Nurture Your Future Leaders: 7 Individual Development Plan Examples for Leadership
Leadership development is an organizational imperative.
It is the lifeline that ensures a pipeline of capable leaders ready to steer the organizational ship.
But leadership isn't an overnight metamorphosis. It's a gradual transformation facilitated by strategic individual development plans.
The answer lies in well-structured individual development plans.
This article will:
- Share seven compelling examples of individual development plans specifically tailored for leadership.
- Scrutinize each example, highlighting the key components that can guide aspiring leaders on their development journey.
- Offer concrete suggestions for making each example even better.
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of GE.
💼 What is an individual development plan for managers?
An individual development plan for managers is a structured framework that outlines specific goals, actions, and strategies to support their professional growth.
It is a personalized roadmap that helps managers identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and developmental needs.
The plan typically includes a set of objectives and action steps to enhance their leadership skills, knowledge, and managerial capabilities.
Individual development plan templates can:
- Help managers assess their current skills.
- Create a direction for their professional development goals.
- Measure the progress toward their development goals.
- Hone their strengths.
- Address their weaknesses.
🪞 Self-reflection + SMART goals development plan (Puna)
The leadership development plan example from Puna, a leadership resource aggregator, uses a 3-step process:
- Starting with a self-reflection exercise.
- Seeking input and suggestions from colleagues.
- Discussing the next steps for the development plan with HR or another manager.
What it does well
- Self-reflection is a great way to assess one's strengths to become an effective leader. Use this tool to see how a leader's strengths align with their colleagues' perceptions. (Our favorite question they included: E.g., What strengths do you want people to see in you/ what do you want to be known for?)
- Incorporates the leader's self-reflection, their peer's feedforward input, and the manager's to shape the focus of the development plan.
- Uses SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) goals.
- Structured around a leadership competency model that includes behavioral descriptions for each key leadership element (competency).
What could be improved
- Doesn't include a section to document the input from the manager.
- Doesn't track progress based on the goals set.
- Doesn't include a follow-up timeline.
- Unclear if this is a yearly plan or if it covers a more narrow period.
The biggest advantage of this leadership development plan example is it uses the SMART approach, which helps leaders create actionable steps and deadlines to achieve their career goals.
How to make it better
- Set frequent follow-ups to ensure the manager stays on track, offer feedback, and provide additional support.
- Clearly define the time frame for the development activities.
🔁 Leadership plan example including previous development evaluations + 360 feedback (Leads 360)
If this is not your leader's first development plan, starting with an evaluation of previous plans is a great way to get started.
This example from Leads 360 asks leaders to identify what worked well and not to help them craft new development opportunities for leaders to reach their long-term goals.
Then, it uses the insights from 360 feedback to shape the leader's development planning direction.
What it does well
- Evaluates previous development plans.
- Provides an overview of key strengths and their relevance for the organization.
- Includes examples to help leaders formulate their goals.
- Splits development planning into short, medium, and long terms actions (in two weeks, three months, and one year).
- Acknowledges that growth is a shared process and includes a section explaining who will help the leader grow (Which people are key to helping you successfully develop this capability?).
- Has an accountability agreement to track progress.
What could be improved
- No structured 1:1s with a sponsor (accountability partner) to keep track of progress.
- No competency expectations to better frame the strengths and areas for growth.
While this example digs deep into the specifics to help uncover managers' strengths and opportunities for growth, there are additional elements that can further enhance it.
How to make it better
- Integrate leadership assessments with the individual development plan to further evaluate your leadership capacity.
- Create a structured and regular check-in schedule to measure the progress of each goal.
- Provide personalized training recommendations to help address areas of improvement indicated in the development plan.
📝 Basic leadership development plan example (Hamilton County School District)
Following a basic template can be a great headstart for your IDP. This example from the Hamilton County School District follows a very straightforward structure.
Note: Teachers are the users of this plan example, and, as a result, its final goal is enhancing student performance. However, you can correlate this to managers striving to improve team performance.
