How do you convey your executive development needs?

To effectively communicate your executive development needs, start by assessing and clearly defining what you need to excel. Be honest, direct, and specific about your development goals. This clear communication ensures you get the right resources and support to succeed. Talk less, act more!

Before you can address your executive development needs, you must first understand them. Start by thoroughly assessing your current skills, knowledge, gaps, areas for improvement, and future goals. This deep dive gives you the clarity to prioritize the most important. With this clarity, you can then craft a targeted strategy to grow in your role and achieve long-term success. This strategy, based on your unique needs and goals, is the key to effective professional development.

Before communicating your development needs, it's crucial to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment of your current skills, knowledge, abilities, and performance. Utilise tools like feedback surveys, 360-degree reviews, personality tests, or SWOT analysis to identify gaps and areas for improvement. Be honest, objective, and realistic about your strengths and weaknesses, prioritising urgent and significant needs. Understanding your development requirements lays the foundation for effective communication and targeted growth strategies

Building self-awareness is foundational for executives seeking development. Recognizing the need for self-improvement is crucial before exploring or assessing development needs using various tools already mentioned. Without this self-awareness, attempts at executive development might be ineffective.

360 feedback is great place to start. Frequently, when I am debriefing an executive about their feedback, they jump right to the areas for improvement. You want to look at your strong areas so you can celebrate those and build on them. How can one of your strengths help you in other areas?

Facilitate peer feedback sessions where leaders exchange constructive feedback on each other's strengths and areas for improvement, fostering a culture of mutual growth and development.

Professional development can play a significant role in your career advancement and growth. Whether it’s through taking courses, attending workshops, or obtaining certifications, professional development helps you expand your skills and knowledge. This allows you to take on new responsibilities in your current role but can also make you more competitive in the job market. However, prior to embarking on any development options, it is crucial you first assess your starting point, your goals and the stepping stones in between. There are great ways to do this, in order to gain a holistic view - reviews within your company, executive coaching and simply taking a reflective and honest look at yourself.

Self-Assessment,Identifying Gaps and Aspirations,Prioritization,Setting Specific Goals,Seeking Feedback and Support,Creating a Development Plan,Effective Communication,Regular Review and Adaptation By following these steps, we can effectively convey our executive development needs, ensuring they are aligned with your career aspirations and the organization’s objectives. Remember, the key is to be proactive, open to feedback, and committed to continuous learning and improvement.

I measure these 5 criteria annually with my clients. Why? These 5 creative “learned behaviors” exponentially increase leadership effectiveness: 1. Relating: Your capability to relate to others in a way that brings out the best in people, groups, and organizations. 2. Self-Awareness: The degree to which your inner self-awareness is expressed through high-integrity leadership. 3. Authenticity: Your capability to relate to others with authenticity, courage, and high integrity. 4. Systems Awareness Your awareness of whole system improvement, productivity, and community welfare. 5. Achieving: Your ability to offer visionary, high-achievement leadership. (𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦: Studies by 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯)

Effectively conveying executive development needs isn’t just about what you communicate; it’s about choosing the right audience. It ensures that your message reaches those who can genuinely support and facilitate your growth. For instance, while your immediate supervisor can help with strategic insights, peers might offer practical advice and mentorship opportunities. Identify stakeholders who can impact your development path, such as mentors, senior leaders, or HR professionals, depending on the specific skills or experiences you aim to acquire. By strategically choosing your audience, you maximize the relevance and effectiveness of the discussions, fostering a supportive environment for your professional growth.

Use diverse communication channels tailored to each stakeholder group, such as face-to-face meetings with your boss, informal discussions with peers, coaching sessions with direct reports, and structured mentorship conversations.

I'm going to take a dual perspective on this one. If we are talking about personal executive development needs, pursuing advanced training and certifications to provide a higher level of service to a client (if you are a consultant), or explaining to leadership how advanced training in an area may help the company (if you are an employee) is the first step after determining this need. If we are talking from the perspective of an SME who understands that an executive may need additional work to advance the initiatives and flow of their organization, suggesting this from a gentle framework is advised.

