A Simple 4 Step Process for Professional Development

Leadership development isn’t rocket science, but it does require discipline. Top leaders employ a simple four-step process that develops both competence and influence. They look inward, seek feedback, commit to improvement, and teach others.

Step 1: Look Inward

Start by taking an honest assessment of your current strengths and weaknesses. What leadership situations energize you? Where do you consistently struggle? This self-awareness is your development baseline.

Step 2: Seek External Feedback

Ask for feedback from people who know you. Your family, direct reports, and colleagues see patterns that you don’t. The key is to ask the right questions and create psychological safety for honest responses.

Step 3: Commit to Improvement

Specify areas for development and make concrete plans for their improvement. Don’t attempt to fix everything at once—isolate one or two critical areas that will have the most impact on your effectiveness.

Step 4: Teach Others (The Game Changer)

This is where mastery actually occurs. Research shows we retain approximately 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, but 90% of what we teach others. As you teach your new skills to others, you solidify your own learning while multiplying your impact.

Why Teaching Transforms Leaders

Teaching requires you to organize your thoughts, anticipate questions, and communicate your message in different learning styles. It reveals areas where you need to improve your knowledge and makes you a master. Most importantly, it has a multiplier effect—the leaders you develop will go on to develop others.

The most effective leaders are not only talented; they are talent multipliers. They know that their own legacy is not based on what they do themselves, but on what they empower others to do.

Your Next Move

Which action requires your focus right now? Keep in mind, leadership growth is a process, not an event.