Professional development
TYPE: GUIDED EXERCISE
As with any role, a co-leadership role should support the individual’s professional development goals and help them build new areas of expertise. These should be developed as per the organisation’s goal setting process. Co-leads should also decide what they wish to learn together - a shared professional development goal. With two or more co-leads, the professional development budget increases so planning for this in advance can help to manage sensitivities when opportunities arise.
Individual goal
Reflect on these questions to help you formulate individual professional development goals. What are your individual professional development goals? What new skills, knowledge or areas of expertise do you wish to build in the year ahead? Do you have any ideas already of how you might meet this goal?
Shared goal
With your co-lead(s), review your professional development goals together. Do you have questions for each other? Is there any crossover? Together, brainstorm what you might want to learn together. What new skills, knowledge or areas of expertise do you wish to build together in the year ahead? Do you have any ideas already of how you both might meet this goal and how you wish to be reviewed for it?
Consideration
BUDGETING
Agree together what a fair approach is for managing a shared professional development budget. Will you review opportunities like training or speaking invitations as they come up or will you allocate budget at the beginning of the financial year? How might you manage the tension that arises if a professional development opportunity arises and you only have the budget for one of you to take it.
COACHING
Will you both hire individual and shared coaches? What values or approaches are important to you in a coach?
ANNUAL REVIEW
Agree with the board how you will be reviewed individually and as a co-leads, communicating this with your staff so they are clear when and how they can also be part of the review process.
