Leadership Development Plan Sample, Download Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Summary

The study highlights the strengths and weaknesses that I possess as well as the skills and abilities that I need to acquire to become an effective leader. The study comprises a leadership development plan; the plan has been focused on my strengths and weaknesses. I was able to identify my strengths and weakness through the Gallup survey and the feedback received from my partner and peers. The study also highlight the GROW Model that I am going to follow and incorporate into the development plan. Through this development plan, I will be able to perform the role of leader more efficiently.

 

Introduction

Leaders in a business organization are accountable for leading and mentoring subordinates to improve their skills, fulfil their needs, and solve their problems and to accomplish a common goal. The Gallup survey results have allowed understanding my strengths; these strengths are going to allow me to become an effective leader in the near future. I will have to polish and enhancing my strengths to meet employee’s expectations. A leader needs to possess some specific skills and traits so that they could perform efficiently. The leadership development plan is very likely to enhance my strength and overcome the weakness that I posses. The study sheds lights on my leadership plan as well as the model of personal development. As an HR manager in the IT sector, I have to ensure that the employees are motivated and satisfied with the company. The IT companies operation and growth is very much depended on the performance of the employees and I have to continuously improve employee’s performance.

 

Leadership Development Plan

Every employee has some expectations from their team leaders and managers; it is the leaders and managers responsibility to meet their expectations. A leader must be capable enough to observe and understand employee’s behaviour, problems and needs. As an HR manager, I have to reduce employee turnover rate by fulfilling employee’s needs and by improving working environment. A leader must be an entity that everyone follows and I will have to work on some specific skills and strengths to build that reputation and trust. As stated by Komives (2016), a leader can attempt risks but he or she must be able to provide positive results. A leader basically behaves as a medium between the company and the employees. As per my opinion, a leader is a face of the organisation as well as represents all employees. An effective leader not only allows the organizations to accomplish the desired goals and objectives but it also brings employees on the same page (Shamir & Eilam-Shamir, 2018). I do have to attain some specific skills as well as I have to enhance my strengths to become an effective Human Resource Manager.

The Gallup survey has allowed me to understand the strengths; I was not expecting some of the strengths addressed in the Gallup report. My confidence has been confidence by identifying the strengths. The leadership development that I have developed and will follow is focused on my strengths, weaknesses and the skills that I want to attain. I must possess strong observation skills so that I could analyse and identify employee’s problems and needs. As stated by Clinton (2018), fulfilling needs and overcoming employee’s problems is the most effective way to improve employee performance and to retain them. Relationship building is one of my strengths and this will allow me to foster and maintain a positive relationship with employees and peers. I believe leaders should build such type of reputation and trust that every employee follows their decisions and actions. As stated by Storey (2016), a leader should not just show the path to the gaol but leader should walk down the path with employees. Thinking all these in mind, I have developed a leadership development plan. I will follow this plan to become an effective HR manager. The plan has been divided into three sections, short-term goal, mid-term goal and long-term goal.

The short-term goals shows the goal that I want to accomplish very soon, the mid-term goals shows the skills that I want to attain and the weakness that I need to overcome. The long-term goals are the strengths that I want to enhance in order to become an effective leader for my subordinates. The leadership development plan has been presented below.

 

