Making development part of your day

First set your goals. Define the skills which will make the most difference.

Set SMART goals – they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Break goals down into small steps.

Set aside a little time every day – 30 minutes every morning will get you further than trying to do a block of work at the end of the week.

Diarise your development time or it will get eaten by other things.

Get advice from someone who is already good at the skill. Ask what they do to make it look so easy.

If developing an active skill such as presenting – watch an excellent presenter and note down all the highly effective behaviours. Then make this your checklist for assessing yourself.

Get a mentor – someone who will guide, advise and enthuse you.

Read smartly – many business books give you the ideas in the first chapter and then spend the rest of the book giving you proof they are right!

Use TED talks for a quick run-down on a particular skill.

Get feedback and get it regularly. It is the best way to gauge progress.

Reward success