Elea’s Future Fit Leader series, part 6: You have the data, now what?
The final session in Elea’s Future Fit Leader series brought the conversation full circle, shifting the focus from insight to action. Hosted online by Juliette Fourie, MD of Elea at the OMT Group, Part 6 explored a pressing question for modern leadership: once you have the data, what do you actually do with it?
Juliette opened by reframing Individual Development Plans (IDPs) as more than HR paperwork.
“An IDP,” she explained, “should be a personalised roadmap for each employee’s growth journey – a living document that links personal aspirations to organisational needs and bridges the gap between current capability and future potential. When done well, it becomes a vehicle for real career progression, greater clarity about advancement and an ongoing, meaningful dialogue between employees and managers.”
The session unpacked the core components of a strong IDP: thoughtful self-assessment, clear goal-setting, a mix of development activities, realistic timelines and regular feedback and review. None of these ideas are new, but Juliette’s argument was that most organisations struggle not with the theory of IDPs, but with their execution and quality.
“Too often, plans are generic, subjective and never revisited,” she said. “They exist in the system, but not in the day-to-day reality of how people grow.”
Juliette pointed out that there’s a sharp distinction between performance appraisals and IDPs.
“Appraisals are primarily retrospective,” she said. “They look back at what has been done. IDPs are prospective – they define how growth will happen.
“Appraisals tell you where you stand now. IDPs should tell you where you can go next.”
The two were designed to complement each other, yet in many organisations they operate as disconnected processes, with no feedback loop between performance outcomes and development actions.
Juliette then laid out five major flaws in the traditional approach. First, subjectivity and bias: ratings and development needs are often based on perception rather than evidence. Second, a disconnect between performance and development: evaluation happens, but growth is not systemically supported. Third, an annual, static and bureaucratic rhythm that does not match the pace of change.
Fourth, a lack of measurable impact, where completion is tracked but behavioural change is not. And finally, the psychological toll: processes that feel judgemental and compliance-driven rather than empowering.
Against this backdrop, she positioned Elea as a different way of thinking about development.
“Instead of asking managers and employees broad, speculative questions – ‘What do you think you should work on?’ – Elea provides evidence-based precision,” said Juliette. “Through AI-driven simulations, it measures 38 leadership competencies and produces clear before-and-after comparisons, turning vague wish lists into targeted growth actions.
“In essence, Elea isn’t an add-on to your IDP,” Juliette explained. “It is your IDP, reimagined for a world that values evidence, precision and accountability.”
The Elea framework links leadership development directly to measurable growth metrics. It offers:
- Evidence-based recommendations drawn from validated behavioural patterns
- Quantified improvement across the competency set
- Integrated feedback loops through dashboards and visual reports
- Personalised learning pathways aligned with strategy
- Longitudinal tracking that supports continuous learning rather than once-off intervention
To underline the business case, Juliette shared an ROI view based on South African corporate practice.
“Traditional appraisals and IDPs can consume 10–12 hours of managerial and HR time per employee per year.,” she said. “By automating evidence gathering, streamlining commentary and generating IDP insights, Elea can save around 7–8 hours per employee annually – a time reduction of roughly 70–80%. For a department of 50 people, that equates to about R400,000 in time value saved each year, before considering productivity gains and morale improvements.”
Beyond time, she argued, lies the deeper value of accuracy, engagement and fairness.
“Data-driven competency modelling allows organisations to move from ‘X-ray’ snapshots of performance to something closer to a CT or MRI scan of leadership behaviour,” she said, “providing richer, layered insight into how people actually think, decide and lead.
“With Elea, HR teams can shift their focus from form-chasing to strategic workforce planning, while leaders gain development plans grounded in truth rather than opinion.
“Through Elea, organisations can finally anchor leadership development in data. We can move the conversation from ‘What have you done?’ to ‘How have you grown – and what’s next?’”
Part 6 closed the Future Fit Leader series on a practical note. Where the earlier sessions explored thought, delivery, problem-solving and the human element, this final one asked leaders to take ownership of their evidence.
“Data alone will not develop anyone,” Juliette said. “It is the disciplined translation of insight into focused, measurable development that builds future-fit leaders and high-performing cultures.”
For more information on the Elea framework or to explore how it can reshape IDPs in your organisation, contact Juliette at [email protected].
To access the full Future Fit Webinar series, click here.