I feel incredibly fortunate for having “grown up” at a large company that invested so much in their people.

Not only was I surrounded by so many talented leaders and so many smart people, there were a ton of professional training and leadership development opportunities.

When I first moved into a management position, almost 20 years ago now, I was very lucky to have a strong support system.

Take charge of your career

One of the things I learned was to always have your hand raised. Meaning make sure that folks knew you wanted to grow.

And to be clear about what you wanted to do next.

Create your own coaching plan

Feel free to use my framework for creating your own coaching plan.

If you’re the founder, you can share this with anyone on your team.

I’ll happily provide a document you can use - just reply back and let me know you’d like a copy 👍

Before I share my coaching plan framework, I want to introduce you to my new friend CJ Sun, Sales & Marketing Leader at Google and his newsletter about leveling up your career 👍 👍

My Coaching Plan Framework

Again, if you want a Google Docs version of this, just reply and let me know!

Company Vision and Goals

List the top goals for your company; this is not specific to your role or department, rather to the company as a whole.

My very first post was on setting simple goals. If you want any help in setting or resetting clear goals, you can visit that post and use my framework.

Department Vision

What is the agreed upon vision that you and your manager have for your department?

Ideally, you’re aligned and have a shared vision for your department. Perhaps it’s leading the way with revenue, or maybe driving change management in the company. Your shared department vision should align up to the company vision and goals above.

Department Goals

List the top goals for your department; these should align with the company goals above.

These should be clear - each with 3 elements:

1. what you want to achieve

2. as measured by

3. by when (deadline)

Future Role

Where do you envision yourself next? What role/title/responsibilities? Does that align with the vision for the department?

The more specific you can be, the better. And of course, even better if it ties back to the company vision and goals. Seeing a trend here 😉

Wishes

Now that you have shared what role you envision next, what do you want/need from the company or your manager to get there?

Perhaps as a marketer, you want more time with sales. Deeper understanding of the product. Perhaps a mentor. Think about what will help you achieve your goals faster.

Development Opportunities

Make your ask. What course do you want to take, any relevant communities to join, etc. Include the request, timing and cost. And ideally, what you will get out of it so the company sees the ROI potential.

There you have it!

This is a great way to frame your growth and development with your current company. By starting with the company goals, then waterfalling down to your department goals, then how you specifically can impact those goals while working toward your next role! You got this 💪

Rooting for you!

Til next week 👋

-Maeve

P.S. Remember, if you’d like this Coaching Plan Framework in a document you can simply make a copy of and use or share with team members, just reply back and I’ll happily send it to you 😃

P.P.S. If you can think of anyone that might enjoy this week’s post and a copy of my Coaching Plan Framework, please simply forward this email to them 🙏

If you made it this far, thank YOU! Always love to hear your feedback!