How to craft a personal leadership development plan that actually works.
"What got you here, won't get you there." ~ Marshall Goldsmith
You have ambitions and dreams.
You want a bigger role, or to make more money. Or you want to become a master of your craft. Chances are, if you're reading this article, you're not satisfied with the status quo. You want to continue growing.
But development doesn't happen by accident. That's why it's important to create a personal leadership development plan.
Because you're either growing or stagnating.
No one wants to stagnate.
The value of a personal leadership development plan is in both the planning and action.
When you plan, you envision the future, and consider what it will take to get from point A to point B.
By taking action, you move forward on the journey towards point B.
Without planning, you're not sure what point B even is or how you will get there. Without action, you will never reach your destination.
This guide will give you the tools to craft an effective development plan. It will serve as a roadmap for achieving your career goals and becoming the leader you aspire to be.
If you don’t have time to read the article and just want my free personal leadership development plan template, click the button below:
The 4 ingredients of an effective development plan
When you're on a journey, you don't just need a map. You need a good map.
Getting from point A to point B in your leadership requires a good development plan.
There are 4 ingredients needed:
1. Insight
To craft an effective leadership development plan, you need to know yourself.
First, it's important to understand your goals and ambitions deeply.
Where do you envision yourself 90 days, 1, 3, and 5+ years from now?
Why are those goals important to you?
Recognize your strengths, and also your development opportunities.
I challenge you to be brutally honest about your development opportunities. Everyone has them. These are areas where you're not as strong as you want to be... yet. And improving them is one key to achieving your career goals.
2. Clear development goals
An ideal goal is SMART- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound.
Many development plans go wrong when goals aren't clear.
Goals like "Increase my business acumen" are too vague. "Complete my MBA at the University of North Carolina by the end of the year" is clearer.
That's because it's specific, measurable, and time-bound.
At the end of the year, we'll know if I completed my MBA. But it will be hard to judge whether I have increased my business acumen.
Side Note: SMART goals are also great for business planning. Read this article for more on this and business planning templates.
3. Action steps and timelines
Identify the specific steps you'll take to reach each goal, along with their timelines.
It takes your plan from the 50,000-foot level t-o ground level. It transforms theoretical ideas into the practical action.
You don't have to be super granular in your actions. But you should outline the steps needed to achieve your goals.
4. Feedback and adjustment
Most of us have a hard time being objective about ourselves. We're either too hard on ourselves or too easy.
Include ways to get feedback on your progress from people you trust. They should be people who will tell you like it is, and not what you want to hear.
Your plan should also be a living, breathing document. It should be fluid, adaptable to the changing landscapes of your life, career, and the economy.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson
As you take action on your plan, things will change.
Six months from now, your situation may look very different.
The economy may change. Your organization's structure and roles may change. Or you may get new feedback that changes the trajectory of your development.
Revisit your plan periodically and adjust it as you go.
7 steps to build a strong personal leadership development plan
Step 1: Reflect on your career and envision the future.
Get as clear as possible about where you are now and your future career goals.
Where are you today in your career? What are your leadership strengths? What are your weaknesses?
Imagine it's one year from today and you've been wildly successful in meeting your goals.
What career successes have you achieved?
How have you grown as a leader?
What results and opportunities are your growth enabling for you?
Paint as vivid a picture as possible.
Extend this vision to three, five, and ten years from today.
Step 2: Identify where you need to grow to achieve your goals.
What are the areas where you need to grow to bridge the gap between today and your future vision?
The most common types of growth areas are:
Experiences
Leadership skills
Relationships
Technical skills
Business acumen
Credentials
For example, Marty is an accomplished cybersecurity manager in his company. He aspires to lead the entire cybersecurity function. After reflecting, he feels he needs to grow in the following areas:
Experiences - increase his experience in threat intelligence
Leadership skills - learn and apply techniques to increase accountability
Relationships - broaden his network of business leaders outside of IT
Business acumen - deepen his knowledge of the business
Technical skills and Credentials - not top priorities for achieving his goals.
Step 3: Prioritize your development focus.
It's a mistake to focus on too much at once.
It's natural to want to make quick progress. But trying to work on too many things at once usually results in overwhelm and slows progress.
Take the list you identified in step 2 and follow these steps:
Group growth areas together that can be achieved simultaneously.
On a 1 - 10 scale, rate the potential impact each growth area will have on reaching your goals (10 = highest impact).
On a 1-10 scale, rate how easy it will be to make progress in each focus area (10 = easiest).
Add the ratings together. The highest rated areas are often the best candidates for your top priorities.
Listen to your intuition and choose 1-2 areas to focus on.
Step 4: Clearly define your development goals.
Take your 1-2 focus areas from Step 3 and define them in more detail.
Ask yourself:
What specifically will I achieve by focusing on each area?
How will I know if I'm successful?
What will this contribute to my career?
Use the following checklist to ensure quality development goals:
The goal is Specific, not vague.
You've defined Measures that allow you to determine success.
It's Achievable, but not easy.
It's Relevant to your career aspirations.
There's clear Timing for when you expect to achieve the goal.
Step 5: Define HOW you will achieve each development goal
For each development goal, define the 2 - 3 pivotal actions you'll take to propel you forward.
