Most development plans fail for the same reason: they are written for the person writing them, not for the manager reading them. Your goals are real and worth pursuing — but to get your manager to advocate for you, invest in your development, and open doors, your plan needs to speak to what they care about as well as what you want.

Understand What Your Manager Cares About

Before you write a single word of a development plan, spend time understanding the pressures and priorities of your manager. What does their success depend on? What problems are they consistently trying to solve?

The more clearly you understand that, the more you can frame your development in terms of how it adds value to them and to the team — not just to you. A manager who sees your growth as aligned with their priorities is a very different advocate than a manager who sees it as a cost or a distraction.

Ground Your Goals in Real Business Needs

The most compelling development goals sit at the intersection of what you want and what the business needs. “I want to develop my leadership skills” is generic. “I want to develop my leadership skills so I can take project lead on the Q3 initiative, which would free you to focus on the account side” is specific and immediately useful.

For each goal in your plan, ask: what does this enable that is valuable beyond my own resume?

Be Specific About What You Are Asking For

Managers do not always know how to support someone’s development even when they want to. A vague plan leaves them with nothing to act on. A specific plan gives them things to do:

• A recommendation for a specific course, programme, or conference

• An opportunity to lead or co-lead a specific type of meeting or project

• Introductions to specific people or teams

• Stretch assignments in a specific area

For each goal, be clear about what support you are actually asking for and why it is the right investment.

Make the Timeline Realistic and the Milestones Concrete

Nothing undermines a development plan faster than missed deadlines that both you and your manager are vaguely aware of. Build in realistic milestones you can actually hit and check-in dates where you will review progress together.

Blomma’s Goals feature is useful here. Set your development goals in Blomma as well as in your formal plan — the accountability structure keeps you honest about whether you are actually making progress between manager conversations.

Have the Conversation Before You Submit the Document

The best development plans are not surprises. They are the written summary of a conversation you have already had. Before you submit any formal plan, have an informal chat with your manager: “I have been thinking about where I want to grow in the next year and I would like to get your input before I write anything formal.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my manager is not interested in my development?

Some managers are not. If that is the case, the solution is usually not a better-written plan — it is either escalating to HR, finding mentors and advocates elsewhere in the organization, or deciding that this is not an environment where you can grow at the pace you want.

How long should a development plan be?

Short enough that your manager will actually read it. One to two pages of clear, specific content is almost always more effective than a five-page document.

How often should I revisit it?

At minimum, quarterly. Monthly is better if your manager is willing. The value of a development plan is not in writing it — it is in using it as a live document that keeps your development visible and accountable.

Can I have development goals that are not connected to my current role?

Yes, but be thoughtful about how you present them. Frame these honestly without alarming your manager: “I want to develop X skill, which would serve me well both in my current role and in where I want to go longer term.”

Should I include promotion as a goal in my development plan?

You can reference career progression, but a development plan is stronger when it focuses on skills, contributions, and growth rather than titles. The progression tends to follow from the development.