Create a self-development objective

In this article, you will learn how to create a self-development objective. Self-development objectives are objectives set by individuals that help them reach their highest potential both in and out of the workplace. Whereas traditional OKRs are focused on aligning the whole company to hit business objectives, self-development objectives are created by an individual and aren't associated with business outcomes or aligned with other objectives.

In this article, you will learn...

• How to Create a self-development objective
• About setting effective personal development objectives
• Who can see your personal development objective
• What makes a good personal development objective
• What do you do next

Create a self-development objective

1. Click on Objectives in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation.
   
2. You will land on the 'All objectives' page. From here, click Create a new objective.
   
3. Give your objective a name. The name should concisely and accurately describe the goal of the objective.
4. Select yourself as the objective owner.
   
5. Because this is a self-development objective, select "A person" under "Who is this objective for?".
   
6. Under "What type of objective is this?", select "Self-development."
7. If Objectives tags are enabled in your company's settings for Objectives, you will see the option to add a tag(s) to your objective. If you are unsure what tag(s) to use for your objective, it's best to leave this field blank and add the tag(s) by editing the objective at a later date.
   
8. Create key results to measure your objective.
   
   
   • Choose a name for the key result. If you do not name the key result, the objective will not save.
   • Select how to want to measure the key result. Measurement options are: percentage, currency, number, or completed/not completed. For currency values other than $, click ... > Other currency, and use the drop-down to choose the currency that applies.
   • If your company has the Jira integration enabled, you can link your key result(s) to Jira issues using the 'Link to' option at the bottom right of your key result field.
9. Add in the objective's start and end dates.

   

10. If the "Who has the permission to update and edit my objectives?" option is enabled in your objectives permissions settings, you will see a question titled "Who can update and edit this objective?" This section allows you to add groups or people as editors for the objective. Adding people or groups here will allow those selected to edit, manage, update, and delete the objective.
    
11. Select the appropriate privacy setting for your objective: Public, 15Five permissions (meaning that anyone who can see your Check-ins can see the objective), or Specific people (you and your direct manager always, and anyone else you choose to include). For more information on these settings, refer to our "Visibility settings for objectives" Help Center article.

    

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    Tip

    If you'd like for the objective to be private to only you and your direct manager, select "Specific people." Your name and your direct manager's name will be auto-populated; simply don't add anyone else's name in the field. 

12. Click the Create objective button, and you're done! The objective can now be seen on the Objectives dashboard. If your organization uses 15Five's Check-ins feature, the objective will also appear in your Check-ins.
    

Set effective personal development objectives

Work-life integration means achieving goals and being where you want to be, including work and personal goals. Sometimes we are a bit more organized when it comes to our work objectives, as we have a team and daily routine of working on those goals. However, it is important to apply the same OKR methodology to your personal goals, as they will help you break down huge tasks and make them manageable.

A personal development objective, also known as a self-development objective, can be used for anything you want to achieve. From feeling more balanced to learning a language, or creating something brand new; you can use this feature to break it down into manageable steps, measure how well you are keeping up with it, and share your successes with your team (if you choose).

Who can see your personal development objective?

That is up to you! All personal development objectives are viewable by your direct manager, but you are able to make them private to just them or share with your team or even the whole company. You can even have a group of friends at work that everyone shares personal development objectives and help support each other beyond the support you get from your manager.

Success Center article 🗒: Request to follow a teammate or coworker

What makes a good personal development objective?

The possibilities are endless! Think of something that you have been wanting to do, but have yet to find time for. Something that is important to you. For instance, I want to learn to Spanish fluently. Next, make sure that you can easily measure when you have reached that goal. For this example, I didn't use the title “Learn Spanish” because there was no way for me to measure myself as having “learned.” I decided on “Watch a Spanish film without subtitles and understand it.”

Personal development objectives:

• Are something that matters to you (doesn't have to be related to work).
• Are measurable. 

What do you do now?

The worst thing that can happen is that you set this objective and forget to update it with your progress. 15Five makes it easy to update your objective and key results from different places within the application. Your direct manager will also likely follow up to show their support in helping you get there. Feel free to enlist their help (who knows, someone at your work may have access to a resource that could help you achieve your goal!).

To view your personal development objective:

• On your profile, by scrolling down to your Objective's section. You can edit your objective by clicking on it.
• Your current Check-in. Give your direct manager an update on where you are on your personal development objectives as well as your work ones. It is a good practice to visit your Check-in during the week, so you can update progress as it happens and make things much easier for yourself come submission day.
• The 'Objectives' tab- By owner. Here you will be able to see all individual objectives you have permission to view. If you are a direct manager, you will see your direct reports' objectives. 

Want to know more about updating the status of your personal development objective? Read this article to see the steps.