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.