How can you create a personal action plan from your leadership assessment?

Seek feedback. Any assessment based largely in your personal responses may be biased. Share your results with others. See what they agree with. And ask if there are other blindspots you need to address.

In my experience I have seen where the leaders rated themselves which is closer to the perspective of others as well helps them to actually be determined to work on the action plan. So the first step is to actually assess in all honesty and once you have the results pick to 2-3 points to begin work with. We need to understand that this is a journey and results will only start hitting with the consistent conscious efforts.

The first step in developing a personal action plan according to me is identifying with my strong and weak points. The more a person understands himself, the better he can present his point to others. It is also essential to have faith in oneself because we must first satisfy ourselves that we have the necessary skill before we can address others. Also I believe that one should stay up to date on his or her fields in order to avoid missing out on anything.

Self-awareness is the cornerstone of growth. To lead others effectively, you must first understand yourself objectively. Assess your leadership style, skills, and behaviors honestly, without ego. Identify gaps between self-perception and external feedback. Reflect on how your strengths complement and compensate for your weaknesses. Constructive self-critique paves the path for creating a personal development plan that amplifies your best qualities and improves upon your limitations. Leadership is a journey of lifelong learning. Your commitment to continued assessment and improvement will lift up not only yourself but your team.

First and foremost, it's crucial to ensure that you're receiving feedback from the appropriate source and with the right intention. If you're still in the process of establishing yourself as a leader, it's advisable to gather feedback anonymously. If you're a leader who has cultivated an environment where people feel at ease sharing their thoughts, you can directly initiate conversations and simply listen. Once you've the feedback, take time to synthesize the information. Identify the feedback that comes up repeatedly, usually the top 2-3 points, and use them to formulate an action plan to address these issues. "The art of genuine growth begins when we wholeheartedly welcome feedback and make it a part of our journey." - Sheila Duncan

While it’s important to determine the specific outcomes you want to achieve, it’s equally important to dig into your purpose for achieving those desired outcomes. It can’t be because someone else told you to or it showed up on a report. Frequently there’s an overemphasis on what you need to do and an under emphasis on why it matters that you to succeed at accomplishing it. Fail to do this and you greatly diminish your chances of following through on the change. Changing behavior is hard work and requires a great deal of discipline as well as a willingness to adapt when things aren’t going as planned. People don’t change behaviors if they don’t personally believe in the need to change them, and being an executive doesn’t change that.

It is critical for one to be clear about his objectives and the bigger picture that he sees in his mind. Only then he will able to plan his actions and guide others on the same path if the picture is clear enough to him. I also believe that being able to communicate your ideas and beliefs is equally essential, as it ensures that you and your co-workers are on the same page. There should be regular updates and feedback to monitor the progress of the chosen path.

I don't recommend jumping from assessment results into a plan. Here’s a simple development framework. Complete and then refine as you receive results. The business - how are you performing? Are you embodying the companies mission, vision, and values? What area of the business would you like more visibility/experience in? Behavior - how are you superpowers helping or hindering things at work? Is anything getting the best of you? What could be better? Career - what role will you hold in 5 years? How is your experince now helping that? What experience or mentorship is needed? Life - how are your personal relationships, living situation, and activities outside of work going? At least 1 week long vacation planned in next 6 months?

It really is so important to ensure our goals are SMART. For example, if you want to improve your communication skills, a SMART goal might be: I will read 2 books on effective communication, take a course and attend a communication workshop within the next three months. I will implement the learned techniques in team meetings. After facilitating 4 team meetings, seek feedback on how you performed. How did it compare with prior meetings? Was there an observed improvement? In this example, there are specific achievable actions identified, a set timeline and a way to measure the results of actions taken.

For the last 4 years I have been an avid user of the Full Focus journal. Irrespective of the tool (whether you prefer pen and paper or digital), the thought process remains the same. Start with your founding principles, each year identifying up to 10 key goals for the year (any more and you will be overwhelmed). For each goal identify how and when you will approach it, challenges, strengths, how you will celebrate once achieved and why it is important. I then break these into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily 'big 3's' that need to be done in order to make progress. Some maybe habit building, others may be education, or family, wellbeing etc.

Identifying your actions is very important during a Leadership Assessment. The actions must: 01. Align with Organizational Goals and Objectives. 02. Accomplish your actions and goals. Drill down the plan into measurable milestones. 02. Be tracked to execution. This is crucial since outcomes will drive results and spur growth.

Having actionable goals with deadlines is critical. If your a CEO, then find a fellow C to be your accountability buddy and help define your goals and deadlines. If not, try a coach. It's important to have someone you can share success, shortcomings, and keep you honest.

With clear objectives in place, it's time to pinpoint the actions needed for growth. These steps, aligned with values and vision, form a practical roadmap. Assign priorities, deadlines, and resources to ensure a focused and attainable journey toward enhanced leadership skills and competencies. Do this and you will set yourself and others up for success.

After you identify your actions, ask yourself 3 "H" questions, using a scale of 1-10 with "1" being low and "10" being high. #1H. On a scale of 1-10, HOW WELL do each of these action items support my objectives? (Ask for each action. If you rate any of them below a "9", change the action to align more with your objectives.) #2H. On a scale of 1-10, HOW LIKELY am I to take this action? (Ask for each action. If you rate any of them below an "8", change the action to something more appealing to you that's still in alignment.) #3H: On a scale of 1-10, HOW EASY will it be for me to take this action? (Ask for each action. If you rate any of them below a "7", simplify the action to make it easier to do.) This exercise will help you act.

