20 Essential Strategies for Leadership Development Success

One study https://media.ddiworld.com/research/global-leadership-forecast-2014-2015_tr_ddi.pdf found that organizations with strong leadership development...

One study https://media.ddiworld.com/research/global-leadership-forecast-2014-2015_tr_ddi.pdf found that organizations with strong leadership development programs are 8.8 times more likely to have high-quality leadership. Yet, many aspiring leaders struggle to identify the most effective strategies for growth.

In this guide, we’ll explore the most powerful techniques to accelerate your leadership development journey. Let’s dive in!

What is Leadership Development?

Leadership development refers to the process of enhancing an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. It involves acquiring and honing skills, knowledge, and behaviors that are essential for effective leadership. This process is ongoing and can involve formal training, mentoring, experiential learning, and self-reflection.

Leadership development can include:

• Mentoring sessions (think Yoda and Luke Skywalker)
• Real-world experience (like Bear Grylls surviving in the wild)
• Self-reflection (channeling your inner Buddha)
• Skill-building (imagine Rocky’s training montages, but for your brain)

Why is Leadership Development Important?

Why bother with leadership development? Let’s break it down:

1. Supercharge Organizational Performance: Great leaders are like organizational Red Bull. They boost innovation, productivity, and employee engagement. According to a Gallup study https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236297/strengths-based-employee-development-business-results.aspx, teams with great leaders are 21% more profitable!
2. Future-Proof Your Organization: Like creating your own Avengers team, you’re ensuring you have a squad of capable leaders ready to tackle future challenges.
3. Master the Art of Adaptation: In a world changing faster than ever, developed leaders are your Swiss Army knife. They help your organization pivot, adapt, and thrive amidst uncertainty.
4. Keep Your Talent Treasure: Good leadership is like superglue for talent. It boosts job satisfaction and lowers turnover rates.
5. Gain the Competitive Edge: In the business Olympics, organizations with strong leadership are more likely to take home the gold. Deloitte reports that companies with high-impact leadership development programs are 11 times more likely to have a high number of leaders who can build talent for competitive advantage and 7 times more likely to have leaders who can inspire others to follow them.

In essence, leadership development can transform your organization from a local diner into a Michelin-star restaurant.

6 Best Tips for Leadership Development

Focus on The “Whole Person” Program

True leadership development transcends the boardroom, impacting every facet of your life.

How do you embrace holistic leadership development? Here’s how:

1. Conduct Holistic Assessments: Start your program with a comprehensive assessment that goes beyond job performance. Include evaluations of emotional intelligence, personal values alignment, stress management, and work-life integration. The Hogan Development Survey is one example for this purpose.
2. Incorporate Multi-Faceted Learning Modules: Design your program to address various aspects of personal and professional development. Include modules on:
   • Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
   • Physical Well-being and Leadership Energy
   • Ethical Decision Making
   • Personal Values and Organizational Culture Alignment
3. Implement Cross-Functional Projects: Assign projects that require leaders to step outside their comfort zones. This could involve leading teams from different departments or giving important presentations. This approach, known as “stretch assignments,” has been shown to accelerate leadership development according to research by the Center for Creative Leadership (source).
4. Provide Individual Coaching: Offer one-on-one coaching sessions that address both professional and personal growth. Coaches (or mentors) should be trained to discuss how personal life factors influence leadership effectiveness.
5. Encourage Reflection and Integration: Include regular reflection sessions in your program. After each learning module or project, have participants reflect on how they can apply the lessons not just at work, but in their personal lives as well.

Here’s a comparison of traditional vs. whole-person leadership development programs. See if you can shift your focus towards the whole-person program column:

Action Step: Analyze where your current leadership development program stacks up against the whole-person growth model. Identify areas where you can incorporate more holistic elements and cater towards the whole.

You can also consider increasing people skills—which can lead to both better interpersonal relationships as well as work performance! Check out our resource here:

Master your People Skills

Create a Memorable PresenceCommunicate with ConfidenceAchieve Your Goals

Join People School

Have a question about the presentation or People School? Email Science of People support.

