Leading Employee Growth Playbook

Lead Growth with Purpose All Year Long

Great employee growth doesn’t happen by chance. It takes intentional leadership, meaningful conversations, clear expectations, and systems that keep professional growth at the center of the work.

The CESA 6 Leading Employee Growth Playbook is a practical, month-by-month guide designed to help educational leaders strengthen educator growth, evaluation, and continuous improvement throughout the school year. Grounded in the belief that people are capable of learning and growth, this resource helps leaders create the conditions for employees to reflect, take risks, improve their practice, and reach their potential.

Rather than treating evaluation as a compliance task, the playbook helps leadership teams use the evaluation process as a catalyst for professional growth and student achievement. Leaders are guided through five phases of the school year, each aligned with a continuous improvement cycle.

Five Phases of Leading Growth

The playbook provides guidance for each stage of the year:

• July - August: Research, Plan, Team Expectations, and Alignment
• September - October: Launch and Goal Setting
• November - January: Implementation and Progress Monitoring
• February - April: Refinement and Scaling
• May - June: Finalization, Reflection, and Celebration

Within each phase, leaders will find key actions, leadership-team discussion prompts, implementation ideas, tips and tricks, supporting resources and tools, action-planning space, and reflection questions to help turn evaluation into an ongoing process for growth.

*Note: Phases are set off a WI school year calendar and can be adapted to meet the needs of any calendar year.

Use This Playbook To:

• Establish a shared vision for employee growth and evaluation
• Create clear expectations, timelines, and systems for evaluators
• Strengthen goal-setting and alignment with district priorities
• Support meaningful observations, feedback, and coaching conversations
• Monitor progress and use evidence to inform adjustments
• Identify opportunities to refine and scale effective practices
• Build intentional reflection and continuous improvement into the evaluation cycle
• Recognize and celebrate employee growth and impact

Perfect For:

Designed for district administrators, school administrators, educator evaluators, human resources leaders, and other educational leaders responsible for employee growth and evaluation.

Format: 22-page Digital Download (PDF) with links to 20 additional resources, including editable Google templates and access to the Implementing the NUDGE Formula Course. 

Single Use License:

By purchasing this digital booklet, you are granted a single-user license for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, resale, or sharing of this material with others, whether in printed or digital format, is strictly prohibited.