As TomorrowToday we have the privilege to both design and participate in Leadership Development Programmes (LDPs) throughout the world. We work internationally with some of fineness business schools and blue-chip multi-nationals in this arena. We have seen a great deal: some of it excellent, a lot of it very poor. It is an area of significant spend for the client and there is a real need to get a worthwhile return on investment on your LDP.
Based on our observations and participation, here are six things, shared as a series, that you need to consider when it comes to designing or looking for a strategic partner in the delivery of your LDP:
# 1: Learning leadership is an ongoing process
Smart companies understand the need to invest in developing their people – and especially grooming their leaders. They find appropriate ways to do this and increasingly this means looking ‘outside the norm’ when it comes to leadership development. The learning contained within an LDP process needs to be well supported both prior to and following the formal programme. It is ultimately a ‘process’ and not a ‘programme’. Stop seeing it as a ‘programme’ and measure it’s effectiveness well after the formal learning has ended. The lack of support (or process) surrounding the LDP is responsible for what often amounts to a serious lack of tangible benefits to the company having made such a weighty investment. Attendance at an LDP is often regarded as an intrusion or unnecessary interruption to what really matters; it is often interrupted by issues back at the office; and often puts the participant on the back-foot given performance measures that don’t take into consideration the time and energy demanded by the LDP.