personal leadership development plan assignment

Creating your leadership development plan

Key takeaways from this article

Creating a personal leadership development plan can help leaders to identify their strengths and weaknesses, set achievable goals, and chart a course for personal growth and development over time. Crucially, any personal leadership development plan example will usually include details of how the success of that plan will be measured.

An effective leader is always improving. To help them grow, improve and strengthen their skills they may create a personal leadership development plan. A personal leadership development plan is a roadmap that outlines the steps needed to achieve personal goals and objectives.

What is a Personal Development Plan in Leadership?

A personal development plan for leadership is a document outlining a leader or would-be leader’s goals, objectives, and strategies for personal growth and development over the coming months and years. It serves as a roadmap for achieving personal and professional success.

A personal development plan can help leaders to identify their strengths and weaknesses, set realistic goals, and create a framework for achieving those goals.

How do You Write a Personal Development Plan for Leadership?

A personal leadership development plan will be individual and will reflect the particular role, current needs and future ambition of its author. That said, most leadership development plan examples will usually contain a number of core steps. These include:

Current Situation

The plan will begin by assessing the current situation of its author, including strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth. It will be informed by both self-reflection, as well as feedback from others to help identify areas where the individual needs to improve.

The personal leadership development plan will outline clear goals in line with the personal and professional aspirations of its author. These should be SMART Goals , that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

Strategies To Achieve Your Goals

A personal leadership development plan will also include clear strategies to help the individual achieve these goals. Typically, this will include leadership development programs as well as coaching and mentoring. It will also include the resources that will be needed as well as any potential obstacles and strategies and how they might be overcome.

Action Plan

An action plan takes your strategies and builds a framework to put them into action. In practice, this means dates, deadlines and milestones that will be used to help you track your progress.

Monitor & Evaluate Your Progress

A personal leadership development plan will also set out how progress will be monitored. This will usually include some key metrics, as well as feedback from others in order that progress might be measured, and adjustments made when necessary.

What are Some Examples of Personal Leadership Development Goals?

Personal leadership development goals can be varied, but frequently a personal leadership development plan will contain some key skills and competencies. These are likely to include:

Improving Communication Skills

Leaders need to communicate effectively to motivate and inspire their teams. Improving communication skills can help leaders to build trust, support team members, and better achieve their objectives.

Improved Decision-Making

Leaders need to be able to make informed decisions in the interest of their organisations. Enhanced decision-making abilities assist leaders in that task, helping them to evaluate risk, seize opportunities and develop effective strategies.

Develop Emotional Intelligence

Leaders need not only to be able to understand and manage their own reactions and emotions, they also have to be able to do the same for others. Teams will often include a wide range of different personalities and forming that team into a cohesive whole with a strong sense of shared aims and objectives takes advanced emotional intelligence.

Increased Self-Awareness

Leaders must be self-reflective and should understand their own strengths, weakness, and values. Better self-awareness helps leaders to make better decisions, develop stronger relationships, and to achieve their professional and personal goals.

Network Building

Finally, a successful personal leadership development plan example might include clear goals around networking. Building a strong network can help leaders to identify new opportunities, learn from others, and to access valuable resources.

What are the Core Steps in Making a Personal Development Plan?

Making a personal leadership development plan will usually begin with an assessment of the leader’s current situation, their strengths and weakness and how they want to improve. It will then set out a strategy to achieve those goals.

Typically, any realistic personal leadership development plan will detail the leadership development programs , as well as the coaching and mentoring methods that will be used. It will also include details of how progress will be measured.

Your Personal Path to Success

Leadership Success can help you achieve your professional goals with tailored and targeted leadership development plans.  Our experts have a wealth of experience and can help you grow, learn and develop as a leader.

Contact us to find out more about how you can take practical steps to achieve your own personal development goals.

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5 Steps to Creating a Successful Leadership Development Plan

• 27 Nov 2019

Leadership development is a key initiative for many businesses. Organizations not only try to recruit candidates with leadership potential but cultivate their current employees’ leadership skills.

In a survey by global research and advisory firm Gartner , 60 percent of human resources executives said they’ll focus on cultivating leader and manager effectiveness for their company in 2023. In doing so, they intend to nurture the professional development of potential leaders by developing specific leadership qualities, such as authenticity, empathy, and adaptiveness—representing a new kind of “human” leadership.

Additionally, a report by the World Economic Forum projects leadership and social influence to be among the fastest-growing workplace skills through 2022, which ties into a burgeoning trend for all workers to become lifelong learners to address emerging skills gaps.

For motivated professionals who want to advance their careers and assume leadership positions, creating a leadership development plan is vital to staying ahead of the curve and rising to the demands of the job market. According to Harvard Business School Professor Ethan Bernstein, the path to effective leadership is more fluid now than in the past.

“Once upon a time, you would enter a leadership development program in a company that might put you on a 20-year track to becoming an executive,” Bernstein says. “Many of us can’t even fathom that today. But that should be freeing in that it gives us license to develop ourselves and create our own individualized leadership development plans.”

As you plot your career trajectory and consider how you can maximize your professional influence and impact, here are five steps to creating a successful leadership development plan.

How to Design Your Leadership Development Plan

1. assess where you are professionally.

Mapping your leadership development starts with understanding yourself and where you stand professionally. Taking stock of your strengths, weaknesses, and workplace tendencies can help identify areas for improvement and anticipate pitfalls that could arise on your journey to becoming a more capable leader.

“In the process of identifying how what you’ve done before may or may not make you successful going forward, you raise your awareness about how what you already know will contribute to, or undermine, your capacity to successfully lead others in the future,” Bernstein says.

Completing an assessment can be a valuable way to reflect on your motivational drivers and limitations and gain a more holistic view of your personal leadership style . Pairing self-reflection with a 360-degree assessment enables you to solicit feedback from colleagues and peers, which can provide greater insight into how others experience you. In turn, you can build and leverage a keener sense of emotional intelligence throughout your leadership development journey.

