Develop an Action Plan.

The purpose of feedback is to change behaviour when the feedback shows that there is an element of what you are currently doing that is not quite working well enough.

When facilitating feedback and 360, I encourage participants to work towards developing their own Action Plan or it as it is sometimes called, a Personal Development Plan to anchor the feedback that they have worked so hard to understand.

When leaders commit to achieving one or two changes in behaviour, as a result of the feedback they receive, they can create real and significant personal change and even positively influence a wider culture change, at the same time.

Adopt a Structured Approach

The structured approach works very well. An Action Plan helps each participant to commit to a detailed plan going forward, which addresses those issues of behavioural change that they have decided will have most impact on their leadership signature.

When developing an action plan, it helps to be specifc about goals and describe clear 'how tos'. For example, if you decide that you need to improve your communication, then it is important to be specific about what element(s) of communication you wish to address.

Be as Detailed as Possible

Ask yourself, what are the detailed things you will do to improve your communication? For example, will you decide to hold monthly management meetings; take a presentation-skills course; submit 3 articles per year to company magazine or blog; perhaps you will decide to visit your major clients every two months?

The message here is that unless you are very specific in your goals and the details of how you will achieve them, you will tend to end up with a wish-list of goals and objectives that never gets fulfilled.

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