Building Your Digital Development Plan in 5 Questions

It's summertime, and for many of us the longer, sunnier days come along with a bit of space to think about our own development. At the same time, as we explored last week, up to two-thirds of us are seriously considering making a career change in the next year. So, what better time than now to build our own digital development plans?

Your plan may be entirely focused on your own personal growth and, if so, that's fantastic – each of us has an opportunity to take responsibility for our own learning path. It's also possible that you see this as an opportunity to build a development plan for your team, not only because you want them to become better, stronger versions of themselves, but because one of the most common reasons why people say they're looking to leave their jobs is because of a lack of growth.

So what makes a great development plant? It starts by meeting people where they are, and connecting what they’ll be working on to a need or desire that they have. A textbook filled with the world’s greatest lessons will never inspire someone to dive in until we can connect what’s between those covers with a transformation that the learner is looking to achieve.

Each phase of a great development plan, whether it’s individual or as a group, should be approached as an answer to a question. I’ll share a few questions here, and a few resources that will help you to chart your own summer development plan.

QUESTION 1: WHAT CHANGE ARE WE CREATING?

The answer could be that our team is better able to move quickly when opportunities arise, it could be that we can reduce outsourcing costs, or that we’re building a more digitally capable organization. Individually, you may be shooting for a promotion or role change, aiming to better connect with your more digitally-equipped staff, or looking to future-proof your career.

Whatever the change is, what’s important is that you’re able to dig deeper than “learn to buy Facebook ads.” Media buying is a fantastic skill, but what change will developing that skill create for you or your team?

OUTCOME: A CLEAR VISION OF WHY YOU'RE MAKING THIS INVESTMENT OF TIME, MONEY, AND ENERGY IN THE FIRST PLACE

QUESTION 2: WHICH SPECIFIC SKILLS WILL I/WE NEED TO CREATE THAT CHANGE?

This is our chance to get granular. If you want to be a better digital leader, what specifically will you need to learn/develop/understand in order to get there? Answering this question is a major step in your journey because it forces us all to dig in and identify our gaps. Rather than skimming through your agency report and wondering what it all means, stop and ask: What is it that you don’t fully grasp, and what do you need to learn in order to dissect every metric and note that they’re sending you (for example).

OUTCOME: AN INVENTORY OF THE SPECIFIC SKILLS, CONCEPTS, AND IDEAS THAT YOU'LL NEED TO DEVELOP

QUESTION 3: IS THERE A MODEL OF SUCCESS THAT ALREADY EXISTS?

At Junction, we call this external research, but for you, it may be as simple as looking around your industry to find someone who has already crossed the chasm that you’re facing. Rather than rewrite the playbook from scratch, find out how they did it. If it’s another organization that seems to be so switched on and aligned internally that they’re able to pivot on a digital dime, then reach out and find out what they did in order to get there. People love to talk about what’s made their teams successful – you may be surprised at how candid the leaders of those teams will be with you.

Oh, and whether it’s a team or an individual, don’t accept answers like “we just hired good people” or “I guess I’m just good at this stuff.” Dig in to discover the things they do that they likely barely even notice anymore.

OUTCOME: A MODEL, OR SET OF MODELS, TO USE TO CREATE YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

QUESTION 4: WHAT'S THE BEST RESOURCE OR METHOD TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILL(S)?

I love the Internet for the seemingly unlimited options that it presents us for learning, reading, watching, and listening, but that surplus can also be overwhelming. What’s important is not that there is anyone perfect source of information out there, but that you put together the cocktail that’s going to be perfect for you based on the time, resources, and methods you prefer.

The work you did answering questions 1-3 should have brought up a few places to start, and here are a few more that I recommend:

Free Courses

• Facebook Blueprint — High-quality training on all of the Facebook-based marketing tools
• Google Skillshop — Same as above, but for Google products
• Google Digital Garage — Courses and certifications in a variety of digital skill sets, and not all relate to Google products
• Hubspot Academy — Specific, easy, short courses on very specific kills ranging from Excel to Instagram

Paid Courses

• Section 4 — Scott Galloway’s online University. It’s more brand and strategy than digital, but highly applicable to today’s digital environment
• Coursera Digital Marketing Specialization — A partnership with the University of Illinois, the course is a part of their MBA program. The course comes with a 7-day free trial, then costs $95 USD per month
• Jelly Academy — Live courses taught by agency professionals across 6 different skills

Podcasts & Books

• "This is not a T-Shirt", Bobby Hundreds — The story of streetwear brand The Hundreds that reveals how grassroots social brands are actually built, and how great content can build a business
• "Building a Story Brand", Donald Miller — Develop your ability to turn a brand into something that people want to talk about
• "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing", Al Ries & Jack Trout — One of the foundational books that helped to shape and adapt traditional marketing concepts to the digital world
• "Measure What Matters", John Doerr — Applying the concept of OKRs told through stories from the early days of Silicon Valley
• Pivot Podcast — My go-to bi-weekly show that keeps me in the loop on tech, business, politics, and how all three converge
• Spark & Fire Podcast — An exploration into creativity, what causes it, how the most creative people work, and how organizations cultivate it

OUTCOME: A FOCUSED SET OF RESOURCES THAT YOU'LL USE IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

QUESTION 5: BY WHEN, AND HOW?

Learning and development is a lifelong journey, of course, but we need milestones to keep ourselves accountable. Review your answer to Question 1 and set a market 3, 6 or 12 months into the future to check in with yourself to see if your plan is working.

OUTCOME: A SET OF GOALS TO WORK TOWARDS THAT WILL HELP YOU ADAPT AND ADJUST AS THINGS INEVITABLY COME UP THAT TRY TO THROW YOU OFF COURSE

Written by Conner Galway, Junction Consulting