In my consulting work with organizational leaders, I have observed two phenomena as it relates to their development goals.
First, I have observed that most leaders (50+) do not have clear development goals for themselves.
I think the primary reason for this is because they tend to operate 100% in performance mode, and 0% in learning mode. But, I also think that when leaders do not have clear development goals for themselves, they are implying that they do not need to develop, that they have “arrived.”
Second, for the leaders who do have development goals for themselves, their goals are generally focused on the wrong form of development.
Together, most leaders are misstepping when it comes to their development goals.
In this article, I want to help you get clear on some development goals you should consider for yourself.
Two Forms of Development
To set the appropriate foundation for identifying appropriate leadership development goals, it is important to recognize that there are two forms of development: horizontal development and vertical development.
Horizontal development is development focused on improving our talent, knowledge, skills and abilities. It is a lot like adding an app onto an iPad. It involves efforts to expand the things we can do. Generally, this takes the shape of learning or practicing something new.
- For example, a leader may have a developmental goal to develop the skills of delegating, and then seek out a class or workshop where they can learn more about delegation and what to do to delegate more effectively. Note the emphasis on learning and doing.
Vertical development is development focused on upgrading our internal operating system such that we are able to navigate our world in more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated ways. It is not like adding an app onto an iPad. It is more like upgrading the iPad’s operating system so that it becomes more capable of performing its various functions. Generally, this takes the shape of deepening one’s self-awareness; awakening to one’s fears, commitments, and mindsets; and engaging in concerted efforts to reprogram our nonconscious instinctual patterns of behavior that are holding us back.
- For example, a leader may have a developmental goal to become a more empowering leader (recognizing that they micromanage at times). To engage in vertical development, they will seek help to deepen their self-awareness, awaken to what fears are causing them to micromanage (e.g., they are afraid that their employees’ actions may reflect poorly on them), and then work on rising above their fear by practicing trusting their employees more or by working on developing more of a growth mindset. Note that the emphasis here is less about learning and doing, and it is ultimately about improving their being.
A Key to Identifying Productive Leadership Development Goals
My experience working with leaders has taught me that:
- Most leaders are much more familiar with horizontal development than vertical development
- Most leaders primarily focus on horizontal development
- When leaders struggle, it has a lot more to do with vertical development limitations (i.e., being issues) than horizontal development limitations (i.e., knowing and doing issues)
So, when you consider your development goals, you should make sure that you are focused on both horizontal and vertical development goals.
Examples of Healthy Leadership Development Goals
Below are some examples of healthy leadership development goals across both horizontal and vertical development.
Horizontal Development Goals
- Improve my executive presence
- Improve my communication skills
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Master the decision making process so that I can more effectively navigate difficult decisions in a manner that gains buy-in from those connected to the decision
- Become more knowledgeable about the importance of diversity and inclusion and how to harness this understanding for more effective leadership
- Improve my ability to more effectively coach my employees
- Learn how to more effectively create a healthy culture of accountability
- Learn tactics to improve psychological safety
Vertical Development Goals
- Awaken to the fears and insecurities that are holding me back
- Determine if I have any mindsets that make me more wired for self-protection than value creation
- Loosen my grip on my need to look good, be valued, be right, avoid problems, or get ahead (notice that these are all self-focused needs)
- Enhance my self-, behavioral, moral, and/or emotional complexity
- Awaken to and rise above any mental or emotional blocks
- Establish a deep and meaningful purpose that is focused on creating value for others
- Expand my capacity to be vulnerable
- Improve my emotional intelligence (this is not a horizontal development goal because our emotional intelligence is more about the quality of our nervous system than our knowledge and skills)
- Become more resilient, adaptable, and/or agile
- Improve my ability to more effectively coach my employees
- Improve my relationship with time so that I become more effective and/or have greater work/life balance
Want Support?
I work with organizations to help them with these Vertical Development Goals. If you would like me to help your leaders progress on these types of goals, let’s connect.
