Practical tips for creating a leadership development plan that meets your career goals AND gets the support of your employer. I have developed this approach based on my experience as a manager and consultant. It focuses on practical tips for aspiring managers and leaders that want to develop their skills while on the job. And I provide tips on what to include in your plan to make sure it's specific and demonstrates value to your employer. This will increase your chances of getting the support from your supervisor (financial and otherwise) for your professional development.

1. Let your light shine with
effective leadership skills
A guide to creating your
leadership development plan
Debbie Narver, BSc MBA MScIB

2. Tips for building your leadership
development plan
Based on my experience as a manager
and consultant
Practical advice for professional
development
Recognize different needs (no one size fits
all!)
Learn at your own pace!

3. Build a leadership development plan that meets your unique
needs AND gets your employer to invest in you.

4. Build on my
strengths:
For example – where have you been most successful
in the past? What have your supervisors, colleagues
and/or clients commented on?
Here, you might use a combination of self-assessment
and trusted feedback.
Consider, what are my unique strengths and how can I
leverage them to be more effective in my role?

5. Skills I need
for my current
role:
Consider core competency for leadership
and management, as well as one’s specific
to your job description and the goals of
your organization and/or business unit.
Identify any specific gaps and/or areas that
you need to strengthen and WHY it’s
important for your role.
What will I be able to DO as a result of
acquiring this skill?

6. Work
priorities for
the coming
year:
Making that
connection between
your learning & the
priorities of your
workplace
Get more tips in my
blog article on the
alignment of
organizational
development and
individual skill
development.
Are there specific
goals for your
organization and/or
your own business
unit that will require
specific skills?
For example – Change
Leadership, Strategic
Planning, Cross
Cultural Leadership…?

7. Skills I need for my future role:
Reflect on your longer-term career plan
Consider that employers want to keep high potential employees, and
maybe even groom them for more senior roles.
This is a good place to plant that seed! What will you be able to offer
your employer in the future?
If your career goals involve a promotion or new position, what new
skills will help you attain it?

8. Skills I will Develop this Year
Get specific on your
short-term goals. These
are your learning
objectives.
List in order of priority
the skills which are most
important and realistic
for the coming year.
Identify WHY they are
important for your
current and/or future
role, and HOW they
leverage your strengths.
To ensure support from
your supervisor, be
specific on how this
training will benefit your
employer.

9. How I will
develop my
skills
Do some research to find the approach that best meets
your individual learning objectives. Which specific courses
and training do you need? Perhaps a combination of self-
directed learning, reading, mentoring, etc.
Identify target dates for both starting and completing each
course and/or learning objective.
HOW you will know if you have succeeded? What
evaluation methods are included?

10. What
resources do I
need to be
successful?
Be up front about the total costs (including
travel, books, materials) for your development.
What do you need in terms of time away from
work, travel, etc.?
Perhaps you can identify some alternative
approaches if cost and time are a factor.
Also identify additional resources, such as
mentoring, special assignments, etc.

11. How I will apply my new skills
Again, be as specific as
possible to demonstrate the
value you will provide for
your employers’
“investment” in your
training.
Perhaps you can start with
something small and
specific.
For example – I will apply
my Change Leadership skills
by implementing that new
order tracking system we
have been talking about.

12. My Strategic Manager
Courses
Learn online at your own
pace
Start with a Free mini
course
Change
Leadership
Strategic
Planning
Performance
Management
(2 levels)
Cross Cultural
Leadership
Advanced
Problem Solving
and Decision
Making

13. Get started
now!
Try FREE mini course in Strategic
Leadership
Check
out
My courses in the Strategic Manager
Online School.
Contact
me
Get a copy of my learning &
development plan template

14. Build Strong Leadership Skills with NMC Strategic Manager
https://www.nmcstrategicmanager.com