Not Sure Where to Begin with 2023 Development Planning?

A lot of leaders I talk with tell me about development planning time with a heavy sigh. It’s an additional piece of work in a world already too full, where the to-do list never seems to be done. And I get it. Without the time to reflect and focus that any planning process takes; development planning can feel like yet another hoop to jump through or checkbox to tick. So, if development planning for 2023 has you feeling a little overwhelmed, I’d like to reframe it, so you can find the joy and meaning in it for you and your team.

Let’s start with you. As a leader, you may be so consumed with what your team needs that you haven’t taken the time to really think about what would be an exciting and fulfilling learning experience for yourself. What kind of growth would feel meaningful for you? The demands on leaders these days are intense. How are you supporting your own leadership development, so you can meet those demands? I always say that once you have a leadership role, your subject matter expertise is only about half your job. The other half is leadership. How are you investing in that part of your role? What kind of leader do you want to be? More and more the research is pointing to a coaching approach as the next level of leadership. Sounds good, but it’s a skill set that takes time and investment to develop. That’s the kind of thing to build into your own leadership development plan.

This matters. It matters for you because it’s the quality of your day-to-day experience at your job. You want to feel competent and equipped. It also matters because we know today’s workforce is demanding it. Old school positional leadership isn’t going to cut it anymore. Today’s diverse workforce, and particularly the younger generations coming in, have high expectations for leaders, expecting them to know the business and the functional area yes, but also to be able to coach and mentor effectively, to manage diversity and inclusion, to be a role model for leadership. We know that leaders who work on their leadership become better leaders. Just like teams that work on the team become better.

Speaking of your team, they are the next great opportunity with development planning. People come to work wanting meaning and fulfillment. Most of us want to grow and learn. When leaders or organizations don’t offer opportunities and a solid plan for that growth, one of two things happen. The first is disengagement – you’ve heard of quiet quitting - doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. Not providing meaningful growth is a sure-fire way to get there. The second is actual quitting. The workforce is more mobile than ever and the competition for talent is fierce and only getting more so. The investment you make in someone’s development is nothing compared to the cost of replacing them.

So, what do we do? First, we need to set aside real time to reflect and focus on ourselves first. What is your next level of leadership? How do you want to get there? For example, if you want to build your coaching skills, what does that look like and how can you build that into your next year? Do your research and find the learning opportunities that feel like the right fit for you. The last thing you want to do is invest your precious time in a course that feels like a waste of time, just another check box, or isn’t truly helping you to grow.

Advocate for resources for your own leadership development if you need to. I talk to a lot of leaders who have many expectations on them from their organization, but then they tell me there’s no budget for leadership development. That doesn’t add up. Would you expect an accountant to forego learning about new accounting laws and procedures? No? Then why would we expect leaders to be great at the work of leading without investing in their leadership development?

Then, once you’re clear on your own path, spend that same time with your people. Ask them what matters to them, what’s drawing them forward in terms of their learning and growth. Where do they want to go? Why is that important to them? These questions are the starting point of a meaningful development plan, instead of sending people to courses you think they “should” take and have them feel like a waste of time.

Learning and growing is part of being human. It’s engaging in a way that we need. By tapping into those deeper visions and values that drive you and your people, you can take development planning from “one more thing to do” and turn it into one of the most enriching and engaging activities you do for yourself and your team members.

Looking for your next leadership development experience and want to be meaningful, challenging, applicable and fun? Let’s talk. Click here to book a leadership development strategy call.

Belinda Clemmensen, M.Ed., PCC has over 25 years of experience in leadership development across every sector, in North American and beyond. She is the co-founder of the Leader Coach Intensive, providing coach training and certification to build tomorrow’s leaders today, and the founder of the Women’s Leadership Intensive, inspiring, empowering, supporting and equipping women to lead the change the world needs.