Some of today’s leadership development initiatives are now generally conducted inside workplaces. These would usually feature performance support and real world skills applications.
This is done by way of several methods: training programs, coaching and mentoring, action learning and developmental assignments, among others. Real skills application means making potential leaders gain crucial skills within a working organization and facing relevant and real-time issues.
Along with proper performance support (coaching, mentoring, training, action learning, etc.) candidates are immersed with real issues, not lectures. This is in line with the ultimate goal of leadership development which necessitates action rather than just knowledge.
Learning from work
One of today’s development methods provides candidates with opportunities to learn from their present work rather than taking them out of the workplace (and presumably herded to a stolid classroom) to learn. The goal is to integrate their experiences at the workplace with other (leadership) developmental techniques.
There is now an increasing number of organizations whose CEOs are committed to teaching and developing leaders internally. (One big reason is that this leadership development is usually tied to the company’s own business goals.)
In addition, most organizations are starting to recognize leadership as an important component to jobs at all levels. As such, they are committed to producing leaders in their organizations.
Leadership development methods
Some effective leadership development methods outside of the workplace had also been noted by these organizations. One significant factor that came out: the better forecaster of effective executive leadership is emotional resonance with others rather than the expected general intelligence.
Researchers had also uncovered data that specific parts of emotional intelligence and specific behaviors are connected with effective leadership.
Effective leadership
Today, effective leadership is now commonly perceived as crucial to organizational success. Also, there is now more weight placed on leadership development than before.
Even if it is still an important factor, producing individual leaders is no longer the main target in leadership development. Also, the definition of leadership had undergone some shift these days.
More and more, leadership is perceived as not what leaders do. Rather, it is seen as a process that results from relationships – interactions of both leaders and collaborators and not just the competencies of leaders.
Experiences and business objectives
The practices on leadership development inside a working organization are geared to integrate various developmental experiences and their business objectives. This is done in order to produce a larger combined impact.
Some critics declared, however, that this approach is rather more events-based than systemic. One method of systemic leadership development is to make sure participation involves more than simple training.
Meaningful integration
They contend that there should be an array of developmental experiences to be designed and implemented that should be meaningfully integrated with one another. These efforts must also be ongoing and not just a single program or a one-time event.
Ideally, leadership development within organizations should aim in linking a variety of developmental practices (including the work itself) and those of the other HR systems and strategies.
A self-help guru once defined leadership as simply the ability to make things happen using the help of other people’s skills and abilities. Some leaders are quite gifted from birth, but many leaders go through leadership development after being spotted to possess the leadership potentials.
One question: What type of person or personality makes the best leader?
Leadership personality
One can imagine that the person who has the greatest success, heading the largest organization or corporation is the one that makes the best leader. It is possible.
On the other end of the pole, could a person with a little drive or entrepreneurial skills end up being a leader? It is also possible.
Developing leadership skills
Some people are very lucky because they have an easier time developing their leadership skills more than the others. There is no question that certain personality types make better leaders than the rest of us.
The next question is this: What personality types would make better leaders? Each of us fit into some personality types, whether ordinary or on the eccentric side.
Whichever it is, there might be some parts of it that would make an excellent type of leader. On the other hand, your personality type could undergo a leadership development training and become a very effective leader.
The following are some of the more recognizable leadership personalities, different though they are in more ways than one.
Powerful leader
He is the king, the lion in an organization. He is the type of person who wants to be in the driver’s seat.
His personality notwithstanding, the strength of his leadership comes from good decision-making skills which come naturally. His negative aspect is his tendency to be a morale-buster.
However, people will eventually discover his caring heart and they will learn to love and respect him. They might even grew and develop themselves from his challenges.
Perfectionist leader
As an animal, he could be compared to a beaver in the organization. He will be the one who will never forget to cross all the “T”s and dot all the “I”s.
This personality type can handle all the details of the group’s daily operations, but can nevertheless let go of the small stuff. Another good news: everyone he meets will soon learn and share his wisdom.
Peaceful leader
He is the golden retriever, and he can be the hardest to motivate. He can definitely frustrate most of the personality types listed in any group.
However, he has the most compassion among everybody. It is very easy for the rest to share their most personal feelings with him.
Popular leader
This guy is the most fun of all the other leader types. If there is no fun, he will create a fun situation for him and everyone.
His greatest strength is his uncanny ability to rally everyone to meet the organization’s goals. Almost everyone wants to be with him, except of course, the perfectionist.
In his quest to make things fun, he usually overlooks some details that can be important. Or so, the perfectionist would like to think.
You as the leader
What leadership personality would you be? What are your strengths and your weaknesses? If you are to be developed and groomed as a leader, what would you want for yourself?