I will blog more about this weekend as soon as I locate my mini usb cord which in a frenzy of cleaning has seemingly gone missing from my computer station. Alas, I will say the weekend (aside from the crummy fact that I can still only hear out of one ear) went pretty well.

I just logged in to see what brewed at work while I've been away and received this note...

"(insert name of Vice President of Communications) had indicated that we should include blah blah in everyone's individual development plan so I've attached your revised plan".

Okay, I'm heading on a rant and here it is...I have goals. I do. They define me as the person I want to be and the person I currently am. They have very little to do with this supposed individual development plan that I didn't even write, nor did I have any input into. I would think that an individual development plan needs to have input from the person...perhaps also maybe some personal goals alongside of the business ones?

Instead I get this assigned....

Tina needs to learn to say no. (Really? Can I say no to these innane exercises? I do need to say no but so far every time I've tried I still have to do the work anyhow so how is this a skill I can develop if I never get the chance to hone the skill?) I did joyfully however exercise this skill to NOT attend the day long skills workshop on strategic planning...UGH ...no I think I'll pass on that day.

The other suggestions:

meet regularly with other communication managers (Okay. Would make me feel even better if I too was a manager instead of a "specialist" but hey aside from that little self esteem issue I can see joy in developing skills over a burrito at Chipolte once in a while)

mentor the _________communication team down in Mississippi (Uh, I'm sure they could probably teach ME more than I could teach them but sure...they are a great bunch of people and I'll talk to them more often.)

Oh and the final question:
Are there any additional areas to leverage or develop based on others’ opinions, such as feedback from your immediate manager, direct reports, internal customers or peers? No

So, Yippee thanks for taking the time to spell that out. I'm so glad I got it in writing. I get to eat pretty regularly, attend a few workshops and talk with my friends on the phone. Woo - hoo...sign me up for some IDP'ing cuz woah I couldn't have done this without a plan in writing.

Yep I'm probably blowing this out of proportion and I do have the right to write my own IDP I imagine my manager probably wouldn't care...but seriously...is it a piece of paper or the heart of what's on that paper that matters? If saying no would make my heart feel better...well then
No
No
No
No
but sincerely I think there's more thought needed to this plan and I surely hope that at the end of the year I've developed more than a heart for saying no and a yen for salsa.