Spend some time in "crystallising" your needs and development wishes and goals --> the clearer you are for yourself, the clearer you will be for answer. To get clearer ask yourself questions around your development, why you want to go or not to go for something. Be clear about what you want and what you don't want and why. If you miss clarity, first exchange to get clearer with peers, mentors and even total outsiders of your area and a coach can be super helpful too. Once your message is framed address the key stakeholders to support you achieving your goals.

TIP - Prioritize relational dynamics in sharing development needs. Beyond just a strategic decision on whom to share with, consider the relational aspect—identify individuals with whom you feel a sense of safety and support. This approach ensures that the conversation about your development needs is not only productive but also nurturing. It’s about finding those who not only understand your professional context but also offer the empathy and encouragement needed for growth. Selecting the right people to share with is as crucial as the message itself, as these relationships can significantly influence your journey towards achieving your development goals.

TIP - Enhance communication with a call for support. After identifying your development needs, engaging with your stakeholders isn't just about sharing; it's also about explicitly asking for their support. Consider what specific assistance or resources you need from each stakeholder to achieve your goals. This approach not only clarifies your expectations but also empowers your stakeholders to contribute effectively to your development journey. Tailoring your requests to the unique capabilities and positions of each stakeholder ensures you receive the right type of support, fostering a collaborative environment that accelerates your growth and success.

Schedule a meeting with your manager or HR to discuss your development. This conversation must be given the focus it deserves. Do not try to fit it into other meetings. This guarantees you will have sufficient time to address your goals, receive feedback, and plan your growth strategy effectively. Set aside a specific time for this discussion. This ensures that you and your manager or HR can give it the attention it deserves.

Whether you're in the C-suite or other executive leadership role, you still ultimately report to *someone*. That person should be your primary audience, with a soft focus on how to help you succeed in your role so they can succeed in theirs. When the person (or people) you report to understand you better, it creates a better opportunity for collaborative success. Peers, people who report to you, or others in the organization are also part of your audience, but the messaging often differs based on company culture. In general, I would advise focusing more on how they can best collaborate with *you* in order for *them* to succeed rather than how they can help you. When you're on top, your job is to *give* support rather than *receive* it.

Once you have identified your development goals, engage your stakeholders by telling them what you are focusing on (be very specific) and asking them to tell you when you are doing it well and when you could do something differently to be even better. Sometimes we are so focused on our deficiencies, that we only look for corrective feedback. It is even more important to get reinforcing feedback for the new behaviors we are demonstrating.

When presenting development needs to decision-makers, I always tailor the message to the specific decision-maker: - I make a list of their goals, needs, problems they want to solve, metrics they'd like to hit. - I consider how my development ask is going to help them achieve their goals, close their gaps, or solve their problems. - I consider their persuasion style - do they respond better to data points, evidence-based use cases, emotional appeals, etc. - I tailor my message to their style of communication - are they more formal or informal? Do they use humor? - I tie all the above together and make the ask face-to-face. This can be done virtually as well; however, my practice is never via email.

Foster an open and collaborative dialogue with your team, encouraging questions, discussions, and feedback to ensure mutual understanding and alignment on the importance of your development needs and the proposed action plan.

Compelling, clear, and brief are communication guidelines to keep in mind as you prepare your message. Put yourself in your audience's shoes. Ask -- and answer -- "what's in it for them?" Prepare your message around the benefits to your audience.

Always start by clearly defining what you need to work on. Explain why these are important and how they align with organizational goals. Suggest actionable steps like training or mentorship to address these needs. You can use examples or data, and create visual presentations to make it engaging. Finally, anticipate any questions or concerns your audience might have and prepare responses!

You must be ready with a clear plan. Investigate training programs, executive coaching, or challenging assignments that will aid your growth. Show that you've considered different solutions. Show how investing in your development will benefit the organization by improving leadership and performance. Highlight the ROI.

I feel the most important attribute is to be 100% clear for yourself about what you want to convey, what is your minimum and ideal outcome of the conversation and be clear about a next step if you cannot reach it. If you are not sure about some factors mention those with a reasoning of why these are open and when this will be clear or under which circumstances. Also know what you don't what and why, which can help to clarify the understanding of the other. Ask clarifying questions to check if your intended message was received. Be open about the response and take a break to digest (maybe even ask for an additional meeting) if needed because the response is not as expected or unforeseen.

