A recent survey published by Deloitte University Press identified twelve critical issues that plague organizations. The Global Human Capital 2014 Trends study reveals that leadership is still the top talent issue organizations around the world are facing. In fact, 86% of those surveyed ranked the leadership issue as “urgent” or “important.” Equally as revealing was that only 13% of those respondents claimed to be excellent at developing leaders on every level.
That is quite a deficit, but haven’t organizations always faced this challenge? Yes and no. True leaders have always been a valuable commodity, but leadership in the 21st century is unique. Developing multi-generational leaders (including millenials), keeping up with rapidly changing technology, globalization, and a variety of other factors leave many organizations with a leadership deficit like never before.
So what can you do about it? The Deloitte team recommends developing a “leadership pipeline” at each level of your organization to develop a deeper bench. Here are some ways they recommend accomplishing this difficult task:
1. Invest in an effective leadership development program catered to your business, and train your leaders to use the program whenever developing future leaders.
2. Be flexible. There shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all path to any given leadership role. What may take one employee two years may only take another sixteen months.
3. Don’t rely on a one-and-done leadership training program. An effective leadership development program should be successive.
4. Be proactive. Provide leadership development for new leaders as well as ongoing development for older leaders to help them stay on top of their game.
5. Align (and re-align) your leadership strategies to keep up with changing business goals.
6. Focus on three areas for your leadership development program—developing leaders at every level, developing global leaders locally, and developing a successive mindset.
I encourage you to check out the Global Human Capital Trends 2014 survey for more comprehensive information on developing leaders at every level of your business or organization.
Are you looking for an effective leadership development program? Whether you want to develop your organization’s“leadership pipeline” or are interested in personal leadership development, we have a program to fit your needs. Contact us today to find out how our tailored leadership and management development programs can help you close the leadership gap.
*image courtesy of africa/freedigitalphotos.net
