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 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 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. A single slide with three mini case studies that illustrate varying approaches to roll-out.

  2. Slides from an implementation workshop that outline a process for moving through implementation (including an appendix with a lot of detail)

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