How to make a leadership development plan

There is no doubt that the landscape is increasingly competitive for organisations nowadays. In fact, owing to advancements in technology and a new wave of startup businesses emerging onto the market, it is even more difficult to stand out amongst competitors. Fortunately, in this ambitious field, building outstanding leaders is one way that a business can stand out.

What is a leadership development plan?

One way to correctly build effective leaders in an organisation is to guide and nurture them. This can be achieved by creating a leadership development plan that is geared towards leaders of every calibre. A leadership development plan can be defined as a thorough plan that benefits employees by endowing them with critical skills and the necessary competencies. It is typically created with a specific goal in mind that can ultimately benefit the organisation and foster self-assured leaders for the future. It aims to fulfil key business objectives, retain top talent and prepare employees for transitioning to leadership roles and senior management positions in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

As leaders are the backbone of an organisation, implementing a proper leadership development plan is instrumental in many ways. By transferring knowledge and abilities to staff at all levels, leaders are able to effectively lead, inspire and guide their teams to success.

As a leadership development plan is usually specific and detailed, it is able to provide directions for leaders when they want to focus on specific problems. For example, if someone in a team wants to improve their ability to be more assertive when giving feedback to other members of the team, they will be provided with an actionable plan that will clearly map out the steps they should take to achieve this.

This sort of plan is created for a variety of reasons, including to drive outstanding performance by humanising every member of the team and to cement cooperative relationships between those emerging leaders and those who are experienced in this type of role.

Who needs a leadership development plan?

Leadership development plans are beneficial for individuals who have varying levels of experience. Those who are relatively new to leadership roles are able to gain knowledge on what steps to take next as well as being introduced to new concepts and ideas that can influence their leadership style for the long term.

Furthermore, those who have occupied leadership positions for a long period of time and even those who believe they don’t need to learn anything new can gain insight from others by reassessing their perspectives and approach. As the demands of being a leader are constantly changing according to new trends, it is also necessary to ensure that experienced leaders are up to date with any changing attitudes to work and life values.

What should a leadership development plan include?

An effective leadership development plan should take into consideration the unique attributes of every leader and show them how to harness their skills in the workplace. It should have a clear vision and be specific in terms of the exact action steps that should be taken in order to generate success. Furthermore, it should also consider the overall needs and goals of the business to see how it can perform better in the future.

In order to make a leadership development plan, it is important to firstly define the purpose of the plan. This means establishing any specific goals that need to be achieved and what methods you are going to use to achieve this.

A successful leadership development plan will also take into consideration who the plan is targeting and who will benefit from it. This should help you to personalise the plan and keep it focused on specific individuals or groups of people. Furthermore, as every organisation is different, it is also vital to consider the current circumstances of the company and the stages that every member of the team is at as well as the resources that are at their disposal. By assuming that every leader is on the same page, you may neglect their own personal situation, which could have a detrimental effect on the business.

As most businesses also operate on a specific timescale, a leadership development plan should also be created with a timeline in mind. This will help leaders and their team set realistic expectations for their goals and envision a date for completion. It also helps them to visualise their goals as small steps instead of an overwhelming plan that seems impossible.

Additionally, a solid leadership development plan should provide effective training in this area to ensure that every member of a team feels confident and ready to adopt a new and improved mindset. This type of training will not simply be information that is laid out but will be interactive to inspire creative thinking. It also should not centralise on telling leaders what to think but instead encourage independent thinking by giving them the means to make necessary discoveries at their own pace.

At Team Academy, we believe in providing leadership development plans that truly make a difference, with leadership training that will leave a lasting impression on leaders. Whether you are new to the demands of being a leader and are looking to start on the best footing, or are an experienced leader who is on a mission to reignite their passion for the role, Team Academy can help you.

By instilling values such as self-reflection and encouraging leaders to explore the value in what they do, we want every leader to feel motivated to strive towards excellence. As experts who believe in balancing fun and professionalism, we at Team Academy are passionate that change is the key to progress and this needs to be implemented in an organisation at every level, especially within leadership roles.

With our unique leadership training programmes, we are dedicated to inspiring those in managerial and leadership roles to become more confident role models. So, why not contact Team Academy to see how we can help you?