The Leadership Roadmap is a feature in the Sounding Board platform that helps leaders and coaches chart leadership development objectives and track progress. The goal creation process guides leaders through naming and outlining a goal, reflecting on ways of thinking and behaving, linking to leadership capabilities, and considering both business outcomes and personal impact. This provides a comprehensive framework for setting and tracking leadership development goals within coaching or mentoring engagements.
Interactive Walkthrough
NOTE: This interactive walkthrough does not reflect the latest version of leadership roadmap goals. See the written walkthrough below for up to date details.
For full access to this article's content, open it in a new tab.
Written Walkthrough
1. Navigate to https://coaching.soundingboardinc.com and log in.
The Leadership Roadmap allows users to chart their leadership development objectives and track their advancement. It serves as a guiding framework for developmental journeys. Within an engagement, both leaders and coaches can access the leader’s roadmap and goals.
2. Navigate to the “Leadership Roadmap” option on the left-hand navigation panel.
3. Create a Goal
You will be taken through a flow to help you make your goal as robust as possible to start -
- Click "ADD GOAL." You will be taken through a flow to help you make your goal as robust as possible to start.
4. Your Goal
The first step is naming and outlining the goal:
- Fill in “What is your leadership goal?”
- Click "NEXT"
💡 Tip: In one sentence, describe the change you want to make in your leadership or what you want to achieve as a leader. Goals should describe WHAT you want to accomplish in your leadership, not what you want to stop doing. Be mindful of stacking too many things into one goal. The narrower the focus, the easier it is to monitor and document growth. Try to start with an active verb (e.g., Initiate, Empower, Engage). Well-written goals are:
-
Well-written goals are:
- Significant
- Specific
- Concrete
- Action-oriented
- Inspirational
Examples:
- Expand my knowledge of various areas within the organization by initiating and maintaining interactions with other leaders across functions.
- Influence the organizational culture by growing and asserting my leadership authority.
- Empower my team to operate independently so I can focus on more cross-functional strategic work.
5. Ways of Thinking (Mindset)
This step allows leaders to reflect on and name the beliefs or assumptions that shape their leadership.
- Current Mindset: What beliefs are influencing how you lead today?
- Future Mindset: What new beliefs will help you reach your goal?
💡 Coach Tips:
- Leaders may only complete the Current Mindset when first creating a goal. Use coaching sessions to help them clarify their vision and name the Future Mindset over time.
- Encourage a clear shift from limiting to growth-enabling mindsets.
- Keep it short and clear (1–2 sentences).
- Anchor it in leadership language (e.g., “From needing to have the answer → To empowering others to generate solutions”).
- Revisit mindset shifts in subsequent coaching sessions.
6. Ways of Behaving (Behavior)
This step helps leaders identify observable actions that demonstrate progress toward their goal.
- Current Behavior: What behaviors are you currently showing (or avoiding)?
- Future Behavior: What new behaviors will help you reach your goal?
💡 Coach Tips:
- Leaders may only complete the Current Behavior at first. Use coaching over time to help them identify Future Behaviors that align with their goal.
- Behaviors should be specific and observable — others should be able to observe them.
- Encourage 1–3 realistic and meaningful behaviors.
- Ask: How would your team or colleagues notice this behavior has changed?
- Suggest inviting feedback from trusted colleagues or stakeholders.
7. Leadership Capabilities
You can think of leadership capabilities as combined sets of skills and mindsets used to impact the daily business of the organization more strategically. Link your goal to at least one capability and click Next.
8. Business Outcomes
Business outcomes refer to tangible results achieved through the execution of strategic initiatives. Select the Business Outcomes that will be impacted by your goal and rate the impact.
9. Personal Impact
Personal impact refers to the transformative effects experienced by you as you achieve or pursue the goal. Select the Personal Impact(s) and reflect on how achieving this goal might impact you personally. Click Done.
🚨 Alert: Information about Draft Goals
If you do not finalize the creation of a goal by mapping it as described, it will remain in Draft status. Draft goals can be deleted or completed later, but will not be visible to your coach or manager until activated. Once a goal is fully created, the only options are to Pause or mark it as Accomplished.