The key to a locked door is of no use if you can't locate it. Similarly, knowing what actions to take to reach your objectives is the essence of a leadership journey. Look at it this way - You need a well-defined route to reach your destination, right? Now's the time to identify the key actions relevant to your leadership development.

After my leadership assessment, I was sitting at Starbucks, lost in thought over a comment about my "Lack of consistency in decision-making". Mid-sip, an old colleague, now a leadership coach, recognized me. She'd once received similar feedback. Over lattes and laughter, she offered a fresh take on my assessment. That unexpected reunion became a pivotal coaching moment. It underscored the value of seeking advice, even if serendipity doesn't serve it. Proactive pursuit of guidance, and surrounding ourselves with those who push and inspire us, are key. Our growth journey demands both faith and intention.

Share your commitment(s) with others. Don’t just keep findings to yourself. Your team, your boss, your mentors, even your family and friends can help hold you accountable to changes inspired by important feedback.

Seeking feedback and insights from others is essential because you may be missing one or two things at times, but staying in touch will help you cover. Also, I have recently learned from personal experiences that keeping a regular communication takes you one step forward and earlier than those who do not believe in communicating because communication helps you in identify gaps and problems in advance that you may be missing upon. One should be very crisp and clear in communicating ones findings to his team or other associated people to avoid any confusions and other unnecessary delays

Feedback isn't just a few words of appreciation or criticism, it's a mirror reflecting your performance. Don't underestimate the value of feedback in your leadership journey. It's a real game-changer, keeping you motivated and aware of your progress. And remember, leadership isn't a solitary journey, you're accompanied by peers, mentors whose support is invaluable.

Through experience, I've learned feedback and support are indispensable to growth. Early on, I avoided critique and isolated myself, soon hitting roadblocks. By humbly seeking input from mentors, coaches, and the team, new opportunities appeared. External perspectives exposed blindspots. Shared wisdom guided my path. Encouragement inspired me. Though initially difficult, embracing negative feedback with openness became easier, quieting my ego. I walk my path alone but others illuminate the way. My development became a collaborative effort, harnessing collective insight. Feedback and support were critical to realizing my potential. I cannot overstate their value in my leadership journey.

For Monitoring a lot of times it's helpful if someone can get it reviewed from an independent person or body. The unbiased view might result in some new insights and how to go about it when there is a stale stage.

I've learned consistent monitoring and evaluation are crucial for actualizing any strategic plan, including personal development. Early on, I established key performance indicators and surveys to quantify progress toward each leadership objective. Seeking ongoing feedback from my finance team and mentors revealed when recalibration was needed. Regularly reviewing the alignment between my growth plan and overarching vision enabled me to refine ineffective actions with agility. While the path is walked alone, progress depends on commitment to consistent tracking, measurement, and adjustment. My experience has proven monitoring and evaluating my plan is imperative for the manifestation of my highest potential as a finance leader.

Consistent tracking, metrics and reviews reveal what works, what doesn't and where course correction is needed. Measure impact and satisfaction.

Wrap up with monitoring and evaluation. Regularly track actions, measure outcomes, and assess progress. Tools, apps, or journals aid in documenting achievements, challenges, and lessons. Indicators, metrics, or surveys gauge impact, performance, satisfaction. Monitoring unveils effective strategies and areas for adjustment. Crafting an action plan from leadership assessment heightens executive skills, competencies, behaviors. Align actions with vision, values, priorities. Steps outlined transform insights into meaningful results.

Once you draw up an action plan, it is important to monitor it on a regular basis. Most tools and techniques used by Corporates can be effectively used by executives. For instance using Red, Amber and Green indicators to highlight where a task needs corrective and preventive action. Using metrics and numbers to measure the performance. The frequency could be at different frequencies: weekly, monthly or annual. Weekly: This would help you take corrective action for the following weeks. Monthly: Patterns would emerge, highlighting areas where you generally do well, while other areas you stay behind schedule. Quarterly: This is a good cycle to take stock of your performance and set goals for the next quarter.

Involve others, build in adaptability, align to motivations, celebrate small wins, learn from setbacks, make reflection a habit. Growth takes time and commitment!

Your people are your biggest asset to provide you with valuable feedback about leadership abilities. Let’s dive into the actionable steps you can take to lead a team and seek feedback. Know your team Put effort into knowing your team members. Identify their strengths and weaknesses. Ask about their preferences on leadership style, what they like to learn from you, what are their hobbies, etc. Trust your team Whether it is trusting them with a deadline or granting them a day off, trust your team and show it with actions. Remember to lead only when it is necessary and do not force your leadership on them by commanding or ordering them to do things the way you like. Let them follow their own way and guide them if needed.

Creating a personal action plan from a leadership assessment is a vital step in professional growth. First, I'll analyze the assessment results, identifying strengths and areas for development. Then, we'll set specific, measurable goals that align with long-term leadership aspirations. Breakdown of these goals into manageable steps will provide a clear path forward. Regular check-ins and self-reflection will track progress and adapt the plan as needed. This tailored approach ensures continuous improvement, empowering leaders to thrive and make a lasting impact.

Creating a personal action plan from a leadership assessment involves a structured approach. Review the assessment results, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Set specific, measurable, and time-bound goals based on these insights, focusing on enhancing leadership skills or addressing weaknesses. Design a plan that includes actionable steps, development activities, and resources needed to achieve these goals. Regularly track progress, revisit the assessment, and adapt the action plan as necessary to ensure continuous growth and effectiveness as an executive leader.

Let people know you are on a development plan before taking action. This cues them in so they can offer some grace and support as you try out new behaviors. It also removes the "anchoring bias" in which they always see us through the same lens. If you announce your intention to change, others may start to perceive you different and adjust their expectations of your personality accordingly.