Related: 4 Tips for Developing Your Personal Leadership Style

2. Set an Attainable Goal

Goal setting is an essential component of any leadership development plan.

“Just like anything else: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably not going to get there,” Bernstein says. “It sounds overly simplistic, but that summarizes why goals are important."

Bernstein teaches the PACE model, an acronym for:

• Pick a leadership goal
• Apprise others in your inner circle of the goal
• Collect specific ideas on how to improve
• Elicit feedback on how you’re doing

PACE is employed by learners to select leadership development goals and chart a course of action for achieving them. The first step in the process, Pick, is centered on identifying and prioritizing a goal you can strive toward to boost your professional effectiveness. When setting this goal, take an agile approach and consider both the short and long term.

“You can’t lose sight of where you’re trying to go over the span of a decade—or even a career—which is why making long-term goals is important,” Bernstein says. “But we can’t, as human beings, make progress if we make the milestones so grand and far away that they seem unachievable. A little bit of progress each day keeps the frustration at bay.”

As you define and establish your key goal, consider how you’ll measure progress along the way to ensure you stay on track.

3. Engage in Leadership Training

Leadership training can benefit you no matter your career stage. Beyond the opportunity to gain and practice the technical skills needed to empower employees and influence others , you’re exposed to faculty and peers you can lean on for support and learn and grow from. It can also equip you for future leadership roles.

According to Bernstein, honing your leadership abilities in a classroom setting is advantageous because it provides a low-risk environment for reevaluating and fine-tuning goals when you encounter setbacks.

“It’s helpful to have a group of people—we call it your ‘inner circle’—who’ve heard and embraced your leadership goals, and whose conversations helped inform how you would go about achieving them,” Bernstein says. “In moments of challenge and relapse, you can go back to them for encouragement and courage. You can revise your goals in a safe environment because you have a level of openness and vulnerability with those people built into the course.”

4. Interact with Your Network

A professional network is one of the most valuable resources in any leader’s arsenal, so make it a point to grow yours . Throughout your leadership development journey, connecting with like-minded peers can have a positive impact by providing opportunities to employ the knowledge you’ve gained and receive feedback on your progress.

These kinds of interactions are core tenets of the online course Leadership Principles , in which learners practice delivering feedback through video exercises that allow them to evaluate their effectiveness in various business scenarios.

“Ensure your leadership development includes some interaction with other learners and also with the people who are benefitting and suffering from your current capabilities as a leader,” Bernstein says. “We try to teach people to be good protégés, as well as good leaders. It’s an ongoing process. That interaction is important in making things that seem very theoretical ultimately become very practical.”

5. Hone Your Soft Skills

Effective leadership requires a unique blend of characteristics and skills .

“There are skills you need as a leader that you don’t necessarily develop in any other context, at least in a focused way,” Bernstein says. “These include communication; career planning; knowing how to create and evaluate authentic change in a person, including yourself; and negotiating career transitions. These are things you typically won’t do many times in your career, but they will be very important to continuing your leadership trajectory.”

As you chart your leadership development plan, consider how you can bolster essential soft skills like actively listening , practicing empathy , and creating value in a negotiation to ensure you’re prepared to tackle any organizational challenges that come your way.

Developing Your Leadership Skills

Striving to become a strong, capable leader is a commitment you can make at any stage of your career —although doing so sooner means you can reap the benefits longer. By assessing where you are professionally and thinking deeply about where you want to go, you can design a leadership development plan that enables you to channel your passions and build the skills needed to be more impactful in your role.

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Download our free leadership e-book and explore our online course Leadership Principles to discover how you can become a more effective leader and unleash the potential in yourself and others.

This post was updated on December 21, 2022. It was originally published on November 27, 2019.

About the Author

Leadership development plan

Learn how to improve leadership skills training in your organization, and get actionable tips for building a leadership development plan.

Ivan Andreev

Demand Generation & Capture Strategist, Valamis

February 2, 2022 · updated July 31, 2024

11 minute read

After reading this guide, you will understand how to improve leadership skills training in your organization, and get actionable tips for building a leadership development plan.

What is leadership development?

Why is leadership development important, leadership development goals.

• Define what type of leaders do you need
• Align an employees career vision with your business needs
• Create a list of leadership development goals and skills
• Identify which methods of development to use
• Measure and analyze the program results

Leadership development is the process of improving leadership skills and competencies through various activities.

In leadership development, staff at all levels are taught the invaluable leadership skills that allow them to properly lead, inspire and guide their teams to success.

This type of development is important to properly cultivate a culture of leadership throughout an organization.

Leadership development training can take on many forms, both on-site, such as internal training and mentorship programs, and off-site, such as training seminars, conferences, online training, or graduate programs.

To effectively action leadership development, an organization should create a leadership development plan.

This plan will lay out the steps that the organization will take, what is expected of staff who undergo this development, and how the development will help both the organization and the staff.

Career development plan template

This template helps employees and leaders plan together for career growth: set goals, assess skills, and make a plan.

Leadership development benefits an organization in a multitude of ways.

1. It drives better business results

Including higher financial performance and more consistent achievement within departments guided by proficient leaders.

2. Skilled leaders are more agile

An organization with empowered leaders can navigate today’s complex business environment and solve problems quickly and effectively.

3. Good leadership drives innovation

A workforce with effective leaders will be inspired to believe in, and work for, a greater vision.

4. Skilled leaders attract and keep employees

Good leadership can inspire higher engagement from their staff and reduce turnover. A great leader will attract talented new employees and will be able to keep the ones that they have, which leads to better work satisfaction.

5. Improves employee engagement

More than half of American workers are disengaged at work. Effective leadership that knows how to increase engagement within teams using purpose and recognition has been shown to increase profitability within an organization.

6. Improves communication inside and outside the organization

Good communication can make or break a company. If the leaders within a company make effective communication a priority, it leads to increases in productivity, better speed of execution of tasks, and a more positive organizational culture.

7. Improves Customer retention

Customers will be more loyal when leaders are effective in engaging employees. Leading by example improves the customer experience.

