Are Your Leaders of Tomorrow Ready…Today?
As a leader, one of the most important things you can do is groom the next generation as capable of continuing your vision – or better yet, transform it into something even better than you could have imagined. When leaders fail to develop those around them, no one wins. Top talent leaves for greener pastures and businesses struggle to grow. Take it from Seattle Genetics, Amazon or any of the other companies voted as having the best training and development programs – when your leadership training program is done right, job satisfaction levels increase, you promote more from within and have better retention overall. Everyone wins.
Need more convincing? Consider this – 63% of Millennials do not believe their leadership skills are being fully developed and are likely to leave an employer for an opportunity to better develop those skills. Possibly more shocking – in a study reported in Forbes, 58% of managers said they did not receive any type of management training for their current role – inferring they may be good at their job, but have no direction on how to lead others. So what’s a business leader to do? Here are a few things to consider when designing your leadership training program…
Leadership Training that Fits Your Culture
Developing a leadership training program does not happen overnight – it takes careful planning and execution to ensure you have a program that fits your culture. Some skills are universal to becoming a strong leader such as being a great communicator , knowing how to delegate, and executing against the “big picture”. However, make sure to look to your culture for additional skills and behaviors that represent a good leader in your organization. A great resource for this is your people. As them “As an emerging leader, what skills do you want to personally develop?”
Offer Internal Mobility
Don’t limit your employee’s vision of what growth opportunities are possible. Becoming a great leader is not a straight path up the org chart. Instead, encouraging internal mobility and cross-department training is a great way to give your next generation leaders hands-on experience. Understanding how the business operates from different vantage points creates a well-rounded leader.
Maximize the Learning Experience
To maximize the learning experience, learning content needs to be user-friendly and personal. Traditional classroom training can be highly effective; however, with today’s mobile app capability and introduction of AI, learners are increasingly pushing for “on-the-go”, individualized training. Riding the train to and from work, flying to a client meeting, or on their own time, employees today love the flexibility that on demand learning provides.
As with any program, the success (or lack thereof) often depends on whether or not the program has support from the top (that means you!). Executive leadership support shows your leaders of tomorrow that you are committed to their development and growing the organization.
Developing a leadership training program is the perfect way to create a culture of continuous learning, which will benefit your organization today, tomorrow and beyond. Reach out to us at https://www.successfulculture.com/contact/ to discover how we can help your organization develop a leadership training program that develops and retains your top talent too. Our SCALE Academy is the perfect place to start! Building cultures where everyone thrives is what we do best.
The A-B-C’s of Executive Presence
Years ago, I had the opportunity to listen to the hall of fame basketball Coach Pat 
Summitt speak at an HR leadership conference in Tennessee. When she walked on stage, her energy filled the room. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, fully engaged, and walked away with a sense of newfound purpose. I can only imagine the passion and energy she passed on to her players on the court.
We all know someone like this. They walk into a room, command attention and inspire us. Some people are just born with this ability; others have to nurture it. I’m talking about presence – our unique blend of personal and interpersonal skills and behaviors that influence others. As an executive, the presence you project can make or break your ability to inspire your organization and garner respect from fellow leaders. According to a survey in Forbes, having a strong executive presence accounted for 26% of the reason why someone is chosen for a promotion over their peers. In short, executive presence is a powerful thing.
Now that you’ve earned a seat at the leadership table, how would rate your executive presence? What makes your presence impactful? Inspirational? Where do you need to improve? Just like learning the alphabet in grade school was fundamental to your education, honing in on the foundations of executive presence is a combination of another type of A-B-C’s:
- Appearance. You’re a leader…dress like a one. But what does that really mean? We often get the vision of a person is a stiff, formal black suit behind a desk. That may not fit your culture and could backfire on how approachable your image appears. Take it from Mark Zuckerberg or Sheldon Yellen – your appearance should match the culture you want to create. What do you want your outward image to say about you? The way we dress makes a first impression, often before we even open our mouths.
- Behavior. All great leaders know you must exude confidence (not to be confused with arrogance). But there is a balance. Learning to own the room without steamrolling others is a critical element to a having a successful executive presence.
- Communication. Great leaders are great communicators. This applies to in-person, phone, email, online – anywhere you are communicating with others. Communicate like a leader and people will follow you.
Keep in mind – maintaining your executive presence online is equally important in today’s transparent, oversharing social media world. A survey in Entrepreneur reported that 64% of employers have made employment decisions based on reviewing a person’s social media accounts. Fine-tuning your executive presence will help you lead like the leader you are destined to be.
The executive presence projected from your top leaders can reinforce or hurt your organization’s culture. Reach out to us at https://www.successfulculture.com/contact/. We love helping our clients build successful organizations – full of leaders ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow and inspire everyone along the way.
Why Am I Here? Finding Your Path to Authentic Leadership
How do we define our deepest desire? And if we don’t know it, how can we get to where we are supposed to be? How do we reach our destiny? It’s so easy to lose sight of the “why” behind our daily deeds. When we lose connection to the “why,” weariness and hopelessness creeps in. We often work in a reactive mode, answering phone calls, emails, and the needs of others. We envelop ourselves in deadlines. Every day that we go to work, we are slaves to checklists. What is our larger purpose behind it all?
