Development: Who is in the lead?

I was working with a client recently and one of the leaders asked, who is responsible for his direct reports development? He is a self-starter and has created his own development plan without the help of his leaders. His question was, ‘do I write my direct reports’ development action plan (DAP) or do they do it?

His employee has not taken the initiative to write his DAP. He wanted to know if he should do it, ignore the situation or “make” the employee do the DAP?

What do you think?

My thinking is that it is a 50-50 contract and the leaders will want to go first. The leader should highlight why development is important. Next, the leader should ask the employee what they would like their desired outcomes to be in the next year. What is the gap between the desired outcome and current reality? This is the starting point for the development plan.

Who owns it now? The employee owns the plan. The leader’s role is providing time, resources, and support for the plan. The employee will be the one working on their growth, keeping track of their plan and etc. What happens if they do not do anything? The leaders should follow up and check on the progress. Ask if they need resources, guidance, etc. If they do not do anything, you have owned your 50%. The employee will have trouble keeping up until they work on their development.

Here is the coaching model I use for these conversations –

               G – Goal

               R – Reality

               O – Options

               W – What’s next?

Finally, I ask the person to envision completing the plan. How do you want me to recognize you for when you complete the plan?

Let me know what your development best practices are and good luck on growing yourself and your team!