8. Increases employee loyalty

Inhouse leadership development inspires loyalty from employees, as it shows that there are growth opportunities available for them. It is also cheaper, and requires less time, than finding, hiring and training leaders from outside.

9. Proper leadership development strategy fuels business strategy

A properly developed leadership development strategy is an invaluable tool for driving and achieving the organization’s business strategy. In taking the time to understand what your organization needs from its leaders, you will better understand the business strategy that will work best for you. These two strategies go hand-in-hand, developing one will help in achieving the other.

No matter the industry, every organization can benefit from developing leadership skills from within their organization and prioritizing leadership in their company culture.

For a leadership development program to be effective, there must be clear goals that are set at the beginning of the process. Some, or all, of the following goals can be used as a starting point.

1. Demonstrate personal responsibility

A true leader owns their actions and the consequences of them, whether good or bad.

They are able to look at the outcomes of their decisions, and appreciate the lessons that both success and failure teach.

Employees notice if a manager never takes responsibility for their actions, or worse, pushes the responsibility for their failures onto their subordinates.

2. Practice self-discipline

When making decisions, it can be tempting to make ones that benefit the individual, rather than the team or organization.

A good leader considers all options then chooses the one that is best for the company, rather than themselves. This practice involves shedding bias and developing integrity.

3. Develop active listening skills

Sometimes leading means listening, rather than speaking.

Every member of a team has some valuable input and experience that they can share, and a good leader takes the time to create a space for discussion and actively listen to each person.

4. Expand and diversify knowledge

Leaders need to be well-rounded, with a wide array of skills in different areas of competence.

In taking the time to study fields that may be outside of their direct role, a leader will be better able to handle issues as they arise in a creative and agile fashion.

5. Focus on time management

A leader is not going to be much use to anyone if they are consistently running behind on projects and don’t have enough time to actually lead.

In focusing on proper time management, a leader can make sure that they set a good example and are available for their team.

6. Creating a culture of mentorship

A key role of a leader is to foster leadership in others.

Being able to identify and develop those skills in team members is an important aspect of a leader’s job, and is essential in the development of a leadership culture within an organization.

This involves coaching, giving actionable and constructive feedback , and paying attention to how team members are approaching challenging projects.

7. Improve communication practices

A leader is only as effective as their communication.

Great ideas and active mentorship won’t go far if a leader’s communication style lets them down.

Developing communication skills takes time and effort and includes building rapport with team members, understanding how, and when, to use persuasion, and improving conflict management skills .

8. Practice big-picture thinking

Leaders shouldn’t think small. Problem-solving and effective team management are dependent on a leader who can make decisions that will benefit the team not just immediately, but down the road as well.

Using these goals as a starting point will help an organization dial in on what is important, what changes need to be prioritized, and what kind of training will be most effective in developing the leadership that they would like to see within their organization.

Leadership development plan template

So, how to improve leadership skills within your organization? You should start with a leadership development plan.

It is the roadmap of how your organization is going to nurture leadership skills in employees of all levels. It should cover goals that align with both strategic business needs and interpersonal, or more human, needs.

It should address the needs of leaders of all levels within the organization, both current leaders and those you wish to train for future leadership positions.

An example of a good leadership development plan is one that has followed the following steps:

1. Define what type of leaders do you need

First of all, you need to understand what type of leaders you need, what set of skills are most essential for your business, and will be valuable in the future.

To do so, it’s better to take a step back and review your key business objectives, if you don’t have a clear list, then it is time to make it.

• Create a list of skills that you are expecting to see in a good leader that fits your company. It should be aligned with your business.
• If you have a different department that requires improvements in leadership, create a separate profile for them.
• Assess where your leadership is. Create a leadership assessment for your employees. Using a variety of methods, including anonymous, email, and face-to-face feedback, your organization can develop a clear idea of where the leadership currently is.
• Also, it might be good to have a list of employees who demonstrate an interest in management roles and are talented enough to take leadership roles.
• Maybe you need a leader with a specific Management style . In such cases would be good to check them and prepare some questions for an interview.

2. Align an employees career vision with your business needs

Talk to the employees who will participate in this leadership development and try to align their career vision and path with your ideas and business path.

Having the same direction in development will affect final results dramatically.

• Of course, a culture of leadership is easier to develop with engaged employees who view the organization in a positive light. So, sometimes it will be better not to focus on people who are going to leave the company.
• One-on-one meetings will be the most beneficial tool for discovering what your employee’s career vision is. Make the time to meet with employees on a regular basis to ensure that the two paths are in accordance.
• Be willing to listen to your employee’s ideas about what is needed both in leadership development and business strategy. You might get unexpected insight into your organization and ideas for the future.

3. Create a list of leadership development goals and skills

As discussed above, leadership development goals are an important part of this strategy. Without clear goals, it will be hard to understand what to do and how effective your plan is.

The required qualities and skills of your organization’s leadership will determine the relevant leadership development goals.

• These goals must be achievable, measurable, and should correlate with the key business objectives.
• Take a look at leadership skills , it might help you.
• Create a list of goals and skills required for each individual or role.
• Rank their importance so people will focus on the most valuable or important goals for them.
• Define a clear timeline for each goal, it will motivate people to act.
• Be clear about what success for each goal looks like. The clearer this list is, the more successful employees will be in reaching their goals.
• Look within your organization for examples of success. It is better to show, rather than tell.

How to conduct a skills gap analysis and what to do next

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4. Identify which methods of development to use and create a development plan

There are many different methods that can be used for leadership development:

• mentorship programs,
• formal training,
• volunteering,
• task forces,
• working groups and committees,
• changing the way the responsibility is taken,
• and others.

You can read more about ideas on how to develop leadership skills in this employee development article.

Some companies will develop these methods in house, while others bring in a third party company who specializes in this type of development, it’s up to you what to choose.

• We recommend creating a separate leadership development plan for each role or individual. It will make it more personal and role oriented, and as a result, it will be much more engaging and relevant.
• Focus on those methods that fit you, some of them are expensive, while others require experience.
• Think about the realization stage .