What it does well
- Clearly state the final goal: increase performance.
- Uses the smart goals SMART framework to clarify the specifics of the plan.
- Includes an evaluation section for reporting the impact of professional learning on student (employee) performance.
- Encourages the beneficiary leader to share their newly acquired knowledge.
What could be improved
- There is no accountability partner or manager to check up on the progress.
- Focuses on only one goal.
- Lacks structure in learning objectives.
How to make it better
- Schedule 1:1s with colleagues to take accountability for goals set.
- Increase critical areas to focus on improvement and opportunities for development.
🔮 Long-term leadership development plan template (Cleveland Clinic)
A long-term leadership development plan is a powerful tool to shape employees' growth as leaders.
This 3-year leadership development plan from Cleveland Clinic is a great example.
An excellent way to create long-term goals is to let them envision their selves as leaders years from now. This can help them work backward and set milestones to help them achieve that goal in the future.
From there, they can identify whether they want to improve their soft and management skills to be the leader they want to be.
What it does well
- Kicks off with a "Leadership Challenge Assessment" consisting of 25 statements leaders have to rate themselves using a 5 scale rating. Here are some of them: I try to form partnerships and collaborative relationships in my work setting; I encourage others when they are down or self-doubting. I listen closely to all points of view before making decisions. These correspond to a
- Creates long-term goals for leadership development.
- It contains several sections that assess employees' capacity as a leader and recognize blind spots from previous experience to help address them: Envision yourself as an exemplary leader. Some examples are: Accelerate your learning by envisioning the future, Search for leadership opportunities and early wins.
- Adds the opportunity to schedule mentoring program with a manager/coach.
🤝 Here's a guide to help managers become effective coaches during their mentoring programs.
What could be improved
- No framework to align the leader's aspirations with company objectives or values.
- No input from direct reports, peers, or superiors.
- No deadlines throughout the 3 years for the actionable steps necessary to meet development goals.
How to make it better
- Implement a structured 360° feedback system to help identify blind spots from previous leadership performance reviews.
- Create growth plans with clear milestones, whether weekly, monthly, or yearly, depending on the specific goals identified.
🎯 "One big thing" goal + "One big liability" leadership development plan (Leadership Circle)
Managers need to be intentional about their purpose when starting an individual development plan and see where they want to go as leaders. This can help them establish realistic, practical, yet challenging goals that can shape their capacity as a manager and a better leader in the future.
Here's a great example of a template that sets a "One Big Thing" goal from Leadership Circle.
What it does well
- Includes a section for defining the vision, with examples and guidelines.
- Links out to 186 goal statements to inspire leaders.
- Includes a start-stop approach to behavioral change through personal development.
- Tracking progress from multiple colleagues for accountability by identifying an "Accountability circle."
- Suggests 3-9 months for the development plan.
- Zooms in on the impact of the leader's development: impact on business results, own leadership, personal life, etc.
One of the strengths of this example is it paints a big picture of employees' leadership goals while recognizing barriers they need to address that may hinder their progress.
What could be improved
- No structured feedback from peers to gather clear insights.
- There is no concrete timeline for achieving subgoals or completing action items.
How to make it better
- Implement a structured 360° feedback system to manage constructive feedback from peers and collect them at a definite time.
- Once the leaders define the key approaches to their development, include a section for determining a more concrete timeline for the actions that would enable their growth.
🗺️ Development goals for leadership roadmap example (Department of Commerce)
The Department of Commerce's Individual Development Plan (IDP) recognizes the power of straightforward goals to empower leaders to chart their path to success and cultivate their leadership capabilities.
This example uses a roadmap framework, guiding aspiring and current leaders, encompassing short-term and long-term training and development activities.
What it does well
- Has a straightforward approach to goal-setting. For each development goal, the leader would define developmental activities (e.g., assignments, learning resources, etc.). Plus, there is a section for the expected completion date and for reporting progress, encouraging accountability.
- Uses the SMART approach to frame development goals.
