How To Use A Leadership Development Plan To Help You Grow Your Career
As I’ve changed jobs, companies and have worked under a variety of leaders, one of the things I’ve learned is that we often have to rely on ourselves for our own growth and development - no one else.
In many of my jobs, I was left to my own devices with little to no development or leadership. And when I was presented with a team, it was up to me to truly determine what I needed to do to be the best leader I could.
I’ve always been fascinated by leadership development and growth. I’ve spent countless hours reading leadership books, blogs and listening to online courses about leadership. It’s all valuable information. But it came to a point where I needed to take all of the information and put it into action.
In order to get clear on what I wanted to do, needed to do and how I could take those resources and make them productive for me and my career, I put together a Leadership Development Plan.
There’s so much value in using a LDP, regardless if you’re a corporate girlie or an entrepreneur. It helps you to focus on the skill gaps you may have. And get hyper focused on how to fill in the gaps.
So what is the best way to think about a Leadership Development Plan in relation to your career?
It may vary based on if you are currently a leader or if you are aspiring to be! Getting feedback from your team (above and below) is a valuable tool to help you identify your skill gaps.
If you’re currently a leader, get feedback from your team. This can help you to identify the skills the people you’re leading think you need!
If you’re not a currently a leader, speak to a peer or your own supervisor and ask what areas they think you need to improve. It may be different than what you think you need.
Once you’ve identified your skill gaps, think carefully about what efforts you’ve already made to enhance those particular skills. What have you done and has it worked? What other avenues of growth can you use to grow those skills more effectively?
Get super clear on specific steps you need to take. Don’t go down the vague route - think about tactical steps you can take and time box them.
For example, if my goal is to improve my delegation skills (a common need for women in leadership - letting go of control and letting others do the work) then I need to be super clear on exactly what I need to do to improve that skill. Some things you can do tactically to enhance your delegation skills:
Create a team skills assessment, identifying your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Identify a project or task that can be delegated that you would not typically delegate, then match the task/project with the most appropriate team member.
Create clear guidance and instructions for the team member to follow, without getting to granular enabling them to have some authority over the project.
Schedule progress check ins with your team member to provide feedback.
Check in with yourself! How are you doing on delegating those projects, how do you feel about it? Are you feeling more comfortable in letting go of the control of certain aspects?
Celebrate your progress! Maybe your development of delegation skills frees up an hour of time every day - and you haven’t had lunch for years (I’m looking at you girl who scarfs a salad between meetings). Schedule a lunch at your favorite spot now that you can!
Why we need to develop our leadership skills.
It’s proven over and over that women can be excellent leaders in the workplace - not only in building successful cultures and great workplaces but increasing revenue and profitability.
But we don’t always get the development we need to be better leaders. If you’re not feeling like you’re getting that support - take it upon yourself to grow. The more we develop our own skills with or without the support of our own leaders - the more opportunities we give ourselves and other women.
One step - one leadership development plan - can be giant steps to success and prosperity!
