Developing leadership skills: less talk, more action...
Leadership is arguably one of the most written about HR topics. What makes a good leader? What processes do you need in place to spot leadership potential? What are the best ways to nurture and develop leadership talent?
While organisations today recognise the importance of developing leadership talent, I am starting to wonder if enough is actually being done to safeguard today’s businesses for the future. Some research we have just conducted highlights that the problem is definitely more acute in Europe.
When we polled 132 learning professionals at the recent ASTD conference in North America we found that while job related technical skills are currently the primary focus for 40% of respondents, for nearly a quarter (23%), HR and leadership skills is the key focus of employee training, making this the second most important area for training amongst US/International organisations.
In contrast, our 2011 annual European L&D survey found that after job related technical skills, training in Europe is being focused more on areas such as professional efficiency, communication and languages as well as financing, purchasing and logistics. In fact, HR and leadership development accounts for just 11% of training amongst European learners – down from 18% in 2010.
It seems that the development of leadership skills is valued more highly in the US marketplace as a key enabler for achieving long-term business growth and success.
So what can we do to counter the problem? Firstly, as L&D professionals, we need to make sure that we prioritise the development of leadership skills. If we don’t take action now, we won’t have a pipeline of talent for the future.
Let’s not forget that many high level positions are currently occupied by the so called baby boomer generation (people born between 1946 and 1963) and as this generation nears retirement new talent needs to come through to take over. Yet a lack of investment in developing leadership skills means in many cases the next generation are not ready to fill the gap or don’t have the confidence to take over the reins. Furthermore, the financial crisis of the last few years with dramatic company downsizing, also saw some employees promoted to managerial level years too early and without the appropriate skills.
The future is going to see a whole new dynamic in terms of leadership capabilities. Without doubt we are entering an era where technology will be even more tightly woven into every aspect of our lives as it continues to drive a shift in how consumers behave and hence the way that companies do business. Leaders of today and tomorrow need to understand this paradigm shift and take action to ensure their companies remain competitive.
