Your Leadership Expedition: A Personal Development Plan

When embarking on an expedition, it is always useful to have a map. I have found that the following conceptual map is helpful in the leadership development process. It depicts a systematic process consisting of five stages:

1. Assessment. Who are you now?

2. Vision. Who do you want to be?

3. Overcoming barriers. What are the obstacles that stand in your way, and how can they be overcome?

4. Action. What are the specific steps needed to move toward your vision?

5. Sustaining. How will you deal with setbacks and maintain momentum?

The stages are only guideposts, of course, and the development process does not always flow in one direction. In clarifying your vision, for example, you will probably gain insight into the person you are right now. The questions and exercises that follow will help clarify each of these stages, and they will refine your understanding of the leadership journey you have undertaken.

Assessment

1. What are your strengths as a leader—the skills, knowledge, and personal qualities that contribute to your ability to lead at The Edge?

2. What are your development needs—the areas that, if developed, would increase your effectiveness as a leader?

3. What are the activities that you find energizing—activities that stimulate you and that you find intrinsically enjoyable?

4. What are your core values about leadership—the deep beliefs that provide guidance and meaning?

Vision

1. Imagine that it is some time in the future. You have realized your full potential as a leader and are able to lead others to the limits of their performance.

2. Write a detailed, vivid description of who you are and what you will be doing. What is a typical day like for you? What will you be thinking and feeling? Try to capture that image in as much detail as possible.

3. Write a one-sentence, high-concept statement that captures the essence of your vision.

4. Is there a concrete image that symbolizes your vision?

Overcoming Barriers

1. What are the barriers that stand between you and your vision? These obstacles may be external or internal—the limiting beliefs that prevent you from fully using your abilities. List them here, casting each barrier in the form of an “I” statement (e.g., “I can’t be a charismatic leader because I’m too introverted”).

2. Select the barriers that represent the most problematic obstacles—those over which you have some degree of control.

3. Now generate as many ideas as possible for dealing with these obstacles. It is often helpful to get help from friends and colleagues who may see solutions that elude you. Some other strategies for generating ideas are:

  Opportunity framing. What hidden opportunities might be found in the problem?

  Using a metaphor. What concrete images can be used to represent the problem (e.g., a brick wall, a mountain, or an ice pack)? In thinking about how you would deal with these symbolic barriers, you might find a solution.

  Chunking down. Try to break the obstacles down into smaller pieces. Can you now get a toehold or a “lead in the ice”?

Action

1. Now that you have developed a vision and a set of strategies for overcoming obstacles, you can create a set of goals for moving toward your vision. To be most effective, these goals should be:

  Specific. For example, your goal may be to “take the conflict resolution seminar offered by X university,” rather than more generally to “improve my conflict resolution skills.”

  Positive. Goals should be stated in terms of “doing” rather than “avoiding” or “not doing.”

  Challenging yet attainable. Stretch yourself, but don’t set unreasonable expectations.

2. It is often helpful to create both a set of long-term (i.e., three to five years) goals and a set of short-term (i.e., six months to one year) goals.

Sustaining

List below the things that will enable you to sustain your leadership development process. Some questions to consider are:

1. What are your external sources of reinforcement? How will you get help and support from others?

2. What is your backup plan for dealing with adversity and setbacks?

3. When and how will you take time to reflect on your progress?

4. How will you reward yourself and celebrate success for interim accomplishments?

5. What are the tangible symbols that will help you stay focused on your vision?