October 6, 2015 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Leadership
Are You a Leader or a Laggard in Your Organization?
By Sheri Mackey
The truth is, you choose how you are perceived. We all experience lags that impact our careers and can result in very serious consequences to every one of us – this is nothing new. You are increasingly expected to do far more, with far less, in a much shorter amount of time – and adapt accordingly. The question becomes, what are you going to do about it? How are you going to equip yourself to successfully keep up and accomplish the Herculean tasks that are expected of you?
The answer – You are going to develop yourself! Leadership Development is not just a catch phrase anymore – It is a critical necessity if you are to be a productive, effective agent of innovation and growth… if you are to survive and prosper in this ever-changing, autobahn we call the global marketplace. As such, it is time you took people development very seriously and, as a leader, moved your own development to the forefront of your priorities.
The good news – you are not the only one feeling the pressure. Leadership Development was recognized as one of the top challenges for organizations globally, according to The 2014 CEO Challenge Report. With talent constraints in the external market, CEOs around the world are focused on growing talent through leadership development programs like never before.
The not so good news – according to a recent McKinsey survey of senior executives, 76% believe their organizations need to develop global-leadership capabilities, but only 7% think they are currently doing so effectively. Some 30% of these openly admit that they have failed to exploit their international business opportunities because of an insufficient number of internationally competent personnel. Right in line with McKinsey’s findings, Harvard Business Publishing’s 2013 global survey of executives in prominent organizations reveals a striking deficit in leadership talent. Only 32% of the respondents believe that their organizations have the right leadership talent and skills to achieve their strategic goals. Just 31% are confident their leaders have the right leadership skills to cope with the current business environment.
It becomes very clear, very fast that organizations’, on a global basis, are not confident in their leaders’ ability to get the job done to any reasonable standard. However, this is not a one-sided debate. The reality is that you, as a leader, are expected to do far more, with far less, in a much more complex environment than ever before. While companies may be failing to create the creative leadership development programs that will result in sustained learning and behavior change, the reality is you are responsible for your own development!
Although there is recent research to suggest that many employers spend generously on growing future leaders, the same research also indicates they do not do so in a coherent, or strategic, way. A couple of significant points:
- Company’s seem to be focused more on training than development. They fail to align their strategic requirements with development plans of personnel, then wonder why they do not harvest the anticipated results. There is a distinct difference between training and development – you must make sure you are focused on development.
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There seems to be an emphasis on growing future leaders instead of developing lifelong learning throughout the organization. This limits senior leaders ability to continue to grow and develop throughout their career, thus minimizing potential contributions over time and minimizing the value chain of the organization.
In line with this sentiment, I consistently hear from many global executives that training and development efforts aren’t typically aligned to the organization’s specific business objectives and that they, as leaders, are no longer focused on their own growth and development. Instead, they focus their efforts on developing emerging leaders instead of aligning organizational innovation and growth with personnel development. For most organizations, there seems to be a distinct lack of cohesiveness in aligning leadership development and business strategy.
In DDI’s most recent Global Leadership Forecast, only 38% of the leaders reported the quality of leadership in their organizations as very good or excellent. More concerning, only 18% of the respondents reported a strong bench to meet future business needs. This perceived lack of prominent leadership capability is becoming more pervasive. The need for capable, strong leaders is growing by the day. All the while, the effectiveness of leadership development continues to steadily decline.
Can we all agree that as business leaders, our commitment to personnel development is no longer an option, but a crucial need? Supporting and lobbying for the development of critical leadership competencies produces real business results:
- Innovation and growth within the business
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More effective work cultures
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Better customer service (internally and externally)
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More efficient operations
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Improved sales
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Increased profits
… just to name a few of the many impacts successful leadership development brings to the company and the global economy. But how we, as leaders, look at and leverage those opportunities makes all the difference.
As global leaders, we have more challenges than most in rising to the top in complex business environments. However, those of us who choose to overcome the roadblocks and help our companies to build diverse global leadership development programs, as well as continue to develop ourselves, will stand the best chance of maximizing returns on our personnel development investments… and make a real difference.
Sheri Mackey, The Global Coach, is a former leader and current Executive Coach for Fortune 100 Global Companies, as well as an internationally recognized speaker and author. Ms. Mackey is an expert in global leadership, cross-cultural communications and global service operations. Throughout an exemplary 20 year career in global business, Sheri has been consistently recognized as one of the most knowledgeable and influential global leadership experts in the world. She is currently engaged as the CEO and Managing Partner of Luminosity Global Consulting Group, as well as the entrepreneurial founder of The Global LABB, a groundbreaking resource enabling connection, education and information for leaders worldwide.
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