Designing a Leader’s Action Plan

Marion Anderson, an American opera singer, had the distinction of being the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Now, that’s leading the way!  She said, “Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.”

Her quote reinforces my belief that working with people effectively and respectfully must be behaviorally based if you intend to succeed as a leader. How to successfully work with people, understanding why they do what they do, in any situation, is in my humble opinion, the last great frontier.

Let’s Talk About Designing A Leader Action Plan

As a leader, you act in realistic, effective and holistic ways. Think about the actions you would actually take as the leader in any situation you may find yourself in. What would you do and say to whom, when, where and how?

An effective leadership action plan includes three distinct parts:

• Identifying areas of interest (what makes you take action)
• Accounting for what’s happening (relating to one another)
• Selecting the appropriate theoretical leadership strategies

At this point you may be thinking this sounds a lot like my management professor’s case study format. Well, you’re close, but the case study method does not include behavioral theories.

The leader’s action plan takes you into the real-world application of all your knowledge and experiences. You are translating your knowledge from a variety of sources. Drawing on your experiences, policies and procedures, regulations, courses, role models, mentors, and any other relevant information and blending the theoretical behavior with smart, sound, thoughtful and reflective leader actions.

I don’t know any other area of life where you use everything you have learned and then apply it to solving a challenge. No knowledge is lost in your Leader Action Plan.

What are the key elements of the Leader Action Plan?

1. It must be realistic, meaning that it is possible, within the policies and resources of the organization.
2. It must be holistic, the plan addresses all the areas of interest and all significant leadership concerns. Also, and this is very important, it must not cause new problems to develop.
3. It uses behavioral science and leadership theories. You are translating theoretical leader strategies into realistic action.
4. It must be well-written and logical. There should be a chronological or logical flow of leader interventions and actions. Clear communication is critical to success especially if you are not the one who will carry out the plan.
5. It is creative and insightful. The leader action plan should demonstrate innovation, job knowledge and leadership theories in application.

I’ll see you in the front row of success.