How to Create a Leadership Development Program that works for YOUR Company
Ready to create your own Leadership Development Program?! You can totally do it, & we’re here to help.
We’ve been creating high-impact, curated leadership development programs for a long time (it’s kind of what we’re known for!), & we’ve learned a lot of things along the way. We’ve made mistakes, had massive wins, & everything in between. We’re excited to share our learnings, ideas, & processes we follow with the intention to help you create an incredible Leadership Development Program, & bypass some of the mistakes & heartaches we had along the way!
Regardless of what client we work with, or what program we end up creating, we always follow our 5-step Curated Leadership Program Strategy:
Creating a leadership development program is a little like building your dream house, & I’m going to take you through that construction, step-by-step. Ready? Here we go:
Step 1: Understand the Business Need
Ask yourself: What is the business need behind developing my leaders? If there’s no business need, there’s no reason to build a leadership development program. (Spoiler alert: there is ALWAYS a business need.)
For example, will leadership development help with a new strategic direction or another aspect of change management? Employee retention & recruitment? Simply improving the bottom line? We get curious & go deep on this question—because this answer is the foundation of what we create. For example, will leadership development help with a new strategic direction or another aspect of change management? Employee retention & recruitment? Simply improving the bottom line? We get curious & go deep on this question—because this answer is the foundation of what we create.
When you’re building a house, you don’t just jump in & start building, right? (Unless you have an unlimited budget, to which I say: you do you.) You think about the purpose of the house, & what you need to make sure everyone in the house feels a sense of comfort & safety. It’s the same deal here.
Step 2: Gather & Analyze Data
This step often gets missed, because as humans, we’re wired for action—we want to jump right into the “leadership development” part. But, it takes a bit more research.
What does it mean to be a successful leader at your company? What’s the vision of the company? Where do you want to go? What’s the gap between your current culture & what you want to see? After we gather that information, we’re ready to get started.
Here’s where you have to get clear about the details of your new house. What color do you want it to be? How many bathrooms will it have? How do you want to feel when you’re in the house?
Step 3: Design the Leadership Program
Here’s where you get down to business. With your understanding of your business need—& the data you’ve collected—you’re ready to determine the skills you’re going to teach your leaders. The mindsets to coach on. This is where you create the curriculum (& make sure it aligns with your company’s core values & leadership competencies! You want everything to be aligned & cohesive).
This is where you also align the “what” to the “how” by figuring out the best model or method to deploy the learning. Will it be 1-on-1 coaching? Group coaching? Online learning? A combination of both? In our experience, a combination means that you’re accounting for a wide variety of learning styles. In-person training + group coaching + virtual learning + 1:1 coaching is the magical formula to ensure learning sticks for the long-term & sustainably.
In our house-building analogy, this step is all about drawing up the blueprints & building your house based on what we’ve learned.
Step 4: Implement & Monitor + Step 5: Measure Success
The last two steps we intentionally overlap a little bit. You’ll want to have a clear picture of what success looks like, & what you’re measuring to show results. Based on the data you get, you’ll be able to go back & make changes to your program to make it even better. The key here is sustainability—you want to create a program you’ll be able to stick with, & that means making sure your business need is always at the forefront.
This part of the process is move-in time—but you’re still always looking at your house with a curious eye to learn whether something more is needed—whether it’s swapping out a gas stove for an electric one, repainting a few walls, or adding on an addition to your house as you grow.
Let’s be honest: very rarely do you build a house by yourself—you bring in experts that are able to bring your vision to life. That’s where we come in. Working with us gives you the best of both worlds—you’re able to execute your vision for what the leaders in your company need with a group of trusted partners who bring their expertise in (& take on the bulk of the work, too).
Don’t feel like you have to build it alone. We’ve got you.
If you’d like to learn more about partnering together on your custom leadership program, meet with us here!
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