These 7 Assumptions Will Derail Your Leadership Development Program.

Why do corporate leadership development programs fail to deliver the desired results?

"When leadership development programs don't work, it's because the leaders won't lead. It's that simple." ~ Mack Story

There is a reason organizations need help establishing an effective leadership development program: Low impact leaders can't make a high impact. That's common sense. However, creating an effective leadership development program requires uncommon sense which is only found in uncommon leaders. Most leaders have common sense. But, only high impact leaders have uncommon sense.

If the organization's leaders at all levels were already making a high impact, they wouldn't struggle to implement an effective leadership program, they wouldn't struggle to communicate, they wouldn't struggle to engage the workforce, they wouldn't struggle to retain their top talent, they wouldn't struggle to improve morale, and they wouldn't struggle to reduce turnover.

When leadership development programs don't work, the leaders who are ultimately responsible for initiating, implementing, and leading the program are making one or more of the following false assumptions. I refer to these false assumptions as The 7 Deadly Sins because any one of them will quickly kill the effectiveness of any leadership development program.

"The greater the leader's formal position and authority, the greater the negative impact his/her false assumptions will have on the effectiveness of the program." ~ Mack Story

These 7 Deadly Sins will kill the effectiveness of any Leadership Development Program

Why won't the leaders lead?

1. They think, "Leadership development is for those below me.""Good or bad, leadership flows downhill." As soon as the leader decides the leadership program is only for those below him/her, they have effectively stopped the flow because people below tend to do what they see the people above doing. When the leaders below see the leaders above not buying-in, they will most often choose not to buy-in. Why? They are following their leader's example. And, the cycle repeats all the way to the bottom of the organizational chart.
2. They think, "I don't need to grow anymore." Far too many leaders suffer from the "I've arrived!" syndrome. Low impact "leaders" falsely believe having a formal leadership position makes them high impact leaders. Low impact leaders are not growth oriented. They are position, power, and control oriented. Since they already have a position along with the power and control associated with it, they don't feel they need to grow. This is why Deadly Sin #1 is so relevant. Leaders below need to see leaders above modeling a growth mindset, not an "I've arrived!" mindset.
3. They think, "Leadership development is a quick fix." Low impact leaders usually commit sins #1 & #2 and falsely believe they simply need to "fix" the flawed people below them. Low impact leaders focus on their power and position. They believe they can communicate a buy-in or else ultimatum to those below. They believe investing money to bring in experts to communicate and teach will create immediate buy-in. These low impact leaders believe their problem is with others, but it is in the mirror. The leaders below will quickly learn what the leaders above should be doing. As a result, these leaders will typically rebel (not buy-in) or relocate (buy-in and find a leader, either internally or externally, that has also bought-in).
4. They think, "Soft skills aren't hard." Anyone who calls leadership a soft skill isn't a high impact leader. High impact leaders know leading at a high level is hard. Why? Because making the necessary choices to transform a low impact leader's character into that of a high impact leader is extremely hard. For me, "soft" skills should be related to competency development and "hard" skills should be related to character development. Learning how to do a job is easy. Learning how to transform yourself is hard.
5. They think, "I don't have to take ownership." One of the first things I tell a leader who has brought me in for leadership development support is this, "I know I can and will grow those who have a desire to grow. Those who want to grow are the leaders who can and will move your organization forward. However, there's something else you must know. It's my job to grow them, but it's your job to keep them." This is an ownership statement. It's about responsibility. Low impact leaders think the consultant owns the program. High impact leaders know they own the program.
6. They think, "The program is only temporary." Low impact leaders think a leadership program is something you do for a few months or maybe a few years. High impact leaders know using the word program is misleading because it's not truly a program. High impact leaders understand leadership development is never-ending because it's not an option. It's like accounting. It's a requirement.
7. And ultimately, "They underestimate the time commitment and overestimate the impact." Low impact leaders don't expect or plan to commit much of their time or their team's time to growth and development. Their plan is to only do what is required at work and do nothing at home. Often, they falsely believe a few hours here and there is all that's needed. High impact leaders realize the time commitment will be significant and change will be slow. They understand many hours must be invested to grow and develop themselves at work. They also know most of their growth and development will come after work.

FREE downloads available:

Click here now for a FREE download of the entire leadership principle-packed Chapter 11, "Get Out of the Way and Lead" from the first book in my Demystifying Leadership Series: Defining Influence. In this nearly 20 page chapter, I share about:

·      Managing vs Leading

·      Scarcity vs Abundance

·      Formal Authority vs Moral Authority

·      The 5 Types of Leaders

·      Compare/Contrast 17 Manager vs Leader Perspectives

Click here to access the first 5 chapters of “Blue-Collar Leadership: Leading from the Front Lines.”

·      Ch. 1: I’m one of you.

·      Ch.2: I believe in you.

·      Ch.3: You’re in the perfect place.

·      Ch. 4: Common sense is never enough.

·      Ch.5: There is an “I” in Team.

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Make an impact!

Mack Story

My passion is to help you live with abundance, achieve success, choose significance, and leave a legacy. In other words, I want to help you make a High Impact !