Development Goal	Development Activity	Development Source	Time frame
Short-term goal Adaptability Relationship Building Critical Thinking	As a leader I must be able to adjust to any environment and situations so that I could make effective decisions, adaptability is one of my strengths and by enhancing these strengths I would be able to foster positive relationships with my team and employees Relationship building is also one of the strengths and by enhancing it I would be able to gain trust and loyalty of my employees and subordinates, employees would follow my decisions and actions as well as I would be able to take risks to accomplish the desired goals of the organisation A leader has to make crucial decisions for the organisation as well as leaders have the authority to make some decisions without information to the higher authority, by improving my critical thinking skills I would be able to compare options and make the decision with the best possible outcome, I would be able to solve employees problems by using critical thinking ability	I would enhance my adaptability skills by learning from others and the mistakes that I am making, I will have to improve my observation skills in order to enhance adaptability, so observing I would analyse and understand the situation For improving relationship building skills, I will have to develop excellent communication skills, practice effective communication with peers, learn to give and take feedback, improve listening skills, accept and celebrate differences, learn to trust more and develop empathy For attaining critical thinking ability, I will have to focus on becoming self-critic of my own actions and thoughts, I must become capable enough to analyse information and develop foresight, I will have to learn to break down things to make the decision making process simple, I will have to practice meditation to attain critical thinking ability	1 year
Mid-term goal Problem Solving Overcoming procrastination behaviour Decision Making	A leader has to ensure that the employees are not experiencing any kind of problems at the workplace, as an HR manager I must be capable enough to solve my employees problems so that their performance does not decrease, problem solving is one of the most crucial skills that every leader needs to possess I usually start working on my tasks at the need moment and this remains as one of my greatest weaknesses, as a leader I must be able to manage time and task efficiently and effectively, I will have to overcome my procrastination behaviour in a short period of time as it is become barrier in my path of becoming an effective leader Leaders are bound to make crucial and effective decisions, every leader needs to possess effective decision making skills, it seems I do lack this skill and I need to attain this skill in order to become an effective leader for my employees, I must be able to take risks and try out new techniques and approaches to accomplish the organisational goals	To enhance problem solving skills, I will have to work out my brains with logic questions, games and real life problems, I will have to continuously practice and participate in Yoga to utilise my capabilities more efficiently, I will have to develop the ability to list out as many solutions as possible so that the most appropriate solution could be taken from the problem I will have to act on my actions and decisions such as punishing myself for delaying and rewarding myself for successful completion of the task before the time allotted, I will have developed a weekly schedule so that I could manage time and overcome my procrastination behaviour I will have to become emotionally strong so that I could make effective decisions, I will have to continue with yoga and medication, I will have to develop the habit of identifying the short-term and long-term outcomes of my decision	2 years
Long-term goal Executing Arranger Strategic Thinking	The IT companies set some challenging goals and the leaders and managers of the organisation are accountable for accomplishing goals, executing is one of my strengths and I am confident in planning things out and assigning roles and tasks, I will have to focus on improving the executing strengths so that I could work with employees to composing the desired organisational goals Arranger falls under the executing category and it is also one of the current strengths, arrangers see how things work together as well as predict how employees are going to work together in the future, by enacting this strengths I would be able to protect employees behaviour as well as I would be able to influence them to improve performance   A leader has to develop strategies to improve employee performance and to solve the problems that they are experiencing, strategic thinking is one of my strengths and I will have to work on it to improve, it is mandatory for a leader to possess strategic thinking ability	In order to improve my executing ability, I will have to increase my focus and for that to happen exercise is essential, eliminating pointless distractions and setting daily goals I will have to focus on fostering positive relationships with my peers as well as I will to gain their trust so that I could influence them to improve their performance, I will have to focus on time management and critical thinking to enhance my arranger skills I will have to learn to utilise time for progress and thinking as well as I will have to be aware of my own bias so it does not affect my decisions for strategic that I am developing, I will have to understand the consequences of my decisions and strategies, this ability will improve when my improve my observation and decision making abilities, I will have to go through different training programmes	3 years

Table 1: Leadership Development Plan

(Source: Created by learner)

The leadership development plan that I have developed is being divided in three sections which short-term goals, mid-term goals and long-term goals. I will focus on accomplishing the short-term goal in 1 year. The goals in the short-term period are few mandatory skills and traits that every leader needs to possess and I will be recruiting these abilities as soon as possible. I will have to accomplish mid-term goals the goals in 2 years of time period. The goals in the mid-term are focused on my weaknesses and skills that I want to acquire as a leader. I will have to accomplish the long-term goals in 3 years of time period. The goals in the long-term are focused on the strengths, I have to keep working on my existing skills and strengths. I have a long way to become an effective leader and I am going to follow this plan to become one. 

GROW Model of Coaching and Mentoring

As a leader, one of the most crucial roles is to mentor and coach people so that they could do their best and work at their fullest potential. As stated by Antonakis & Day (2017), by effective mentoring and coaching, I would allow them to solve problems, make better decisions, learn and obtain new skills and progress their careers. People are able to attain new skills through training programs for throw coaching. A leader must be capable enough to use different techniques and practices to improve the coaching and mentoring process. As per the view of Bolden (2016), a good leader is a great coach.

The GROW Model is a very simple yet powerful framework that structures coaching and mentoring sessions. As stated by Ardichvili, Nattoch Dag & Manderscheid (2016), as an HR manager, it is my accountability to guide, mentor and coach employees to improve their performance and confidence.  I will follow and incorporate the GROW Model with the development plan to become an effective leader and a coach. The term GROW stands for Goal, Current Reality, Options or Obstacles and Will. The GROW model request to establish a plan which I have already done. The goals mentioned in the plan needs to definite, challenging and attainable. The GROW Model is going to assist me in understanding where I am going as well as show different routes to accomplish the goals. The GROW Model is going to assist me in handling and managing the obstacles that I am going to face while walking down the success path. There are four steps in the GROW Model that I need to follow.

Establish the Goal

The Gallup survey has allowed understanding my current standing and strengths. I have understood the behaviour that I need to change and the skills on which I need to work. As stated by Day & Dragoni (2015), the change and enchantment of the skills are my goals and I will have to achieve it to become an effective leader and an HR manager. I have divided the goals in three terms which I have already explained. I must become capable enough to influence my team members to improve performance and skills. As stated by Haslam et al. (2017), the goals in the development plan are going to create a great impact on my career objectives. My aim is to become an effective leader that has earned trust and respect of employees and peers.

Examine the Current Reality

After developing the plan and setting the goals, I will have to monitor my progress by comparing my current reality. This is a very crucial step as the development plan becomes ineffective if not compared to the changes implemented. If the previous goals are not achieved then it is not useful to move forward with the next goal. I will focus on giving ample amount of time on achieving every goal and skills so that some crucial information or activity is not missed out. An effective leader must be very familiar with current reality so that factual information could be deduced. By following this model I will be able to improve a few other skills. In order to know the current reality, I will try to understand the results and regularly monitor my progress. I will also have to ensure that my goals are no conflicting with other objectives or goals.

