Developing Happy Leaders – Personal Development Plan

Developing Happy Workplace Leaders Through Personal Development Plans

By Lorraine Grubbs

 

Regardless of size, every company needs strong, competent leaders to help operate and grow the business.  Many leaders are poorly prepared for their leadership roles.  The result?  Low morale, high turnover and poor customer service.  Investing in leadership development can give you a real advantage in today’s competitive market. If you think you don’t have the time, tools or budget to develop your leaders, you could be at a huge disadvantage among the top performers in your industry. 

One fear of investing in leaders is, “What if I develop them and they leave?”  I challenge you to think,  “What if I don’t develop them and they stay?”  

In an earlier blog I discussed the first step of leadership development -  conducting a 360 degree survey.  The surveys are now back clearly identifying strengths and weaknesses.  You have reviewed the results with the leader.  It's now time to create a Personal Development Plan.  This plan will be their roadmap; a guide to help them improve their leadership skills.  

The Personal Development Plan is most effective when:

• It is based on a six- month timeframe
• Incorporates the SMART approach (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound). 
• It includes resources such as books, classes, and mentors both within or outside of the company.  
• Warning:  Don’t try to tackle all areas of improvement at once.  Start with the most critical and then add one per month.

 

For example, if one of their goals is to get to know their direct reports better, the plan would include:

 

Goal:               Get to know my team better.

Action:            Meet with each team member to discuss how I can best support him or her.

Develop a system where I remember their special days such as anniversary with the company and birthday, then bring them a special gift or card on that day

Result:            Touch base with them often to ensure that I am being effective and ask them again in six months how I am doing.

Date:               (each item will have a separate date attached)

 

The Personal Development Plan will become your primary measurement tool to ensure the leader is moving forward.  Make sure you have regular meetings with the leader to review progress.  Have them give you a monthly report giving a short description of what they have done that month to improve, using the Personal Development Plan Goals as their guide.

Congratulations!  You’ve taken yet another important step towards creating a stronger leadership team.  

 

Lorraine Grubbs is an author, speaker and business consultant specializing in "How to Create Happy Workplaces".  To learn more about what she does go to www.lorrainegrubbs.com