Leadership Competency Case Study: How I Used ADDIE to Build a Leadership Competency Model and Development Framework

This leadership development project is one of my clearest examples of using ADDIE in a strategic, large-scale way.

In late 2024, my team needed to focus its limited time and energy on the leadership development work that had the most long-term value. The original owner of a leadership initiative had left the company, and someone needed to step in, review the existing research, assess what still made sense, and help move the work forward. I took on that responsibility and used the ADDIE model as the foundation for turning early ideas into a more complete leadership development framework.

During the analysis phase, I reviewed prior project materials, met with my leaders to understand what was and was not working in the existing framework, and gathered feedback from senior leaders about leadership gaps, needs, and aspirational behaviors. I also conducted external research on leadership trends and best practices so I could bring stronger context and relevance to the work.

In the design phase, I collaborated with my team to shape those findings into an initial set of leadership competencies. We reviewed and refined the model based on leadership feedback, then iterated again with the executive team until we landed on a final direction. I also created a soft-launch presentation for the People team and developed workshops to help them understand the framework and begin using it effectively.

In the development phase, I helped define the different competency tiers so employees at various levels could better understand what growth looked like over time. I built the visual identity for the framework, created or refined icons for each competency, gathered internal and external development resources, and helped organize those materials into an internal knowledge base.

In less than a month, we created a leadership library containing 20 articles and more than 175 resources. I also developed supporting tools such as career planning sheets, competency assessments, development plan frameworks, and how-to content to help leaders apply the model in meaningful ways.

Unfortunately, I was not able to stay long enough to evaluate the full long-term impact of the work, because my role was eliminated in a reduction in force. Even so, I remain proud of what this project became. It took a partially formed idea and transformed it into a much more scalable, structured, and usable leadership development system.

For me, this project highlights the value of ADDIE beyond traditional course design. It shows how the model can also guide the development of frameworks, systems, tools, and ecosystems that support growth at scale.