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    • Action plan

    Develop your digital skills as a leader

    Medium effort

    Medium impact

    Developing digital skills lets leaders harness the latest technology, fix inefficiencies and stay ahead of the curve – but there’s only so much time in the day. Think about what digital skills are most important to the business and be smart about where you spend your time as a leader.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline
    What's involved? Ways to use this action plan Measuring impact
    1

    Assess digital skills gaps in your business, considering what you should learn yourself and what you should delegate or outsource

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Learning skills that are cheap to outsource or will only be used on a one-off project isn’t an effective use of your time. A skills gap analysis will highlight where key skills are missing.

    External agencies can deliver immediate expertise and fast results

    An external agency helped Maxwell Scott double revenue, but software company Softwire warns SMEs to only trust results.

    Conducting a skills gap analysis

    Use our free skills gap analysis checklist to determine the key skills missing from your organisation.
    2

    Set a goal for your skills development, making sure new skills will effectively drive the business forward or help you become a better leader

    Impact: low

    Why will this help?

    The digital landscape is vast. Setting a clear goal will focus your learning and prevent you from getting sidetracked.

    Using the SMART methodology to set goals

    Use our SMART goal-setting template to make each goal specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.

    Holding yourself accountable to goals as a leader

    Your goals are crucial to moving the business forward, but it can be hard to stay focused. Our checklist will help you build a structure.
    3

    Reach out to peers in your network who could provide advice or give you a demo of how they use relevant technology

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    There’s a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can tap into within your own business network. Reach out to colleagues or peers and see what they can offer, from shadowing and coaching to a simple chat over coffee.

    Building a network from scratch

    Building a network allows you to access advice and guidance from other business leaders and experts. Use our checklist to get started.

    Build a business network for mutually beneficial relationships and fresh perspectives

    Building a business network in the hospitality industry has been essential in turning around the fortunes of Cornwall pub and hotel, The Norway Inn.
    4

    Sign up for an expert-led training session or webinar to fill any gaps in your knowledge

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    While books, YouTube tutorials and online forums will help with the basics, connecting with an expert is a great way to build up a stronger grasp of a digital skill.

    An introduction to evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as a leader

    Business leaders are used to spending time assessing the strengths and weaknesses of others but it’s crucial to be able to reflect on your own capabilities.
    5

    Look for ways to build on your original goal and continue your digital skills development, whether it’s signing up for a best practice newsletter or booking in a training session once a month.

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Technology is always changing, so it’s important to be proactive about maintaining your digital skills. Try to commit a small amount of time to continuing learning every month to keep your knowledge up to date.

    What can I do with this Action Plan?

    Start this Action Plan

    Add some extra information to this plan and we’ll help you get it done.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline

    Download and print

    Get a printable template for this Action Plan, fill it in with some target dates, and share it with your team. Pin it on the wall where everyone can see it.

    Get the printable Action Plan

    Learning Groups

    We also run Learning Groups on these topics where you can join other leaders tackling the same challenges.

    Find a Learning Group

    How will I know if my action plan is working?

    Number of goals completed

    Whether you’re on track with your objectives

    Why this metric?

    If you’re holding yourself accountable, you should be able to complete your goals and meet targets.

    How do I start tracking?

    Review the progress you’ve made each quarter and check whether you’re on track to complete goals or have completed them already.