Leadership development throughout entire organization most effective approach
The importance of leadership training and development cannot be stated enough. There is rarely an HR department or organization that does not see the absolute importance of leadership training for its managers, executives and supervisors.
However, there are two systemic issues with the way most organizations tackle the development of leadership.
The first issue is timing. Giving leadership training to seasoned managers and supervisors is great, but chances are by the time upper management settles into their new positions, the train has already left the station.
The second issue is that conventional leadership training only focuses on building the leaders, and fails to acknowledge the benefits of having a whole organization of leaders. Only focusing leadership training on those who are already functional leaders completely denies the organization its full potential in versatility, agility and creativity.
Many executives will agree that generally an organization’s mid-level and higher managers and leaders are fairly effective. Where the chain is weakest is normally with its front-line leaders. On average, front-line leaders manage up to 80 per cent of the workforce. Twenty per cent of front-line leaders have been rated as doing a poor job by their subordinates, 26 per cent said they were not ready for the job, and 60 per cent said they did not receive training, according to a 2014 white paper by the Centre for Creative Leadership, Understanding the Leadership Challenges of First-Time Managers, based on a survey of 664 managers.
To the keen observer, this could seem like a major problem. To every employee who has ever left a job she enjoyed because of a poor supervisor, these numbers ring all too true. The flip side to this is many managers underperform or walk away from management positions because they are not properly prepared.
To look for a potential solution, there’s the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Why? Because leadership is at the forefront of everything that organization does. From day one of basic training, new recruits are required to lead their platoons in simple tasks, such as getting to meals and formations on time, making sure everyone is accounted for and reporting issues to their superiors. This is where every senior leader in the CAF received their introduction to responsibility, accountability, initiative and selflessness — the hallmarks of good leadership.
From there, military members go through gradual increments of leadership training, commiserate with their next rank level. The military trains its members to be effective at the next rank — before they get to that rank, not after.
The military constantly emphasizes the need for an organization of leaders, and expects every member of the team to embody the principles of leadership. As much as the military has historically strived for obedience, its thirst for leaders is stronger. Those who can motivate, serve and enable their subordinates in the most harrowing of circumstances are those the military wants to stack their ranks with.
The effects of this approach can be seen in the many brave and courageous acts made by the most junior soldiers up to the most senior officers. These acts are rooted in the most basic principles of leadership: initiative, accountability and selflessness.
So, what lessons can we take into the corporate world?
Here is the biggest one: Every employee should be given leadership training that focuses on leadership attributes, the values of the company and the vision of the organization. These lessons should be reiterated constantly.
The best time to condition people in an organization is early. This way, the excitement and awe of coming to a new organization can be leveraged to increase the retention of the training. As new employees understand and exhibit leadership attributes, teams will function better and more effectively. Why? Because employees will have an understanding of the vision and values of the company, and will better understand the decisions of their senior managers.
On the other hand, they will be able to see when decisions are counter to the vision and values. This will allow early red flags to come from the employees, rather than the customers.
The skills employees learn, such as problem-solving, communication and situational awareness, will be a force multiplier for the organization.
Imagine an organization where problems are dealt with at the lowest level, and communicated upwards before they become major issues. Further, every person in the organization acts as a sensor and feeds the organization with information and ideas from the front line — information that senior managers may otherwise not receive until a customer complains.
An employer with an employee pool demonstrating leadership attributes is an organization with a full leadership pipeline. Being able to effectively promote the right individuals to positions of leadership will ensure the organization’s leadership backbone remains strong.
A poor understanding of what it means to be an effective leader usually causes those who are ambitious to focus on what they think is required of a good leader, leading to a skewed understanding of what demonstrates strong leadership potential, such as sales volume. An employee pool that has a strong understanding of leadership will be an employee pool of ideas, creativity, team work, ethics and action.
Leadership training should be specific to the next level an individual is moving toward. Once an employee is earmarked for promotion, she needs to be adequately trained to excel in the next position. She should understand the fundamentals and principles of leadership, and be trained in the key skills she will need to lead her team. This training should be heavily experiential in the current operating environment. For example, if the new leaders will be leading satellite team members, they need to learn the skills in this context. This way, the training can actually provide some experience for the new leader.
An investment in leadership development for every employee is an investment in customer service, marketing, product development and strategic objectives.
When every member is a leader, every member has accountability, every member has a sense of ownership and every member will be a steward for the organization. Leadership development throughout the entire organization is the most effective way to turn an employer from good to exceptional.
Biren Bandara is the founder of Leader School in Ottawa. He can be reached at (613) 539-3195 or for more information, visit www.leaderschool.ca.
