Why should a business develop its leaders
Updated: Sep 9, 2020
According to Harvard Business Publishing research, many organizations say they have a comprehensive leadership training program, less than 10 percent can describe it as "best in class." These statistics clarify that over 90 percent of the leadership training programs ultimately are failing both the leaders who participate in them and their organizations. In order to improve organizational culture and employee engagement, it is crucial to equip the leaders with the specific skills, tools, and behaviors they need to lead others with confidence and drive the performance of their team or organization.
These are skills every leader should not only be trained on but exhibit in every interaction:
1. Coaching: According to Gallup research, only 3 in 10 employees "strongly agree there is someone at work who encourages their development." In order to unleash an employee's maximum potential, a strong leader sees coachable moments every day and uses these moments as a valuable learning experience. Today's employees want feedback, motivation, and guidance in real-time.
2. Accountability: The most successful leaders know that their success results from their team's performance than their own. They are held accountable for others' actions, and results and their own and must take accountability for team outcomes – the good and the bad.
3. Change Management: Change is inevitable, and for organizations to thrive, change must be embraced by leaders and tactically communicated to employees. Well equipped leaders can harness the power of vision, provide strong leadership during any change, so employees don't see change as a painful process.
4. Influence and Negotiation Effective leaders don't command authority; they inspire, persuade, and encourage others to make their vision a reality. By learning how to be strong influencers and fair negotiators, leaders can learn that it is not about who has the most power and who has the best influence on employees to achieve results.
5. Communication: A leaders job requires communication all hours of their day whether its face-to-face conversations, emails, phone calls, text messages, presentations or simply a written notice on a board. Leaders must learn and adjust their communication style to the audience, which can optimize results.
In order to close the gap between the desire for excellent leadership and the reality of failed leadership training efforts requires a fresh approach to training and development. Consider your company-specific challenges and the needs of leaders in today's world, and then create a custom leadership development program that fits your needs.
