Leadership development refers to any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organisation, and can range from programs to action learning, and coaching. Developing leaders is not just a matter of sending executive staff off to a leadership course.
Leadership development has historically focused on developing the leadership abilities and attitudes of individuals and stopped there.
Training programs and associated reading is effective in helping leaders to know more about what is involved in being a good leader. However, knowing what to do, knowing yourself and others, and doing what you know, are very different things.
Many organisations send their staff to participate in personality profiling courses and think this is all that will need to be done to develop their people. It gives a great base to build from in knowing self and others. However it is estimated that as little as 15% of learning from traditional classroom style training results in sustained behavioural change within a workplace.
Personal characteristics that are associated with successful leadership development include motivation to learn, a high desire to achieve and personality traits such as openness to experiences, an internal focus of control, and self-reflection.
The success of leadership development efforts has also been linked to the quality and nature of the program, and sustained support for behavioural change from the leader’s immediate supervisor.
Development is also more likely to occur when the design of the development program integrates a range of developmental experiences over a set period of time (e.g. 12 months). These experiences may include 360-degree feedback processes, experiential training programs, executive coaching, and mentoring.
A good leadership development program should also enable you to develop a plan that helps you gain essential leadership skills required for roles across a wide range of companies/organisations.
Leadership and Change Consultants’ programs focus on leadership styles; emotional intelligence; how to work with others; conflict management; visionary leadership; building networks; affecting change and change management, and development of a personal action plan.
We provide follow up mentoring sessions for any program participants as well as executive coaching as required.
For more information on how we can assist with any executive, team or organisational development needs.