Rethinking Leadership Development.....!!!!!

“Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the task is accomplished are those of whom the people will say: ‘we have done it ourselves’.” – SIR NARAYAN MURTHY.

What are the secrets of successful leadership development?

Key Points

• In developing leadership skills within any organization, there is no substitute for leadership by example
• While debate continues over the extent to which leadership can be taught, what is clear is that malleability diminishes over time, and human resources departments must be able to identify contextually appropriate leadership skills in individuals
• Some of the oldest tools in the leadership development toolkit are still some of the best: developmental assignment – moving leaders-in-training out of their comfort zones into other geographies or divisions – should be a part of any development programme
• Organizations should hire people at points of transition, when they are in the right mindset for life changes and are receptive to training
• A good leadership development programme is one that sets people along their own, self-directed, lifelong path of developing leadership skills
• Organizations successful in leadership training all involve senior management directly and at a high level of granularity, in mentoring, coaching and offering feedback

Synopsis

Are leaders born, or can they be trained?

While opinions on this fundamental question often diverge, consensus has emerged that early experience with leadership is a good indicator of true leadership potential. Young people who have been put into challenging situations, and who have been able to make mistakes and learn from them, have a leg up as leaders. As the increasingly complex and globalized economy has an insatiable demand for leaders at all levels, it is incumbent on educational institutions to begin leadership training early.

There are few, if any, true “universal leaders”. The qualities that define excellence in leadership are highly contextual, and may change appreciably across different sectors and corporate structures, across differently sized organizations and across different cultures. It is the rare leader who can move from one organization to another or from one country to another, and be the same leader.

The traditional distinction between, on the one hand, the visionary and inspirational leader and, on the other, the efficiency- and cost-oriented manager is an essentially false dichotomy. A real leader must be able to cross lines: his or her credibility as a leader depends on the ability to understand and address issues at all levels of an organization – balanced by the ability to delegate effectively.

Much of what was true of leaders 20 years ago remains true today. Some of the fundamental principles pioneered by companies like GE, which recognized the need for internal leadership development relatively early, are still essential components to any programme. Developmental assignment is one such component. And as has always been the case, the best leadership development programmes are those that set potential leaders along their own paths of self-directed discovery and learning. But the approach that organizations take to developing leaders also needs to keep up with the times.

In too many leadership development programmes today, there is a dearth of emphasis on systemic leadership – on the complex interdependency of systems, and the impact that decisions made in one area can have in another, seemingly distant area. This is especially true in the increasingly globalized and interdependent world of the 21st century.

To assess leadership traits and abilities in an individual on the basis of what has worked historically is to use a lagging, not a leading, indicator – a significant handicap in a fast-changing environment. The context of leadership changes and individuals with real leadership potential and tremendous talent that remains undiscovered through management evaluation can be revealed, for instance, in peer evaluation.

Technology is not always the friend of leadership. The ability to communicate nearly instantaneously around the world, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, has created a challenge to leadership that might be called “the Curse of the Blackberry”, allowing for a reverse, upward delegation that permits people to avoid some of the leadership tasks for which they would, traditionally, have been responsible.

Happy Reading…!!!