list short and long term career goals, developmental activities, completion time lines, and actual completion dates.

2. Is an IDP mandatory? An IDP is not mandatory unless you are participating in a developmental program that requires an IDP, such as the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT). However, all employees can benefit from having and using an IDP and are encouraged to develop one.

3. Is my IDP used in rating my performance? Am I rated against my IDP? No, the IDP is not part of your performance rating; it is for developmental purposes only.

4. Does my IDP have to be automated? You must use the automated form if you are participating in the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT) or in a NTC developmental program. All other employees have the option of the automated form or whatever IDP form is used by your local office.

5. When I update my automated IDP, will my past updates be saved? No. The IDP is intended to be a current working document. Therefore, you may want to keep a printed copy with your records.

6. How will the information on my IDP be used by the National Training Center (NTC)? For those employees participating in the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT) or a NTC developmental program requiring an IDP, the NTC will track whether an IDP has been developed and the action items completed. This information will also help NTC identify BLM-wide trends and plan future course development accordingly. Unless you are in a specific program that requires tracking this data by participant name, reports generated will not include the names of individual participants.

7. How often should I review/update my IDP? You should monitor your progress through your IDP on an ongoing basis. But every 6 to 12 months is a good time frame for updating. This time frame is short enough to keep you focused on your short term goals, but gives you adequate time to work on some of your long term developmental activities as well.

8. How can I learn more about training opportunities? The National Training Center (NTC) maintains a Leadership Excellence page at www.ntc.blm.gov/leadership. The NTC Homepage at www.ntc.blm.gov also has information about training courses offered by NTC and other federal agencies that can help you in your professional development. Other sources include: friends, colleagues, the worldwide web, professional organizations, and national or local print publications.

9. Is my IDP just about developing my leadership competencies? Leadership is very important but does not make up the whole of your professional development. There may be items on your IDP that are not directly related to leadership. Keep in mind, however, that the Leadership Competencies also include developing technical competence and business acumen. Your IDP should reflect both technical and leadership competency development.

10. Do I need a written IDP? A written IDP is required for all BLM supervisors, managers, and executives. It is also required for all employees involved in developmental programs sponsored by the NTC or the Department of the Interior. The process of putting your IDP in writing enables you and your supervisor to thoughtfully map out a design for achieving your career development goals. The automated IDP can serve as the written IDP.

11. Is this a long term (entire career) plan, or a short term (few years) plan? The IDP serves primarily as a short term plan. You can use it, however to provide a way of measuring progress towards your larger and more long range career plans.

12. How can my supervisor help with my IDP? Your supervisor is one of the most important links in your development process. The supervisor can play the role of coach, advocate, or objective observer. He/she can help you explore options or directions you might not otherwise consider in pursuit of your developmental goals. Supervisors are also often an excellent source of feedback about current skills and opportunities to develop them.

13. What are different sources to consider when developing an IDP (classes, job opportunities, and other sources)? Consider all sources: Online courses (some are free), volunteer opportunities, details, temporary assignments, NTC courses, university classes, book clubs, associations, and seminars are just a few of the options you can try. NTC has a list of ideas for development opportunities you can get to from the Leadership Excellence home page at www.ntc.blm.gov/leadership. The classroom is not the only place for effective learning. Be sure to consider various experiences and activities as sources of training and development.

14. Who can help me? Mentors, supervisors, coworkers, the NTC, friends, professional organizations, your local training officer, and a host of others form a support network for your professional development.

15. Why is feedback important? Feedback is essential for:

Professional Success - To perform at the highest possible level, you must have a way of relating your efforts to your work environment. Getting feedback provides this mechanism.

Growth - Life is about growth, growth is about interaction with your environment, and interaction is about feedback. Feedback can help direct your self improvement efforts and provide a road map for your professional development.

Keeping Your Competitive Edge - Your value to an organization (now and in the future) depends heavily on how you are perceived. Having and responding to this information raises your value to any organization.

Reality Check - Feedback helps you discover what co-workers already know - how your efforts are affecting your team’s mission and success.

Balance - Good feedback helps you balance your perspective with your supervisor’s and others’ in a non-hostile environment. It can provide relevant and helpful information in a productive format.

Maintaining Good Work Relationships - Seeking and using honest feedback lets peers, customers, supervisors, and direct reports know you care about how your actions, decisions, and attitudes affect them. It is difficult for us to see ourselves as others see us, yet their view of us can provide valuable information for improving our skills and our effectiveness. The format of this feedback can be as informal as asking what someone thinks about your work on a project, to using a highly formalized 360-degree assessment instrument, like the Leadership Effectiveness Inventory.

16. When should I do my first IDP? If you are an executive, manager or supervisor participating in the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT), you are required to complete an IDP thirty days after you attend the LEI interpretation session. New BLM employees should develop an IDP as part of their orientation process within their first year. All other employees can develop an IDP at any time.

17. How do I initiate an IDP? Start thinking about your career goals and how you would like to develop over the next 3-5 years. Write down your ideas on how you might accomplish some of this development. Then make an appointment with your supervisor to discuss your ideas.

18. Should I develop a new IDP if I switch supervisors? Not necessarily. You may not need to develop a new IDP. Share your current IDP with your new supervisor. Discuss your goals and your progress towards them. Together, decide which, if any, items need to change.