5. Measure and analyze the program results

As mentioned the development plan must be measurable, otherwise, it will be impossible to quantify its success.

By using measurable goals, concrete criteria, feedback from employees, and data, your organization will be able to measure the success of the program and make adjustments where necessary. Get more ideas from the Reviewing & Monitoring Results chapter of this employee development article.

• Set timeframes and review results frequently.
• Communicate with employees, their feedback will be really important.
• Come back to the plan and adjust it if necessary.

Using these steps, your organization can create a leadership development plan template to follow. In doing so, a culture of leadership and positive development will be established, and beneficial results will follow.

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Personal Leadership Development Plan (PLDP)

An integral part of the reflection component of GEL, the Personal Leadership Development Plan (PLDP) assignment guides students through self-reflection on their strengths and weaknesses regarding the Capabilities of Effective Engineering Leaders . The PLDP is designed to foster personal development as GELs identify areas of focus as they practice leadership. Both GEL1s and GEL2s complete a PLDP during the academic year.

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

GELs first complete a baseline PLDP soon after they enter the program via a template provided in EL class (6.912). All capabilities are listed and students can select a rating (not yet possess, introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels) and type in their rationale behind the rating. GELs will submit two milestone entries per academic year; however, students are encouraged to add notes to their PLDPs between submittals.

During their time in GEL, students' understanding of the capabilities and of themselves will evolve. That's why GELs revisit their baseline PLDP throughout the year, adding to or refining their responses as necessary. At the conclusion of GEL Year 1, students submit a year-end PLDP entry.  GEL2s repeat this process in their second year of the program.

DELIVERABLES

• GEL 1 Fall semester PLDP submittal
• GEL 1 Spring semester PLDP submittal
• GEL 2 Fall semester PLDP submittal
• GEL 2 Spring semester PLDP submittal

How to Create a Personal Leadership Development Plan

In every organization and in every industry, leaders play a critical role: managing teams, working together to make important (and sometimes difficult) decisions, and guiding an organization to move in the right direction. While you might think of a leader as an experienced executive with a corner office, the reality is that successful organizations rely on employees who demonstrate strong leadership skills regardless of their job title or length of tenure.

If you are looking to enhance your leadership capacity , one important strategy for guiding your growth is to create a personal leadership development plan. This type of plan can help you grow in your current role and also prepare you to take on additional leadership responsibilities in a new role.

Here’s a quick look at how to assess your leadership skills, develop your leadership capabilities, create a personalized plan, and build leadership development into your everyday roles and responsibilities.   

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Benefits of a Personal Leadership Development Plan

As the name implies, a leadership development plan outlines the steps that you intend to take in order to be a better leader. A plan should include skills you need to improve, responsibilities you want to take on, and tasks that you hope to complete to become the type of leader your organization needs.

Development plans are a critical tool for personal career growth since they serve as agreements between an employer and an employee. In these cases, the plan has benefits that extend beyond the individual. When leadership development is aligned with business strategy , organizations are able to link their investments in supporting potential leaders—such as internal training programs or tuition reimbursements—to broader goals and strategic plans. Such alignment increases the likelihood that your manager and other stakeholders within the organization will give your personal leadership plan the stamp of approval.

Of course, individuals can also create their own personal leadership development plans. This type of plan can be helpful if you hope to get a new job at a different company, apply your current skills to a new industry, or pursue educational opportunities, such as a degree completion program.

Before the Plan: Conducting a Self-Assessment

Prior to creating your personal leadership development plan, the American Management Association recommends that you make a list of what you feel are the 10 to 15 characteristics of an effective leader. Some of these traits should be specific to your current or desired industry or role, while others should apply to leadership in general.

Creating this list of leadership qualities will help you assess your own skills. Some of the characteristics on the list may require both professional and personal growth and are therefore worth including in your development plan. Other traits may be core strengths that are worth noting in your plan but will be a low priority for further development. Successful leaders tend to have many qualities in common , so it should be easy to identify which traits are a strength for you and which traits will require some improvement.

GovLeaders.org, a resource for managers and leaders in the public sector, suggests that you think about a “life mission statement.” Similar to a corporate mission statement, this is meant to link your leadership development efforts with your long-term personal and professional goals. This is an important step, as it ensures that the steps you take to improve your leadership skills do not conflict with the type of work that you want to do.  

Elements of a Personal Leadership Development Plan

After you have given some thought to your long-term leadership goals and the leadership qualities you’d like to improve, it’s time to map out your leadership ability by creating your personal leadership development plan.

Since the document is personal, it should take on the style and format that works best for the way that you take in information. Some people may use a spreadsheet; others may prefer a chart. No matter the format, there are several key things that every personal leadership development plan should include:

1. Core Skills to Master

Leaders have a number of job responsibilities that are specific to a role as a supervisor. These can include running meetings, providing feedback, sharing information in front of groups, and making personnel decisions. Identify the skills that align with your leadership development goals but are not part of your existing job responsibilities. If someone you currently work with has these skills, ask if you can shadow them or practice with them. If not, look for external resources that will help you build these skills.

2. Experience Gaps to Close.

In addition to tactical skills, there are a number of strategic responsibilities that a leader can expect to take on. These can include starting a new project, turning around a project that is not going well, managing larger and more mission-critical projects, and managing in a crisis. As with building skills, it’s important to identify these key tasks that align with your goals and develop a plan to gain the necessary experience.

3. New Relationships to Build

As a leader, you interact with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis. Many are within your organization and include department heads, front-line employees, and managers with different skill sets but similar tenure. Others are outside your organization and range from customers and suppliers to board members and other members of the business community. As you build a leadership development plan , identify the stakeholders with whom you’d like to have a stronger, mutually beneficial relationship and reach out to start the conversation. Making these important connections is essential for effective leadership since they provide more development opportunities.

