Think about a leader you were the most (or least) inspired by in your life. Can you pinpoint what it is that made the lasting impression on you? To take things a step further, it may be interesting to reflect on what experiences most shaped them as a leader.
I am referring to the combination of mentoring, coaching/feedback, and structured development experiences they might have had access to (or not) as part of their own development journey.
In this article, we explore the je ne sais quoi of standout leadership development programs – and why most programs unwittingly fall short of cultivating the seeds of extraordinary leadership.
At Trium, we are privileged to work with leaders at all levels. Some of our clients are dominant market leaders striving to maintain their edge. Others are disruptive, hyper-scaling companies for whom strong leaders are a lynchpin for continued growth and success. In all cases, our leadership development efforts are vital for organizations working hard to evolve and stay relevant.
And it seems we're not alone in this work. Corporations are spending massively to keep leaders engaged and assist them in getting more done by helping individuals both extend their own capabilities, as well as work more effectively with others.
The latest estimates show the leadership development market as the fastest growing segment in the training world over the last 10 years, with an estimated annual spend of more than $3.5 billion by the close of 2019.
Many of these training programs hone in on skills needed to manage teams and others effectively. And yet,when I consider the qualities leaders must also possess to navigate modern-day complexities with grace and ease—what emerges top of mind includes being self-aware, mature, and purpose-driven… Hmm, is it even possible to increase our capacity in these ways programmatically? I am not only confident that we can, I believe we must in order to keep up with the growing demands of leadership.
So, what exactly does this look like as applied to program development, you might ask? The bottom line is this: Preparing leaders to strengthen their inner world, and not just their visible outer skills, is what differentiates the truly best leadership development programs from the rest of the pack.
Giving leaders the tools to sharpen their internal guides enables them to traverse the egoic land mines that get in the way when it matters most… as business pressure and stress levels rise.
Put another way, equipping leaders with the abliity to discern what they are thinking and believing about their situation and the individuals involved in it, especially in the thick of the moment—and then deliberately choosing their response instead of merely reacting—is directly correlated to their effectiveness as leaders.
Given this perspective, the best leadership development programs extend beyond showing leaders and teams how to "do" something new or different. They also teach them to investigate within, recognize the beliefs that hold them back, and learn to shift and move beyond them. This is leadership development at its finest.
To illustrate: Take the ubiquitous skill of delivering feedback. Most of us would agree that the ability to give direct feedback is integral to improving performance. Without clear expectations and quality feedback, it's hard to imagine a workforce evolving in just the way it needs to for an organization to succeed. At the same time, why is it that a person can receive the exact same feedback from two separate people—or even the same person on another day—and have it land quite differently?
This is because at its core, skillful feedback conversations are not based on rote delivery. They require self-awareness, internal clarity, authenticity, and courage, which are generally not taught in traditional training programs. An extraordinary feedback dialogue requires reading the situation, exploring and understanding where the other person is coming from in this moment, and engaging with profound openness in a two-way dialogue.
Preparing leaders for far more than technical managerial skills is no longer a nice-to-have to compete in today's world—it's a hands-down must. And we know that the most effective leaders are clear, self-aware, and committed to purpose.
This isn't by accident—they consciously work on their "way of being" as much, if not more than building new knowledge stores. So if it's possible to include and integrate this dynamic form of development in leadership programs, why not do so? The most effective programs support leaders in gaining self-leadership and mastery, which in turn propels them to better serve and lead others.
Monica Chi is a Managing Partner at The Trium Group and head of the leadership development practice. Over the past two decades, Monica has partnered with teams in the throes of business transformation to solve complex problems and lead effectively. Known for being insightful about organizational systems, Monica's craft includes deep listening and working with leaders to catalyze new thinking and behaviors. Post 9/11, Chi joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Special Assistant to the Director, responsible for designing and leading a diverse array of organizational transformation, strategy and leadership development initiatives.
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