Using Action Planning in Leadership Development Programs

By Gina Abudi, on August 27th, 2014

When using action planning as part of leadership development programs I always tell my clients a few things to consider:

Plan for action planning at the beginning of the leadership program
Engage participants and their managers in what action planning is and why it is being used (training in how to use action planning may need to be provided)
Be sure that there is time to work on action plans and they remain a key part of the program throughout the program

Consider these best practices to implement before the program kicks-off, during the program and after the program ends.

At this point…	Do this…
Before program starts	Communicate with participants and their managers that action planning will be used as part of the leadership program Provide background information on action planning and its benefits/value Survey participants and their managers to understand areas they should focus on in the program (e.g., delegate, build teams, manage conflict)
During the program	Train participants in how to compete their action plans Have participants include business impact measures in their action plan Provide time at the end of each session to work on the action plan At the start of each new session have participants share progress on their action plans Ensure participants share action plans with their managers (who need to support their efforts and provide resources as needed to be successful)
After the program ends	Provide follow up after the program ends at set intervals – 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months – to gauge progress on the action plan

Read more about action planning and view a sample completed action in plan in a previous article, Make the Training Stick.

Gina Abudi