Raising the leadership bar
Our first article explores some of the challenges leaders are facing and considers the idea that leaders, at all levels, may need to develop different skills and personal attributes to successfully manage the challenges ahead.
In our own surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009 leadership development was highly rated as one of the top three priorities for the coming year.
However, their study also found that confidence in leaders has declined steadily and only 41% of leaders were satisfied with the leadership development opportunities offered to them by their organisations.
Factors reported as most likely to cause leaders to fail were deficiencies in interpersonal and leadership skills rather than experience and role specific knowledge.
So what can organisations and human resources do to address the gaps?
Here are some of our ideas based on our own experience and the research we've reviewed.
Develop or review the critical leadership competencies for your organisation which are relevant to the skills, attributes and behaviours needed by your leadership team, both now and in the future.
Review your leadership development activities are they still hitting the mark? Does your organisation need to change the methods used to make development activities more targeted to the current operating conditions?
Align leadership development to your strategic plan. For example, do you need your leaders to focus on innovation and growth or operational control and process improvement?
Build a leadership pipeline and target your development at each stage of transition. Identify high potentials early and accelerate their development. Provide the right support at the right time during major transitions from one level of leadership to the next.
Raise leaders' self-awareness and help them to identify the traits and personal attributes that help or hinder their progress. Help them to clearly understand how they need to operate differently to deal with the changing conditions.
Change the focus of leadership development from the generic to the specific by focusing on the areas that are absolutely critical for business success. Address the top priorities and tackle real organisational issues, for example through the use of project teams or learning sets.
Continue to develop leaders' interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
Review measures of leadership success to ensure they are still relevant to operational performance and the strategic plan.
This difficult climate will not last forever and it is important to develop the appropriate leadership talent now so that when the upturn does come you are ahead of the pack.
Our consultants and coaches have a wealth of experience helping leaders at all stages of their careers and if you would like a no obligation meeting to discuss your requirements please contact
us.