Business owners often contact me for leadership development services. They ask, “Can you train my people to be leaders?”
Developing leaders is an important goal. There is work to do before I can train leaders, and training alone does not make people leaders.
Objective: To begin, I ask the owner for reference materials. Do they have a long-range strategic plan, a statement of core values, and promise to their clients/customers? The response is often wondering what these have to do with leadership development.
A person cannot lead without knowing the company’s long range objective, the culture inside the company, and promise to clients/customers.
Some companies have these foundational documents. Most do not. I work with clients to develop and make sure this foundation is in place, and there is a strategy for them to be embodied by everyone in the company.
Leadership, as expected, starts at the top. The top can be the owner/principals, the CEO/President, or an Executive Team. In whatever way decisions are made in a company, these foundational documents must be developed, written, and shared.
Structure: What is the organization’s structure today? What structure will achieve the strategic objective? The structure you have today may not be what you need to succeed or grow. It is far more productive to determine the positions you will need in three to five years. I work with leaders of a company to think not about their people and where to put them. I want them to think about the structure the company needs first. Consider each position and the result it will produce. Once we have a working structure, we can see where people fit. This is a challenge for most leaders, so I help them approach this strategically.
Leaders: The new organizational structure shows the reporting lines. We want to make sure this makes sense and is manageable. Who are the people in your organization who are leaders or potential leaders? Whom do they manage? How many people report directly to them? The structure is for three-five years out to prepare for growth.
Responsibilities and Authorities: Companies can have flat or hierarchical organizations. Each leadership position must have clearly defined and written roles and responsibilities. They must be clear about their decision-making authority.
Agreement: Leadership conveys to eveyone the structure and purpose of each position. The lack of clarity and consistent application of the plan creates confusion and conflict. Securing everyone’s understanding and agreement is essential. I work with clients to develop strategies to obtain agreement.
Develop Leadership Skills: Once all of this is in place, your people are now ready to be coached and trained in their leadership role.