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Learning Exchange: Seven Questions to Ask Before Developing Leaders
May 02, 2008
By Karen Brill
We all know leadership training on its own doesn't work and, hey, you didn't just hear it from me. When training is transactional, when it is reduced to a list of programs participants can tick off for attending, you can pretty much guarantee zero behavioral change.
For training to make a difference, it needs to be planned within the context of a transformational culture shift. As change is the only constant in competitive business environments, leadership development earns its keep only when it contributes significantly to the achievement of business goals.
To save yourself any discomfort you might experience when the subject of ROI and leadership training comes up, here are seven questions your organization might ponder before investing in developing leaders.
1. Do we have a clear mission, vision, and values?
Without directional statements from the highest level in the organization, any harbor will look like home in developing a leadership philosophy and approach. What do we believe about leadership around here? Is leadership just glorified project management? Does it require heart or merely seniority? And while we’re talking, have the values been translated into expected leadership behaviors?
2. Is our learning strategy linked to our corporate strategy?
I'm being arbitrary when I claim that upward of 50 percent of your strategic plan has something to do with learning. At all times, learning practitioners need to understand the strategy and be able to articulate how any offering supports the achievement of strategic goals.
3. What is the context for leadership development?
Do we do individual assessment in order to hire and promote the right talent? Do we have the correct competency model for leadership? These are the building blocks of a working management system.
4. Do we make sufficient use of planned career assignments, coaching, and mentoring?
Without the continuum of learning these activities provide, we are left with the training calendar—and a response from new leaders of "got it, got it, need it" that sounds a bit like collecting baseball cards.
5. Do our proven leaders take an active and formal role in mentoring others? This is one of those not-rocket-science initiatives that increases retention of top talent and helps to create a learning organization.
6. Are we unwilling to accept inappropriate top management behavior?
Ooh. This is one question that can make people uncomfortable. I remember being in a leadership session on values integration when the conversation turned to an executive who was blatantly abusing his expense account. Contradictions between what we say and what we do undermine leadership development efforts.
7. Does our organization value social and emotional skills more than technical skills in the leadership area?
According to Dan Goleman's work on emotional intelligence, it is the emotional/behavioral competencies that differentiate high-performing leaders. When you ask employees what they remember about their best boss, they will always talk about their manager's people skills.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories from the trenches on developing leaders. What works? Doesn't work? What can you share with our community of practice?
Until next time …
Karen Brill is a learning and development specialist in Toronto and a monthly contributor to www.trainingmag.com. Contact her at Karen.brill@rogers.com with your questions, comments, and ideas to share with our community of practice.
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