Leadership development programmes could be complete time-wasters or profitable investments. Inadequately planned leadership development programmes may lead to a futile effort in empowering leaders and up-and-coming leaders with the new and improved traits they should possess. Those who take part in these programmes need to acquire new skills, know the essence of these skills, and exercise them till they finally become a part of them. The following essential components should be featured in any leadership development programme you decide to invest so that it can yield you maximum profit.
Clarity of Milestones and Goals for All Participants in the Leadership Program
All participants in the development programme ought to have met with individual mentors to set long and short term goals and should decide on a way of measuring successes with various milestones. Christopher Pappas, the founder of eLearning Network, says that adult learners, in general, prefer practical knowledge that will facilitate their work, boost their confidence, and improve their skills. This can be used to gauge success.
Newly Introduced Learning Model and Delivery Designs
Excellent in-class leadership developing programmes are companion-based, allow peer-to-peer learning, and bring out their participants’ collective wisdom. They are not delivered in just one compressed lecture, but over time and they make use of a learning model that blends world-class experts, high-touch, interactive conversations, and content that occupied leaders can access anywhere and anytime.
Experienced Leaders as Instructors
A strong main leader and a secondary leader with years of experience and efficient command skills are compulsory components for an effective leadership training programme. Leaders who possess the expertise and experience of working with people should be diligently sought after. It should be ensured that instructors are not just teaching necessary management skills, but also preparing leaders on how to lead others. According to Peter Drucker, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
The Capability to Measure the Impact of Learning on Business
To ensure the efficiency of their senior leadership training programmes, institutions must have the ability to measure impact and link business results to learning acquired in the programme. Incorporating “business impact projects” in the learning model is one way to do this. This is founded on an action learning model, and it influences programme learning by focusing on projects which impact on the business is measurable. For instance, Graham Hart at Mantle is passionate about helping leaders improve leadership impact, learning, and team functioning.
Quantitative and Qualitative Feedback
This is the last chapter of the story, not the epilogue. An excellent leadership development programme must encompass a stage of communicating to their employees how their maturity as leaders is changing a lot of things. Their impact on the institution, their unique performance, and other elements that communicate “You did this, be proud!” to them should be looked at.
Although many coaching and consulting firms rightly address one or more of these components, bear in mind that it is important to blend them in your institution’s leadership training programme. Another demonstration to employees taking part in such a programme that their efforts to achieve and grow are valued by the institution is when the leaders that are already the institution are included in the leadership development program.
Ongoing Education and Support
Even after a participant has finished the programme, the best thing for the organisation to do is to ensure that they continue meeting with their mentors and/or group for continuous growth and support.
Although there is not one of these factors which is a visible indicator of ultimate success or failure, leadership programmes lacking these components need review and updating as they are probably not going to yield the impact an organisation needs.
Identify Your Next Leaders
Since you now understand the essential components for developing successful leaders, you need to spot and identify these up-and-coming leaders in your company. In leadership, emotional factors including values, a sense of purpose, and engagement are essential so as to grow a connection within the team, and take the corporate objective further than it currently is.
HR needs assessments to help determine which of the employees have high potential. These are the employees who have the desire to lead and have their minds made up to progress over time. Through objective assessments, simulations, 360 feedback, and behavioural interviews, you can have a better hold on your employees who have a high potential, and you can ensure that your investments in developing these individuals yield the expected profits.
