4 Keys to a Power-packed Leadership Culture
There’s no doubt that the power and value of effective leadership will become even more important in the coming decades. With the complexities and opportunities of an ever expanding global marketplace, leaders and businesses need to make growing leaders and developing leadership teams their top priority. Just consider these staggering statistics…
84% of organizations anticipate a leadership shortfall in the next 5 years
83% of executives believe it’s important to develop leaders at all levels
But…
Only 5% of companies have a formal leadership development culture
That’s right, I said leadership development CULTURE. Culture is the collective beliefs and behaviors which are shared by all people who have come together in an endeavor. It’s not a statement on a wall or a logo on the door. It goes so much deeper than that. It’s the thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, conversations of your people.
It’s no longer enough to have a flavor of the month leader growth and development program. Your team members see right through that and as a result, they will often go through the motions of participating in a workshop but the concepts just don’t stick because they’re not seamlessly integrated through all aspects of your company. Sorry to break the news to you but it’s true!
Developing a power-packed culture of leadership development involves four key phases:
Aligning everyone around what effective leadership looks like in your company. Creating a crystal clear picture of leadership and how powerful leaders impact success is essential. It has been said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. While we believe both are important, without alignment, maximizing the full potential of your folks will never happen.
Identifying and engaging current and future leaders to bridge the coming shortfall. Often, individuals are placed in leadership roles because of outstanding past performance. While this is an important aspect in assessment, it is more important to make leadership selection decisions based on "Potential" rather than “Performance".
Developing these leaders to be even more effective in their leadership responsibilities. Investing in leader development to help these individuals be as successful as possible for themselves, their teams, and the organization is critical. By using an "inside/out" approach to leadership growth and development, you are able to meet the unique needs of every leader and using several approaches to leader development (for example, leader coaching, mentoring, structured leadership training programs, peer support networks) is more valuable than you could know.
Evaluating results of leadership development realizing that needs are ever changing. To help you hit the target time after time it’s important to create the processes and systems for consistent evaluation of your strategy and leadership development initiatives to ensure you are achieving the goals you desire and your company and teams are continuing to grow.
Sure mission, vision and values (the traditional cores of culture) are important, but they are not enough. When everyone is aligned on the value and focus of leadership in your company, looking for and engaging the potential of emerging leadership, committed to developing those leaders in all areas, and consistently looking at the results delivered.
When I talk to executives and leaders about this approach I stress it’s not hard to do…but it does require intentional focus and commitment.
Building a strong culture of leadership and leadership development does not happen by accident. However, by bringing these four key phases into focus for your teams and organization, it will yield results you could never imagine.
If you have questions about any or all of these critical areas, I’d welcome you to reach out and we can chat. Don’t wait for your competition and the critical need for leadership to get away from you. Take the next step today for yourself as an emerging leader and your team to grow in your leadership and impact.
Live. Love. Lead. Leave a Legacy!
Jason
Dr. Jason Brooks changes lives, grows high-impact leaders and builds high-performing organizations.
He has over 25 years’ experience in executive leadership roles from startups to multi-billion dollar organizations in multiple industries. He is founder and CEO of The Catalyst Leadership Group, a leadership solutions firm. As a bestselling author, speaker, and host of the LeaderThrive Podcast, he brings a heart for helping leaders of all kinds achieve their greatest potential.