Components of a Leadership Development Program
Organizations are investing Time and Resources in grooming Leaders of tomorrow to ensure that senior roles are handled by Professionals with the right set of skills and clear goals. Leadership Development is beneficial for organizations and individuals alike. Improved Employee Retention, High Accountability, Strategic Problem Solving, and strong role clarity are a few. Good leaders are indispensable resources for an Organization, not only because they contribute to the firm’s growth but they also drive Innovation, Create a Positive Working environment and Mentor newcomers within the Organization. An investment in Leadership Development is highly fruitful in the long term.
A Leadership Development Training Program is implemented to widen the capacity of individuals to perform efficiently in the organization. It focuses on Developing and Honing professionals’ abilities to take on critical responsibilities in an Organization, and also help employees understand what not to do as a leader.
Following are the Components of an Extensive & Effective Leadership Development program:
Communication- communication training is often a Cornerstone of Leadership Development. It is not a skill Leaders can learn by just Reading, Watching a video or Listening to a Presentation about it. In a Leadership role, Communication happens at all hours of the day through large presentations, One-on-One Conversations, Phone calls, Text messages, Videoconferencing and of course, emails. Although its not a new skill to Leadership development, Communication is one that needs to be optimized in order to be fully relevant and useful to the Leaders of today and tomorrow.
Influence and Negotiation- effective leaders don’t Command with Authority; they Inspire, Persuade and Encourage others. By learning how to be Strong Influencers and Fair Negotiators, Leaders can Build Relationships, Align Priorities, and find a Win-Win that ultimately leads to Completed Projects and Delivered Results.
Change Management- an Organization is not a Static Entity that can be frozen in Time. Change is Inevitable. Irrespective of its magnitude, Leaders must be able to shepherd their Teams through Changing Times. Change Management Training should be part of any Leadership Development Program to ensure that leaders can harness the Power of Vision, Provide Strong Leadership during any season and Capitalize on the Transitional Times to improve Performance.
Goal Setting and Time Management- goal setting determines what you want to achieve, and then Commit to the Process of achieving it. Simple, but hardly ever Easy. Successful Goal Setting requires identifying Actionable Objectives that naturally lead to the accomplishment of the Goal, and few people are adept at doing that. It is an Essential Skill for leaders to acquire. Few skills are as Beneficial to a Professional as Excellent Time Management. Leaders who manage their Time well set a great example, they waste less time on trivial concerns, and they’re far less likely to end up with Overwhelming Stress or Burnout.
Delegation- effective delegation requires Mutual Trust, Recognition, and Follow through. Delegating a Task and then efficiently doing it Yourself, crushes morale and makes the next instance much less effective. Leaders who know how to Delegate and how to give Credit where its due are leaders who are Respected and Liked.
Ethics- Leadership Development Programs should focus of Ethics and Integrity. The Biggest Mistake Leaders have made over the years has been to focus on their Individual Agenda, rather than what is best for the institution. Future leaders need to be Ethical beyond Reproach to assure the Trust of their People, Investors, Customers, Communities, and Society. Integrity and Trustworthiness is essential to the Success of the Leader. A Leadership Development Program should cover the expectations with regard to Ethics and the Core Values of the Organization.
Feedback- Giving and Receiving Feedback is the most Essential Soft Skill a Strong Leader needs. Offering constructive yet honest Feedback is a skill that requires Practice. Learning how to accept it in the spirit in which it is given is equally important.
Experiential learning- the objective of a Leadership Development Program is to help budding Leaders understand Leadership theories and their Practical implementation. Hence, it is important that they incorporate Experiential learning. It helps I conveying leadership concepts better.
Gauging performance- this is an integral part of any Leadership Development Program. It is important to chalk out the factors that would Decide & Measure the Success of the Program.
The Benefits of leadership development program are countless. However, the Key lies in creating a Development Program that matches the Work Culture and aims at reducing the Leadership gaps within an Organization.
The responsibility of Creating Leaders for Tomorrow lies with the Leaders of Today.
Shradha HRD is hosting a series of leadership webinars, soft skills training webinars, management webinars & online leadership skills training program in times of crisis.
Original Source: Components of a Leadership Development Program