Leadership Development is About Self-Development
It’s a journey and not an event. Too often we find leadership development and coaching engagements that are one-hit-wonders. They cover an overwhelming number of topics in one or two days and rarely provide ongoing reinforcement. On top of that, there’s usually no true measurement beyond the “smiley sheet” evaluations at the end of the program. Clients pay top dollar to send their employees through training and coaching programs and rarely see a measurable and sustainable return on their investment.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Here are three components we believe should be built into every coaching and leadership development program.
Action Planning: All good programs should have action plans. Unfortunately, most of the time they are completed on paper (if done at all) and there’s very little transparency between the Coach and the Participant and between the Participant and their Manager. But, action plans that are created online help provide the transparency and accountability needed to create focus and change.
Measurement: There’s often a lag between the time a leader makes a change and when others perceive that change. Without ongoing measurement, you won’t know if your leadership development or coaching engagement is a success.
Ongoing Support: “We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle said. Frankly, it’s hard to change what we’ve always done, and it’s insanity to think that we’ll get a different result by continuing to do the same things. That’s why follow-up support is critical to changing the way people lead. It provides the reinforcement needed to build awareness and make different choices.
Takeaway: Behavior change isn’t easy, and coaching and training programs are expensive. Make sure the leadership development programs you invest in are setting up your participants for success.