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Creating a Leadership Development Plan

Published on: 28 Jan 2016
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With the capability of leaders imperative to organisational success, it’s not surprising that many organisations place leadership development near the top of the agenda.

Leadership development can be instigated from the top-down, or from the bottom-up by individual leaders themselves. But whatever the driving force, it needs to follow a sturdy structure towards well defined goals.

Why you need a leadership development plan

The challenges faced by leaders are constantly transforming, meaning that the skills required for high performance in your role are likely to change over time.

This means you need a plan for adapting with your environment, to ensure you don’t get caught out. Having a leadership development plan gives you a strategy for responding to change, and developing in the right direction for your organisation and career.

What a leadership development plan looks like              

The purpose of your leadership development plan is to ensure you develop in line with the goals of your organisation. As they inevitably change, you will need to adapt with them. Your plan will help you do this by considering the following questions:

  • What is the organisation seeking to achieve in the short, mid and long term?
  • How should I contribute to this?
  • What do I need to STOP doing, START doing or CONTINUE doing to support that journey?
  • What skills and knowledge will become more or less important for leaders?
  • How will I ensure that my development journey gets my frequent attention, and isn’t overtaken by the urgent demands of the daily role?
  • How will I gain exposure to other leaders and other perspectives?
  • How will I know if it’s working?
     

When answering these questions, prioritise quality over quantity. It’s better to write 100 insightful words on the back of a cereal packet than a long report that gets filed away and forgotten about.

To get started with your personal leadership development plan, attend the webinar, which will guide you through the process. If you can’t attend, just sign up to receive the recording afterwards.