Align Your Leadership Program with Business Priorities

Generic programs lead to generic results, and let’s face it—your organization is anything but generic. Let’s dive into how you can create a leadership development program that’s as unique as your company’s fingerprint, starting with…

1. Identify Your Business North Star

First things first - what’s driving your need for leadership development? Is it to:

• Boost profits?
• Slash costs?
• Mitigate risks?
• Or maybe disrupt your industry?

Pro Tip: Gather your leadership team and brainstorm to drill down to your core business priority.

2. Define Your Leadership Superpowers

Once you’ve nailed your business priority, it’s time to identify the leadership superpowers that’ll get you there. Ask yourself:

• Do we need leaders who are more agile?
• More innovative?
• More inclusive?

Here’s a quick comparison of how different business priorities might align with leadership superpowers:

3. Identify the Kryptonite

Now, let’s get real. What’s holding your leaders back from unleashing these superpowers? Is it:

• Digital competency gaps?
• Difficulty navigating complexity?
• Lack of cross-functional collaboration?
• Talent development challenges?
• Bad guidance?

Action Step: Gather your team and:

1. List your top 3 business priorities
2. For each priority, identify the key leadership behaviors needed
3. Brainstorm the top obstacles preventing these behaviors
4. Rank the obstacles by impact and addressability

“The goal is not to be perfect by the end, the goal is to be better today.”—Simon Sinek

Set Holistic Goals

Now that we’ve aligned our leadership program with business priorities and embraced a whole-person approach, it’s time to set goals that will make your CFO do a happy dance and your leaders thrive in all aspects of life.

Specifically, your leadership development program should deliver in three areas:

• Learner Experience: How your leaders feel about the program
• On-the-Job Performance: How they apply what they’ve learned
• Business Impact: How it affects your bottom line

For each impact area, define success indicators that reflect your organization’s unique DNA. Here are some examples:

Learner Experience

• Program engagement rates
• Self-reported confidence levels
• Personal growth satisfaction

On-the-Job Performance

• Decision-making effectiveness
• Team collaboration scores
• Innovation output

Business Impact

• Revenue growth
• Employee retention rates
• Customer satisfaction scores

Here’s the secret sauce: For each success indicator, define clear metrics. Remember, what gets measured, gets managed! Here’s a mini case study:

Business Priority: Increase market share through innovation

Success Indicator: Increase in innovation output

Metric: Percentage increase in new products or services launched

Method: Product launch data and innovation pipeline reports

Action Steps:

1. Gather your team for a 1- or 2-hour session
2. Break into small groups, each focusing on one impact area (Learner, Job, Business)
3. Have groups brainstorm success indicators, metrics, and measurement methods
4. Come together to share and refine ideas
5. Ensure at least 25% of your goals reflect whole-person development aspects

Conduct a 360° Leadership Ecosystem Assessment

First things first - is your organizational soil fertile for leadership growth? A study by Deloitte found that 82% of respondents believe culture is a potential competitive advantage. Your company’s culture consists of many things, including…

• Stories & Myths
• Symbols
• Power Structures
• Organizational Structures
• Control Systems
• Rituals & Routines

If these elements don’t align with your leadership development goals, it’s time for some cultural pruning!

One of the best ways to gather feedback is to implement a 360° feedback system. Include feedback from:

• Self-assessment
• Peer reviews
• Direct reports
• Supervisors

Action Steps:

1. Gather key clients, team members, and/or stakeholders for a full-day session
2. Present findings from each assessment area
3. Conduct interactive workshops or deep-dive brainstorming sessonsto dive deeper into key insights
4. Collaboratively prioritize focus areas for your leadership development program
5. End the day by drafting an action plan

Craft Bespoke Leadership Learning Journeys

Forget one-size-fits-all training. It’s time to get personal with your leadership development. Here’s how to create learning experiences that hit hard and stick:

