Many new challenges facing leaders suggest that success as a leader will require several skills and competencies. However, organisations do not always invest in their leadership teams. Even if this is now determined that enhancing of the skills of leaders allows for higher return on investment.
Leadership competencies can be developed in number of ways. This includes formal training, development activities as well as self-development activities. They also can take many forms, including coaching, mentoring or special assignments to provide new opportunities for learning.
Leadership training programs
Formal training programs are widely used to improve leadership in organisations. Large organisations have management programs and send their managers to various workshops and seminars. The training is generally designed for low- and middle-level managers.
It ranges from short workshops to long-term courses. Many consultants provide advise and workshops themselves.
The effectiveness of the training depends greatly on how well they are designed. They should generally account for evaluation of theory, specific learning objectives and practical exercises. The learning objectives help clarify the purpose and relevance to the trainees.
The content should be clear and meaningful as well as focus on important things. It should progress from simple ideas to more complex components and modules. They should be appropriate to the knowledge, skills and behaviours to be learned. Trainees should have the opportunity to practice the skills during the training and afterwards. They should be confident in their learning and able to monitor their progress.
The effectiveness will highly depend on the participants reactions, satisfaction, skills acquisition, ability to transfer the learned materials and, of course, the results. This will depend on the abilities and personalities of the participants and feedback.
Learning from experience
Much of the leadership skills is learned from experience rather then from training programs. Coaching and mentoring can be used to help managers interpret their experience and learn new skills. Managers can also learn what not to do from observing bosses who are ineffective or who engage in unethical behaviours.
The amount of challenge will determine on how much we can learn. A challenging situation involves problems to solve, difficult obstacles and risky decisions to make. Some example includes dealing with reorganisation, leading cross-functional teams, implementing a major change, making a transition or managing different cultures.
The manager must seek new information, see problems in new ways, build new relationships, learn new skills and develop better understanding of themselves. In the process managers learn new skills and develop self-confidence.
Learning from experience involves failures as well. These include hardships in making business decisions, mistakes in dealing with difficult people, career setbacks and personal trauma. When the amount of challenge is excessive, support and coaching may be needed to prevent from people giving up and withdrawing from the situation.
Diverse job experiences require managers to adapt to new situations and dealing with new types of problems. Approaching different situations in the same way only because it worked before for new situations may be dangerous. Other approaches may be more effective. Rotating managers among positions may be a good solution here. Variety of challenges can also be simulated to enhance learning. This increases adaptability and prepare learners to view problems from different perspective.
More learning appears when people get relevant and accurate feedback about their behaviour and its consequences. There is also an issue with the way the feedback is accepted. People who believe that work is generally out of their control will less likely receive feedback and accept responsibility for failure.
Developmental Activities
A number of activities can be used to support the learning. For example providing feedback from different sources. One method often used in the "360-degree-feedback" or "multi-rater feedback". These can be used for variety of purposes but the primary is to access strengths and the development needs of the individual managers.
In those development programs managers receive feedback about their development needs from questionnaires filled out by other people. Respondents are more likely to provide accurate feedback if they understand the meaning of it, purpose of it, how the results will be used and procedure to ensure confidentiality for those who provide ratings. It should only be used for developmental purposes and not part of appraisals.
The feedback is generally provided by subordinates to respond to the managers. Managers also do their own self-ratings, which are generally higher then those given by the peers. It is a good practice to highlight the significant discrepancies between those two. In those type of activities, it is a good idea to have someone acting as a facilitator. This is to prepare all parties to giving feedback, prepare others to receive behavioural feedback, encourage them to interpret it correctly as part of their development, help them work through feelings about adverse feedback and how to use it to improve their situation.
There is an evidence that the "360-degrees feedback" under the right conditions can increase self-awareness and participants behave in the way when they know that change is feasible. Poorly designed program fosters disagreement and contributes to poor performance. The research can only be effective if the best practices are followed, but counterproductive when they are not.
Managers can recognise their strengths and weaknesses, but still the manager may not be able apply the lessons. Some may dismiss the negative feedback and therefore it should be discussed with their boss to coach and provide resources for further development. Sometimes even when they acknowledge their skills deficiency and know what to improve they may not know how to improve it. That's where the skill training, individual coaching and other follow-up activities should be available.
There are also development assessment centres where managerial skills and traits are measured. This can be done through different personality tests, interviews or aptitudes. They use more intensive procedures and information is obtained through facilitator. They help the person to develop self-awareness and being provided help to assess their developmental needs. And again, they are likely to be more successful with follow-up activities such as training and coaching.
Different developmental assignments can also be used for developmental purposes. For example, managing a new project, chairing a special task or plan and execute a major change. Research provides evidence, that new challenging assignments in the early career allow to learn effectively on how to manage different situations. They positively contribute to managerial competency, but adding more and more challenges can create problems. Therefore, an optimal sequence of the new challenging assignments is important.
