Imagine the situation: your company's doing well, but it seems you're facing one crisis after another. Problems keep cropping up that could have been prevented and you're facing the prospect of losing employees. What seems to be the problem? If you don't know the answer then you're probably in need of a good run through a leadership development program.
The problem that some companies face is that management can't seem to connect with the employees. The barrier is often there because of corporate culture – people don't want to complain nor do they want to stand out unless they want to risk getting axed. The Japanese have a saying that the nail that stands out is going to be hammered. He problem is that sometimes that nail is standing out for a reason. Leadership development, at its heart, is all about finding the nails that need to be hammered and that don't.
So what does leadership development mean actually? Aren't you a leader by default when you get appointed? Yes, you may be a leader, but are you good leader? This is what has plagued organizations since the dawn of time; yes, the organization may be “too big to fail” but get an incompetent in the right place and it'll topple on its own. That's what happened to the Roman Empire and that's what has happened to several businesses across the years. Leadership development helps identify competent people and give them the tools to lead – it also identifies not-so-competent people and give them the tools not to screw up so much.
So what does this mean for your company – undergoing a leadership development program yourself can have several benefits:
a) Work satisfaction – there is nothing like a job well done. Knowing that you are doing the best that you could possibly be doing is a great boost to personal self-esteem. No more doubts about your capabilities in leading – you know that you can lead your company and lead it well.
b) Skills acquisition – Leadership development programs are more than hot-blooded pep-talks. Most of them impart skills that enable an organization to grow and develop. Some example of these skills are on how to plan properly, how to deal with problems in your company, and how to identify other potential leaders in your company infrastructure. All of these are useful in making sure that your company is running in tip-top shape.
These are only the benefits to yourself. Leadership development programs aren't usually limited to the top of an organization; mid-level management can also benefit from this. Having team leaders and project heads joining leadership development activities give the following benefits:
a) A more experienced workforce – The skills imparted to your supervisors and team leads give them a definite edge. It also boosts their confidence and helps them to contribute more to the company via their observations and plans.
b) Better rapport with employees – Leadership development emphasizes better relationships with your subordinates. Inculcating this into your middle management corps will reap you dividends in your relations with those at employee level.
These are only some of the advantages of instituting a leadership development program for your company. They are definitely worth the time and money that you invest into such a program. Try starting one today and see the results within a year – you'll be surprised.
Most companies nowadays have a leadership development program in place. This is because it's been a proven way to get an internal pool of talent for running a company. This is a lot cheaper than going outside of the company to headhunt a professional manager. The problem is that like all types of educational programs, leadership development isn't an automatic solution.
There need to be several factors in play for it to work the way it's supposed to. It is important to note that participation in a leadership development program means you're earmarked for a promotion – this is why some people want to be able to get the most out of such programs. If you're one of those people, here's a few hints on what you should be focused on:
1) Be open-minded – One of the hallmarks of being a good student of a leadership development program is being open-minded. Leaders are flexible individuals – they are able to accept most situations and turn it into their advantage. There's an emphasis on this during training and hopefully you manage to absorb it into your work ethic. Being open-minded means more than being able to accept changes in your work environment – this also means that you should be open to the chance that you ar mistaken. Negative feedback helps you improve and make you more efficient as a leader.
2) Be a planner - Another thing that leadership training emphasizes is planning. Good planning will almost always assure you of a positive for any situation that you are in. You will not believe how difficult it is to plan sometimes. This is because most people prefer to take things as they come. This is mostly because most of the time we have a laid-back culture. Leadership training does the opposite. It will encourage you to plan – you're not an employee anymore, which means you have to worry about more than yourself. Goal and problem identification, brainstorming solutions and implementation will be focused on in this part of the program.
3) Being pro-active – Leadership isn't just about spouting orders left and right. Leadership is about being an active part of the process. This is what is called “leading from the front”. Haven't you had that energizing feeling when your boss pulled up his sleeves and got down and dirty? Inspirational leadership goes hand-in-hand with active leadership. Don't be passive and sit behind the desk all day; admittedly it's a part of your job but going into the trenches and getting active feedback from your subordinates and gauging the morale of the group is also part of that. Learn to connect with people in a way that establishes a rapport, making you easily approachable. Also, familiarizing yourself with what your people are working with is a great way to win over your team.
Leadership development isn't exactly a snap but it can be condensed into these three things. Try to work on them and you'll be well on your way to the title of the “Boss of the Year”.