Explore the Options

Once I move forward with my development plan, I might come across flaws and improvement in the plan so changes in the plan might be required. I must incorporate changes in the plan so that it could make it more effective and efficient. I also have to lo0ok after four different options that I could include in the plan to attain the skills that I want. I have provided some effective methods and approaches to accomplish new skills and to enhance my strengths. After some period of time, I could learn about any different technique and method through which I could improve my skills more efficiently. As stated by Butler (2018), a leader should always be open to options, suggestions and feedback from peers, managing bodies and subordinates. 

Establish the Will

It is very essential to be determined and self motivated to follow the development plan, most people stops following the plan after some period of time. I need to be persistent and spontaneous to perform tasks and roles. I have to overcome my weakness at any cost and enhance my strengths. I want to see myself as an effective and most respectful leader in an organization, this is my aim and I am going on my aim to gain will power. As stated by Othman & Yee (2015), learning is a continuous process and I would focus on learning new strategies and approaches that could allow me to perform the job role more adequately.

Feedback from peers

Apart from the Gallup survey, I took feedback from my partner and my peers to understand my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. My partner genuinely told the correct strengths and weakness that I possess at the current time. However, the feedback result was very much similar to the Gallup survey result. My partner highlighted my weakness with effective decision making, problem solving and observing ability. I totally agree with my partner and focused on the weaknesses that he mentioned. I am focusing on overcoming the weaknesses during the mid-term section.

My peers also helped me in identifying the strengths and weaknesses that I possess. They highlighted by presentation and Earring ability as my strength and time management as my weakness. Here also I agreed with my peers as I was a bit aware about these traits and weaknesses. As I mentioned earlier, I do have the habit of procrastinating things and this behaviour is not going to allow me to become an effective leader. I will have to implement a change in behaviour and the personal development plan is going to allow implementing the change. I will have to follow the leadership development plan as well as monitor my progress.

Conclusion

When I look at the leadership development plan that I have developed, I do feel that this might make me an effective HR manager and a leader. I was able to identify my strengths and weakness through the Gallup Survey and the feedback that I received from my partner and peers. I came to know that executing, strategic thinking and relationship building is some of my strengths as a leader. I also came to know that I have poor time management ability and I do have the habit of procrastinating things. I have focused on my strengths and weaknesses while developing the leader’s development plan. I have allotted 3 years of time period of the development plan. I have defined the plan into three sections which are the short-term goal, mid-term goal, and long-term goal. As an HR manager, it is my accountability to provide an energetic working environment to employees as well as I must be capable enough to influence employees so that they could improve their skills and performance. As a leader, I will have to foster positive relationships with my employees and peers so that trust and loyalty could be formed.  

 

Reference List

Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017). The nature of leadership. Sage publications. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4923/6d315c7306c029f29c3efc7616c8740705ba.pdf

Ardichvili, A., Natt och Dag, K., & Manderscheid, S. (2016). Leadership development: Current and emerging models and practices. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 18(3), 275-285. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1523422316645506

Bolden, R. (2016). Leadership, management and organisational development. In Gower handbook of leadership and management development (pp. 143-158). Routledge. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/29363/1/Bolden - Leadership, management and organisational development.pdf

Butler, M. L. S. (2018). Small Group Project: Strategic Planning Using the GROW Model (Goals, Reality, Options, Way Forward). Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://scholarlyexchange.childrensmercy.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=healthliteracy

Clinton, R. (2018). The making of a leader: Recognizing the lessons and stages of leadership development. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://www.essentialleadershipapps.com/uploads/5/8/4/4/58449207/the_making_of_a_leader_-_robert_clinton.pdf

Day, D.V. & Dragoni, L., (2015). Leadership development: An outcome-oriented review based on time and levels of analyses. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav., 2(1), pp.133-156. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111328

Haslam, S. A., Steffens, N. K., Peters, K., Boyce, R. A., Mallett, C. J., & Fransen, K. (2017). A social identity approach to leadership development. Journal of Personnel Psychology. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/407752

Komives, S. R. (2016). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4KMwDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=leadership+development&ots=299TdVZf77&sig=us1bASLo2KKPUWzlLSUacbF-0RU

Othman, N., & Yee, C. S. (2015). Empowering teaching, learning, and supervision through coaching in action research. Journal of Management Research, 7(2), 98. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Norasmah_Othman/publication/273181566_Empowering_Teaching_Learning_and_Supervision/links/55eeb19a08ae199d47bf1403.pdf

Shamir, B., & Eilam-Shamir, G. (2018). “What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. In Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas Shamir (pp. 51-76). Emerald Publishing Limited. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: https://student.belpark.sun.ac.za/MBA/Article_Whats your story_ A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development_Shamir Eilam.pdf

Storey, J. (2016). Changing theories of leadership and leadership development. In Leadership in Organizations (pp. 17-41). Routledge. Retrieved on: 27 November 2019, from: http://englishplaza.vn/flexpaper/pdf/leadership_1406046611.pdf#page=24