Leadership Development Programs - Growing Your Own Leaders!

As noted in previous blog entries, leadership talent and the ability to attract and retain that talent has never been more important than in today's environment.  The world we live in has probably never been more challenging with increasing public expectations for performance and accountability in private and public sectors, shortages of personnel coupled with impending retirements of the baby boom generation, and change that moves forward as quickly as new technological innovations can be introduced to the market.  So leadership has never been more critical.  One step that organizations have taken in response is the development and/or utilization of various forms of leadership development programs.  Some have made extensive use of external resources in this regard, while others have decided to develop such programming in-house.  Regardless of which direction an organization takes there are some key decisions to be made and some important elements to implement if you are going to achieve the full benefits of such an investment.

When organizations first conceive of implementing a leadership development program there may be a tendency to start a few levels down in the process and think of what types of courses or modules they should offer to their leaders and potential leaders.  But in my estimation, a critical first step is a review, update and connection of the organization's Mission, Vision and Values to its required/ desired leadership development program.  This can be supported by external resources/facilitation but still requires time and energy of the senior level executive team.  What the organization stands for, where it is heading, and how it will get there are all vitally important considerations in understanding what type of leadership skills will be required to sustain and build the organization into the future.

Once there is an intimate understanding of desired leadership requirements - skills, competencies, talents, abilities - these then must be translated into a range of human resource practices.  Leadership development is not simply about having the human resource or organizational development departments set up or contract for the provision of a few training modules.  To really achieve traction in leadership development effort is required to align all efforts to building, cultivating and reinforcing the required leadership skills and abilities.  At a minimum, the effort must encompass a number of key organizational functions.  At the very outset, Recruitment and Selection begins to set the tone and expectation for new leaders (whether recruited from within or outside of the organization).  It is at this point that the organization makes one of its most fundamental decisions - will it recruit based on their required leadership competencies and values or might it simply fill the position because there is too much pressure to fill a vacancy?  Will it promote from within on the basis of performance related to the stated leadership competencies or perhaps on something as simple as years of service?  The Recruitment and Selection process sends a strong message about organizational commitment to it's stated leadership values and culture.

Similarly the process of acculturation and reinforcement should be further developed and emphasized during Leadership Orientation or Onboarding.  This is where the organization can further reinforce in very tangible terms and language what it's Mission, Vision and Values are.  This is also where I believe there is a strong role for existing leadership of the organization to play a part in being role models for new and rising leaders.  Think of the enhanced power that would come from a senior leader in articulating the organization's mission, vision and values to a new batch of leaders. 

Leadership Development must also extend into other key areas of organizational function like Performance Management/Development, Reward and Recognition initiatives, and Succession Planning.  Each one of these elements or initiatives further reinforces the leadership behaviours that the organization says it values.  Performance Management/Development evaluates performance against the organization's leadership criteria and then provides opportunity as required to further develop skills as required.  This may lead to rewards or recognition that further reinforce desired behaviours.  And promotion or future opportunity should again be based on ability to demonstrate and perform to stated leadership competencies.

Specific leadership development opportunities may be driven by organization-wide requirements or may become quite individually focused as identified through the performance management process.  The range of such training efforts is virtually limitless and should be determined on the basis of the organization's goals and objectives - change management, financial planning, process improvement methodologies, communication skills, conflict management, team building, time management.  Many of these can either be developed in-house or contracted out for delivery.  Regardless of means of delivery the content should again consistently reinforce the organization's unique leadership requirements. 

One of the final considerations in any leadership development program is the need for personal investment on the part of the individual leader.  This should be undertaken in a variety of ways - opportunity to apply new or developing skills outside of the classroom setting; opportunity for self-reflection and assessment; and, coaching/mentoring resources.  To be as successful as possible all learning and development theory and information must be accompanied by the opportunity to practice - and even make mistakes - in the real world.  This real world learning is even more valuable if supported by a coach or mentor.  The choice of coach/mentor again becomes critical - they must be well aware of the organization's expectations and the leadership philosophy. 

Leadership development is a crucial investment in the success of the organization and it must be treated as an investment - not an expense.  It requires at least as much deliberation, consideration, and energy as any other major expenditure or decision.  The ripple effects from leadership - good or bad - cannot be underestimated.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.