Why Every Organization Needs a Development Strategy

Most organizations say they value professional development. They talk about it in meetings. They put it in their values statements. They mention it in performance reviews.But when you look closer, There's no actual strategy.No clear development plans. No accountability. No systematic way to build the next generation of leaders.Just good intentions. And good intentions don't develop people.Here's what I see: Organizations that have real development strategies, with teeth, with accountability, with implementation, get dramatically different results:✅ Higher engagement (people feel invested in)✅ Greater satisfaction (people see a future)✅ Stronger contribution (people perform at higher levels)✅ More confidence (people know they're growing)But it requires more than just annual reviews and "professional development conversations."It requires a system...A Personal Development Plan (PDP) that's not just HR paperwork, but an actual strategic tool.In this week's newsletter and podcast, I'm breaking down:🏉 Why most development efforts fail (no strategy, no teeth)🏉What a real PDP looks like (and why it matters)🏉How development drives engagement, satisfaction, contribution, and confidence🏉How to make development accountable (for both leaders and candidates)Because development without strategy is just hope.And hope isn't a plan.

Your legacy isn't what you accomplish. It's who you develop. In rugby, the best captains and coaches are building the next generation of leaders. They're teaching younger players How to read the game. How to handle pressure. How to lead when it matters. Because they know: When they're gone, the team needs to be stronger, not weaker. Leadership works the same way. But most leaders don't develop other leaders. They manage people. They delegate tasks. They drive performance. But they don't intentionally build the next generation.And when they leave? The organization scrambles. Because the leader took all the knowledge, all the leadership IQ, all the leadership capacity with them.That's not a legacy. That's a dependency.In this week's newsletter and podcast, I'm diving into:🏉 Why development is strategic, not just HR🏉 The difference between managing and developing🏉 How the best leaders identify and build future leaders🏉 Why Development is a core element of your Leader's DashboardBecause your impact isn't measured by what you achieve. It's measured by who you leave behind. Read the full article here: 👇 LinkedIn newsletter

The loneliest room is full of people.You can be surrounded by colleagues, team members, clients all day and still feel completely alone.Because nobody understands the decisions you're making. The trade-offs you're weighing. The pressure you're carrying.That's leadership loneliness. And it's one of the most common and least talked about costs of leading.Here's what I've learned: You can't lead well from isolation.In rugby, we have a saying: "15 as one." No matter how good you are individually, you can't win alone. You need teammates who know your game, who trust you, who have your back.Leadership is the same.But most leaders don't build those relationships. They have transactional relationships - people who need something from them. But very few have developmental relationships - people who see them, challenge them, support them.And that gap? It's costing them.In this week's episode (and LinkedIn newsletter), I'm diving into:Why leadership is lonely (and why it doesn't have to be)The difference between transactional and developmental relationshipsHow to build relationships that sustain you, not just drain youWhy Relationships are a core element of your Leader's DashboardBecause you found your edge. But you can't deploy it alone.Read the full article here: [link]💬 Do you have someone in your corner who truly gets what you're carrying? Or are you leading alone?

Every great rugby player has a weapon.A devastating sidestep. A bone-crushing tackle. A long pass that opens up the field. A hand-off that leaves defenders on the ground.It's not about being good at everything. It's about being exceptional at one thing. Knowing your weapon. And using it when it matters most.Leadership works the same way.Every great leader has an edge, something that makes them uniquely valuable. Something that sets them apart.But here's what I see when I work with executive leaders: Most leaders can't name their edge.They know they're "good at leadership." They know they "add value." But they can't tell you what makes them irreplaceable.And that's a problem.Because when you don't know your edge:You try to be everything to everyoneYou compete on the same playing field as everyone elseYou burn out trying to be competent at everything instead of exceptional at somethingYou become commoditizedIn this week's episode, I'm breaking down:Why most leaders are commoditized (and don't realize it)How to identify your unique edgeWhy your edge is a core element of your Leader's DashboardThe difference between competence and weaponized strengthBecause leadership without edge is just management. And the world doesn't need more managers.