This is about framing, not a laundry list of flaws. Focus on aspiration: "I want to refine my communication style to be more impactful at the board level" sounds better than "I ramble in meetings". Show you've done your homework: "I'm considering X leadership course, or perhaps executive coaching" demonstrates initiative. Tip: Emphasize the benefit to the business – this shows you're not just focused on your personal gain, but on making a bigger contribution overall.

Effectively conveying my executive development needs begins with thorough preparation of my message. I assess my current skills, future aspirations, and organizational goals to articulate a clear and compelling narrative. By aligning my development needs with strategic objectives, I ensure relevance and buy-in from key stakeholders. Crafting a concise and persuasive message enables me to effectively communicate the value of investing in my growth, fostering support and collaboration in achieving mutual success.

In my experience, the process of defining one's development needs is far more important than anything else; simply because a great summary of where/what you want to work on answers most questions and sets clear goals. A great tool is: "Write the press release celebrating your own success". This means that you pretend that your development trajectory successfully completed, in a year from now, and as an exercise, you summarise your accomplishments: - I learned that... - My new insights are... - I was able to reflect on.... - I sharpened me skills in the following areas... - I am grateful for the coaching/mentoring I received from x, particularly on the topics of y and z... Once you are done with this, rewrite this back to 'today'.

In conveying executive development needs, the effectiveness hinges not just on the content, but on how the message is delivered. Start by clearly defining your goals and the specific support or resources you need to achieve them. For example, if you're seeking to improve your strategic decision-making, explain how certain training programs or mentorship can help. Present your case with concrete examples of how this development will not only benefit you personally but also positively impact the organization. Use a tone that conveys commitment and readiness for growth. When you articulate your needs effectively, you engage your audience, making it easier for them to understand and support your development journey.

Personally, I find that asking for advice and being truly open to the answer is helpful both in getting the information as well as in building trust with my audience.

You may have defined what your development needs are, but now you need to flip the script and ask yourself, how will that investment benefit your employer? They are about to spend time and money on growing your skills, they need to have a clear vision of what they stand to gain. So while the goals it to help you develop, the result needs to be impactful for them as well. Two ways to do that: 1) How will your future skills add value? When you can do X, how will Y be improved? 2) Companies grow quickly. Investing in growth now means you can become the leader they need in 8 months. Think how this investment could be a win-win.

Stay true to yourself and set yourself in a supportive mindset / state of mind: what do you need to be calm, open, energetic and prepared for any answer. Breath a lot, make breaks and use the very strong tool of repetition and asking clarifying questions before you judge any comments or the complete situation :)

Conveying my executive development needs involves skillfully delivering my message. I leverage various communication channels, such as one-on-one meetings, presentations, or written proposals, to articulate the importance of my growth to relevant stakeholders. By adapting my message to resonate with each audience's priorities and preferences, I ensure clarity and alignment. Effective delivery fosters understanding and support, enabling me to access the resources and opportunities essential for my continued professional development and organizational success.

The best way to deliver a message about your own development needs, is after a few conditions have been met: - you have set the stage first with your direct manager and other relevant stakeholders, like HR or your mentor, if you have one (everyone should have a mentor btw). - prepare; keep it short and S.M.A.R.T. - only organise this type of session after the 360-degrees assessment is done, including feedback from your manager, your partner or other people that know you well - you are sure that you and others are clear about your development needs

As a senior executive leader, I am well aware of my own senior executive development status and I am able to effectively assess the areas that may need further focus. I make sure that I stay up to date with industry trends, which allows me to benchmark my own progress against what is needed right now and going forward in order to guide the organization successfully. With this, and any feedback I may have received, in mind, I actively pursue additional executive development and communicate my needs for support to my top leadership including the Chief of Staff, the Administrative Director and the Chief Justice.

In conveying your executive development needs, actively listening to feedback and responding appropriately is key. Engage with mentors, colleagues, or coaches, seeking their insights on your performance and areas for growth. Actively listening to their perspectives provides a broader understanding of your development needs. Then, respond by acknowledging this feedback and incorporating it into your development plan. This process demonstrates your commitment to growth and openness to learning, essential qualities in effective executive leadership.

