Investing in leadership development
Greg Kirwan discusses why it’s important to invest in leadership development.
The focus and priorities of leadership teams have understandably shifted over the last few years. The accelerated pace at which we’ve had to adapt to technological change, a more dispersed workforce, and a heightened focus on economic, social and political uncertainties have all led to leadership teams and their organisations needing to adopt new ways of working.
Operating during uncertain times can impact your workforce. It can lead to low productivity, lack of engagement and reduced job satisfaction. Investing in leadership development is fundamental to the continued success of an organisation. There is a definite need for a new style of leadership with a new set of skills that few are prepared for. Ensuring leaders are future fit and able to manage teams effectively is a key priority for L&D teams going forward, as those who invest in leadership development invariably perform better than those who don’t.
In a survey conducted by LinkedIn (Workplace Learning Report 2022) 49% of respondents said executives are concerned that employees don’t have the right skills to execute business strategy. This is a worrying statistic and there is no doubt that the skills needed by teams have changed, but what have organisations done to help these teams upskill into these changed roles and make them future fit?
Leadership teams need to be able to juggle the needs of the business with the needs of their team. If this isn’t managed effectively the organisation and the individuals involved wont be effective. Investing in leadership development programmes can have many advantages to an organisation, not least in creating engaged teams who work effectively for the benefit of the organisation. Organisations need to invest in their own people rather than try to find solutions elsewhere.
People want to feel valued. Learning new skills influences culture and culture is crucial to an engaged workforce. People like to grow in their organisations and learning is a great way to achieve this. There are many benefits to investing in leadership development. As I’ve said it improves company culture, investing in leadership ensures that great behaviour and values pass down through the organisation.
Learning new skills is relatively straightforward, talent is increasingly hard to find and keep. New ways of attracting talent, retaining talent and developing talent need to be found so investing in people keeps them engaged and reduces the risk of them wanting to leave. If potential employees know that you invest in learning and development, they will also look favourably on your organisation over others when looking for a new role.
If organisations align learning programmes that help their leadership teams and workforces, it shows that they care and ultimately creates a better place to work.
Olivier Mythodrama has been delivering innovative and thought provoking leadership training for over 20 years. The people and organisations we have worked with describe our training as life changing. We think they’re right. We already work with some of the world’s leading businesses. Are you ready to join them?
