Investing in Future Leaders Roll-out Toolkit

Thank you for continuing to invest in this process and your organization’s talent!

Introduction

Bridgespan has designed and consolidated tools to help your organization roll out to broader staff the approaches and practices you piloted during the Investing in Future Leaders program.

These tools include example email text, instructional videos, development planning templates, and other resources to support the development planning process. We encourage you to customize these provided resources to best meet your organization’s needs.

Resources are grouped below into three steps aligned with how you might engage in development planning with a direct report:

  • Step 1: Share context on development planning
  • Step 2: Identify development priorities
  • Step 3: Co-create a 70/20/10 development plan

We also include a section on additional ways to use competencies in your organization.

We encourage you to explore the resources provided below. If you have any questions about these tools or suggestions on how they can be improved, please reach out to the Bridgespan Coaching team at [email protected].

Step 1: Share Context on Development Planning

As a first step you’ll want to share context about the development planning process and your organization’s “competencies.” 

Actions: 

  1. Email your direct report using the initial outreach template [Resource 1 below]

  2. Review the Kickoff meeting discussion guide [Resource 5 below]

  3. Meet with your direct report to discuss the process

Relevant resources:

  1. Initial email outreach template [MS Word|Google Doc]

  2. Introduction to competencies [video]

  3. Competency FAQs [PDF]

  4. Competency Bank [MS PowerPoint|Google Slides] 

  5. Kickoff meeting discussion guide [MS Word|Google Doc]

Step 2: Identify Development Priorities

As a next step you will be meeting with your direct report to identify competencies to focus on for growth.

Actions:

  1. Email your direct report using the development priorities outreach template [Resource 1 below]

  2. Review the development priorities discussion guide [Resource 5 below]

  3. Meet with your direct report to agree on development priorities

Relevant resources:

  1. Development priorities outreach template [MS Word | Google Doc]

  2. Introduction to setting development priorities [video]

  3. Development priorities template [MS PowerPoint | Google Slides]

  4. Development priorities FAQs [PDF]

  5. Development priorities discussion guide [MS Word | Google Doc]

  6. Detailed guide for 45-minute development priorities meeting with direct report [PDF]

Step 3: Co-create 70-20-10 Development Plan

As a next step you will be meeting with your direct report to co-create a 70-20-10 development plan.

Actions: 

  1. Email your direct report using the 70-20-10 development planning email template [Resource 1 below]

  2. Review the 70-20-10 development planning discussion guide [Resource 7 below]

  3. Meet with your direct report to co-create a 70-20-10 plan and discuss how you’ll use this plan  (likely over multiple meetings)

Relevant resources: 

  1. 70-20-10 Development planning outreach template [MS Word | Google Doc]

  2. Introduction to 70-20-10 development planning [video]

  3. 70-20-10 Development planning template [MS PowerPoint | Google Slides]

  4. 70-20-10 Development Planning FAQs [PDF]

  5. On-the-Job Activities Bank [MS PowerPoint | Google Slides]

  6. Ideas and resources for “the 10” [MS PowerPoint | Google Slides]

  7. 70-20-10 Development planning discussion guide [MS Word | Google Doc]

  8. Detailed guide for 45-minute development plan meeting with direct report [PDF]

Additional ways to use competencies in your organization 

In addition to development planning, you may consider other ways to use your competencies in your organization.

Potential actions:

  1. Use competencies in hiring (e.g., job posting, interview questions, candidate scorecard)
  2. Use competencies to build organizational culture. For example:
    1. Post competencies on the organization’s website
    2. Display competencies in a staff common room
    3. Refer to competencies regularly in various forums
    4. Publicly celebrate when staff exemplify a competency
    5. Do a series of “lunch-and-learn” sessions about the competencies

Relevant resources:

The third section of the Implementation Workshop covers additional ways to use competencies in your organization. [Slides 19-23 in this Google Slides deck] [Minute 36:54 to minute 44:13 in this recording]

Additional resources for implementation 

You may be interested in rolling out this approach of competency-based development planning more widely within your organization. There’s not one roll-out plan that suits every organization, because organizations have different starting points, cultures, priorities, etc. Some ways that implementation can vary are:

  • Who you roll out to (e.g., all staff; those with supervisory roles only)

  • When you roll out (i.e. phased or all at once; over what timeframe)

  • Whether you adapt the process for different staff members (e.g., some teams abbreviate it for front-line staff)

Given this context, attached are a few resources that may help, and we recommend looking at them in this order:

  1. The slides and recording from the Implementation Workshop, which include guidance on how to roll out development planning, how to stay consistent about using development plans, and other ways to use competencies.

    • The event materials feature examples of implementation from previous organizations that completed Investing in Future Leaders

  2. A short sample implementation plan from a real (but disguised) organization in DC