"Character is what you do when nobody's watching."Twenty-three years ago, I learned this lesson the hard way. I was part of an international organization. A good organization. One with clear values: integrity, faithfulness, and spiritual leadership. But the leader, a man I respected, began a slow drift. Not a sudden collapse. A drift. Compromises that seemed small at first. Rationalizations that made sense in the moment. His personal values eroded. The organization's values eroded under his leadership. And I watched it happen. I watched relationships harmed. I watched people lose their place and their purpose. I watched a mission scattered . And I did what I thought was right: I confronted it. That cost me. I was punished for speaking up. I could no longer complete my mission. I had to leave the country I'd moved my family to. It was painful. But it taught me something that changed everything: Leadership is influence. What we live influences others. It's our character . Not just what we say we value. What we actually demonstrate through our choices. And when you walk in a leadership role, you don't just represent yourself...You represent something bigger: your organization, your mission, your values. That's a higher standard. Today, I'm sharing why this matters and how your personal values, your organizational values, and your leadership role all integrate into your Leaders Dashboard. Because if any of those three are misaligned or abandoned, the whole structure collapses. 💬 What's one value you represent beyond just yourself, because of the role you hold?

Today's episode is a little longer than usual—about 35 minutes—because we're going deep on values. This isn't a surface-level conversation. We're doing the work. So grab a coffee, settle in, and let's talk about holding your line.Most leaders think they know their values.Ask them, and they'll give you the corporate version: "Integrity. Innovation. Excellence. Teamwork."But here's the truth: Those aren't values. Those are words on a wall.Your real values aren't what you say in meetings. They're what you do when no one's watching. What you protect when you're exhausted. What you choose when the cost is high.Want to know your real values?Look at your calendar. Look at your budget. Look at the decisions you made under pressure last month.That's what you actually value.In this week's episode, I'm diving into why most leaders can't name their real values, and why that gap between what they say and what they do is costing them everything.Their credibility. Their team's trust. Their own integrity.Because when you don't know your line, you'll break under pressure every time.Talk to me on my LinkedIn

Twenty-five years ago, I woke up one Monday morning and couldn't get out of bed.Not "didn't want to." Couldn't.🧠 My brain wouldn't function. My body wouldn't move. I just lay there, terrified, because everything depended on me.🔥 That's what burnout actually looks like.In this episode, I'm sharing my story: the six months I couldn't function, the collapse nobody understood, and what I learned about leading with margin instead of intensity.Because some of you are on that edge right now. And I don't want you to learn what I learned the hard way.

Every day feels like you're treading water. You wake up with a knot in your stomach because you already know—before you even check your phone—that there are too many things demanding your attention.Your inbox is overflowing. Your calendar is back-to-back. Your team is waiting on decisions. Your boss wants updates. Your clients need responses. Your family wants time you don't have.And somewhere in the back of your mind, there's this nagging voice asking: "What am I even building here? What's the point of all this?"You're exhausted. But you can't stop. Because if you stop, everything falls apart.Sound familiar?Here's what's really happening: You've confused activity with progress.You're busy. You're working too-many-hour weeks. You're responding to every email, attending every meeting, saying yes to every request. You look productive. You feel productive.But at the end of the week, you can't point to anything meaningful that moved forward. You're running hard but getting nowhere.And the worst part? Your team feels it too.They look to you for clarity—and you don't have it. They ask, "What's most important right now?" and you can't give them a straight answer. Because everything feels important. Everything feels urgent.So they're overwhelmed too. And the whole organization is spinning its wheels.The problem isn't that you're not working hard enough. The problem is you don't have a filter.And without a filter, you're going to drown—no matter how hard you swim.Let's dive in.Connect with me on LinkedIn

Shaun's LinkedIn DM me for moreWhen was the last time you had a tune-up—not for your business, but for your life? Most leaders have dashboards for everything except what matters most. In this episode, discover why every leader needs a personal dashboard and how to build one that protects both your success and your sanity.

Shaun's LinkedInEpisode 3 – The Power of Vision in LeadershipMost leaders are running fast, but not always in the right direction. In this episode of The Leadership Boost, Coach Shaun Smit unpacks why vision is the compass of leadership, not just a statement on the wall. Drawing from rugby and executive coaching, he shows how a clear vision aligns teams, reduces overwhelm, and restores momentum.