Often, these actions will involve one or more of the following:
Learning new skills or knowledge
Changing behaviors or habits
Earning a valued credential
Demonstrating your learning to others
Better applying what you've learned in the "real world"
Building or strengthening key relationships
These actions should also each be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
Tip: ChatGPT can be a helpful brainstorming partner for development plan ideas. Check-out this article to learn more.
Step 6: Build a routine to check-in on progress.
Determine how often you'll check-in on how you're progressing.
The right frequency depends on the specifics of your plan. Bi-weekly is a good rule of thumb.
I recommend finding a trusted partner to help you hold yourself accountable.
When you check-in, ask questions like:
Am I making the progress I expected to make?
Am I on-track to complete these actions on time?
What's getting in the way, and how will I address any barriers to my progress?
Celebrate wins along the way!
Step 7: Measure progress and adjust as needed.
Things change and your plan should evolve.
You may find yourself in a different situation six months or a year from now.
I recommend evaluating and adjusting your plan quarterly.
Ask questions like:
Where have I been successful and what are my missed opportunities? What have I learned?
What has changed in my life and career that should affect my plan?
How should I adjust my development goals and actions to reflect changes in my life and career?
Tip: If you’re struggling to make progress on your development goals, reflect on the obstacles that are blocking your progress. Read more here.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I review my personal leadership development plan?
Review your plan often enough to maintain momentum and adjust to changes in your life and career. How often depends on the nature of your plan. A good rule of thumb is to review the plan at least bi-weekly. This ensures you're keeping track of your progress and maintaining momentum. Every quarter, step back and take a big picture view. Adjust your plan as needed to reflect your changing life and career.
Can I have different personal leadership development plans for different aspects of leadership?
I recommend you have one plan. It's important to prioritize and focus your efforts on the most critical goals. Having several plans increases the likelihood that you'll try to tackle too much at once. Spreading your attention across too many priorities makes it hard to make progress.
How do I balance long-term and short-term leadership development goals?
Plan from both the 50,000 foot and tactical, ground level perspectives. It helps to know where you'd like to be 3, 5, or even 10 years from today. This serves as a north star for your development plan. Balance this with 90-day plans that contribute to these long-term goals.
What if my goals change midway?
If your goals change midway, adapt your plan accordingly. Your personal leadership development plan is meant to be a dynamic document.
Mistakes to Avoid
Prioritizing too many goals at once.
This is one of the most common mistakes leaders make in their development planning.
We want to make progress on a lot of things quickly. That we'll help us get better fast. Right?
Unfortunately, it doesn't usually work this way. Focusing on too many goals at once waters down our focus, and we usually fail to make much progress.
A better strategy is to focus our attention on 1-2 goals at a time. Make substantial progress on them and then tackle the next highest priority.
Setting overly ambitious goals.
In our zeal to improve, we set goals we have very little chance of achieving.
"I'm going to run 3 miles a day, every day, for the next year."
...but we haven't run a mile in months.
We're setting ourselves up for failure.
Instead, we should set challenging yet achievable goals. They should stretch us out of our comfort zones, but not be so hard that they discourage us.
Setting vague goals.
There are a couple of problems with vague goals. First, if a goal isn't specific and measurable, it's hard to determine which steps to take to move the dial... because there isn't a dial. Second, related to that, it's hard to know how you're doing on achieving a vague goal. Clearly define what success looks like using the SMART framework.
See this article for more goal-setting mistakes to avoid.
Not getting feedback.
If your development plan involves behavior change, getting feedback from others is important.
You may successfully change your behaviors, but do others perceive the change?
Identify people you trust who will give you objective feedback.
Don't choose people who believe everything you do is great. Their feedback won't be helpful.
Don't choose people who have an axe to grind. Nothing you do will be enough.
Neglecting soft skills.
Occasionally, I see a development plan focused 100% on hard skills.
But usually, leaders' biggest growth needs are in soft skills. Communication, delegation, influence, conflict management, etc.
Soft skills are the keys to improving your ability to lead and should be part of your development plan.
Next Steps
After meticulously crafting your development plan, it's time to move to action.
Without action, the planning is a waste of time.
As you implement your plan, the following tips will set you up for success:
Embrace the lifelong journey of leadership growth. You've heard the phrase "always be closing". I say, you should "always be growing". Development planning shouldn't be a onetime event. It should be a lifelong discipline.
Engage with mentors and peers for guidance and constructive feedback. Don't take the journey alone. Get help from the people around you.
Prioritize your development to prevent it from being overshadowed by daily distractions. Things will pop-up in your day-to-day life that will distract you. Make this a priority so it's not crowded out by all the other things competing for attention.
The journey towards becoming an exceptional leader is an ongoing process. It requires self-awareness, clear goals, actionable steps, and continuous feedback.
A well-crafted personal leadership development plan is your roadmap to success.
It will help you leverage your strengths, make progress on your growth, and reach your goals.
Remember, the choices you make today will shape your tomorrow. Prioritize your personal development and embrace the journey ahead.
As you embark on this path, keep in mind the words of John C. Maxwell:
"Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another" - John C. Maxwell
Let your journey be an inspiration that propels both you and those around you to greatness.
Free Personal Leadership Development Plan Template
If you want to create your own personal leadership development plan that works, I’ve created a free template that makes it easy for you.
Click the button below to download your free template.