Use this comprehensive leadership skills worksheet to evaluate your competencies, identify development priorities, and create action plans for growth.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Mon 17th November 2025
A leadership skills worksheet provides structured frameworks for systematically assessing your current capabilities, identifying development priorities, and creating actionable plans for growth. Whilst informal reflection offers value, research demonstrates that structured self-assessment produces more accurate insights and drives more effective development. Studies examining leadership development effectiveness consistently show that leaders who engage in systematic self-evaluation combined with targeted action planning improve competencies 35-45% faster than those relying solely on general training or informal reflection.
The power of worksheets lies in their ability to transform vague aspirations ("I want to be a better leader") into specific, measurable development goals ("I will improve my strategic communication by delivering monthly executive briefings with peer feedback, targeting 360-degree feedback improvements from 3.2 to 4.0 within 12 months"). This specificity enables progress tracking, maintains motivation, and facilitates accountability—all critical elements that differentiate successful leadership development from well-intentioned efforts that produce minimal lasting change.
This comprehensive guide provides practical worksheets, assessment frameworks, and planning tools that enable systematic leadership development. Each tool includes instructions for use, guidance on interpreting results, and recommendations for translating insights into development actions.
Rate yourself on each competency using this scale:
Important: Be rigorously honest. Development requires accurate assessment, not inflated self-perception.
Strategic Thinking
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Communication and Influence
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Emotional Intelligence
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Leading and Developing Others
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Change Leadership
Subtotal: ___ / 25
Total Score: ___ / 150
Interpretation:
Identify your three largest capability gaps between current competency and role requirements.
Gap 1:
Gap 2:
Gap 3:
Based on gap analysis, which competency will you focus on first?
Primary development focus: _________________________________
Why I'm prioritising this:
Competency to develop: _________________________________
Specific, measurable objective: Current state: _______________________________________________________________ Desired future state: _________________________________________________________ Timeline: ____________________________________________________________________ Success measures: ____________________________________________________________
70% - Challenging Experiences (On-the-Job Development)
Identify 2-3 stretch assignments, projects, or experiences that will develop this competency:
Experience 1:
Experience 2:
20% - Developmental Relationships (Coaching and Mentoring)
Identify people who can support your development:
Development supporter 1:
Development supporter 2:
10% - Formal Learning (Training and Education)
Identify training, courses, books, or other formal learning resources:
Learning resource 1:
Learning resource 2:
Accountability partner: ________________________________________________________ (Someone who will check on progress, provide encouragement, and hold you accountable)
Progress review schedule:
Use this template to request structured feedback from supervisors, peers, and direct reports about your leadership effectiveness.
Dear [Name],
I'm working on developing my leadership capabilities and would greatly value your honest feedback. Your perspective will help me identify strengths to leverage and areas requiring development.
Competency Assessment
Please rate my effectiveness in the following areas using this scale: 1 = Significant development needed 2 = Some development needed 3 = Effective 4 = Very effective 5 = Exceptional strength
Strategic Thinking
Communication
Emotional Intelligence
Decision-Making
Developing Others
Change Leadership
Open-Ended Feedback
Thank you for investing time in my development. Your honest feedback is genuinely appreciated.
Week of: _______________
Leadership situations I navigated this week:
Situation 1:
Situation 2:
Development progress check:
Next week's focus:
Month: _______________ Year: _______________
Primary development focus: _________________________________
Progress indicators:
| Metric | Baseline | Current | Target | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-assessment rating | ||||
| 360-feedback score | ||||
| Specific behaviour frequency | ||||
| Business outcome |
Evidence of development:
Challenges encountered:
Next month's development actions:
A leadership skills worksheet provides structured frameworks for systematically assessing your current leadership capabilities, identifying development priorities, creating specific development plans, tracking progress, and maintaining accountability. Unlike informal reflection, worksheets ensure comprehensive evaluation across multiple competencies, facilitate comparison between current and required capability levels, and transform vague development intentions into specific, measurable actions. Research shows that leaders using structured self-assessment tools improve competencies 35-45% faster than those relying on general training alone because worksheets drive focused, accountable development.
Assess leadership skills accurately by combining multiple approaches: complete validated self-assessment tools rating yourself across specific competencies, request structured 360-degree feedback from supervisors, peers, and direct reports, reflect on specific situations where you succeeded or struggled to identify patterns, compare your capabilities against your organisation's leadership competency model, and seek input from coaches or mentors who can provide objective external perspective. Self-assessment alone tends toward inflated ratings, so external validation is essential. Focus on specific behaviours and outcomes rather than general impressions.
After completing a leadership skills assessment: identify your 2-3 largest capability gaps between current level and role requirements, prioritise one primary development focus based on importance to your role and career goals, create a specific development plan using the 70-20-10 framework (70% challenging experiences, 20% developmental relationships, 10% formal training), establish accountability by sharing your plan with a manager or mentor, set specific progress review checkpoints, and begin immediately with one concrete development action. Assessment without action planning wastes the insight gained.
Review your leadership development plan monthly to assess progress, quarterly to evaluate whether priorities remain appropriate, and annually to conduct comprehensive capability reassessment and establish new development objectives. Monthly reviews maintain momentum and enable course corrections, quarterly reviews ensure your development aligns with changing role demands, and annual reviews provide perspective on long-term growth trajectories. Additionally, update your plan whenever you transition to a new role, receive significant feedback, or encounter development opportunities like stretch assignments or coaching relationships that warrant incorporating into your plan.
Whilst self-directed learning provides value, leadership development is most effective when combining multiple approaches. Research demonstrates the 70-20-10 model: 70% of development occurs through challenging on-the-job experiences, 20% through developmental relationships (coaching, mentoring, feedback), and only 10% through formal training. Self-directed learning (reading, online courses, self-assessment) contributes to the 10% but cannot substitute for the 70% (stretch assignments, new responsibilities) or 20% (coaching feedback, observation of skilled leaders). The most effective approach combines self-directed learning with experiential opportunities and developmental relationships.
When self-assessment differs from external feedback, treat this gap as valuable information rather than dismissing either perspective. Significantly higher self-ratings suggest potential blind spots requiring attention—you may overestimate capabilities that others view differently. Significantly lower self-ratings might indicate imposter syndrome or excessive self-criticism. Explore the gap through honest conversations with feedback providers, asking for specific behavioural examples that inform their ratings. Consider whether different raters (supervisors versus peers versus direct reports) provide consistent feedback, as this reveals whether perception gaps exist broadly or within specific relationships. Use coaching support to develop accurate self-awareness.
Prioritise leadership skills by considering four factors: the size of capability gap (larger gaps warrant attention), importance to current role success (competencies you use daily matter most immediately), requirements for desired next role (develop capabilities needed for advancement), and feedback consistency (if multiple sources identify the same development need, prioritise it). Focus on 1-2 competencies simultaneously rather than attempting everything—targeted development produces better results than diffuse efforts. Prioritise foundational competencies (self-awareness, communication, basic delegation) before advanced capabilities (enterprise strategy, transformation leadership), as foundations enable other skill development.