The Role of Progression Plans in Building Future Leaders
In the corporate world, you need to be aggressive and have some aspirations if you wish to progress. You should not be comfortable in whatever role you are in at the moment. If you want to grow and advance as a leader, then you need a progression plan. A progression plan builds leaders. In this post, we will discuss how exactly this happens.
What is a progression plan?
A progression plan is a roadmap containing details that a person will take as they rise through the ranks at an organisation. For instance, if you are working in a junior role at a company, naturally, you have aspirations to move into a senior role in the future. So, you can come up with goals that will help you achieve this. You also need to acquire some skills and lessons that will help you advance through the ranks. Therefore, a progression plan is a documented strategy that gives you a clear picture of things you need to focus on so you can advance in your career.
A progression plan typically includes the following components:
● Career goals and objectives – identifying specific career goals and objectives eventually.
● Skills development – identifying specific skills and knowledge gaps that need to be worked on for career advancements.
● Timelines and milestones – realistic and adaptable timelines for short-term and long-term career goals.
● Support and resources – planning support and resources necessary for the success of the progression plan, like coaching, training programs, and feedback mechanisms.
How does a progression plan help in building future leaders?
A progression plan is very beneficial for future leaders. It is one of the elements that helps build strong future leaders. It does so by:
1. Providing a clear roadmap for career advancement
It is one thing to have a vision of where you want to be in your career in the future, and another thing to have a clear strategy and roadmap. With a clear roadmap for career advancements, a progression plan empowers future leaders to take ownership of their growth. It allows them to understand the steps they need to take to advance in their careers. Individual advancement usually results in organisational advancement. For this reason, companies invest in progression plans for their staff to build future leaders.
2. Helping with talent development
Progression plans also help professionals develop their talents so they can become future leaders. Professionals are more likely to get motivation to work on developing their talents when they have a clear strategy of how to do it and a clear vision. Also, a progression plan normally includes training opportunities that allow professionals to gain the skills they need to advance and succeed in their careers. These training programs help them advance their talents, which benefits the employees and the organisations they work for.
3. Encouraging leaders to keep track of their progress
One of the best practices that comes with having a progression plan is the frequency progress tracking. With a progression plan, you have to regularly track your progress according to the contents of your strategy. This gives leaders a chance to point out their progress, areas that still need work, and make necessary adjustments. It also provides opportunities for goal reassessment, obstacle addressing, and plan realignment in case there are changes in terms of employment or overall industry advancements. This is essential for building future leaders who are continually motivated to do better and always have their growth in mind.
4. Providing motivation
A progression plan motivates professionals to give their all to advance their careers. It increases their chances of becoming great future leaders, which also contributes to the success of an organisation. Businesses also experience increased employee retention and morale when they invest in the progression of their employees.
Conclusion
A progression plan is very instrumental for future leaders and the growth of an organisation. For this reason, more organisations are helping their teams come up with and implement their progression plans. This strategy works best if the plan is tailored to an individual or a specific group.
