Goal-Setting Strategies for Scientific and Career Success NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Goal-Setting Strategies for Scientific and Career Success Bill Lindstaedt, MS Director UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

What is your long-term goal? NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs What is your long-term goal? What skills, experience, and milestones do you need to be successful?? Writing Presentation Networking Teaching Communication Mentoring Leadership Management Research Clinical Now, you may already be looking at this IDP worksheet, and be thinking: this looks like a lot of work! It’s true, and doing this process completely will likely take you another day of your own time. Today we’ll be getting you started. So, why put this effort into making a written plan? At end, emphasize GETTING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES, and FEEL-GOOD MOMENTS Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

During this workshop, we will… NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Introduce the Individual Development Plan (IDP) process and tool. Walk you through the steps of creating and using an IDP: Self-assess your science-related skills Start setting goals using the “SMART” principle Create a plan for keeping yourself accountable Learn strategies for sharing your plan and recruiting help from mentors. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

What is an Individual Development Plan (IDP)? NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs What is an Individual Development Plan (IDP)? An IDP is a written plan for professional skills development. Individual: Your unique training and career goals Development: Improvement / maturation needed to achieve your goals Plan: Specific steps and goals rather than a random walk It’s not just a plan… it’s a process Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Real results: Sigma Xi national survey* NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Real results: Sigma Xi national survey* Postdocs who discussed a plan with their mentor had… Higher satisfaction scores Higher advisor ratings More productive 30% more first-authored papers 25% more grant proposals *Sigma Xi study by Geoff Davis, “Improving the Postdoctoral Experience: An empirical approach”, 2005 6 Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Why does an IDP make a difference? NPA Meeting, March 2007 Why does an IDP make a difference? Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Focuses your efforts Written => contract Between you and yourself Between you and your mentor “The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen. In conversation you can get away with all kinds of vagueness and nonsense, often without even realizing it. But there’s something about putting your thoughts on paper that forces you to get down to specifics. That way, it’s harder to deceive yourself or anybody else.” - Lee Iacocca Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

What does an “IDP” look like? A written list of goals mapped onto a timeline. Projects Skills Career planning

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment of current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually!

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment of current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually!

Identify your career goal (and a Plan B) Helps give your goals focus. Trainees: If you don’t know… Set a goal: identify a career goal! NEXT WORKSHOP: “Finding the Right Career Path for You” Re-evaluate annually.

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment of current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually! Each year, this will be where you look back at your prior goals, and note your progress toward reaching those goals. NEXT…. Assess your current level of skills…

Self-assess your progress on projects What were your project goals for the past year? Have you achieved those goals? If not, why? What can help you this year?

Self-assess your skills and knowledge In what skills do you excel? What skills need improvement? What do you need to learn more about? You can choose a selection of these skills/knowledge for setting goals this year. Our list is modified from the National Postdoctoral Association’s Core Competencies (nationalpostdoc.org).

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment on current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually!

This weekend, I’m going to clean my apartment! Setting Goals Specific Measurable Action-oriented Realistic Time-bound This weekend, I’m going to clean my apartment! S – break a large goal into smaller tasks

Setting Goals Specific Measurable Action-oriented Realistic Time-bound – smaller task – can measure success? – how verbs – difficulty and timing – set a deadline S – break a large goal into smaller tasks

Dust the living room shelves, Setting Goals Specific Measurable Action-oriented Realistic Time-bound By Sunday at 8 p.m., I will: Dust the living room shelves, Scrub the bathtub, Vacuum the floors. S – break a large goal into smaller tasks

Set goals: Example for improving teaching skills NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Set goals: Example for improving teaching skills Skill to improve Method Timing Become a more engaging teacher Get advice from: Teaching Center staff 2 faculty who I think of as engaging lecturers 1 month before my first guest lecture Guest lecture a course to practice Teach at least 2 lectures this year; schedule it this month. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Set skills-oriented goals NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Set skills-oriented goals Activity Identify 1 skills area where you need improvement. Complete the goal setting table for this skill. Pair with a neighbor: Share your skill area and goal(s), Partner gives feedback: is goal SMART? Partner provides 1 additional method for developing this skill. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Set goals: Ideas from the class NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Set goals: Ideas from the class Skill Method Time Mgt Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Set project-oriented goals NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Set project-oriented goals Identify 1 project you need to work on this year. Complete the goal setting table for this project area, breaking the project into small tasks. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment on current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually!