4. Specific Tasks to Delegate

Effective leaders strike a balance between day-to-day tasks and long-term responsibilities. They focus on the work that is most closely aligned with their expertise and trust others within the organization everything else, ensuring that projects are not delayed and that employees remain engaged. List the activities that are critical to professional development within your role, along with the activities that others are capable of completing themselves.

5. Key Action Items to Complete

As noted, the specifics of a leadership development plan should include strengths as well as potential areas of improvement. For each area where you see potential to improve, include an action item, the timeframe in which you want to complete the task, and the cost (in time and/or money). Action items could include meeting with a mentor or manager, reading a book on leadership, completing a leadership assessment, or identifying training or educational opportunities.

6. Critical Indicators of Success

Leaders are assessed not only on their own success but also on the success of their teams. Your personal leadership development plan should list the critical indicators of success for leaders and their teams, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Improving the quality of work
• Improving teamwork and morale
• Increasing delegation of responsibility
• Strategic planning and preparation
• Continuous learning for you and your team
• Recognizing the team’s contributions

Beyond the Plan: Building Leadership Development into your Role

A personal leadership plan should be a living document. You should revisit it on a regular basis to ensure that you are addressing the areas of improvement that you identified for yourself and meeting the timelines you set for taking on new responsibilities, building new skills, and so on.

Accomplishing the goals that you lay out in your plan should not require wholesale changes to how you work or learn. After all, the plan is meant to help you continue to grow, not start over completely. However, there are a few activities that you can add to your regular routine to support your development as a leader.

Seek feedback. Talk to your team and your peers about how well you are growing as a leader and where you can continue to make improvements. It’s also important to seek feedback from groups you don’t typically interact with, whether they be other divisions within your organization or third-party partners. These groups will provide different insight than those who work with you regularly.

Take time to reflect. Leaders have a great deal of responsibility to juggle. Take 15 minutes every morning to assess the most important tasks for the day and 15 minutes in the evening to reflect on what went well and what could have been improved. Consider writing your thoughts in a journal, focusing on lessons or insights you have gained from your experience.

Find a mentor. Whether as a source of advice or as a connection to networking opportunities, mentors are critical to personal leadership development . It’s important to find a mentor who will be available for regular meetings and who will provide honest feedback—someone who always tells you what you want to hear may inadvertently hinder your growth. Your mentor could be a manager at your current job, a manager from a previous job, a professor, or a respected figure from your personal life.

Sign up for training. Continued education provides a valuable opportunity to nurture leadership skills. In addition to resources such as books, networking events, and leadership retreats, consider earning a bachelor’s  degree to hone a wide range of skills—including psychology, writing, negotiation, finance, ethical decision-making, logic, and organizational behavior.

Interested in learning more about how a bachelor’s degree can help advance your career and refine your skills? Explore Northeastern’s Bachelor of Science in Management program to learn more. 

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7 Steps to Create a Leadership Development Plan [Free Template]

What is a leadership development plan?

Why create a leadership development plan?

• Building Critical Skills and Competencies – 68% of HR leaders consider this a priority
• Organizational Design and Change Management – 46%
• Current and Future Leadership Bench – 44%
• Future of work – 28%
• Employee Experience – 26%

Building critical skills & competencies

Current and future leadership bench, steps to creating a leadership development plan, 1. assess and identify talent.

2 . Obtain buy-in from key stakeholders

• A leadership development plan often requires more significant investment into that employee. This usually includes allocating a budget for it to be successful. The budget would need to be approved by senior leadership before proceeding. A consideration Senior Leadership may have before approving the budget is the degree to which the plan aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives. The Senior Leadership may also want to be the final approver on who is selected to participate in the leadership development plan.
• The manager/supervisor also needs to be engaged in this process. The reason for this is that the targeted employee may need to take on additional projects and attend training that divides the employee’s focus from current work commitments. They may also be temporarily assigned to another team to develop additional competencies. Unless the manager/supervisor has bought into this plan, it is hardly likely to succeed because the employee will feel torn by these different demands.
• The employee(s ) targeted for this plan also must want to participate. While this may seem like a great opportunity, there may be an employee or two who may not want to participate or wish to postpone participation for another time. This may be due to other personal commitments, or the employee may not be interested. Not every employee wants to be in a leadership position, even if they may have the capacity to be a leader.

3. Identify the leadership style

4. Determine the key leadership competencies

• Competencies for leading the organization
• Competencies for leading others
• Competencies for leading the self

Moreover, there are three additional competencies to highlight:

• Cultural Intelligence (CQ) – It measures a leader’s capability to relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. It is the drive and knowledge leaders have and the strategy and action they take to understand and intergate into different cultures to achieve business objectives. Organizations and stakeholders are becoming more and more diverse, and therefore leaders need to be culturally competent. Cultural intelligence and competence are foundational to leaders developing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.
• Digital Intelligence (DQ) – According to the DQ Institute , DQ is “the sum of social, emotional and cognitive abilities that enable individuals to face the challenges and adapt to the demands of digital life.” DQ also “involves understanding customers and how they’re using your website, mobile site, or mobile app, then using this data to optimize their experience no matter when, where or how they interact with you. In today’s mobile, multi-device and multi-channel world, digital intelligence is the ability to transform digital data into real-time , actionable, customer-centric insights.”
• Agility – The book ‘Imagine It Forward’ (Comstock, Raz 2018) says, “good leaders absorb the shock waves and anxiety in moments of radical change.” Good leaders have the ability to use these moments of radical change to propel their organizations forward. The Forbes Coaches Council identified several characteristics that distinguish the Agile Leader, including resilience, collaboration and being curious.

5. Assess key leadership competencies 

• APTMetrics LeadIN Leadership Assessment Suite
• CCL’s Benchmark for Executives
• DDI Leadership Mirror

6. Design the leadership development plan 

• Self-paced micro-learning – Similar to LinkedIn Learning and Google Grow.
• Complementary leadership mentoring – This type of mentoring pairs potential leaders with leaders who are strong in the competencies they are weak in.
• Job shadowing – This allows the employee to get a realistic view of how a job flows. It also presents an opportunity to meet key stakeholders, and understand the challenges on the job.
• Job rotation – The employee assumes new roles for a period of three to six months, often for a temporary period.
• Professional development course – These are usually 2-3-day offsite training for a particular skill or competency.
• Professional certifications – Employees may need to acquire and maintain professional certifications to perform in certain roles and be deemed credible by their peers.

