Best Practices in Employee Leadership Development

According to the Chief Learning Officer magazine, a leading voice in the workforce learning and development industry, there are 6 best practices that are common to all highly successful leadership development efforts.
After two years of research, the best practices identified by CLO are:

• Strong executive engagement
• Tailored leadership competencies
• Alignment with business strategy
• Target all levels of leadership
• Apply a comprehensive and ongoing approach
• Integrate with talent management

1. Strong executive engagement
The top leaders and managers need to be highly committed to the employee leadership development program for it to be taken seriously across the board and implemented successfully.

2. Tailored leadership competencies
Effective leadership development programs are based on specific leadership competencies. The foundation for leadership development depends on successful identification of the leadership competencies that are vital for your business. The critical leadership competencies can be identified and tailored by utilizing cutting edge tools like employee assessments.

3. Alignment with business strategy
Leaders are more than just managers. So the leadership development programs need to be heavily focused on the company-specific business strategies.
Target all levels of leadership
Research shows that any effective leadership development program starts from the frontline. A program that is effected all across the organization has the greatest impact overall.

4. Apply a comprehensive and ongoing approach
The finest leadership programs are heavily focused on experiential learning and are not just trainer-led education events. Successful programs provide a comprehensive experience that readies a leader for every possibility.

5. Integrate with talent management
This involves building continuity in the leadership development process. Thus, the process must become a part of the corporate culture so that there are always effective leaders in the pipeline.
As exceptional talent grows scarce in the competitive marketplace of today, organizations that focus on comprehensive leadership development initiatives will be the most successful in the long run.

Dr. Wayne Nemeroff, CEO and founder of PsyMax Solutions. With more than 20 years of coaching, assessment, and organizational behavior and development experience, he is committed to helping employers and individuals increase their effectiveness and maximize their capabilities. Dr. Nemeroff helps people and organizations build on their assets and over-come their liabilities by focusing on practical, action-oriented goals and action plans that tie in to tangible, long lasting results. To learn more about
">work style assessments and
">employee assessments call 866-774-2273.