An individual development plan serves as a roadmap for your ongoing career journey and it’s also an opportunity to build a framework for how people view you on a personal and professional level. In this episode of The Future Leaders podcast, guests Sheryne Glicksman of Sharp Electronics, Alec Stanners of bvoip and Chris Fabes of Lenovo talk about the new Individual Development Plan tool from CompTIA’s Future Leaders Community, and why making a plan for your future really matters.

An IDP is part of the professional toolkit, but is there a right or wrong way to complete an IDP? One mistake is to create it and let it collect dust. Use the information you find in your IDP discover to find strengths and weaknesses, which can translate into areas to work on in your career. It’s also important to remember an IDP is a commitment to yourself and no one else.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and it’s easy to lose yourself in that,” Alec said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re starting your career or halfway through it, it’s important to understand where you at and where you’re going.”

Listen for reasons why an IDP can help at any point in your career — even if you’re 20 years in. Subscribe to the Future Leaders podcast for more tips from young leaders and ways to bridge the generation gap in technology. For more, follow CompTIA’s Future Leaders Community and get a template to start your own Individual Development Plan at comptia.org/communities.