Leadership Development Plan
Leadership development is a lifetime learning journey. Effective methods that develop leadership skills include the well-known 70-20-10 approach, publicized by the Center for Creative Leadership, and utilized by many organizations and leaders.
This approach states that 70% of learning occurs on-the-job, learning by doing. The 20% factor entails getting support and feedback from selected others about your demonstrated skills. The 10% opportunity involves continuous formal learning through seminars, readings, etc.
Leaders take their steps for learning using these various opportunities by creating a tailored, individual leadership development plan. This plan enables the leader to focus on what is most important. The plan serves as a personal and professional ‘blueprint’ for specific skill building and incorporates the 70-20-10 approach.
Another key point to consider when building a development plan with clear goals and actions is to remember: your goals need to be valued by you, important and motivating; your goals need to be specific, defining the small action steps and behaviors you will start doing; and your goals need to be supported by your leader and other trusted colleagues who will provide feedback. See Setting Your Development Goals: Start with Your Values, by Bill Sternbergh and Sloan Weitzel.
The following guide is an adaptation of June Merlino’s presentation, “Leadership Development Plan.”
Guide to Leadership Development Plans
Overview: How to Create Development Plans
What Resources are Most Helpful for Leaders to Continue Learning?
- Leadership development plans
- Mentoring and coaching groups or communities
Engaging Perspectives: Aligning Development Goals
What do individual faculty need?
- Teaching
- Research
- Service
- Professional career tracks
What does the depart. need?
- Curriculum (new or emerging)
- Research and publications targets
- Service and leadership for UNC and community
What does the university need?
- New learning initiatives
- Premier publications and research
- Service and leadership for strategic initiatives
How Do Leaders Learn and Develop Leadership Skills?
- 70% on the job (current role)
- 20% feedback from people
- 10% courses, seminars, and workshops
Development plans include actions for each of the 3-areas.
Drafting Development Plans
For Goal and Benefits
Competency and/or skill focus with start/stop actions:
- Self-reflections help to focus on the specific skills to develop.
- Ask, “What are some causes that drive my behavior?”
For Goal and Outcomes
Competency and/or Skill focus with categories:
- On-the-Job Actions, ongoing feedback, and learning programs