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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT -- A TOP-TO-BOTTOM INVESTMENT

GREAT Leadership is the value-added ingredient for organizations as our world becomes a more complicated place. To raise organizational and personal effectiveness in developing leaders at all levels, two basic questions demand answers:

-- As a leader, what more can I do to develop leadership skills within my existing staff?

-- As a staff member, how can I raise my personal leadership skills?

To be effective, Leadership Development requires investment both by management and by the individual.

The two questions are connected. For an organization to keep growing, top and middle management need to view leadership development as a priority. Managers who value and buy into the full range of development tools are more effective managers. Even small businesses can select from proven, but less costly, development offerings. Specifically, savvy organizations of any size can make growth opportunities available to staff members who want to sign onto them. These might include:

-- personalized "on-boarding" support for new employees

-- on-going mentoring support for established employees

-- professional MBTI- and 16PF-based counseling sequences to increase individual and leadership self-awareness

-- 360-degree feedback surveys/consultations to increase staff member awareness of how he/she is perceived by others at all levels

-- opportunity to attend workshops, seminars and professional meetings that will impact on day-to-day business

Clear and open communication is another important part of leadership development. Too often, discussions of advancement within an organization are limited to annual review meetings focused on salary increases, bonuses and/or new titles or offices. This important meeting can provide greater value to the company and to the individual employee when Leadership Development and Personal Growth are added points of focus. Specifically:

Managers learn about personal goals and intentions of staff members. This helps them determine how much of a leadership development investment to make in support of each person. Staff members who engage fully in the support that is offered are more likely to be approved for travel to key courses or for advanced professional MBTI counseling, 360-degree feedback and similar programs. They learn that the company values personal growth and is willing to invest in people who want to contribute more to the organization's success. In short, they begin to see that advancement involves a two-way street.

Team members who are clear about their personal growth agenda see it as a personal responsibility to communicate their creative ideas for individual and organization development to their immediate bosses and to management in general.

Motivated individuals in these settings feel free to suggest leadership courses or coaching for themselves and co-workers. The important factor here is that the individual take his or her own action steps in the direction of growth. Too often, people make the mistake of assuming that management will initiate growth steps. Waiting can be costly. Future promotions and increased salary levels can be delayed.

Other pro-active steps that can benefit individual staff members involve ongoing discussions with immediate bosses to ask questions related to personal growth, such as:

-- "What special successes do you look for when you are considering someone for partnership?" or,

-- "What volume of sales does a representative need in order to qualify for promotion to sales manager?"

Questions such as these seem awkward to some individuals, but comfort level increases when they realize that this kind of dialog communicates to management that:

-- "I want to set professional goals," and,

-- "I am looking for opportunity to shoulder greater responsibility."

In short, running faster on-the-job usually isn't enough. An individual who creates a personal development plan is more likely to be noticed by management. The plan can demonstrate that this person has relationship-building, communication and creative problem-solving capabilities. Communicating the plan to management may jump-start the company's interest in investing money in this person's leadership development. When management and individual staff member connect in this way, everybody wins.

Rhoda F. Green & Company, Inc. The executive's executive resource. Our phone number is: 212 665 4684 Our FAX number is: 212 665 4587

Rhoda F. Green & Company, Inc.
 The executive's executive resource.
Our phone number is:  212 665 4684
Our FAX number is:  212 665 4587