Listening to feedback is hard. Listen with the intent to learn, not to respond. You need to prepare for that listening-mode, and use tools to avoid the urge of wanting to give some clap-back. For example, by writing everything down what people say and summarising it: "So what you are saying is...", "If I understand you correctly, the key point is..." Yes, there are the pleasantries and the pleases and thank-you's, but most important is that you understand what is being said and that this is done with the best possible intent in mind. Take the time. Silence is a powerful tool to process information and to pace a conversation. Use it to your advantage.

The biggest challenge when receiving feedback is to not be defensive. If we are triggered by constructive feedback, we will get into fight or flight mode and not be able to extract the value from what the person is telling us. If you start to feel triggered, take a breath and ask a question. That engages the thinking part of your brain and gets you out of your reactionary and defensive response. Ask for more examples, perhaps. Then, thank the person for the feedback and decide what you want to do with the information .

I initiate dialogues with key stakeholders, encouraging open discussions about my growth aspirations and organizational objectives. By attentively listening to their feedback and concerns, I can tailor my development needs to align with broader strategic goals. This interactive approach fosters collaborative decision-making, ensuring that investments in my professional development benefit both personal advancement and organizational success.

Leadership development is an investment, not an expense. Begin by meticulously identifying the skills and knowledge gaps that exist. Know precisely who needs to hear your development strategy—stakeholders, HR, or your team. Craft a message that’s clear and compelling, highlighting benefits and ROI. Deliver it with confidence, and be open to input. Engage in a dialogue, not a monologue. The goal? To create a culture of continuous growth where potential is not just recognized but fully realized.

I’d encourage executives to fight against the tide and focus on authenticity and vulnerability when it comes to communicating what you’re developing on and why. While true at all levels, executives can be more vulnerable to feeling compelled to mask their need for growth and development. At the end of the day, no matter how successful you are, you’ve never arrived. Being open and honest about that won’t only improve your overall development experience, it sends a positive message to the employees in your sphere of influence. People often model the behaviors they see in their leaders. Doing this well can have a ripple effect that encourages others to objectively assess their opportunity areas and prioritize their own development.

Effectively conveying your executive development needs involves clear communication. I'd suggest executives to start by identifying specific areas where you need growth and skills enhancement. Engage in open and honest discussions with mentors, coaches, or HR professionals to share your aspirations and challenges. Utilize feedback from performance evaluations and self-assessments to support your case. Construct a professional development plan outlining objectives, resources, and timelines. Demonstrating your commitment to growth and your willingness to collaborate with others can help you convey your executive development needs convincingly, leading to tailored development opportunities and career growth.

A couple of important points I'd like to add... - Timing matters: If the company's in a huge transition, your development might need to take a temporary backseat. Read the room. - Follow-up: Development isn't a one-time thing. After a training/coaching event, check back in with the person who helped make it happen. Share what you learned and how you're applying it. This makes you look serious, not just someone who ticks boxes. - Pay it forward: As you develop, become a mentor yourself. This strengthens a culture of continuous learning in the company, and who knows, those junior leaders you help now might be the ones advocating for your development opportunities in the future!

The key to success is to approach the conversation with confidence and a clear plan. Show how your growth as a leader will benefit both you and the organization. Take the initiative, be clear about your goals, and demonstrate your commitment to ongoing development.

Executives should understand they are unique, and it's important to be kind to themselves. Accepting who they are and knowing that change is a natural part of progress in their leadership journey is crucial. As leaders in the business world, realizing the balance between being an individual and working together for common goals reveals important truths about leadership. Embracing the idea that change is constant becomes a personal adventure and a deep understanding, like the ongoing ups and downs of life. This understanding helps leaders find harmony in being themselves while navigating the changes in their organizations.

Don’t wait for your employer to give you permission to develop yourself. There are so many free and high quality options to utilize before even creating an internal formalized plan. Demonstrating that you’ve taken those steps first can be beneficial when asking for budget money. Even approaching the folks in your company who you can learn from and asking them to informally or formally mentor you is a great first start. Mentoring is a huge part of executive development, and if the leaders in your org don’t want to help you in that capacity, that is a good data point for you to consider when thinking about your future with the company.