Accelerating Your Development as a Leader: A Guide for Leaders and Their Managers

Managing the Assignment

Establishing Test Points

One way to accelerate your development over the course of an assignment is to work with your manager to identify valid test points, those steps in the assignment where new competencies and knowledge will be really put to the test. Test points provide a means to gauge the progress that you are making in your development efforts. In addition, test points indicate to your key stakeholders where within an assignment they should focus their feedback and developmental coaching.

To give you a better understanding of how test points are applied, let's consider a quick example. Assume that you are trying to strengthen your ability to communicate in a compelling way when you are making formal presentations ...