1 Review your plan regularly

The first step to update your leadership development plan is to review it regularly. Ideally, you should check your plan at least once a quarter, or more often if you have a fast-changing environment or a specific deadline. Reviewing your plan helps you assess your current situation, track your achievements, and adjust your goals and actions as needed. You can use a simple template or a tool like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to evaluate your plan and make changes.

2 Seek feedback and support

The second step to update your leadership development plan is to seek feedback and support from others. Feedback is essential to measure your progress, identify your gaps, and learn from your mistakes. You can ask for feedback from your manager, peers, mentors, coaches, or customers. You can also use self-assessment tools or surveys to get a more objective view of your skills and performance. Support is also important to keep you motivated, accountable, and inspired. You can join a leadership development program, a network, a community, or a mastermind group to get support from other leaders who share your challenges and aspirations.

3 Celebrate your success

The third step to update your leadership development plan is to celebrate your success. Celebrating your success is not only rewarding, but also motivating, reinforcing, and energizing. It helps you acknowledge your efforts, appreciate your achievements, and build your confidence and resilience. You can celebrate your success in different ways, such as rewarding yourself with something you enjoy, sharing your accomplishments with others, expressing gratitude to those who helped you, or reflecting on your learnings and growth. You can also use a journal, a portfolio, or a dashboard to document and showcase your success.

4 Learn from your failures

The fourth step to update your leadership development plan is to learn from your failures. Failures are inevitable and valuable in leadership development. They provide you with opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. Instead of avoiding or ignoring your failures, you should embrace and analyze them. You can use a framework like SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) or a tool like 5 Whys to understand the root causes, the consequences, and the lessons of your failures. You can also use feedback, coaching, or mentoring to get guidance and advice on how to overcome your failures.

5 Set new goals and actions

The fifth step to update your leadership development plan is to set new goals and actions. Setting new goals and actions helps you keep your plan relevant, challenging, and inspiring. You should set new goals and actions based on your current situation, your feedback, your success, and your failures. You should also align your goals and actions with your vision, values, and purpose as a leader. You can use a tool like OKR (Objectives and Key Results) or a template like GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, and Will) to set new goals and actions that are clear, specific, and measurable.

6 Review your progress and impact

The sixth and final step to update your leadership development plan is to review your progress and impact. Reviewing your progress and impact helps you evaluate your effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction as a leader. It also helps you demonstrate your value, contribution, and influence to your organization, team, and stakeholders. You can use a tool like KPI (Key Performance Indicators) or a framework like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) to review your progress and impact. You can also use a tool like 360-degree feedback or a framework like Balanced Scorecard to get a holistic and balanced view of your leadership performance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?