How Do Leaders Develop?

CCL Experience10 June 2009

Leader Development:

The expansion of a person’s capacity to be effective in leadership roles and processes

– Setting direction– Creating alignment– Gaining and maintaining commitment– Facing adaptive challenges– Getting results

From CCL’s Handbook of Leadership Development

What competencies do leaders need to be effective?

1. Resourcefulness

2. Doing Whatever It Takes

3. Being A Quick Learner

4. Decisiveness

LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND PERSPECTIVES

Mee

ting

Job

Chal

leng

es

© 2002, 2000 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

5. Leading Employees

6. Confronting Problem Employees

7. Participative Management

8. Change ManagementLead

ing

Peop

le

Leadership Skills and Perspectives

© 2002, 2000 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

9. Building Relationships 10. Compassion And Sensitivity 11. Straightforwardness And Composure 12. Balance Between Personal Life And

Work 13. Self-Awareness 14. Putting People At Ease 15. Leading Across Differences 16. Career Management

Resp

ectin

g S

elf

And

Oth

ers

Leadership Skills and Perspectives

© 2002, 2000 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Support

Assessment Challe

nge

The A C S Framework

Learning is

valued

Maintaining

motivation

for

developme

nt

Encouragin

g risk

taking

Assessment ~ Challenge ~ Support

Assessment ~ Challenge ~ Support

Providing

a

benchmar

k

Ongoing

self-

evaluation

Unfreezing

present

perception

Creating

disequilibriu

m

Demanding

skills and

abilities

beyond

one’s

current

reality

CCL Research: “Key Events”When you think about your career as

a manager, certain events probably stand out in your mind — things that led to a lasting change in you as a manager.

Please identify at least three key events in your career — things that made a difference in the way you manage now.

What happened?What did you learn?

© 2002, 2000 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Hardships

Challenging Assignments

Learning from Others

Other Events

34%

17%

22%

27%

© 2002, 2000 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

The Variety of Experience

Seeking On-going Feedback

•Situation

•Behaviour

•Impact

DERAILMENT

Derailed • A person who made it to at least the

General Manager level, but has involuntarily stalled, been demoted, terminated, or asked to take early retirement.

• This person did not live up to his/her full potential as the organisation saw it.

Poor Working Relationships

Personality characteristics seen as:• Insensitive• Manipulative• Critical• Demanding• Authoritarian (lack a teamwork orientation)• Self-isolating• Aloof

Inability to Adapt

• Failure to adapt to a new boss• Over-dependence on a single skill

and/or failure to acquire new skills• Transitions--Inability to adapt to the

demands of a new job, a new culture, or changes in the market

Failure to Build and Lead a Team

• Failing to staff effectively• Can’t manage subordinates• Poor leadership skills

Failure to Meet Business Objectives

• Lack of follow-through• Too ambitious• Poor performance

Preventing DerailmentPreventing Derailment

Managers should:

• seek feedback throughout their careers

• seek developmental opportunities that can help overcome flaws

• seek support and coaching during transitions

• be aware that new jobs require new frameworks and behaviours

Preventing DerailmentPreventing Derailment

Organisations can:

• consider zig-zagging career paths over vertical ones

• give lots of “how you did it” feedback instead of “what you did”

• not consider one failure “off the track”

• allow managers to complete job/assignments