Rules:
- As a manager, avoid the temptation to be the first to suggest/dictate the goals to your reports.
- Provide this opportunity list to your direct report so that they come back with a specific proposal regarding their goals. This is why we can use the list of ideas below, helping them to identify the right goals for them:
Technical Skills:
Explore new development tools or libraries. Pick a meaningful technology from the Technology Radar:
Practice other areas of development, e.g., frontend, backend, or mobile. Learn how different parts of the system work or study broader architectural matters.
Leadership and Management Skills:
Learn to delegate tasks effectively. Improve communication and presentation skills. Mentor junior engineers. Help onboard new team members.
Collaboration and Teamwork:
Foster open communication with people in the team and outside it. Become better at speaking up when it matters and providing helpful feedback. Build trust and resolve conflicts constructively. Review pull-requests in a more helpful manner.
Product Mastery:
Understand customer needs and pain points Participate in customer feedback sessions Contribute to the product roadmap and vision planning.
Innovation and Creativity:
Lead the team’s intermissions. Try and come up with tech capital examples (for more on this and the previous item, check the free sample chapter here). Place a good bet that might fight but can also become an amazing leap, such as integrating some AI capabilities.
Time Management and Productivity:
Develop effective prioritization skills. Learn to manage and mitigate distractions. Use tools and techniques to increase productivity. Become better at “raising a flag” when things go awry.
Professional Development:
Attend industry conferences and meetups. Participate in online developer communities. Develop a personal brand through blogging or public speaking.