The “Big 3” of Leadership Development
Some time ago, word got back to the LEADon team that someone had pulled an employee of one of our clients aside and warned her about the mentor to whom she had been assigned. “If you work with that consultant,” the anonymous person advised, “you’ll get fired!”
The funny thing is, this employee wasn’t fired. In fact, she is successfully running a growing team! Yet the comment brought to light a reality of exceptional leadership development: sometimes people who don’t belong in your organization will be discovered, even though they might be comfortably camouflaged in the ranks of your Corporate Family.
At LEADon, we recognize there are several key benefits to incorporating an intentional leadership program into your business plan. We call these the “Big 3” of Leadership Development:
- Empowering Leaders: When organizations intentionally offer leadership development to their executive teams and emerging leaders, these individuals are given new skills sets that will allow them to flourish in their current roles and responsibilities. Not only will individual leader’s skills be strengthened, but team unity and corporate culture that is productive will also be natural by-products of this kind of commitment to professional development.
- Expanding Leadership: As companies develop the leadership skills of their employees, some of these team members will desire to take on more challenges within their organizations. In other words, they will literally rise to the surface of leadership—ready, willing, and able to move up the corporate ladder. These former “bench players” will soon become All Stars on the team that developed them!
- Encouraging “Free Agency”: In some instances, the process of implementing leadership development within an organization will reveal those weak links who either shouldn’t be on your team—or really don’t want to be there in the first place. When this happens, leaders can coach your executive team on how to offer those employees the opportunity to move on to a different Corporate Family in which they may find a better fit.
If you look at the overall benefits of the “Big 3” for your organization, it makes sense to analyze your current leadership development program to ensure that your Corporate Family members are truly benefitting from your equipping efforts. Yes, losing a team member or two may be part of the process—but increased productivity and profitability will be, too.