The benefit of choosing the right leadership development partner

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, the choice of leadership development partners can be the linchpin for creating an environment where innovation and growth thrive.???

In this article, Clare Bryant , our Senior Partner, brings to light the importance of tailored leadership development. Clare underscores the importance of aligning developmental initiatives with an organisation's unique culture and goals.?

Why is it beneficial to bring in external leadership development support??

Providing a new and fresh outside perspective to your organisation's leadership development is one of the ways in which it can be advantageous to bring in an external partner.? Together with the fact that they will be experts in leadership they will also have the advantage of working cross industry so will have experience of the range of challenges leaders are currently facing in the workplace.? Leaders also often prefer to work on their development with an external partner as this can help to foster a supportive and psychologically safe environment in which to explore their development needs and work-related challenges without fear of judgement.?

How should organisations assess the track record and credibility of potential leadership development partners? What benchmarks or success stories should they look for??

When looking to work with a partner, it is important to do some homework first.? Recommendations from people you trust go a long way and this is where I would usually start.? It is also helpful to look at the provider's website to see the types of organisations they have partnered with before and read more into the team themselves; their credentials and what they can bring to your organisation.? Case studies are also helpful to understand previous projects delivered and the impact these have had for other organisations.?

What level of customisation do different L&D partners offer? Why is it important for the training to be tailored to the specific needs of your organisation??

Many companies offer off the shelf development solutions however, the more a programme is tailored to your organisation the more likely it is to resonate and land with your colleagues.?As a minimum, you’ll want your development solutions to be aligned to your company values and behaviours, if you have them.

We are aware that development is an investment and that is why we offer tailored programmes as we are passionate about helping you to deliver against your organisational goals by delivering interventions which are relevant, engaging and impactful.?

How will a great leadership development partner ensure that learning is not only effective but is also sustained over time?

A great leadership development partner should be doing more than just delivering a one-off session for you.? They should be partnering with you to understand your business goals and challenges, deliver current interventions and be supporting you with the identification of future needs.?

Delivering effective learning as a leadership development partner can be sustained over time in a number of ways:?

• A blended learning approach - this could combine face to face and virtual elements as well as using bitesize self-serve learning.?This allows for different learning styles and learning in the flow of work.?
• Interactivity and engagement.?By ensuring that the training is engaging, experiential and fun will help the learning to stick.?
• Continuous reinforcement and follow up - it is important to consider what will happen once the workshop has taken place.? What materials can be provided as follow up to sustain the learning and what is the role of the manager to support, coach and embed the right behaviours?? How will behaviour change be measured over time??

How do leadership development partners prepare leaders for future challenges??

Leadership Development is about being prepared for future challenges and leading teams through them.?A leadership development partner can help leaders to recognise, assess and adapt to changing conditions and consider the emerging trends and needs.?More than ever before, rapid and continuous change and uncertainty are the norm and leaders need support in developing their own skills to deliver in this ever-changing environment.?

At Blue Gnu, we pride ourselves on creating bespoke leadership journeys that not only enhance team capabilities but also strengthen team dynamics, propelling your organisation towards achieving its strategic goals. Our training draws upon many years of experience and a toolbox of techniques and strategies that enable the development of colleagues into empowered, confident, respected and in-control leaders.

Whether you’re small and mighty, or large and ambitious, we have the skills, capability and credentials to support your leadership development. We’d love to hear from you!?

Article written by Clare Bryant – Senior Partner, Blue Gnu Consulting. March 2024.