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If you want to create a high-performing organization, there are specific tasks that you cannot ignore. The most important of those tasks is developing your company’s current and future leaders. The thought of designing and implementing a sustainable leadership development program can be distressing. It is clear that it takes a lot of time, discipline and practice to become a high performing organization. But by following these eight steps below, you’ll be setting yourself and your team up for maximum success:
1. Align leadership development training goals with top-level business goals
Are the goals of your leadership development program aligned with your vision of what your company will become? Evaluating your strategic priorities and determining the skills your leaders will need to achieve them is imperative to the lasting success of the program.
Also consider how your new program, if successfully implemented, will align with your culture. What if something about your culture needs to change?
It is necessary to have a clear, compelling vision of how the skills you build in your leadership development program will support your company’s roadmap. Your executives and employees expect visible links to your company.
Related: Why You Should Invest in a Leadership Development Program
2. Plan a learning path that meets the demands of your leaders
Planning a learning journey can be complex. I mention two important points. First, make sure you learn skills that are directly related to the core competencies of leadership. What do you want your leaders to do, and why? And what specific behavior do you want them to show?
The second is to think about the right delivery methods to meet the needs of your students. Do your leaders need a virtual learning journey? Do you want them to learn together or explore alone? Is a blended learning trajectory the right choice? Each method has unique advantages and disadvantages; think carefully about this.
3. Empower managers to help their students succeed
Pay attention to the role that can devalue the program – your student’s manager. If frontline leaders and their managers are not involved in the implementation and execution of the program, they will not deploy the resources necessary for sustainable success.
Owners of great leadership development programs conduct orientation sessions for these groups. Teach them how to coach their employees involved in the program. Program managers want to ensure the success of the leaders they train. Trainers should provide initial and ongoing coaching and training sessions for managers as needed.
Most importantly, program owners help leaders understand why the initiative is relevant and leads to success.
Related: Developing organizational leadership: a strategic investment
4. Develop an implementation plan and determine if you need to run a pilot
If you decide you need to run a pilot, one of the first things to do is choose who goes first. Where and when are we going to pilot? I’ve seen programs crash because the virtual pilot session started at 8:00 AM on the East Coast (yes, 5:00 AM on the West Coast).
Think of the internal politics that will certainly accompany a pilot. Leaders who are not committed to leadership development may feel that they are set up to fail. Others may feel left out if they are not in the pilot group. Communication is key to keeping your program running smoothly in these early stages.
5. Don’t forget the other key players
Of course, your students are essential, as are the champions and decision-makers. But the crucial players are the facilitators, producers and project support. Without these team members, the program will not succeed.
Program executors carefully handle the responsibility of each team member, with thoughtful selection and training for all team members. All team members need to know how this initiative aligns with their corporate vision and how they fit into the puzzle.
6. Market your new program to connect with students in a way that compels them
I have seen many training initiatives roll out under conventional names (eg Leadership Academy and Supervisory Basics). But some organizations choose to brand their program for a more memorable experience.
I encourage program leaders to provide their programs with forward-looking titles (for example, Acme Leadership Growth Plan or Tomorrow’s Leaders). We want to inspire our people to see themselves as highly effective leaders who are critical to the company’s future.
Related: 4 Steps to Build Strategically Critical Leadership Development Programs
7. Make it easy for students to get started
Plan your touchpoints for all key roles: your students, managers, champions and critical learning partners. It is important to assess your communication for brevity and clarity.
Watch your pitch. Are you just sharing facts or are you getting your students excited about the program? Write to excite. Encourage students to see the relevance and value of learning the leadership skills they need to grow in your company. It is a best practice to associate a senior leader with the communication efforts. Ask for critical internal influencers to promote and share interest in the program at all levels.
I often see this as using social media to influence an audience. Senior leaders should have more influence. Therefore, an encouraging email from the senior leaders can increase enthusiasm for your program.
8. Measure to Show Value:
A best practice for implementing and monitoring a leadership development program is to identify the results you expect to achieve. With this knowledge, use the metrics you collect to demonstrate the effect of the program. Identify unexpected gaps and new opportunities to increase program impact and guide future decisions.
Most of the time I see companies using a behavior-related matrix. They can measure call-outs, sick days and employee turnover. These are often difficult to determine. That’s why I encourage my clients to use surveys that measure leadership behavior as perceived by the people they lead.
