The field of leadership development has a long history of following the latest fad. During a recent collaboration with a major automaker, focusing on the employee development pathway for the upcoming year, one leader shared with us the following sentiment: “I just hope this is not another flavor of the month.”
The comment resonated with the group, who felt somewhat exhausted and weary from the cycle that many organizations tend to follow. Sadly, there’s nothing new about this kind of reaction.
Billions of dollars are spent annually on leadership development initiatives. Much of these investments go into single-shot programs that function as commodities in the marketplace of leadership development. However, there is limited empirical evidence demonstrating the return on investment. One reason for the limited impact is that most programs are not grounded in what we know about human development. We can and must do better.
Here we share our vision for a more effective way to prepare individuals to serve and excel as leaders. Based on adult learning theory, systems thinking, human development, and leadership theory, this approach shifts development from program to system.
The leadership system
It’s unrealistic to believe that a one-day, quarterly classroom-based workshop will yield more effective leaders. While traditional classroom-based programs can be essential to a developmental experience, they contribute little to the long-term growth of leadership skills, competencies, and self-views. It is like putting a medical student through a few academic courses and expecting a competent surgeon at the end. The best path forward for any organization is to start building a system centered on leadership development.
Here’s how.
The starting point for creating a leader development system is to clarify a set of leadership principles. These principles serve as the foundation, providing a shared understanding of what it means to be an effective leader in your context. They represent the organization’s developmental roadmap.
Whenever anyone, at any level, holds a leadership position, they understand what is expected of them. Ultimately, these principles support a leader’s growth and development. Hypothetical examples of leadership principles could include: building teams and people; strategic thinking; delivering results; demonstrating emotional and social intelligence; showing a commitment to lifelong learning; and displaying integrity.
Ideally, this is a customized model developed by members of the organization, tailored to what is valued, needed, and essential for success. A small regional accounting firm in rural America will have different needs than a mid-sized manufacturing plant in urban Buenos Aires.
The next step is to connect several aspects of organizational life. In other words, we begin to build the leadership system. A system can be defined as a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. By intentionally integrating these components, you create a coherent system that is aligned, efficient, and more likely to guide behavior.
While there are numerous connections we could emphasize, we have chosen to share six as starting points. When rooted in your principles and combined with a focus on development, the likelihood of individual growth increases. What we often see is that these elements exist, but they are rarely aligned and working together to help an individual grow.
Assessment: One form of assessment is 360-degree feedback. Ideally, the assessment is customized and aligns with the organization’s leadership principles. By securing feedback from various stakeholders, it becomes clear where the individual needs to focus time and energy to develop as a leader.
Personal development pathways: All employees can outline a path that aligns with the leadership principles. They can choose learning experiences, stretch assignments (see below), or other activities (e.g., serving on a nonprofit board) that correspond with these principles and offer opportunities for development and growth.
Training and development: Take a continuous approach to training and development rather than an episodic or “program-based” approach. Topics for quarterly retreats, online learning modules, emerging leader programs, and departmental retreats should reflect the leadership principles and remain aligned; at this point, they cannot be viewed as the “flavor of the month,” as they are deeply embedded in the organization’s fundamental values.
Stretch assignments: Stretch assignments are designed to challenge an individual to develop a specific capacity that aligns with the firm’s leadership principles. In other words, development is built into the experience. Stretch assignments may include high-visibility initiatives, turnaround assignments, working with high-profile clients, getting influence to get work done, and collaborating with challenging individuals.
Performance coaching: Coaching and feedback are not a one-time or episodic activity but rather an ongoing and continuous process between managers and subordinates. The focus of the conversations? You guessed it — the principles. After-action reviews and reflection should be prioritized following significant projects, and learning that is process- and growth-oriented is embedded within the process. Feedback may flow from the supervisor, peers, stakeholders, or other key individuals.
Ongoing accountability and performance management: When a team member is not performing at the expected level, leaders should link the shortfall to the expectations outlined in the organization’s DNA. Whether they struggle to maintain emotional intelligence or build teams, there should always be a clear reason for the conversation, along with a developmental perspective.
These six connections are just the beginning. The leadership development system can be integrated with other interventions, such as succession planning, work with an external coach, recognition, and job enlargement, to name a few.
Conclusion
The current results for many, if not most, leadership development initiatives are disappointing. If the opposite were true, we would see numerous exemplary organizations with strong leadership cultures as case studies, and scholars and consultancies would proudly highlight the developmental successes and the return on investment of our efforts.
Most organizations are stuck in the flavor-of-the-month mode, and new thinking is required. The opportunity? Build leader development systems, not programs.
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For a deeper look at leadership development in practice, explore the How to Make a Leader podcast.
This article The six elements of a successful leadership development system is featured on Big Think.