7. Conduct continuous 360-degree leadership assessment

Leadership development plan template.

Challenges to creating a leadership development plan

• Limited resources such as a designated budget and allocated time.
• Lack of commitment from the leadership, managers, and the organization in general not having a culture of learning.
• Inability to create skills development solutions fast enough to meet the evolving skill needs.
• Ineffective succession management programs and initiatives that fail to produce the right type of leaders.

A final word

Rhonda Gardner

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18+ SAMPLE Personal Leadership Development Plan in PDF | MS Word

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How to Create a Personal Development Plan: 3 Examples

For successful change, it is vital that the client remains engaged, recognizing and identifying with the goals captured inside and outside sessions. A personal development plan (PDP) creates a focus for development while offering a guide for life and future success (Starr, 2021).

This article introduces and explores the value of personal development plans, offering tools, worksheets, and approaches to boost self-reflection and self-improvement.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques to create lasting behavior change.

This Article Contains

What is personal development 7 theories, coaching in personal development and growth, how to create a personal development plan, 3 examples of personal development plans, defining goals and objectives: 10 tips and tools, fostering personal development skills, 3 inspiring books to read on the topic, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message, frequently asked questions.

Personal development is a fundamental concept in psychology and encompasses the lifelong process of self-improvement, self-awareness, and personal growth. Crucial to coaching and counseling, it aims to enhance various aspects of clients’ lives, including their emotional wellbeing, relationships, careers, and overall happiness (Cox, 2018; Starr, 2021).

Several psychological models underpin and support transformation. Together, they help us understand personal development in our clients and the mechanisms and approaches available to make positive life changes (Cox, 2018; Passmore, 2021).

The following psychological theories and frameworks underpin and influence the approach a mental health professional adopts.

1. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

As a proponent of the humanistic or person-centered approach to helping people, Abraham Maslow (1970) suggested that individuals have a hierarchy of needs. Simply put, they begin with basic physiological and safety needs and progress through psychological and self-fulfillment needs.

Personal development is often found in or recognized by the pursuit of higher-level needs, such as self-esteem and self-actualization (Cox, 2018).

2. Erikson’s psychosocial development

Erik Erikson (1963) mapped out a series of eight psychosocial development stages that individuals go through across their lifespan.

Each one involves challenges and crises that once successfully navigated, contribute to personal growth and identity development.

3. Piaget’s cognitive development

The biologist and epistemologist Jean Piaget (1959) focused on cognitive development in children and how they construct their understanding of the world.

We can draw on insights from Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, including intellectual growth and adaptability, to inform our own and others’ personal development (Illeris, 2018).

4. Bandura’s social cognitive theory

Albert Bandura’s (1977) theory highlights the role of social learning and self-efficacy in personal development. It emphasizes that individuals can learn and grow through observation, imitation, and belief in their ability to effect change.

5. Self-determination theory

Ryan and Deci’s (2018) motivational self-determination theory recognizes the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in personal development.

Their approach suggests that individuals are more likely to experience growth and wellbeing when such basic psychological needs are met.

6. Positive psychology

Positive psychology, developed by Martin Seligman (2011) and others, focuses on strengths, wellbeing, and the pursuit of happiness.

Seligman’s PERMA model offers a framework for personal development that emphasizes identifying and using our strengths while cultivating positive emotions and experiences (Lomas et al., 2014).

7. Cognitive-Behavioral Theory (CBT)

Developed by Aaron Beck (Beck & Haigh, 2014) and Albert Ellis (2000), CBT explores the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

As such, the theory provides practical techniques for personal development, helping individuals identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors (Beck, 2011).

Theories like the seven mentioned above offer valuable insights into many of the psychological processes underlying personal development. They provide a sound foundation for coaches and counselors to support their clients and help them better understand themselves, their motivations, and the paths they can take to foster positive change in their lives (Cox, 2018).

The client–coach relationship is significant to successful growth and goal achievement.

Typically, the coach will focus on the following (Cox, 2018):

• Actualizing tendency This supports a “universal human motivation resulting in growth, development and autonomy of the individual” (Cox, 2018, p. 53).
• Building a relationship facilitating change Trust clients to find their own way while displaying empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard . The coach’s “outward responses consistently match their inner feelings towards a client,” and they display a warm acceptance that they are being how they need to be (Passmore, 2021, p. 162).
• Adopting a positive psychological stance Recognize that the client has the potential and wish to become fully functioning (Cox, 2018).

Effective coaching for personal growth involves adopting and committing to a series of beliefs that remind the coach that the “coachee is responsible for the results they create” (Starr, 2021, p. 18) and help them recognize when they may be avoiding this idea.

The following principles are, therefore, helpful for coaching personal development and growth (Starr, 2021).

• Stay committed to supporting the client. While initially strong, you may experience factors that reduce your sense of support for the individual’s challenges.
• Coach nonjudgmentally. Our job is not to adopt a stance based on personal beliefs or judgment of others, but to help our clients form connections between behavior and results.
• Maintain integrity, openness, and trust. The client must feel safe in your company and freely able to express themselves.
• Responsibility does not equal blame. Clients who take on blame rather than responsibility will likely feel worse about something without acknowledging their influence on the situation.
• The client can achieve better results. The client is always capable of doing and achieving more, especially in relation to their goals.
• Focus on clients’ thoughts and experiences. Collaborative coaching is about supporting the growth and development of the client, getting them to where they want to go.
• Clients can arrive at perfect solutions. “As a coach, you win when someone else does” (Starr, 2021, p. 34). The solution needs to be the client’s, not yours.
• Coach as an equal partnership. Explore the way forward together collaboratively rather than from a parental or advisory perspective.

