Development Happens Every Day How Development Occurs Recently, 200 managers at Northeastern were asked to recall an important and memorable development experience in their own careers Their responses were interesting and varied, and followed common themes. Interestingly, the themes closely mirror the model to the right The statements that follow are representative of what the managers described, not direct quotes 20% Feedback Courses and Reading 10% 70% On the Job Experiences, Tasks and Problem Solving Adapted from research by M.M. Lombardo and R.W. Eichinger for the Center for Creative Leadership

Memorable Development Experiences On the Job Experiences, Tasks and Problem Solving Participating on a Committee or Task Force, especially if unrelated to my job Learning from other’s experiences and styles Getting exposure to different activities, processes and expectations Challenges me to think differently Helps build my skills in teamwork and collaboration Helps me understand what is occurring outside my own job/area Helps me understand how my job/area fit into the big picture Learning from new people in my area Hearing about their backgrounds and prior experiences helps me see things differently Being open to their ideas and perspectives helps me learn and grow Viewing what has been traditionally done in my area through the eyes of new people is helpful in evaluating if we are doing things the best way or not Being asked to instruct or train others Forces me to ‘up my game’ and be certain I really know the content Challenges me to clearly explain things and answer questions in a way that is understandable to a novice Their success is my success, so I want to be sure they learn

Memorable Development Experiences continued On the Job Experiences, Tasks and Problem Solving continued Dealing with a crisis or an emergency Forcing me to deal with ambiguity – both in what to do as well as the outcomes Learning from intensely focusing on the issue Having to draw upon knowledge and experience ‘on the fly’ to respond and taken action Building camaraderie and a sense of ‘we are all in this together’ helped me learn even when we made mistakes Gave me confidence that I am a capable professional in my field Working with people of different backgrounds, experiences and styles is enriching Taking on ‘stretch’ activities or goals challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and helped others see what I was capable of Being thrown into a situation and having to figure out what I was dealing with and how to handle it

Memorable Development Experiences Feedback Others have seen things in me that I didn’t see in myself Encourage and supported me to take risks I didn’t think I was capable of handling Helped me see and appreciate strengths I took for granted Committee/team members gave me feedback that caused me to adjust how I handled things, and caused me to be more effective Being open to feedback has helped me understand and navigate the complexities of this University

Memorable Development Experiences Courses and Reading Going to a conference and then being asked to share the experience (in depth) with colleagues Helped me focus on the content while at the conference Required that I think through how best to convey the information to others in an accurate way, while also keeping their interest Seeing the Seattle Fish Market video helped me realize that what I put into my work is what I get out of it – if I am positive, I get positive responses; if I am negative I get negative responses