Are Leaders Born or Made? 3 Guidelines to Make New Leaders

After two decades spent in the field of leadership development, we contend that leaders may be born with intelligence and raw talent but they are essentially made through experience over time. We believe that leaders must learn to effectively lead.

If you are in a leadership role in your company, one of your most important responsibilities is to raise a new generation of leaders to take over smoothly when you move on. The most effective way to nurture and grow leaders is through the process of action learning for leadership development. Once you identify some so-called high potentials, here are three guidelines on how to prepare them to take on ever greater responsibility:

1. Experience: Give them broad exposure to different, unfamiliar and increasingly complex jobs. They will learn new skills and stretch in new ways in different and broad settings.
   
   
2. Feedback: Support them with ongoing and targeted performance coaching about their relationships, approach and results. Provide frequent and timely feedback and help them understand the reasons for their successes as well as learn from failures.
   
   
3. Support: Match them with savvy mentors…either current leaders or veterans who have the experience and know-how to share their advice and counsel when it is needed most.
   

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

Meetings Reflect a Company’s Culture – Pay More Attention to their Design

Rather than just let a company’s culture evolve on its own, savvy executives take a more active role in defining the way they want things done.

One of the best ways to take charge and practice action learning for leadership development is to focus on how meetings are run. Meetings are no trivial matter. For example, Harvard Business Review reported that one company spent 300,000 hours a year supporting a weekly executive committee meeting.

In a way, meetings are a microcosm of how an organization operates. Do a few always dominate? Do you hold people accountable for following through? Are they well planned? Are only the right people in the room? Do they start on time? Do people speak their mind? Do people get along?

Articulate the behavioral norms you want to encourage by setting clear standards for company meetings. Once established, they will influence how communication occurs, how decisions are made and how actions are taken throughout the organization.

Consider setting norms for dress code, timeliness, agendas, objectives, attendees, decision making, accountability, communication, problem solving, facilitation and scribe.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

The Learning Model that Harvard MBAs Use

A Harvard MBA degree is coveted by many aspiring to the C-level suite.

For years, Harvard followed a traditional case study model. But now the Business School has modified the instructional approach to an action learning case method model. Students are immersed in realistic business situations and are called upon to make decisions with incomplete information, conflicting goals and time pressures…just like in the real world. They learn by experience rather than lecture.

Why? Because it is far more effective.

• Action learning for leadership development relies upon experiential reflection and problem-solving as the major learning tools.
  
• Participants solve real-world problems and learn far more than if they studied books or sat through lectures.
  
• The learning is student-driven, active, and solution-focused.
  
• Students actually experience what happens as they implement solutions.
  
• They analyze the situation, make a move to solve the problem, assess the results of their action and reflect upon what worked and what did not…all in the cause of improving business performance.
  

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

3 Likely Situations When Change May Not Be Wise

“Change or die.”

The presupposition in business these days is that change is constant and constantly necessary to be successful. Agility is certainly critical to maintaining a competitive edge. But don’t be so persuaded by the concept of change that you value it above all else.

Here, according to action learning for leadership development experts, is when you should be wary of launching a change initiative:

1. When the risks are too great. Be sure that when you plan a major change that the rewards will be worth the effort, the re-education, the struggle and the likely temporary performance shortfall. For example, Hershey's inability to successfully implement new ERP and supply chain systems prevented it from delivering $100 million worth of products for Halloween and caused an 8% dip in market cap.
   

2. When your customers or employees value consistency (or the status quo) over change. You should first determine that your customers and employees are ready and looking for change whether it’s in a simple logo, your product offerings or organizational structure. For example, when Netflix announced a massive price increase and the separation of its DVD mailing and streaming services it lost thousands of irate subscribers and more than 50% of its market cap.
   

3. When you will face new and powerful competition as a result of the change. Be sure you have fully assessed how to meet and overcome the challenges of potential new competitors in your new market. For example, Apple’s new smartwatch will create both competition and partnership opportunities in the healthcare industry.
   

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

You Cannot Do It All – How to Delegate More Effectively

Good leaders know how to delegate effectively. They have to because they have long since realized that they cannot do it all. They need to relinquish control for some of their responsibilities in order to manage the overall enterprise.

So what does it mean to delegate effectively?

• Assign projects according to skills.
  Find the best possible person to take on the task or project. If they can handle it more skillfully than you, so much the better. Your employees will be more engaged doing jobs they can handle and enjoy.
  
  
• Make expectations clear.
  When you delegate a task, be clear about how and when you need the job done. Set check-in times so you can be sure the project is on track and encourage your employee to come to you with any questions as they proceed.
  
  
• Share the credit.
  Be sure to appreciate good work and, if appropriate, publicly salute your employee for a job well done.
  

Consider the delegation process an exercise in action learning for leadership development…yours as leader and your employees as they learn and grow. 

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

Share More to Lead Better

When we advocate sharing leadership in our action learning for leadership development programs, we don’t mean that you step aside and avoid responsibility. Instead, we talk about what can happen when you pull back the curtains, let the light in and share information with your employees.

Many leaders don’t trust their workers with the kind of information leaders need to make sound decisions. What we have found, however, when leaders share information is that employees respect the confidence their boss has shown in them, feel a stronger sense of commitment to the organization, and perform at a higher level.

Employees are more engaged when they understand how they connect to the company and how their contribution is part of the company’s success. For example, when the company makes changes, people want to know why and how they fit in.  Effective leaders take the time to make it clear to employees at all levels how their work impacts their team, their department, and ultimately the company as a whole. This is what we mean by “shared leadership” and it works.

You will know you are on the right path when employees are satisfied with the information they receive about what is going on and believe that they have enough information to confidently succeed in their job.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/action-learning-leadership-development/

Experience-Driven Leadership

Want to learn how to lead? Yes, you can read about leadership, model your behavior after leaders you admire, and attend programs that focus on leadership skills. But the most effective way to become a capable leader is to learn by doing…try on-the-job action learning for leadership development.

If you are really serious about stretching yourself and learning all you can about what it takes to lead well, you cannot wait for others to notice you and feed your goal. It is up to you to take the first steps on the path to leadership. Set up your own development plan this way:

1. Identify what leadership skills you need to build or strengthen. Perhaps you need to learn how to fix problems created by others or to communicate a new strategic direction for the team.
2. Figure out what specific opportunities there may be to enhance these skills while continuing to fulfill your current job responsibilities.
3. Spell out a plan and persuade your boss that you are willing and able to take on this new challenge.