Before taking a big assignment, smaller and less challenging assignments shall be given. But staying too long with the simple tasks can also be dangerous. Otherwise the person will spend too much time learning small things and not able to develop into more complex situations. On the other hand, giving very challenging assignments too early can be counterproductive thus planning this requires careful analysis.
Assignments provide an opportunity to see the consequences of ones actions and decisions. This can be done strategically from prepared learning plan to acquire necessary knowledge and skills needed.
Mentoring is another way for leadership skills development. It is when the more experienced manager helps the less experienced one. Mentors provide protection, couching and counselling as well as exposure and challenging assignments. Several studies prove that mentoring allows for career advancement and future success. However, research also suggests that informal mentoring is more effective then a formal mentoring program. Possibly due to the fact these are more voluntary and a greater level of motivation is maintained.
It is also found that women find it more difficult to find a mentor that is connected to general stereotypes about appropriate behaviour, concerns about intimacy with men, lack of role models and exclusion from male networks. However, mentoring has many benefits that include more success in organisations, lower turnover and stronger organisational commitment.
In recent years coaching has also become popular. Generally high-level executives receive coaching from management consultants. It provides advantages such as wider experience, greater objectivity and confidentiality. It helps to prepare new leader for specific challenges with implementing change or dealing with difficult people or people from different cultures. Coaches can provide helpful feedback and suggestions. Those who being coached value honest feedback about their strengths and weaknesses and clear advice on how to become more effective. We can learn how to listen, communicate, influence people, built relationships, handle conflicts, initiate change, handle meetings and develop subordinates.
Personal growth programs can also be helpful. Unconscious inner feelings and conflicts can be resolved. In order to become a successful leader it is important to reconnect with ones feelings, confront fears and resolve underlying conflicts. A person with high emotional maturity can become inspiring, empowering and supporting leader. Through exercises we can understand our purpose for living and working. Participants of those programs develop personal vision and plan on how they will reach that state. These programs often involve strong personal experience and have lasting effects.
Development facilitation
The effectiveness of the leadership development in any organisation highly depends on the qualities of the organisation. The the different methods to be adjusted to the needs of the individuals, support and favourable learning climate.
The learners also require a certain level of motivation and readiness. It depends on their self-awareness and ability to learn. If we are able to reflect upon our strengths and weaknesses, values, process positive and negative feedback and reflect on experience, there are high chances of success.
We need to welcome challenges, be interested in acquiring new competencies and allow ourselves to take risks. It will also depend on ones own level of confidence in their abilities, knowledge and skills.
Development can also occur through support by immediate boss. However, managers who do not understand the importance of coaching and mentoring and who are insecure are unlikely to develop successful leaders. Manager needs to provide enough challenge and honest feedback. Good leaders inform subordinates on how to acquire training, explains why the training is important, support work schedules that allow time for training and support them through the journey. It is also important to be supportive after the training, provide praise and encourage to use the skills.
The general conditions under which the learning is received also influence its effectiveness. If appropriate resources are devoted, more coaching and mentoring is provided and allocation of challenging tasks will support the learning. It truly helps to plan work assignments which allow others to develop, providing financial support and providing rewards for innovation and improvements can be very effective. However, assigning challenging tasks can lead to mistakes and failures.
The system perspective
Research shows that the leadership will be more effective if the executives have a system perspective and connect their strategic decisions, succession planning and management systems to gain competitive edge. The leadership development activities then need to be consistent with the strategy, including the reward system, the organisational culture and its values.
Different learning approaches can be used depending on needs. We can use short courses, long learning programs, coaching, mentoring and new assignments to advance the skills and competencies of new leaders.
Unfortunately the promotions are often the result of previous performance and not the results of the assessment of leadership competencies. Not many companies also invests in leadership development planning and programmes.
To be most effective, the leadership development needs to be aligned with business strategy as well as the human resources activities. Companies find it difficult to design effective systems that will meet the needs of the organisation in turbulent situations.
We can challenge our own leadership skills
Wee can make steps to develop ourselves. This can be done through:
Development of personal vision and career objectives;
Seek appropriate mentors;
Seek challenging development assignments;
Improve self-monitoring;
Learn from mistakes;
Learn to view events from different perspectives, and
Be sceptical of easy answers.
Even when limited support exists we can challenge our own skill. Many self-learning techniques are now available, including formal training, learning from experience and allowing to take on challenging assignments.
We can try and ask for feedback of our own behaviour and analysing the consequences of our actions. It also depends on our developmental readiness and individual conditions.When adjusting with overall business strategy it can be an enhancing journey to become one supportive and inspiring leaders.
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