3-Bullet Development Plans: Why Growth Should Fit on a Post-It Note

Read Time: 2 minutes.

During our private cohort of the MGMT Accelerator last week, an executive mentioned his "three-bullet development plan" while addressing his team.

Mar and I shot puzzling glances at each other. He hadn't been through our program, but that's exactly what we teach.

Why three bullets?

Two reasons:

1. Because the HR industrial complex, in a well-intentioned effort to expand their influence, overcomplicated development plans so much that most leaders roll their eyes when they hear the words "development plans".

2. Because that's all it really takes.

The goal of a development plan is to improve someone's specific capability to create more impact and value.

• We're not trying to drown managers in useless admin work.

• We're not trying to make them good people.

• We're not trying to placate HR.

We are helping them get better at their jobs.

Here's how to do it in just three bullets:

1. The Gap

Start with brutal honesty: what capability gap are we closing?

Two requirements here:

• Mutual buy-in. If they don't want to close this gap, or if the company doesn't truly value it, you're wasting everyone's time.

• Clear consequences. Is this about meeting the standard of their current role or growing into the next one? What happens if they don't close it?

2. The Plan

What specific steps are we taking? You need three elements:

• Resources: Give them the tools, frameworks, and reference materials (articles, podcasts, videos) they need. If you have a working practice, share it.

• Training: This could be formal training, but often works better through partnerships or apprenticeships.

• Real Work: Theory means nothing without practice. Create rapid cycles of do-and-iterate in real scenarios. Want to cement learning? Have them teach someone else.

3. The Review

How and when are we evaluating progress?

This isn't about creating more bureaucracy. Build it into your existing 1:1s to:

• Action: Avoid over-investing in planning at the expense of leani

• Adjustment: Make refinements based on coaching

• Accountability: Ensure they do the work

That's it. Three bullets.

If your development plans are longer than this, you're probably focusing on documentation rather than development.

What You Missed This Week

Our Monday AM posts:

📌 Stop Complaining About Your Bad Manager (Dave)
📌  15 Habits of People Who Are Easy to Work With (Mar)

And here are our most popular posts last week:

1. 11 Visuals That’ll Shift Your Mindset (Dave)

2.  Interview Your Manager Before You Take the Job (Mar)

3. How to Handle Underperformers (Dave)

4. 11 Leadership Lessons Hiding in Plain Sight (Mar)

5. The More People Paradox (Dave)

📌 Did you miss last week’s MGMT Minute?

We offered a quick reality check to make sure you’re not building a steam of start underperformers.

Our goal is to build a community of 1 million thoughtful, curious leaders.

You can help us by sharing anything that resonates with you.  

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave & Mar

.