Creating a supportive and nonjudgmental environment helps clients explore their thoughts, feelings, and goals, creating an environment for personal development and flourishing (Passmore, 2021).

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These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques for lasting behavior change.

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A personal development plan is a powerful document “to create mutual clarity of the aims and focus of a coaching assignment” (Starr, 2021, p. 291). While it is valuable during coaching, it can also capture a client’s way forward once sessions have ended.

Crucially, it should have the following characteristics (Starr, 2021):

• Short and succinct
• Providing a quick reference or point of discussion
• Current and fresh, regularly revised and updated

Key elements of a personal development plan include the following (Starr, 2021):

• Area of development This is the general skill or competence to be worked on.
• Development objectives or goals What does the client want to do? Examples might include reducing stress levels, improving diet, or managing work–life balance .
• Behaviors to develop These comprise what the client will probably do more of when meeting their objectives, for example, practicing better coping mechanisms, eating more healthily, and better managing their day.
• Actions to create progress What must the client do to action their objectives? For example, arrange a date to meet with their manager, sign up for a fitness class, or meet with a nutritionist.
• Date to complete or review the objective Capture the dates for completing actions, meeting objectives, and checking progress.

Check out Lindsey Cooper’s excellent video for helpful guidance on action planning within personal development.

We can write and complete personal development plans in many ways. Ultimately, they should meet the needs of the client and leave them with a sense of connection to and ownership of their journey ahead (Starr, 2021).

• Personal Development Plan – Areas of Development In this PDP , we draw on guidance from Starr (2021) to capture development opportunities and the behaviors and actions needed to achieve them.
• Personal Development Plan – Opportunities for Development This template combines short- and long-term goal setting with a self-assessment of strengths, weaknesses, and development opportunities.
• Personal Development Plan – Ideal Self In this PDP template , we focus on our vision of how our ideal self looks and setting goals to get there.

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

“The setting of a goal becomes the catalyst that drives the remainder of the coaching conversation.”

Passmore, 2021, p. 80

Defining goals and objectives is crucial to many coaching conversations and is usually seen as essential for personal development.

Check out this video on how you can design your life with your personal goals in mind.

The following coaching templates are helpful, containing a series of questions to complete Whitmore’s (2009) GROW model :

• G stands for Goal : Where do you want to be?
• R stands for Reality : Where are you right now with this goal?
• O stands for Options : What are some options for reaching your goal?
• W stands for Way forward : What is your first step forward?

Goal setting creates both direction and motivation for clients to work toward achieving something and meeting their objectives (Passmore, 2021).

The SMART goal-setting framework is another popular tool inside coaching and elsewhere.

S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable/ or Agreed upon R = Realistic T = Timely – allowing enough time for achievement

The SMART+ Goals Worksheet contains a series of prompts and spaces for answers to define goals and capture the steps toward achieving them.

We can summarize the five principles of goal setting (Passmore, 2021) as follows:

• Goals must be clear and not open to interpretation.
• Goals should be stretching yet achievable.
• Clients must buy in to the goal from the outset.
• Feedback is essential to keep the client on track.
• Goals should be relatively straightforward. We can break down complex ones into manageable subgoals.

The following insightful articles are also helpful for setting and working toward goals.

• What Is Goal Setting and How to Do it Well
• The Science & Psychology of Goal-Setting 101

1. People skills

Improving how we work with others benefits confidence, and with other’s support, we are more likely to achieve our objectives and goals. The following people skills can all be improved upon:

• Developing rapport
• Assertiveness and negotiation
• Giving and receiving constructive criticism

2. Managing tasks and problem-solving

Inevitably, we encounter challenges on our path to development and growth. Managing our activities and time and solving issues as they surface are paramount.

Here are a few guidelines to help you manage:

• Organize time and tasks effectively.
• Learn fundamental problem-solving strategies.
• Select and apply problem-solving strategies to tackle more complex tasks and challenges.
• Develop planning skills, including identifying priorities, setting achievable targets, and finding practical solutions.
• Acquire skills relevant to project management.
• Familiarize yourself with concepts such as performance indicators and benchmarking.
• Conduct self-audits to assess and enhance your personal competitiveness.

3. Cultivate confidence in your creative abilities

Confidence energizes our performance. Knowing we can perform creatively encourages us to develop novel solutions and be motivated to transform.

Consider the following:

• Understand the fundamentals of how the mind works to enhance your thinking skills.
• Explore a variety of activities to sharpen your creative thinking.
• Embrace the belief that creativity is not limited to artists and performers but is crucial for problem-solving and task completion.
• Learn to ignite the spark of creativity that helps generate innovative ideas when needed.
• Apply creative thinking techniques to enhance your problem-solving and task completion abilities.
• Recognize the role of creative thinking in finding the right ideas at the right time.

To aid you in building your confidence, we have a whole category of articles focused on Optimism and Mindset . Be sure to browse it for confidence-building inspiration.

With new techniques and technology, our understanding of the human brain continues to evolve. Identifying the vital elements involved in learning and connecting with others offers deep insights into how we function and develop as social beings. We handpicked a small but unique selection of books we believe you will enjoy.

1. The Coaching Manual: The Definitive Guide to the Process, Principles and Skills of Personal Coaching – Julie Starr

This insightful book explores and explains the coaching journey from start to finish.

Starr’s book offers a range of free resources and gives clear guidance to support new and existing coaches in providing practical help to their clients.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level – Gay Hendricks

Delving into the “zone of genius” and the “zone of excellence,” Hendricks examines personal growth and our path to personal success.

This valuable book explores how we eliminate the barriers to reaching our goals that arise from false beliefs and fears.

3. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – Brené Brown

Brown, a leading expert on shame, vulnerability, and authenticity, examines how we can engage with the world from a place of worthiness.

Use this book to learn how to build courage and compassion and realize the behaviors, skills, and mindset that lead to personal development.

We have many resources available for fostering personal development and supporting client transformation and growth.

