Our Clients Come To Us With A Variety of Leadership Issues
Current Leadership Development Requirements Are Very Demanding
Leading effectively in an organization has never been more difficult. At a time when great leadership is sorely needed, the development of leaders has been de-emphasized. There are many reasons for this; rapidly changing workplace conditions and stringent budgets have led to “sink or swim” initiation to leadership; perceived “low hanging fruit” like training can be among the first items to suffer the budget knife.
Leadership training budgets are shrinking while the need for development is increasing. “Making do” has become the new normal. Leaders do the best they can with what they know. Unfortunately, this quickly leads to serious leadership problems within the organization:
- Managers don’t know how to gain leverage from their leadership role. As a result of this deficit, the business doesn’t get maximum benefit from managers. Managers get caught up in administrative and problem-solving activities. They become overwhelmed and overworked because they don’t have the required delegation skills. They struggle with work/life balance. They spend time fighting fires rather than functioning strategically or proactively. Their position turns out to be a nightmare involving two full-time jobs: their own workload, and managing others.
- Managers don’t know how to conduct effective workplace conversations. Often highly skilled technical people get promoted to leadership positions, but they lack the interpersonal skills the position requires. Their default behavior is to isolate themselves, put their head down, keep their door closed and get the work done. They stay caught up in the machinery of tasks rather than their role as leader. They either avoid conflict or cause problems because of lack of leadership. They don’t know how to have conversations that set up their employees to succeed. They may be completely unable to talk to others without an electronic device in between.
- Managers are mandated to have regular coaching conversations—but don’t have the skills. They are told to have regular conversations with their direct reports to coach them to success. They are not given the tools to do this. They don’t even know or understand what it means. They don’t know how, and they’re afraid to try and fail at something that is so obviously important to the organization. Their image of “coaching” might be a televised coach screaming on the sidelines, or the Saturday morning volunteer coach who encourages all the kids to “do a good job”. How can they use a “coach approach” without learning it?
- The company isn’t prepared to handle succession issues. When it comes time to promote from within, the organization has no “bench strength”. A candidate is hurriedly selected because “we need someone to take over this job”. The one selected is not necessarily the best candidate, and they are not prepared for their new position.
- The organization needs to develop long-range leadership capacity –quickly. Often, a Human Resources manager is given the task of choosing a leadership development program. They need a solution and they need it fast—and it must be effective. There’s a lot of pressure to make the right choice and ensure that the organization gets the best value for their money. They are looking for a high payoff from a low investment in training time.
- Managers are preoccupied with non-performers. What is to be done about the poor performer? This question weighs heavily on all managers and is a constant workplace distraction. Because the non-performer gets the lion’s share of attention, this issue sucks the life out of the manager. Outstanding performers and new employees are ignored. In an upside-down manner, the focus goes to the problem performer, to the detriment of the other employees and of the organization as a whole.
Our Most Successful Clients Have Certain Similarities
Common Traits Produce Uncommon Success
Twenty years of work have gone into developing our leadership conversation materials. Hundreds of client companies and thousands of participants have demonstrated the effectiveness of this training. Over that time, we’ve seen some common characteristics in the companies who have benefitted most profoundly from these workshops:
- The organization is committed to a culture where every mid-level manager uses a coach approach. When managers use coaching skills appropriately, they recognize “water cooler” opportunities to grow a direct report. Coaching becomes a just-in-time learning skill, with growth occurring in the moment. Normal workplace conversations become coaching conversations—when managers are equipped with the tools that enable them.
- The company invests in organization-wide leadership development. They recognize the need to develop leadership conversation skills in their leaders and want the most effective and efficient means to do so. They see what it costs them not to have a deep and broad bench of up-and-coming leaders ready to step in when needed. Turnover, low morale and uninspired workers are critical indicators that the business needs to develop better leadership skills in managers.
- The organization puts a premium on growing its employees. Whether this is a new decision or part of a long-term initiative, the organization commits resources to unlocking the potential of its employees. Soft skill development is a priority. There is a commitment to training and an understanding of the benefits that come from effective workplace conversations.
- The company wants individualized service and customized training. Only a training business that is nimble and responsive will satisfy their requirements. They expect an immediate and tailored response to business needs as those needs become apparent. They aren’t interested in “cookie cutter” trainings. They want to put their own label on superior content and provide it to their employees quickly. They want targeted materials and specific predictable results. It’s a must that they have high success rates and field-proven techniques.
- The organization is very savvy and wants passionate practitioners with a humanistic approach. They want a training business that specializes in transmitting coaching skillsets to leaders. They’re looking to create powerful and productive workplace conversations, and expect a high level of expertise from a training business. The only thing that satisfies their criteria is a focused approach with a personal touch. They want providers who are clearly passionate about developing leaders. A huge training company where the instructors train on communication skills one day and how to organize a desk the next is not for these businesses.
Where To Next?
Now you have a better idea about the kinds of clients we work with and the characteristics that drive their success. Go to the How We Work page to find out how we work, results you can expect, and the details of our working style.