Nick Petrie, a Senior Faculty member with the Center for Creative Leadership, asked 30 experts what should be stopped in leadership development and got a consistent answer: Stop sending people to courses they don't want to go to. Does this means all leadership development should stop? Not exactly.
Today I want to share 3 "must have" characteristics needed for effective leadership development, based on Petrie's report: Future trends in leadership development. and on my experience working with leaders.
1. Leader driven
Leaders in the past have believed that someone else is responsible for their development – human resources, their manager, or trainers. Today it's imperative that the leader becomes the driver of his own development, giving priority to his growth as a leader. He needs to choose what to focus on and what his leadership path should look like. He needs to understand his developmental stages and work through them.
2. Individualized
Although there are many good programs out there for leadership development, every leader is different, has different challenges, and different ways of learning. Therefore, an individualized approach that takes into consideration personal strengths and challenges is best.
3. Takes time
A concentrated weekend, or several days of a workshop crammed with information might be good to spark motivation. However, development is a process over time, not an event. It takes application of ideas and principles, practice, growth.
Executive coaching has all 3 characteristics and is an exceptional good approach to leadership development. An executive coach is a thinking partner, not a subject expert. Executive coaching addresses your developmental needs, is individualized, results focused, and based on your desired outcomes.
I can help you plan and achieve the growth your deserve. Starting in April I have a few spots becoming open. I don’t work with many people, therefore these spots are coveted and tend to fill out quickly. Working with me you will find your best individual path for development and change. To find out more, simply click here.
Photo by: William Brawley