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Are you part of a learning organisation? If so, you are in good company with businesses like Microsoft and Amazon. But when companies commit to creating a learning culture, an often-forgotten piece of the puzzle is the development of managers. New evidence from job market analytics company Burning Glass Technologies, found that management skills “represent one of the biggest skills gaps in the job market” and that managers have larger skills gaps than the people they manage. Investing in leadership development is surely the starting point for a learning organisation?
Sandra was initially sceptical about the value of leadership development. She had been recognised as a successful individual contributor which had led to her appointment to a senior leadership role. She assumed that she would produce results the way that she had always done, through her individual effort. However, now that she was in leadership, she was in danger of burning out, trying to do everything herself. She was surprised by the feedback from her team that they perceived her as a micro-manager who did not give them the scope to run with projects and initiatives. She was committed to paying forward the support that she had received from managers who had believed in her and given her opportunities to grow. She took on an executive coaching program to build her leadership influence.
She fundamentally reinvented her ability to get things done, by thinking about how to cause results through others. She asked her stakeholders and team for their input to a new vision and strategy for the group. Her team members got excited about the new direction and self-selected to take accountability for execution of the strategy. She gave them the scope they were seeking to step up and encouraged them to extend their leadership. She opened up a whole new area for her organisation and the results for the group went through the roof over the next twelve months. Other parts of the organisation learned from her innovative example. Sandra was promoted to a more senior role and just as importantly, her team members acknowledge the part that she played in helping them step up their own leadership. Her example was like a spark that spread throughout the organisation.
Are you investing in leadership development for yourself and your team?
Best regards, Brian
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