1. Know Your Audience: C-suite needs differ from frontline managers. Tailor content accordingly or risk losing engagement.
2. Mix It Up: Blend virtual simulations, peer coaching, and real-world projects. Variety truly is the key to learning that lasts!
3. Go Micro: Bite-sized learning modules pack a powerful punch. They’re perfect for busy leaders who need to learn on the go. Prioritize many smaller modules over a lengthy one.
4. Make It Real: Tie learning directly to current business challenges—even better if you can implement learnings right away. Leaders should be able to apply new skills immediately.
5. Keep It Fresh: Leadership evolves, and so should your program. Regularly update content to stay relevant and cutting-edge.

Pro Tip: Create a “Learning Board of Directors” with leaders from all levels, from beginner to advanced!

Revolutionize Your Feedback Loop

Does your leadership development program feel like an annual chore? Transform it from a chore to a fun, ongoing process! Here’s how:

1. Set up “leadership labs” for risk-free skill practice. These are dedicated spaces or sessions where leaders can experiment with new techniques, make mistakes, and receive feedback without real-world consequences! Think fun and experimental.

• Encourage peer-to-peer coaching. For a step-by-step guide on creating effective peer coaching programs, check out MindTools’ “How to Set Up a Peer Coaching Program”.

2. Use pulse surveys for quick team checks. These can be short, frequent online questionnaires (typically 5-10 questions) that gauge team morale, engagement, and responses to leadership initiatives. If you get negative feedback, no harm in doing a 360 and reverting.
3. Explore practical ways to use data in leadership development with SHRM’s “How to Use Data to Improve Leadership Development”.
4. Gamify the Process. Create leadership leaderboards (like a visual corkboard or virtual leaderboard). You can even offer rewards for consistent improvement, too.

Quick Win: Try the 5-5-5 Feedback Method

• 5-minute daily self-reflection
• 5-minute weekly peer feedback
• 5-minute monthly manager check-in

Remember…

Feedback isn’t a verdict—it’s a compass for peak performance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Leadership Development

How long does it take to develop leadership skills?

Leadership development is an ongoing process that continues throughout one’s career. While some skills can be acquired relatively quickly, mastering leadership typically takes years of practice, reflection, and continuous learning.

Can leadership skills be taught, or are they innate?

While some individuals may have natural leadership tendencies, research overwhelmingly supports that leadership skills can be taught and developed. However, effective leadership development requires a combination of formal training, practical experience, and personal reflection.

What are some common challenges in leadership development?

Some common challenges in leadership development include:

1. Lack of self-awareness 2. Resistance to change 3. Time constraints 4. Lack of feedback or mentoring 5. Difficulty in measuring progress 6. Balancing day-to-day responsibilities with development activities 7. Overcoming ingrained habits or behaviors

Recognizing these challenges is the first step in overcoming them and making meaningful progress in your leadership journey.

Lead With Greatness

Remember, leadership development is not a destination but a continuous journey! Stay curious, remain open to feedback, and never stop learning. Your growth as a leader will not only benefit you but also inspire and elevate those around you. Keep these points in mind:

• Leadership development is a continuous process of enhancing one’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others, involving skills like mentoring, real-world experience, self-reflection, and skill-building.
• Effective leadership development is crucial for organizational success, improving performance, ensuring future leadership, enhancing adaptability, retaining talent, and gaining competitive advantage.
• Key strategies for successful leadership development include focusing on “whole person” growth, aligning programs with business priorities, setting holistic goals, conducting comprehensive assessments, and crafting personalized learning journeys.
• Implementing a robust feedback loop is essential, involving leadership labs for practice, peer-to-peer coaching, pulse surveys, data-driven improvements, and gamification of the learning process.
• Challenges in leadership development include lack of self-awareness, resistance to change, time constraints, and difficulty in measuring progress, but recognizing these obstacles is the first step in overcoming them.

Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? Check out our article on 10 Effective Ways You Can Improve Your Communication Skills to enhance one of the most critical aspects of effective leadership.