U.S. businesses invested more than $150 billion in leadership programs in 2016. That is a huge outlay for what return? Most leadership programs are put together to advance organizational initiatives. Is training a strategy for change? I don’t think so.
Gains from training initiatives have the most impact when there is highly visible change championed by senior leaders. Begin the relationship before the training happens, have your training partner meet with your senior leaders to develop the communication around the training, including integrating training outcomes into the strategic goals.
Here are four reasons to invest in leadership development, with a trusted partner who not only have your initiatives in mind, but also builds the buy in with your top leaders:
- Ascension Planning. With the generational numbers reflecting the gap in mid-level people, now is the time to connect your highest institutional knowledge with your next generation of leaders.
- Self-Awareness. While we grow the external skills that are task-based, we overlook the value of understanding our communication and conflict styles, how we give and receive feedback, and developing a proactive and strategic mindset.
- Teams. Collaboration heightens creativity, and intentional creation and advancement of teams drives success.
- Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Heightened EQ creates better decisions, higher employee engagement, and increases overall agility.
About Judy Hissong
Judy Hissong is the President of Nesso Strategies. A former law firm Chief Operating Officer, she helps firms become more profitable by developing leaders. Her mission is “world domination for Good.” By creating actionable, lightbulb moments that leaders want to share and spread, she intends to improve the world one person at a time.
