How do you track progress in your leadership development plan using feedback?

Defining goals tends to be where the breakdown begins with a leader's development. If they skip this part, or worse, spend time on their goals and don't operate from or map back to their goals, they are highly susceptible to becoming reactive to feedback and results rather than filtering their feedback & results through their goals/plan. As an Executive Coach, I see this often. Skipping over this step has such a domino effect on the other 5 in this article. What also tends to happen is they only focus on skills, competencies, or behaviors, & forget to truly be intentional & consider how they want to feel [emotions] & how they want to develop their relationships with their team & colleagues and then have no way to develop these areas.

I track progress in my leadership development plan using feedback from peers, colleagues and superiors. I often solicit feedback after meetings or tasks to gauge how well I am doing and what areas need improvement. Additionally, I frequently conduct self-evaluations of my progress to help ensure that I am not overlooking any opportunities for growth or development.

Some ways I seek feedback are 1. Journaling/Daily Self-Reflection. Taking time each day to journal and reflect allows me to delve into my thoughts, actions, and decisions. It's a powerful exercise that unveils patterns and highlights areas where I can evolve as a leader. 2. Peer Reviews. Seeking feedback from peers is like having a mirror reflecting my leadership style. Their perspectives provide invaluable insights, helping me understand how my actions impact the team and where adjustments are needed. 3. Upward Reviews encourage feedback from those I lead. Fosters a culture of trust. When my team sees me taking their input seriously and actively working on improvements, it strengthens our connection.

Leadership is a journey of growth and the more comprehensive and constructive a leader's mindset it, the smoother will this journey get. Being rational and pragmatic is all that it takes to make the shift from good to great (leader/ leadership). As a leader, once you detach yourself from (leader's) ego in yourself, you start to see things in the right light -1. acknowledging the multiple perspectives provides you with additional dimensions to look at things and take informed decisions, 2. accepting the given feedback in a positive way and generate more opportunities to grow and evolve (as a leader).

It's important to seek feedback regularly from different sources, like your team members and supervisors, and create an environment where feedback is encouraged. But work on keeping a record of the feedback you receive, and reflecting on it to identify areas for improvement. Adjust your plans based on the insights gained from feedback, and measure your progress against your goals. Remind to celebrate your achievements and this will help you to stay on track. Finally, leadership development is an ongoing process...

When it comes to leadership, seek feedback on two things: Your ability to get things done - leadership is about achieving goals. You cannot be an effective leader if you cannot rally your team to accomplish the set objectives. How you make others feel - people may not remember all of your quirks and shortcomings, but they will remember how you made them feel when working with you. A leader should empower others and make them feel proud of their work.

Self-awareness is the key to developing leadership goals. It is difficult to measure improvements in leadership using quantitative data. Therefore the best way to improve is to look inwards with an objective lens. Embracing self-awareness not only propels personal development but also builds trust within the team. It's a two-way street as leaders when we value and act on feedback, it paves the way for a culture where everyone feels heard.

Evidence-based real-time feedback backed by valid and reliable instruments goes a long way in leadership development. A cause and effect must be established with every feedback. Ultimately Leaders must become aware of the grief cycle associated with the feedback, thus bringing them to awareness and change fast. Setting change goals and tracking them on metrics is essential to Leadership Development.