Leadership The main difference between leaders and managers
development i is that leaders have people follow them while managers have people
s the process
who work for them. A successful business owner needs to be both a
which helps
expand the strong leader and manager to get their team on board to follow them
capacity of towards their vision of success.
individuals to
perform
in leadership ro Methods of Leadership Development
les within
organizations. Leader development takes place through multiple mechanisms: formal
Leadership instruction, developmental job assignments, 360-degree feedback,
roles are those executive coaching, and self-directed learning. These approaches may
that facilitate occur independently but are more effective in combination.
execution of a
company's strat
egy through Formal Training
building
alignment,
Organizations often offer formal training programs to their leaders.
winning mindsh
Traditional styles provide leaders with required knowledge and skills in a
are and
particular area using coursework, practice, “overlearning” with rehearsals,
growing the
and feedback (Kozlowski, 1998). This traditional lecture-based classroom
capabilities of
training is useful; however, its limitations include the question of a leader’s
others.
ability to transfer the information from a training environment to a work
Leadership
setting.
roles may be
formal, with the
corresponding
authority to
Developmental Job Assignment
make decisions
and take Following formal training, organizations can assign leaders to
responsibility, developmental jobs that target the newly acquired skills. A job that is
or they may be developmental is one in which leaders learn, undergo personal change,
informal roles and gain leadership skills resulting from the roles, responsibilities, and
with little official tasks involved in that job. Developmental job assignments are one of the
authority (e.g., most effective forms of leader development. A “stretch” or developmental
a member of assignment challenges leaders’ new skills and pushes them out of their
a team who comfort zone to operate in a more complex environment, one that
influences team involves new elements, problems, and dilemmas to resolve.
engagement,
purpose and
direction; a 360-Degree Feedback
lateral peer
who must listen The 360-degree feedback approach is a necessary component of leader
and negotiate development that allows leaders to maximize learning opportunities from
through their current assignment. It systematically provides leaders with
influence). perceptions of their performance from a full circle of viewpoints, including
subordinates, peers, superiors, and the leader’s own self- assessment.
With
Coaching
information
coming from
so many Leadership coaching focuses on enhancing the leader’s effectiveness,
different along with the effectiveness of the team and organization. It involves an
sources, the intense, one-on-one relationship aimed at imparting important lessons
messages through assessment, challenge, and support. Although the goal of
may be coaching is sometimes to correct a fault, it is used more and more to help
contradictory already successful leaders move to the next level of increased
and difficult responsibilities and new and complex challenges. Coaching aims to move
to interpret. leaders toward measurable goals that contribute to individual and
However, organizational growth.
when several
different Executive coaching method. Executive coaching is used in supporting
sources change by improving individual performance with specific leadership
concur on a competencies and specific
similar
perspective,
whether a
strength or
weakness,
the clarity of
the message
increases.
For this
mechanism
to be
effective, the
leader must
accept
feedback and
be open and
willing to
make
changes.
Coaching is
an effective
way to
facilitate 360-
degree
feedback and
help effect
change using
open
discussion.
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problem solving, and is “a practical, goal-focused form of personal, one-on-one learning” (Hall et al.,
1999, p. 40). In other words, executive coaching is seen as:
An experiential and individualized leader development process that builds a leader’s capability to achieve short-and long-term
organizational goals, it is conducted through one-on-one and/or group interactions, driven by data from multiple perspectives,
and based on mutual trust and respect; the organisation, an executive, and the executive coach work in partnership to achieve
maximum impact
Self-directed Learning
Using self-directed learning, individual leaders teach themselves new skills by selecting areas for
development, choosing learning avenues, and identifying resources. This type of development is a
self-paced process that aims not only to acquire new skills but also to gain a broader perspective on
leadership responsibilities and what it takes to succeed as a leader.
Leadership Development Models
McCauley, Van Veslor, and Ruderman (2010) described a two-part model for developing leaders.
The first part identifies three elements that combine to make developmental experiences stronger:
assessment, challenge, and support. Assessment lets leaders know where they stand in areas of
strengths, current performance level, and developmental needs. Challenging experiences are ones
that stretch leaders’ ability to work outside of their comfort zone, develop new skills and abilities, and
provide important opportunities to learn. Support—which comes in the form of bosses, co-workers,
friends, family, coaches, and mentors—enables leaders to handle the struggle of developing.
The second part of the leader-development model illustrates that the development process involves
a variety of developmental experiences and the ability to learn from them. These experiences and
the ability to learn also have an impact on each other: leaders with a high ability to learn from
experience will seek out developmental experiences, and through these experiences leaders
increase their ability to learn.
The leader-development process is rooted in a particular leadership context, which includes
elements such as age, culture, economic conditions, population gender, organizational purpose and
mission, and business strategy. This environment molds the leader development process. Along with
assessment, challenge and support, leadership contexts are important aspects of the leader-
development model.
General Electric Model of Leadership Development
Another well-known model of leadership development is used by the General Electric Corporation.
Managers with high potential are identified early in their careers. Their development is monitored
and planned to include a variety of job placements to develop skills and experience, a rigorous
performance-evaluation process, and formal training programs at the corporate leadership center in
Crotonville, New York. For top managers, the CEO leads some of the training; the CEO also reviews
performance evaluations for high-potential managers during site visits to the various subsidiary
divisions
