Continuous Learning
Level:
Developing
Developing
Takes initiative to develop the policy skills of themselves and others. Learns from colleagues, training opportunities, and on-the-job experience.
- Driven to enhance their own professional development, and views mistakes as an opportunity for learning and improvement.
- Learning about Te Ao Māori, Treaty analysis, te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori Crown relationships.
- Actively seeks and learns from constructive feedback.
- Is learning how to work with their own and others’ weaknesses, strengths, preferences and personalities.
70% on-the-job learning
- Discuss with your manager ways to enhance your knowledge, skills and competencies.
- Seek feedback and coaching from your manager about how you interact with peers and your team.
- Practise constructive participation (such as asking questions) in team meetings and policy discussions.
- Identify the skills and experience you would like to develop and discuss these with your manager. Seek input from peers.
- Review and assess yourself against the Policy Skills Framework, and consider what skills still require development, and the role you would like to move to.
- Seek constructive feedback on your performance from others.
- Help your team on unfamiliar policy issues or tasks.
- Discuss with your manager the best options for learning through colleagues, on-the-job opportunities, and information online.
- Think about your strengths and weaknesses and review them against the expectations in this tool.
- Look for opportunities to acquire new skills and seek exposure to a wide range of policy issues, applying transferable, core skills.
- Actively seek ways to expand your range of skills by using the policy skills profile mapping tool, and familiarising yourself with the Development Pathways Tool.
20% learning from others
- Talk with your manager and senior colleagues about who you can connect with internally as a ‘buddy’ to guide you and answer questions.
- Learn from your peers, and join a policy analyst network in your organisation.
- Seek peer review or coaching from more experienced analysts or your manager.
- Talk to other staff within and outside your agency about their career development paths.
- Find out from your peers how they like to work with others, and their preferences or working style. It may be helpful for you to know both your own and your team’s personal styles. Consider your personality profile and what it tells you about your working style and how you interact with others.
10% formal learning
- Take some free online tests on work behaviour styles.
- Complete a personality profile (preferably as part of a team-building strategy).
PDF version
Use the Development Pathways Tool
The Development Pathways Tool can help you identify how to develop your skills (or your team’s skills) to the next level of policy practice.
Explore the tool further by selecting the skill you wish to develop and by selecting the development level you want to achieve.