Professional Development Plan for Christopher Senior
Section 1:Professional Development Needs Identified by the AKA
-Financial Analysis
-Human Resources Management
-Presentation Skills
Section 2: Learning Goals
During the coming year I plan to place a particular focus on Human Resources Management and Presentation Skills, while also refreshing some of my broader financial analysis skills. I am in the process of building the Town’s first Human Resources Office, so I plan to work alongside the soon-to-be-hired HR Director to broaden and deepen my knowledge of the field. I also plan to polish my presentation skills so I am more adept with current technology, and more comfortable on TV and in videos. At the same time, having changed states, I need to broaden my understanding of the particular financial reporting practices and procedures here in Massachusetts.
Section 3:Planned Professional Development Activities
Human Resources: I will seek out appropriate sessions at the ICMA Annual Conference (two that look promising at the moment include “Building the Workforce of the Future” and a session on Manager/Police Chief roles and relations). I will work with the HR Director to identify appropriate locally offered and on-line HR programs, as well as materials on HR Management to read and review. I will continue to meet and network with my colleagues in the region on HR best practices and procedures. Working with Town Labor Counsel, I will also identify and attend at least one legally-themed program focusing on employment and labor relations law (fall and spring training schedules are not currently available, but past programs have included a public sector labor relations workshop).
Presentation Skills: Attend at least one in-depth workshop at the ICMA Conference (“Storytelling for Leaders” and “Persuasion and Influence” both look promising), as well as at least one shorter session (“Daring to Engage Electronically,” “Telling the Story of local government through social media,” or something similar). I will also work with the Director of our local TV channel and his staff to improve my “on camera” skills.
Financial Analysis: To broaden my Massachusetts fiscal knowledge, I plan to attend the state Department of Revenue legal update scheduled for October, which includes morning lectures and afternoon workshops on local finance topics. I also plan to attend the New England States Government Finance Officers Association Fall Conference in Boston in late August, which includes programs on a variety of local finance topics (the schedule has not yet been released).
I will summarize the specific activities and what I learned from each in my annual report.