Is a leadership development program worth your investment? How can employees be turned into better leaders? These questions were recently addressed on Forbes.com. Coach Kristi Hedges, who has over twenty years of experience in leadership development, summarized several important areas for consideration so you do not waste money on your leadership development program.
1. Broader context of leaders' work
Leadership development should be integrated in the broader context of the company's operation. The reason is simple, people retain new knowledge and skills best when they acquire them in relationship to their own experience and to what they already know. Before you invest in any type of training, you must know the goal and purpose of the program. Focus on leadership skills that are relevant to your leaders' daily practice.
2. Honest reason for the existence of the program
The company should honestly explain to the program's participants why the program exists. What ever the main reason is, a lack of leaders in the company, the need to accelerate promotions, or improving their skills in their current positions, the participants should be aware of the reason.
3. Long-term development
Training is only the beginning of the leadership development process. You should continue with more individualized development, such as coaching, and focus on how to help leaders retain their new skills. Hold a series of short training sessions more frequently rather than only one long session.
4. From theory to practice
Leadership development should take place in real situations, not just through reading textbooks and case studies. Feedback or communication in general may be a good example. Just reading or listening to how leaders should communicate is definitely not enough. Leaders should try everything themselves. They should communicate to reveal their gaps and then learn how to improve their communication skills.
5. Measuring results
How should you measure the success of a leadership program? First of all, avoid measuring the participants satisfaction with the program. Rather measure the number of participants who were promoted and then monitor the results of the company in relation to these promotions. You can also measure whether employees are promoted faster, whether they gain better results in performance evaluations, whether your pool of potential successors of important leaders is expanding etc. It is crucial to agree on what to measure in advance.
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