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YMCA LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT PLAN

(6-12 Month Planning Period)

Tools required for development planning

  • Leadership Competency Assessment Results
  • Leadership Competency Development Guide
  • Leadership Competency Development Plan
  • Leadership Certification Handbook

Using the above mentioned tools you are now ready to begin planning your development activities. The Leadership Competency Development Plan is a basic plan, or roadmap, intended to help guide you to achieve your career goals.

The Leadership Competency Development Plan outlines your learning objectives and focuses strictly on what you will actually do to develop a competency in the next 6-months to a year. In order to increase your likelihood for success, this template intentionally allows for only one competency on which to focus. If you decide to focus on two or more competencies to develop, simply print one form for each competency.

This template is organized according to the 70/20/10 learning formula. The 70/20/10 learning formula describes how leadership competencies are developed. 70% of learning and development comes from real-life, on-the-job experiences; 20% of learning and development comes from coaching, feedback and from observing and working with role models; 10% of learning and development comes from formal training.

In order to improve your ability to be successful throughout this process, it is highly recommended you engage with a coach, or trusted advisor, about your career goals and development plans. Once you’ve completed the Leadership Competency Assessment and written a Development Plan the recommendation is to use these tools as a foundation for discussing your goals with a coach or advisor. Consider your coach as your partner in development; someone who will provide honest feedback and hold you accountable as you work your plan.

HOW TO COMPLETE THE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The following steps explain how to complete each column of the Development Plan. For further reference, a completed sample is available on page 5 and a blank form for your use is available on page 6.

Step 1: Enter Name and Leadership Level of Current Role

Your Leadership Level should match what you selected when taking the Assessment. It is not your Leadership Certification, but rather the level of your current Y job. For example, if you are a Program Director, it is likely your leadership level is “Team Leader.” The definition of each leadership level can be found in the Development Guide.

Step 2: Complete Column I(a) and I(b)

I(a). Identify the Leadership Competency to be Developed

To complete this step, use your Assessment Results to help you select a leadership competency to develop.

Carefully review the information contained in your Assessment Results. Determine the top 3 leadership competencies you consider to be strengths and the top 3 leadership competencies you consider to be development opportunities. Record them below:

Top 3 Strengths:Top 3 Development Opportunities:

1.1.

2.2.

3.3.

Now that you’ve narrowed your list of leadership competencies, consider these questions as you work toward identifying one leadership competency on which to focus your Development Plan:

  • Do you want to focus on a leadership competency to strengthen skills required of your current job? If so, which leadership competencies are important to your work? In which leadership competencies did you assess lower than you would have liked?
  • Are you considering advancing to a new role in the near future? Do you want to focus on a leadership competency to strengthen skills required of a future role? If so, which leadership competencies are important to that future work?

Once you’ve identified one leadership competency to develop, locate your selected leadership competency in the Leadership Competency Development Guide and review the definition and behavior descriptions.

I(b). Record the leadership competency behavior descriptions that reflect the skills you seek to develop.

Example: Jill, a Team Leader, chooses Philanthropy as the leadership competency she wants to develop. Jill turns to page 22 in the Development Guide and reads the behavior descriptions under Team Leader (and Leader). Next, she writes, in Column I(b) on her Plan, the behaviors that reflect the skills she wants to strengthen or develop, which may include:

  • Designs and conducts training programs for volunteers, staff and other groups in order to educate them about the charitable nature of the Y.
  • Secures gifts from prospective donors in order to generate financial support for the Y’s mission.

(Note: You are not limited to selecting only two behavior descriptions; however, it may be helpful as you focus your 70/20/10 learning activities).

Step 3: Complete Column II - Experience-based Assignments and Target Dates

The suggested Experience –Based Learning Assignments contained in the Leadership Competency Development Guide will be helpful in completing this step.

This column addresses the 70% in the 70/20/10 learning formula and requires you to identify a few experience-based assignments in which you will participate to develop the leadership competency you’ve selected.

Example: Jill turns to page 23 in the Development Guide and reads the suggested experience-based learning assignments to help her think about possible projects or experiences that will help her develop in the Philanthropy leadership competency. Jill decides to commit to:

  • Giving a presentation about the Y’s mission impact and community benefit to a group of prospective members or donors.
  • Researching opportunities and writing a successful grant proposal.

Next, Jill assigns target dates to both of these experiences and writes them in the appropriate “Target Date” column.

Step 4: Complete Column III - Who will you ask to help? (And How?) and Target Dates

The Key Coaching questions contained in the Leadership Competency Development Guide will be helpful in completing this step.

This column addresses the 20% in the 70/20/10 learning formula and requires you to identify people who can help you with your development. Typically, these are people you believe to be role models or experts in the leadership competency you selected to develop. These should also be people you trust as you will be asking they provide you with open and honest feedback about your development needs.

Example: Jill reflects on the experiences she selected in Column II and reads the Key Coaching questions for Resource Development Ability on page 23 in the Development Guide. She decides to ask the following people to help her:

  • Sarah Brown, Chief Development Officer at her YMCA (possible coach or shadow opportunity)
  • Doug Robinson, Grant Writer for local school (could teach me to effectively conduct research and provide samples of grants)
  • Debbie Wagner, Senior Administrative Assistant (may offer tutorial for creating effective PowerPoint presentations)

Note in parentheses Jill includes exactly how she expects these role models/experts will help her in her quest to become more skilled at Philantrhopy. Jill assigns target dates indicating when she will discuss her development needs with each person in the next column.

The Key Coaching questions in the Development Guide may also be used by those coaching someone seeking to develop a leadership competency. For example, the people Jill chose to help her (Sarah, Doug and Debbie) may use these questions to launch a discussion with Jill about what it looks like to strengthen the Philanthropy competency.

Step 5: Complete Column IV - Formal Training & Self-Study and Target Dates

The Training Opportunities and Suggested Readings contained in the Leadership Competency Development Guide will be helpful in completing this step.

This column addresses the 10% in the 70/20/10 learning formula and requires you to identify formal training and self-study in which you will participate to further develop in the competency you selected.

Example: Jill turns to page 24 in the Development Guide and reads the suggested Training Opportunities and Self-Study: Suggested Readings & Books. She commits to:

  • Reading the book: “How to ask anyone for any amount for any purpose” By L. Fredricks and
  • Attending the annual AFP International Conference on Fundraising

Jill assigns target dates in the next column indicating when she will read the book and when she will attend the conference.

Step 6: Determine Leadership Certification Goals

Refer to the Leadership Certification Handbook for requirements of each certification level. Consider applying one or more of your learning activities in your Development Plan to fulfilling Leadership Certification requirements.

Step 7: Engage in on-going discussions with your coach or trusted advisor about your career goals and Development Plan progress.

Include as part of your discussion plans for achieving or maintaining Leadership Certification.

Assess Development Opportunities Using 70/20/10 Learning Formula[1]:
Refer to the Leadership Competency Development Guide for suggested experience-based learning assignments, key coaching questions, formal training, self-study & valuable tips.
I. Leadership Competency
to Develop / II. Experience-based Assignments
(70%) / Target Dates / III. Who will you ask to help?( And How?)
(20%) / Target Dates / IV. Formal Training &
Self-Study
(10%) / Target Dates
(a)Philanthropy
______
(b) Behavior Description(s):
  • Designs and conducts training programs for volunteers, staff and other groups in order to educate them about the charitable nature of the Y.
  • Secures gifts from prospective donors in order to generate financial support for the Y’s mission.
/
  1. Give a presentation about the Y’s mission impact and community benefit to a group of prospective members or donors.
  1. Research opportunities and write a successful grant proposal.
/ By 3/31/2011
By 6/15/2011 / Sarah Brown, Chief Development Officer at my YMCA (possible coach or shadow opportunity).
Doug Robinson, Grant Writer, for local school (could teach me to effectively conduct research and provide samples of grants)
Debbie Wagner, Senior Administrative Assistant (may offer tutorial for creating effective PowerPoint presentations). / Contact by: 1/20/2011
Set meeting:
2/28/2011
Contact by:
1/20/2011 / Read the book: “How to ask anyone for any amount for any purpose” By L. Fredricks.
Attend AFP International Conference on Fundraising / By 2/01/2011
Scheduled: 3/20-3/23, 2011
Assess Development Opportunities Using 70/20/10 Learning Formula[1]:
Refer to the Leadership Competency Development Guide for suggested experience-based learning assignments, key coaching questions, formal training, self-study & valuable tips.
I. Leadership Competency
to Develop / II. Experience-based Assignments
(70%) / Target Dates / III. Who will you ask to help?
And How?
(20%) / Target Dates / IV. Formal Training &
Self-Study
(10%) / Target Dates
(a)
______
(b) Behavior Description(s): / 1.
2.
3.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT PLAN | page 1

[1]70/20/10 Learning Formula: Describes how leadership competencies are developed. 70% of learning and development comes from real-life, on-the-job experiences; 20% of learning and development comes from coaching, feedback and from observing and working with role models; 10% of learning and development comes from formal training.

[1]70/20/10 Learning Formula: Describes how leadership competencies are developed. 70% of learning and development comes from real-life, on-the-job experiences; 20% of learning and development comes from coaching, feedback and from observing and working with role models; 10% of learning and development comes from formal training.