Leadership development programs

Companies are investing massively in leadership training with results that are often disappointing. Leadership talent remains a scarce resource that is cruelly lacking as organizations engage in transformation efforts. Companies that have created successful leadership development programs, such as National Australia Bank, Federal Express, and Ernst & Young provide excellent examples of how to train leaders.

Leaders today play a complex role.
To respond to accelerating changes in the environment, leaders are now needed at every level of the corporate hierarchy. Their role is to:
– Manage teams;
– Ensure consistency between the corporate vision and the initiatives of the people they manage;
– Design and implement strategic initiatives.

Three types of training programs can be used to develop these skills.
Each leadership role requires a specific training approach, requiring combination of the three types of programs:
– Individual leadership skill development;
– Socialization of company vision and values;
– Strategic leadership initiative training.

To guarantee the success of such programs, careful attention must be paid to certain points.
The following are key success factors: clarify organizational needs, translate objectives into simple models, start at the top, use clear criteria for the participant selection process, choose the right instructors, use multiple learning methods, intensively use feedback, conduct extended learning periods and multiple sessions.