Make yourself accountable PROJECTS: Ask mentor/buddy to meet with you at milestone deadlines. SKILLS: Plan how you will assess whether you have accomplished each goal for skills development.

Make yourself accountable NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Make yourself accountable Make a plan for how you will assess whether you have met your skills-goal Activity Skill to improve Assessing your improvement Timing Become a more engaging teacher Ask faculty mentor to observe my teaching & give feedback. Collect evaluation data from students Day of last guest lecture 25 Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Finish your IDP: Make a monthly plan that incorporates skills-oriented, career planning, and project goals. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

4 Phases of the IDP Process State long-term career goal Self-assessment on current progress Set goals in a written plan Share, implement, revise, be accountable. Repeat annually!

Share, Implement, Revise Your Plan; Repeat Put your plan into action. Review the plan and your progress with your mentors or colleagues regularly. Revise the plan as necessary. Repeat: Create your IDP annually.

Discussing your IDP with your mentor NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Discussing your IDP with your mentor A primary goal of creating an IDP is to solicit help from mentor(s) Make an appointment separate from other lab meetings An environment away from the lab will eliminate distractions Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Discussing your IDP with your mentor NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Discussing your IDP with your mentor Be positive - I’ve really enjoyed my last year in the lab and I feel I’ve made progress on project X . . . Do not attempt to share entire IDP - prepare a concise written outline for meeting Prepare a prioritized list of requests Be prepared to negotiate! Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Words to leave you with… NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Words to leave you with… Keep your long-term goals in mind when setting short-term goals. Set SMART goals. Write down your goals. May increase your productivity and happiness. Revise, but keep yourself accountable! Include accountability in your plan. Share your plan. Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Acknowledgments: Cynthia Fuhrmann-Kelch, PhD Phillip Clifford, PhD NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Acknowledgments: Cynthia Fuhrmann-Kelch, PhD Program Director, Academic Career Development UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development Phillip Clifford, PhD Professor, Anesthesiology & Physiology; Associate Dean, Postdoctoral Affairs Medical College of Wisconsin Jennifer Hobin, PhD Associate Director for Scientific Affairs Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) Andrea Stith, PhD Melanie Sinche, MS Program Officer, HHMI Career Development Advisor, NIH Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Contact Information: Bill Lindstaedt, MS bill.lindstaedt@ucsf.edu Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

IDP: Set goals Principles for How to Set Goals Write goals down NPA Meeting, March 2007 IDP: Set goals Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Principles for How to Set Goals Write goals down Make goals specific and detailed; include subgoals Write down completion dates for goals and subgoals Make goals observable and measurable Make goals reasonable and attainable Make yourself accountable: assess whether you’ve reached your goal Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development

Set goals: Ideas from the class NPA Meeting, March 2007 Planning Successful Programs for Postdocs Set goals: Ideas from the class Skill Method Time Mgt Give better research talks-more dynamic delivery Attend a skills workshop Give presentation(s) Attend OTHER people’s talks-what to do, not to do 9 am Monday Next semester 3 talks before practice talk Improve networking skills – become better at the process of meeting people Attend a conference- Attend sessions on how to network – Practice using “May I join this conversation?” Meet 5 people during EB Attend poster session-meet people with interesting posters; exchange emails Back on campus-attend seminar lunches Now! During EB 2009 Follow up within 2 weeks of conference Attend 2+/sem Cynthia Fuhrmann, Ph.D., UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development