This plan takes a direct and uncomplicated approach, addressing competencies, tracking progress, and setting realistic timelines for each development activity, all aligned with their overall goal.
What could be improved
- It doesn't fully assess the current skills and knowledge of the individual.
- There is no link to expectations in terms of competencies and behaviors.
How to make it better
- Establish a leadership competency model considering the leader's current and desired skillset and knowledge.
- To properly track progress, set regular check-ins with the supervisor to ensure growth is on track and provide additional support whenever necessary.
🌟 Vision and values-driven leadership development plan example (The Bush School)
When crafting an individual development plan, envisioning the type of leader you aspire to be sets you on the right path. Having a personal vision statement challenges you to think about where your life is headed, your purpose, and what matters most.
This example from the Bush School requires aspiring leaders to draw on their vision and see if their core values match the goals they set for themselves. It also provides an attribute analysis in which leaders can assess their strengths, self, and social awareness to manage their team effectively.
What it does well
- Dives deeper into the person's strengths, weaknesses, and core values.
- Identifies the skills and knowledge to serve as the basis for leadership development goals.
- Uses the Stretch and SMART goals frameworks. These allow leaders to challenge their capabilities toward reaching their vision statement while keeping realistic and practical goals in mind.
- Includes a structured approach to development. Each development goal has a section for action items, one for resources that would assist the leader in accomplishing the goal, and the expected timeline for achieving the goal.
What could be improved
- Focuses too much on self-evaluation, which can be one-sided.
- The skills matrix at the end might be confusing to the users.
How to make it better
- Leaders should have another manager on board in the action plan to keep track of the progress on the goals and objectives they set for themselves.
- Include others' feedback to provide a more well-rounded picture of areas of improvement.
Depending on the managers' career aspirations and the leadership culture they want to foster, you can always draw inspiration from plans that work well to build great leaders.
💼 Are you in need of a ready-to-use template? Our leadership development plan template includes a comprehensive structure and a few examples to guide your leaders.
🌱 Also, check out these 10+ employee development plan examples that can bring out the best in your employees!
➡️ Grow your leaders and your teams with Zavvy
At Zavvy, we believe in nurturing leaders who inspire, motivate, and bring out the best in their teams. We are committed to providing companies with the easiest and most convenient solutions to foster exceptional leadership.
Say goodbye to countless hours on administrative tasks. Experience a streamlined, efficient, and hassle-free approach to developing your employees with Zavvy.
Zavvy can help leaders in the making by:
- Providing individually crafted development plans and career pathing frameworks powered by AI.
- Creating competency-based feedback reviews to understand everyone's strengths and weaknesses.
- Scheduling structured, regular check-ins to track progress and ensure accountability.
- Offering access to thousands of learning resources that can easily be added to development plans.
- Align leaders and employees and promote accountability and ownership with the goal management software.
Zavvy's development software lets you transform managers into coaches, turn employees into potential leaders, and boost company performance with team efficiency and productivity.
📅 Book a free demo now to see the power of Zavvy.
❓ FAQs
What is an individual development plan for leaders?
An individual development plan, or IDP, is a written plan that guides future leaders to understand their strengths and weaknesses and identify development opportunities. This plan should contain clear, actionable steps to help hone invaluable leadership skills.
Why is it important to create an individual development plan?
Creating an individual development plan for leaders can benefit the company and the managers. Strong leaders can help steer a clear path for a complex business environment and solve problems effectively, propelling their career trajectory and the organization's overall growth.
What should be included in a leadership development plan?
Your individual development plan should depend on your long-term goals, leadership role in the company, core competencies, feedback from co-managers or employees, and the internal and external training resources available. We suggest you use Zavvy's career pathing framework to help you recognize individual competencies and use it as a reference to craft a development plan template for you.
Do we have to use AI when using Zavvy's development plans?
Not necessarily. You can customize your plans using AI-generated tools from Zavvy or do it manually. With the help of AI, you can save time and efficiently work on development plans with personalized recommendations based on the insights gathered by the system.