The Future of Leadership Development

The Future of Leadership Development

Leadership development has always been an important aspect in determining the success of any organization. Without properly trained leaders, companies fall victim to mismanagement, dissatisfied employees and ultimately lack in overall company growth. Leadership development begins with?establishing techniques or practices that leaders can apply ?when coaching individuals towards a specific goal.

The way leaders are trained has not always been the same, however. As time goes on, it’s vital to adapt to the ever changing technological advancements by discovering new approaches to leadership learning and development. Let’s take a look at how leadership has evolved during the past 50 years.

The Evolution Of Leadership Development

1970 - 1990

Traditional Classroom Training?– Based on the level of technology in these two decades, classroom training was a sufficient approach to developing both new and current leaders. This form of educational delivery included workbooks, facility training and other hands-on based approaches to learning. An in-person method of training allows for a deeper connection to be made among both the trainer and trainee. This connection enhances both the impression left by the trainer and the level of understanding the trainee gains.

2000’S

Traditional Blended Training?– The dot-com era accelerated the shift from classroom based learning to a balanced training approach. As the adoption of internet technologies became more prevalent, the methods used to train employees at all levels needed to change. This timeframe is where the traditional in-person, classroom training start to mix with new, technology driven methods of training.?The combination of technology-based training mixed with face-to-face interactions allowed for a faster development process than the traditional approach could provide. This is due mostly to the efficiency that these technological advancements provided.

2010’S

Traditional Online Training?– The universal adoption and advancement of technology in the late 2000’s with social networks such as Facebook and YouTube created a global shift in the way we communicate, and subsequently a shift in the way leaders are trained. These social networks allowed us to move away from in-person training while connecting individuals at unprecedented rates. While the personal aspect of face-to-face leadership development was diminished, the efficiency and instant communication that technology provides have proven useful in the development of leaders on a global scale.

The Future

Leadership Intelligence?– The future of developing effective leaders is no longer just about what training curriculum you use, what competencies you have identified as most critical for your organization, but how you will apply and analyze leadership best practices in your organization. When Money Ball disrupted major league baseball at the turn of the 21st century, Big Data ushered in a new era of how we analyze and assess performance, no matter what arena you are performing in. Today’s leadership development programs need to go beyond announcing and teaching core leadership competencies, and into rigorously measuring and analyzing key leadership practices and the impact they are having on the people within the organization, and the business results they are producing. Through performance software, today’s effective leadership programs will build in best leadership practices into regular performance conversations and assessments as a means of not only holding leaders accountable for how they lead, but helping them evolve and adapt their leadership style to the needs of the organization in any business environment.

“Companies that have improved their approach to training and developing #leaders reported 77% lower turnover and 71% higher customer satisfaction. “

?Improving Current Leadership Development Methods

The?problem with traditional leadership development ?is the delivery method of training material. The methods currently utilized by many organizations overlook context, underestimate mindsets, fail to measure results and are decoupled from real work. While technology is evolving at rates beyond anything seen before, management training styles have not improved at the same rate. There are new technologies and methods of delivering leadership training material which are currently untapped, potentially allowing individuals to learn in the flow of work.

With new technologies being developed and introduced every day, it becomes difficult to determine which tools are worth implementing into your training process. Nonetheless, it is crucial that current methods of delivering leadership material are utilized. This is a far more?effective approach to leadership training ?when attempting to increase performance, productivity and ROI than the traditional approach.

“Companies that have improved their approach to training and developing #leaders reported 77% lower turnover and 71% higher customer satisfaction. “