Your leadership development program is struggling. How can management consultants help you turn it around?

Management consultants can help you with your leadership development programs by bringing in examples and experience from successful programs. For instance, I have set up corporate "universities" at several companies and leadership development is a key component of such a university. Having an outsider who has seen numerous other programs can help identify challenges, gaps, or opportunities for improvement.

Personal interviews is a technique I like to use to get started. In most cases people don't feel heard and doing that goes a long way in helping develop any person.

The first step is always to understand where we are at, I.e, understand the baseline. Many times, the smaller obvious contours are the real root cause of an issue. Also it’s important to understand what success for the LDP would look like through these focus groups.

To know where to reach is essential before starting off. There should be absolute certainty of the end goal and desired outcome, to enable emphasis on the key areas of the turnaround exercise.

A lot of us including me struggle to define the Desired outcomes. What we desire is a dynamic thing and the goal post keeps shifting. This is where it’s essential to have some watershed moments to have the little moments of celebrations coupled with review of the direction of progress. So Defining the desired outcomes shouldn’t be looked at in isolation but should be tagged along until successful executions.

I like to focus on the why instead of outcomes. The Why will often, determine or drive outcomes. Leadership development is the process of processing. True outcomes are usually indirectly related to the development of leadership.

A leadership development program is a tailor made program for an organisation. It can not be a standard program as the leaders ship needs vary from organisation to organisation and from individual to individual. The first step is the organisational assessment and determination of the leadership needs of the organisation. It is a scanning of the entire environment of the organisation. This is followed up by the assessment of the candidates identified for future leadership. The program needs to be developed on the basis of this assessment. Assessment is a longer process and the trainer needs to get deeply involved in the working of the organisation as well as the candidates. A close observation of this provides lot of inputs for the program.

Customization is key to the success of the LDP. Customization will depend on organisation demographics, culture, preference, resources and strategy.

Trabajar con el equipo humano que tiene gente a cargo y ayudarlos a sacar lo mejor de sí para que lideren siguiendo su propio estilo (pero enfocados en sus objetivos de negocio) es el rol de un buen consultor. Trasladarles experiencias, por ejemplo mediante charlas y actividades fuera de su lugar de trabajo habitual, son muy buenas prácticas. Sugiero complementar con encuestas de clima laboral (como la evaluación 360) para ver el impacto de las capacitaciones.

Before consulting the management consultancy, the management should consult amongst themselves use the following simple tool "STAR"... S- Situation T- Task needed to be completed A- Actions required R- Results expected While the tool is most popularly used for Interviews; using the aligning with "5D model" of "Appreciative Inquiry" that is Define, Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver, can be very useful for the leadership team to create and share the vision, mission with the team members to see the big picture and feel motivated to contribute to the organizational goal while achieving their personal goals simultaneously.

To revitalize a struggling leadership development program, management consultants can employ a multifaceted approach. First, conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to identify gaps and challenges within the program is crucial. This involves engaging with stakeholders, reviewing existing content, and gathering feedback. Subsequently, consultants can design tailored interventions that align with the organization's goals and the participants' needs. Implementing interactive and experiential learning methods can enhance engagement and retention of leadership skills. Additionally, integrating technology for ongoing support, such as e-learning modules and mentorship platforms, ensures continuous development.

Business owners often need more clarification about the value of outside advisors. "What do they know about my business?" Fact is, an outside advisors looking into basic business functions doesn't need to know YOUR business...they are hired because they know business.

IManagement consultants wield a sophisticated toolkit of strategic analysis. They embark on a diagnostic journey, meticulously dissecting program intricacies to unveil hidden inefficiencies. Armed with insights, these consultants become architects of rejuvenation, weaving a bespoke tapestry of solutions. This includes refined training methodologies, mentorship frameworks, and metrics for performance calibration. Under their guidance, leaders embrace a culture of perpetual refinement. Regular assessments act as compass points, navigating towards continuous improvement. With consultants at the helm, the leadership development program undergoes a metamorphosis, emerging as a beacon of organizational resilience and sustained success.

The write up today is very well done. The only practical tip to add is to source turnaround stories to discern who has a great track record in having been pivotal in assisting with the application of turnkey solutions. I don't mind sharing that in no less than 3 cases I was a catalyst to turn around results. Yes, it involved a process but the results speak for themselves.