# The 7 Steps of a Good Leadership Development Plan.

> A leadership development plan is a structured guide for nurturing future leaders. It involves identifying high-potential people, defining needed leadership...

- URL: https://icehrm.com/blog/the-7-steps-of-a-good-leadership-development-plan
- Published: 2025-10-16
- Author: IceHrm
- Topics: Leadership development
- Publisher: IceHrm (https://icehrm.com), HR management software

### What It’s About

A leadership development plan is a roadmap crafted to help people become leaders  not just in title, but in actions, mindset, and capability. The idea is to build a consistent process so that you have leaders ready for today and tomorrow, especially in times of change or uncertainty.

### Why It Matters

Organizations that take leadership seriously tend to retain good people, stay resilient, and adapt faster when situations shift. When you have a clear plan, employees feel valued and see a path forward. As a result, you build a pipeline of capable leaders who align with the company’s strategy and values.

### The 7 Steps of a Good Leadership Development Plan

1.  **Assess and Identify Talent**  
    Figure out who has potential. Use tools like a 9-box grid to map current performance vs future potential. Select people who are already doing well and are likely to go further.
2.  **Secure Buy-In from Stakeholders**  
    It’s not enough for HR to like the idea — leaders, managers, and the employee need to agree. Everyone has to see how this plan aligns with the organization's direction and commits time and resources to it.
3.  **Choose the Leadership Style(s)**  
    Determine what type of leadership fits best: coaching, transformational, democratic, etc. In volatile times, agility and adaptability are very important — leaders who can flex their style depending on the situation.
4.  **Define Key Leadership Competencies**  
    Decide what skills and traits will matter: communication, cultural intelligence, digital readiness, leading self and others, etc. These will shape the development activities.
5.  **Assess Current Competencies Against Those Needs**  
    Check where each participant currently is. What are their strengths? Where are the gaps? That gives you a baseline to build from.
6.  **Design the Development Plan**  
    This is where you pick the methods and activities: training courses, mentoring, job shadowing, rotations, etc. Mix formal learning with real experiences.
7.  **Use Continuous Feedback & 360-Degree Assessment**  
    After launching the plan, keep checking how it’s going. Use feedback from managers, peers, direct reports. Adjust the plan as required so it stays relevant.