MONITORING IN LEADERSHIP

Monitoring practices can be daunting, especially for something as multifaceted and difficult to quantify as leadership development. To knock the problem down to manageable size, begin by stating as clearly and comprehensively as possible what you want to achieve. The vision of the future and the development goals compiled in your Plan A, which encapsulates your strategy for reaching your target, can help organize your thinking.

Next, summarize the specific actions and initiatives you’re taking to build up the leadership pipeline. You can then start to determine whether those actions are having the desired effect. One way to organize your summary is in a table that outlines your leadership development priorities The actual specifics will vary depending on your organization’s strategic priorities and context.

Now, with your priorities in front of you, you can turn your attention to the information you’ll need to measure how well your organization is performing the tasks it has set for itself. What you’re looking for is information that will tell you:

• whether you’re complying with the leadership development plan you’ve drawn up;
• how you’re progressing against your leadership goals; and finally
• how effective your actions have been in meeting your leadership development goals and whether (and how) to adjust.

I'm still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to. For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent.