TABLE OF CONTENTS
Develop and design successful leadership development programmes
Whether it's supporting staff currently in management roles or encouraging future leaders to acquire new skills, having an effective training programme in place can be fundamental to helping your employees succeed within your organisation.
At its core, any leadership programme should reflect the values and vision of the organisation. The programme must have a clear structure that shows how participants will develop and enhance the skills that will enable them to design and execute meaningful strategies that will help your business meet the challenges it faces.
Should leadership development be a top priority?
The people who run your business play a vital role in shaping its people, performance and culture. Investing in their professional development is one of the best ways to attract and retain talent. If you want to improve leadership in your organisation, it may be time to strengthen your development programme.
To give leadership training programmes the importance they deserve, it is important to identify the leadership roles that are needed to guide your business into the future. Members of the Human Resources (HR), Learning & Development and Management teams need to work together to define what makes an effective leader in their organisation.
- What skills do they have?
- What skills do they need to develop?
- Are they team leaders?
- What future job opportunities should they be prepared for?
Creating a leader profile and assessing current talent to identify gaps can help formulate an action plan for the future.
What is leadership development?
Leadership development is about equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills to influence and guide people, processes and teams towards desired outcomes. Leadership skills development encompasses traditionally tangible talents, such as goal setting, as well as soft skills, such as empathy.
These growth initiatives often fall into the hands of HR, L&D or OD professionals, who are responsible for creating the systems and experiences needed to support people's productivity and development.
Leadership training is not usually a one-off educational event. To meet evolving business needs and rising employee expectations, it is essential that talent professionals provide ongoing opportunities to help their people learn and develop essential leadership qualities and skills.
How does leadership development differ from management development?
Although the terms "leadership" and "management" are often used interchangeably, there is an important distinction between the two. Leaders have the ability to motivate and coach others, while managers have the skills to supervise people and projects to ensure that tasks are completed.
Skills common to a good leader and a good manager
Your organisation may have managers, who are responsible for supervising a team and coordinating the execution of the group's work. You may find leaders who have no direct reports but who are nevertheless able to rally employees around a common goal. You may also find people who fall into both the managerial and leadership categories.
Why is leadership development training important?
Inspirational and effective leaders are essential to a successful business. They help galvanise people to contribute to a common cause and support employee engagement and well-being. When those who lead a team, a department or the whole organisation create an environment that fosters trust and allows people to feel valued and included, the whole workplace culture reaps the rewards.
Management training is also essential to increase market share and long-term business value. Leaders need people in their organisations who are ready and able to guide the organisation into the future. Yet only 11% of organisations surveyed in the Global Leadership Forecast 2021 indicated that they had a strong or very strong leadership team.
What is the impact of effective leadership development?
When training professionals design a good leadership development programme, the effects extend far beyond the participants:
Increased Motivation
Employees are often stimulated when they have the opportunity to learn. Leadership development training can engage staff, open up career development opportunities and give the business a safety net by developing a pool of influential people. What's more, when staff have strong leadership skills, they are often better able to support and encourage others, which can boost the organisation's motivation.
Improving performance in the workplace
Developing an individual's leadership skills enables them to be more effective and productive in their role, and also contributes to increasing the productivity and capacity of a team or company. When project or group leaders strengthen their ability to coach and guide people, they develop employees' capabilities, resulting in greater autonomy and more individuals willing and able to do the work the organisation needs.
Increased employee retention
Great leaders have a gift for inspiring and empowering people. A leader's approach to team-building, or the way they help people overcome difficulties, can be crucial in helping staff acquire new skills to support their own productivity. When staff have influence over their work, feel encouraged to use their skills and have confidence in their own abilities, employee engagement tends to increase. Positive engagement scores also correlate with better retention, which can boost business results.
What basic leadership skills should be prioritised in training programmes?
Attitudes towards work are changing. Workers expect more from those they are expected to follow. They are looking for the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves, the chance to be inspired and a place where they will be valued and supported in their career development.
Approaches such as the command and control style of leadership no longer serve employees or organisations. Increasingly, successful leaders need soft skills - or, more accurately, power skills - to be effective. To support programme participants, we need to give them the means to become... :
- Emotional intelligence (EQ) enthusiasts
- Champions of communication
- The drivers of cognitive diversity
- Bastions of belonging
- Training the experts
Emotional intelligence (EQ) enthusiasts
The Oxford dictionary defines EQ as the ability to understand one's feelings and those of others, and to behave appropriately in different situations. At Emergenetics, we know that it starts with self-knowledge. By getting to know themselves better, individuals can learn to recognise their strengths, weaknesses and innate tendencies.
We encourage anyone interested in leadership development to start by using the Emergenetics profile. This tool enables them to become aware of their innate way of thinking and behaving, while giving them insight into other preferences. By appreciating the value of different perspectives, leaders can increase their empathy and EQ.
Champions of communication
While influence and motivation are at the heart of leadership, the importance of communication skills cannot be underestimated. The way you communicate with individuals will have a direct impact on their energy. If a team member has tools, such as Emergenetics, that reveal how others prefer to share and receive information, they can build a rapport that inspires, connects and motivates.
Bear in mind that effective verbal and written skills are not enough. Employees want to have their say about their role, their organisation and their future, so it's essential that leaders are also excellent listeners. Make sure you offer strategies and training that encourage active listening, show how to give and receive feedback and encourage two-way conversations.
The drivers of cognitive diversity
To thrive in the future, businesses need staff who are comfortable with different perspectives. Numerous studies have shown the role that diversity, and in particular cognitive diversity, plays in achieving better results. This means that productive managers and influencers in the workplace need to be curious about alternative approaches, willing to change and welcome different points of view.
By creating a leadership development programme that focuses on broadening people's ways of thinking and revealing the value of going beyond their mental models, individuals can harness cognitive diversity to drive problem solving and performance.
Bastions of belonging
Engaged employees know they are valuable members of the organisational ecosystem and feel seen, heard and valued. Good leaders are willing and able to create a safe space where everyone is included. This starts with the ability to appreciate the gifts of a diverse group and to commit to listening to their concerns and interests.
Helping managers develop their ability to build teams, create positive group dynamics and value different experiences. This type of open and psychologically safe environment will allow staff to see that their voice counts and encourage them to share their contributions, challenges and ideas with confidence.
Training the connoisseurs
Great leaders guide, empower and support the development of others' skills so that every employee can give their best at work. At Emergenetics, we know that when employees use their strengths, they tend to be more engaged and productive. What's more, when staff can get constructive feedback on development opportunities, they develop their own capabilities and generally appreciate the career development support provided.
By providing leaders with tools and frameworks - such as the Emergenetics profile - to provide meaningful feedback and encourage staff to use their strengths, they can empower others and inspire future success.
What does leadership look like through the attributes of Emergenetics?
How people prefer to think and behave is likely to influence their innate approach to leadership. As programme participants become familiar with their natural styles, it can be useful to look at their emerging profile and identify some of the common tendencies and strengths of each preference.
- Analytical thinkers are likely to focus on results in their work and use a logical, data-driven approach.
- Structural thinkers often excel at creating order and identifying processes to guide people and projects forward.
- Social thinkers generally see business from a relational perspective and can adopt a collaborative, people-centred style.
- Conceptual thinkers are stimulated by the big picture and often inspire through ideation and innovative solutions.
- The expressive leaders of the first third often have the gift of listening and remaining calm in all situations, while the expressive leaders of the third third are often an energetic and gregarious force.
- The assertive leadership of the first third can bring an innate democratic approach to work, while the assertive individuals of the third third tend to lead by imposing their rhythm.
- A flexible leader of the first third is likely to give direction and purpose to directions and decisions, while a flexible leader of the third third keeps options open and encourages continual revisions of the path set out.
Who should take part in a leadership development programme?
It's not necessary for someone's title to contain the word 'director' or even 'manager' for them to take part in a leadership development programme. While team members in traditional management roles can certainly benefit from ongoing training, there are probably many people in your business who would be good candidates for building core leadership skills.
When designing or developing your leadership programmes, bear in mind the following audiences:
Budding leaders
- High-potential performers
- Managers and team leaders
- Project organisers
- Directors and managers
Bear in mind that a senior leader, a new leader and a future leader are likely to have different training needs depending on their experience, knowledge and previous roles. They may also have different expectations about the type of growth and development they should be involved in.
What are people looking for in a leadership development programme?
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of these training initiatives is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. A study by DDI's Global Leadership Forecast asked how leaders want to be trained and revealed:
- 39% are interested in formal face-to-face training
- 42% have sought assessments to diagnose leadership strengths
- 48% wanted development assignments
- 48% sought external coaching
In the light of this evidence, talent development professionals should consider using a multi-dimensional approach to training while offering flexibility to programme participants so that they can learn in the way that best suits their interests and needs.
What are the non-negotiable elements of a successful leadership development programme?
Leadership development programmes are likely to vary from company to company depending on the capabilities and strengths of your HR and L&D teams, as well as your employee population. To increase your chances of creating one of the best leadership development programmes, consider four principles:
- Change in supply
- Provide information on strengths and weaknesses
- Integrating feedback loops
- Making things easier
Change in supply
Given that people have different learning preferences, it is preferable for development programmes to include a mix of experiences such as... :
- Formal training
- Experiential learning
- Assessment-based solutions
- Coaching
Examples of each type of experiment
Having a diverse range of training options will meet the multitude of learning needs of their audiences, to keep them engaged and present. Variety can also support strategy delivery, as HR and L&D managers are likely to find that it is easier to work on a core leadership skill through coaching or a deepening engagement, rather than classroom learning.
Provide information Strengths and weaknesses
The best ideas come from a group of people, not a single leader. By prioritising self-awareness in your leadership development programme, you can help participants discover their innate gifts and understand where they may need support from others.
Psychometric assessments such as the Emergenetics profile can be particularly effective in showing individuals where their strengths lie, while drawing attention to any weaknesses they need to be aware of. As a result of this self-discovery, managers become aware of the value of these weaknesses and appreciate those who can fill the gaps.
Integration of feedback loops
Listening to your programme participants and those on the periphery is imperative to continually optimise your leadership training. Make sure you increase opportunities to hear from stakeholders, including participants in leadership development sessions, the people they work with and the staff they supervise.
There is a plethora of information you can collect, so think about which elements will have the greatest impact on the desired outcomes. Ideas include post-training surveys for participants, skills assessments or 360° reviews to assess changes in day-to-day behaviour.
Making things easier
Often, the people you want to participate in leadership training are among the most active individuals in many organisations. To encourage them to participate and put their new talents into practice, find ways of reinforcing the benefits of participation.
- Consider options such as
- Offering short, bite-sized training courses
- Enabling managers to participate at their own pace
- Transforming course content into practical guides or computer graphics
- Provide models to support feedback, change management or other essential skills
How do you set up an engaging leadership development programme?
Creating or optimising leadership development programmes requires care and attention. To support staff currently in management positions as well as your future leaders, it's important to invest time from the outset to design a strategy that will help develop the skills your participants need and position your business for long-term success.
9 tips to boost leadership programmes
Identify your objectives.
Consider your company's overall objectives and determine how your leadership development work will align with and support these objectives. Based on this information, you can set specific objectives, which can be quantitative or qualitative in nature. You can set targets for the number of participants and performance improvement measures, or set targets for the feeling and perception of quality.
Understand your audience.
Determine who you want to participate in your leadership development training and create personas for each group, such as aspiring leaders, senior leaders or managers. Take the time to analyse and learn about their challenges, career development goals and interests. Consider interviewing your peers, colleagues or direct reports to find out their views on the leadership qualities required or lacking.
Plan a holistic learning path.
One course does not fit all, so you need to identify opportunities to offer different types of experience at different times. Think about how your participants prefer to learn, for example by listening to experts, by doing practical exercises, by working with a community or by trial and error. Include multiple learning situations and remember that you don't have to create everything. Don't forget external sources and internal experts who can offer additional insights.
Identify must-haves and opportunities for freedom.
As well as determining the pathways for your leadership development programme, it is important to assess where you will be firm and where you will be flexible. It may be that certain leadership skills are needed in your organisation and that you offer different routes to encourage staff to develop these capabilities.
Find your cheerleaders and executive sponsors.
Enthusiasm for your study programme from champions outside the HR or L&D department will only increase your chances of success. Find senior managers who believe in your work and influential people who are keen to get involved. Empower your champions to support the initiative by providing them with talking points, asking them to provide an update at a company meeting or using their quotes about the learning experience in your internal communication channels.
Determine your action plan.
By looking at the many development possibilities open to you, you will probably have more ideas than you can reasonably implement. In this case, your executive sponsors and cheerleaders can help you plan the action. Ask them for their opinion on the priority needs in order to draw up your deployment plan. Identify short-term objectives and long-term milestones to create an overall strategy.
Keep employees informed.
Put on your promoter's hat as you embark on step 7. While much of your attention will be devoted to developing the programme, sourcing external content and designing the programme itself, think about how you can keep staff aware of training opportunities and engage them in the work.
Measuring results.
Keep executive sponsors on board by talking about the tangible impact of your leadership development programmes on business initiatives. With so many competing activities within an organisation, having relevant measures and examples of success will increase your chances of maintaining and expanding your plans. From the objectives defined in step 1, identify key performance indicators (KPIs), measures and feedback mechanisms to assess impact.
Iterate.
Based on the data and feedback you get from programme participants as well as other members of the business who may feel the side effects of the offers, identify areas for improvement. Keep an eye out for new trends that you may want to incorporate into your range of offers to keep them fresh and relevant.
How can Emergenetics boost leadership skills?
Great leadership development programmes take time and energy, and Emergenetics can help you accelerate your people's journey to success. With the Emergenetics profile, leaders discover their innate preferences for thinking and behaving, enabling them to better understand themselves and reveal their personal strengths.
Our training programmes and workshops offer additional perspectives to enable individuals to recognise the value of cognitive diversity and the strengths of each attribute.
Through our self-directed digital learning and online portal, leaders discover strategies and applications that help them communicate, motivate and coach their people according to their unique preferences. We also provide resources that enable leaders to understand their people and acquire useful strategies for inspiring performance.
If you want to give your staff practical tools to improve their EQ and increase their ability to lead others effectively, our team is here to help!
We can offer stand-alone training that fits seamlessly into your leadership development programmes, or equip your learning and development professionals with the skills and knowledge to use Emergenetics themselves to amplify leadership learning.
Contact our team today by filling in the form below!