Our free resources include:

• Goal Planning and Achievement Tracker This is a valuable worksheet for capturing and reflecting on weekly goals while tracking emotions that surface.
• Adopt a Growth Mindset Successful change is often accompanied by replacing a fixed mindset with a growth one .
• FIRST Framework Questions Understanding a client’s developmental stage can help offer the most appropriate support for a career change.

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit© , but they are described briefly below:

• Backward Goal Planning

Setting goals can build confidence and the skills for ongoing personal development.

Backward goal planning helps focus on the end goal, prevent procrastination, and decrease stress by ensuring we have enough time to complete each task.

Try out the following four simple steps:

• Step one – Identify and visualize your end goal.
• Step two – Reflect on and capture the steps required to reach the goal.
• Step three – Focus on each step one by one.
• Step four – Take action and record progress.
• Boosting Motivation by Celebrating Micro Successes

Celebrating the small successes on our journey toward our goals is motivating and confidence building.

Practice the following:

• Step one – Reflect momentarily on the goal you are working toward.
• Step two – Consider each action being taken to reach that goal.
• Step three – Record the completion of each action as a success.
• Step four – Choose how to celebrate each success.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others reach their goals, check out this collection of 17 validated motivation & goal achievement tools for practitioners. Use them to help others turn their dreams into reality by applying the latest science-based behavioral change techniques.

17 Tools To Increase Motivation and Goal Achievement

These 17 Motivation & Goal Achievement Exercises [PDF] contain all you need to help others set meaningful goals, increase self-drive, and experience greater accomplishment and life satisfaction.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Personal development has a rich and long history. It is underpinned by various psychological theories and remains a vital aspect of creating fulfilling lives inside and outside coaching and counseling.

For many of us, self-improvement, self-awareness, and personal growth are vital aspects of who we are. Coaching can provide a vehicle to help clients along their journey, supporting their sense of autonomy and confidence and highlighting their potential (Cox, 2018).

Working with clients, therefore, requires an open, honest, and supportive relationship. The coach or counselor must believe the client can achieve better results and view them nonjudgmentally as equal partners.

Personal development plans become essential to that relationship and the overall coaching process. They capture areas for development, skills and behaviors required, and goals and objectives to work toward.

Use this article to recognize theoretical elements from psychology that underpin the process and use the skills, guidance, and worksheets to support personal development in clients, helping them remove obstacles along the way.

Ultimately, personal development is a lifelong process that boosts wellbeing and flourishing and creates a richer, more engaging environment for the individual and those around them.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free .

Personal development is vital, as it enables individuals to enhance various aspects of their lives, including emotional wellbeing, relationships, careers, and overall happiness.

It promotes self-awareness, self-improvement, and personal growth, helping individuals reach their full potential and lead fulfilling lives (Passmore, 2021; Starr, 2021).

Personal development is the journey we take to improve ourselves through conscious habits and activities and focusing on the goals that are important to us.

Personal development goals are specific objectives individuals set to improve themselves and their lives. Goals can encompass various areas, such as emotional intelligence, skill development, health, and career advancement, providing direction and motivation for personal growth (Cox, 2018; Starr, 2021).

A personal development plan typically comprises defining the area of development, setting development objectives, identifying behaviors to develop, planning actions for progress, and establishing completion dates. These five stages help individuals clarify their goals and track their progress (Starr, 2021).

• Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory . Prentice-Hall.
• Beck, A. T., & Haigh, E. P. (2014). Advances in cognitive therapy and therapy: The generic cognitive model. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology , 10 , 1–24.
• Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond . Guilford Press.
• Cottrell, S. (2015). Skills for success: Personal development and employability . Bloomsbury Academic.
• Cox, E. (2018). The complete handbook of coaching . SAGE.
• Ellis, A. (2000). Can rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) be effectively used with people who have devout beliefs in God and religion? Professional Psychology-Research and Practice , 31 (1), 29–33.
• Erikson, E. H. (1963). Youth: Change and challenge . Basic Books.
• Illeris, K. (2018). An overview of the history of learning theory. European Journal of Education , 53 (1), 86–101.
• Lomas, T., Hefferon, K., & Ivtzan, I. (2014). Applied positive psychology: Integrated positive practice . SAGE.
• Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and personalit y (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.
• Passmore, J. (Ed.). (2021). The coaches’ handbook: The complete practitioner guide for professional coaches . Routledge.
• Piaget, J. (1959): The Psychology of intelligence . Routledge.
• Rose, C. (2018). The personal development group: The students’ guide . Routledge.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2018). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness . Guilford Press.
• Seligman, M. E. (2011). Authentic happiness using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment . Nicholas Brealey.
• Starr, J. (2021). The coaching manual: The definitive guide to the process, principles and skills of personal coaching . Harlow: Pearson Education.
• Whitmore, J. (2009). Coaching for performance . Nicholas Brealey.

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An assignment On Personal Leadership & Management Development

Through this assignment, a conceptual analysis has been made on the Personal Leadership & Management Development plan based on the organization where it deals with the learning and development plan of the leadership and management process. Here, different learning approaches are shown along with effective implication of these tools and techniques, which can play a vital role in the proper management of the firm and leads to the success of the organization. Here it is analysed very clearly how an effective personal leadership and management plan can energized an employee and leads them to be a leader to the successful completion of the goals. Researcher has given emphasis on effectiveness of Personal Leadership and Development Plan (PLDP). This lesson also talks about the periodic review and update of the development plan to cope up with the changing world. Moreover, it is clear that all these theoretical knowledge will help anyone in his/her future practical working life.

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Organizational culture plays vital role in making organization effectiveness. It helps to develop teamwork, unification, focused and shared objectives and mission among members of the organizations. Organizational culture as well as leadership style was main engine force to develop positive looks towards assignments, job satisfaction, and job involvement. It also helps to absorb new changes similarly; leader designs such organization environment where people feel confidence, ready to shoulder risk and new challenges etc. This study is directed to examine the association between organizational culture and leadership style in respect to organizational effectiveness in banking sector Secondary data has collected to justify the objectives of the study and hypothesis.

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