This article was shared by PPAI.
Is your company dedicated to developing leaders? Most likely, you would say a resounding “yes.” However, many organizations actually fall short of this goal. In its work with International Leadership Associates, a leadership challenge team identified four fatal flaws that derail organizations from developing effective leaders.
Fatal Flaw No. 1: Managers, from senior level on down, simply fail to tell their people they expect them to lead. The managers walk their people through annual performance metrics, usually stressing financial or quantifiable results. There may be an add-on category about leadership development, frequently embedded somewhere in the self-development objectives. This, unfortunately, is how too many managers rationalize that they are, in fact, clarifying their expectations about leadership. But the communicated message is clear: make your numbers and, in your spare time, continue to improve yourself as a better leader. It’s more important than ever to be very clear about how important leadership is. Otherwise, those development efforts will inevitably slip between the cracks. So the question for leaders is this: Does everyone on your team view stepping forward as a leader a “must do”, or do they think it’s an option?
Fatal Flaw No. 2: Assuming the expectation to lead is clearly made, there is a great deal of confusion about what it actually means. For those individuals who do become inspired and committed to improving their leadership, too often they discover they’re not quite sure what they are supposed to do. That’s because many organizations have not adopted a clear, concise, definable, model of leadership.
It’s important to start with a competency model, describing capabilities managers at various levels are expected to demonstrate in order to be deemed “effective.” While some competencies are more directly tied to leadership than others, they generally cover broad knowledge areas such as financial acumen, strategic agility, business savvy and communications.
Fatal Flaw No. 1: Managers, from senior level on down, simply fail to tell their people they expect them to lead. The managers walk their people through annual performance metrics, usually stressing financial or quantifiable results. There may be an add-on category about leadership development, frequently embedded somewhere in the self-development objectives. This, unfortunately, is how too many managers rationalize that they are, in fact, clarifying their expectations about leadership. But the communicated message is clear: make your numbers and, in your spare time, continue to improve yourself as a better leader. It’s more important than ever to be very clear about how important leadership is. Otherwise, those development efforts will inevitably slip between the cracks. So the question for leaders is this: Does everyone on your team view stepping forward as a leader a “must do”, or do they think it’s an option?
Fatal Flaw No. 2: Assuming the expectation to lead is clearly made, there is a great deal of confusion about what it actually means. For those individuals who do become inspired and committed to improving their leadership, too often they discover they’re not quite sure what they are supposed to do. That’s because many organizations have not adopted a clear, concise, definable, model of leadership.
It’s important to start with a competency model, describing capabilities managers at various levels are expected to demonstrate in order to be deemed “effective.” While some competencies are more directly tied to leadership than others, they generally cover broad knowledge areas such as financial acumen, strategic agility, business savvy and communications.
Fatal Flaw No. 3: This flaw is a lack of context that establishes the importance for leadership, explaining why it’s a crucial expectation. And with constantly changing circumstances, it must be reinforced time and time again.
In the case of one effective organization, it would need to have great leaders in every department, at every level of the business. This meant developing leaders, regardless of title or position, who are willing and able to tackle tough problems, proactively respond to uncontrollable changes, and develop innovative solutions or breakthroughs ideas. They now view leadership development as a key strategy that will help ensure continued prosperity and future success. And as a result, when people hear that they are expected to be leaders, they understand why it’s so important and why the company is making such an effort to develop more leaders.
Fatal Flaw No. 4: The last of the culprits impeding leadership development efforts is the most obvious—and the one receiving the most attention. It is the lack of ongoing follow through. To ensure that people grow and develop as effective leaders, there must be an intentional, purposeful and sustained effort that is a key organizational strategy. It has to be more than an annual self-development objective to read a book or attend a workshop on the subject. It has to be something for which people are held accountable every single day.
The movement of prospects and opportunities, through what some sales-driven companies call the “sales funnel,” is a topic of daily conversation. Yet, the movement of up-and-coming leaders (or other key talent) through the development funnel might be discussed once or twice a year.
In order that strategic leadership development efforts take hold, organizations must be thoughtful and intentional about the systems and support mechanisms needed to reinforce their value.
In the case of one effective organization, it would need to have great leaders in every department, at every level of the business. This meant developing leaders, regardless of title or position, who are willing and able to tackle tough problems, proactively respond to uncontrollable changes, and develop innovative solutions or breakthroughs ideas. They now view leadership development as a key strategy that will help ensure continued prosperity and future success. And as a result, when people hear that they are expected to be leaders, they understand why it’s so important and why the company is making such an effort to develop more leaders.
Fatal Flaw No. 4: The last of the culprits impeding leadership development efforts is the most obvious—and the one receiving the most attention. It is the lack of ongoing follow through. To ensure that people grow and develop as effective leaders, there must be an intentional, purposeful and sustained effort that is a key organizational strategy. It has to be more than an annual self-development objective to read a book or attend a workshop on the subject. It has to be something for which people are held accountable every single day.
The movement of prospects and opportunities, through what some sales-driven companies call the “sales funnel,” is a topic of daily conversation. Yet, the movement of up-and-coming leaders (or other key talent) through the development funnel might be discussed once or twice a year.
In order that strategic leadership development efforts take hold, organizations must be thoughtful and intentional about the systems and support mechanisms needed to reinforce their value.
Source: Steve Coats, a Leadership Challenge® Workshop Certified Master, is a managing partner and co-owner of International Leadership Associates, a leadership development education and consulting firm. For 25 years, Coats has taught, coached and consulted with executives and all levels of managers around the world in leadership development, team development, personal growth, change and business strategy.