"Leadership performance and results, theory and practice, training, education and development in Zimbabwe and the World."

I have invested hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours studying leadership theory and practices from many sources including the work of some of the world’s very best minds, thinkers, authors, writers and battlefield leaders who have been there and seen it all. I have also developed and delivered leadership and management training, education and development in Zimbabwe and interact with some top decision-makers including Chief Executive Officers and formal leaders in different domains of society and the country. I can provide credible sources and evidence to back what I am saying. But this presentation is not a mere compilation of what I have studied; it also contains my personal experience, insights, opinions, and ideas.

This global leadership crisis needs serious attention because this crisis is standing in the way of sustainable development.

A Summary of the Global Leadership and Leadership Training, Education and Development Crises.

?From all my research, studies and observations I can say that,

1.?????? Leadership is 1969 times more important than most who are in positions of leadership and the general society thinks. Many people in positions of leadership do not fully understand the responsibility they carry by being in those positions.

2.?????? The world is facing a serious and growing leadership crisis defined as the disparity between leadership power, authority and position on the one hand and leadership competence on the other hand.

3.?????? The majority of people who get into formal positions of leadership do so with very little to no preparation for the position; this is contributing to the global leadership crisis.

4.?????? As much as 80 percent or more of the attempts to improve leadership quality, performance, and results through traditional leadership education around the world are ending in failure; meaning that there is very little and lasting change, if any, before the leadership training and development and after.

5.?????? There are hundreds of different definitions of leadership almost none of them agree

6.?????? There are more than thirty-five different perspectives of leadership and most books and experts on leadership emphasize or portray one of these perspectives.

7.?????? There are at least 83 different leadership models, from very simple to complicated, from theoretical to research-based from explanatory to “how to”. The majority of these models do not have any serious impact on leadership performance and results and do not help aspiring and practicing leaders to improve their leadership performance and results. The simplest models seem to also be the most practical and most useful for leadership practitioners.

8.?????? Very few, if any, books or leadership models can act as a practical leadership guide or operational manual; all the material that I have encountered may be great, but they lack many other elements or components that get into producing practical leadership performance and results.

9.?????? Hundreds of billions of United States Dollars are poured into leadership development. Given the high failures of such leadership development, as much as 80 percent of this huge amount of money is going up in smokes.

10.?? The world is at the moment caught in between a global leadership crisis on the one hand and a global leadership training, education and development crisis on the other hand.

Leadership Performance, Results, Theory and Practice, Training, Education and Development in Zimbabwe.

While I am talking about the leadership situation in Zimbabwe, bear in mind that this is also a common feature of most corporate and organizational leadership performance and results, theory and practice and training, education and development through the world.

Zimbabwe is not immune from the leadership issues that are affecting the world in terms of results, performance, theory and practice, teaching, learning, education and development. Like in the rest of the world, many people land into positions of leadership without any preparation and without any clue what leading really means and how best to do it. Most never seek leadership knowledge and know-how after they land onto leadership positions. In addition, the majority of those who recruit or appoint people into positions of formal leadership positions do not have an accurate understand of what makes good and great leaders. Some even appoint people into serious positions of leadership on the simple fact that they know them or they will “listen” to them.

Many do not know that there is difference between being a leading and ruling. Ruling is not leading at all.

Leadership Theory, Training, Education and Development

The ubiquity of different leadership perspectives, theories, books, authorities and models is as confusing to most of Zimbabweans as it is to most of the Earthians. Many people who are supposed to develop leaders and leadership through coaching, advisory, mentoring, development, teaching, education and training are also confused by too many perspective. Most of these lack a holistic view of what is required to be an effective real world leader and all the critical components that get into a good leadership development program. Way too many of them also confused by the terms coaching, mentoring, development, teaching and training.

Confusing teaching and training cause as much as 99% of more of leadership development “experts” to fall into the trap of university-type teaching of leadership knowledge, information and theories and calling it leadership draining. I will declare this;

Many people are getting more and more general knowledge and information on leadership in corporate and organizational training and very little of leadership training, equipment and development.

When all what people get is more and more knowledge during corporate and organizational training, their leadership performance and results won't improve that much. They will know more about leadership but nothing else much.

A second problem is that many companies and organisations approach leadership “training” in a very casual and civilian way. They do have effective leadership development program with different modules addressing the different core components that produce an effective real world leader. Companies and organization take this casual approach of half-day or one-day or two-day leadership training programs, poorly conceived and divorced from the organisation strategic leadership needs and expect serious improvement in leadership performance and results.

Producing really effective leaders needs a serious, well-thought-out developmental leadership training, education, equipment and development program with a full set of modules covering all the 21 core elements that go into practical leadership and into leading. It must know only be teaching leadership knowledge but also working on the other building blocks for leadership performance and results. These short courses can only add serious value if they are arrived at strategically and address specific identified leadership needs of the trainee. And this can’t just be more general leadership knowledge.

Let me conclude by saying;

1.?????? We must fix the global leadership crisis if we are to make sustainable development a reality.

2.?????? People must never be thrust into formal positions of leadership with proper preparation and without proper support during the early days in those positions.

3.?????? Companies and organisations must periodically review their leadership performance and results, theory and practice and training, education and development

4.?????? Organizations must not carry over university- type educational style in corporate and organizational leadership training but must build on it to create leaders who are not just knowledgeable about leadership but whose performance and results are great to outstanding. The obsession with ad-hoc, poor performing leadership “training” short courses lasting two days or less needs replacement with well-designed and well programed leadership development programs. This why we are advocating for The Leadership CAMPDELTTS Way, meaning well designed combination of

1.?????? Leadership Coaching and Challenging

2.?????? Leadership Advisory

3.?????? Leadership Mentorship and Motivation

4.?????? Leadership Personal Development

5.?????? Leadership Equipment

6.?????? Leadership Learning

7.?????? Leadership Teaching

8.?????? Leadership Training

9.?????? Leadership Support

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Developing effective leaders is always combination of these, not one. This is key.

[email protected] ?+263-77-444-74-38

?Simon Bere Innovation Research and Solutions Development