By Sabrina Zavahir
The importance of competent corporate leaders in an establishment is required for that extra drive toward economic value. Exceptional leadership skills-oriented sector heads certainly will empower teams to attain their full potential and strategize effectively making organizations thrive. Leadership is the sum of many traits and certain attributes can be achieved by operative training.
To comprehend why leadership skills are important and seamlessly achievable through training. We, connected with Vidusha Nathavitharana – Founder & Destiny Architect , Luminary Learning Solutions.
Q : Ineffective Leadership leads to many organisational woes. How can you build effective leaders within an organisation ?
That’s a pretty tough question to answer briefly, but let me try. Firstly, it is critical to understand that what “effective leadership” is becomes contextual and in many ways, culture specific too. We make the horrible mistake of assuming there is one best way to lead, because there isn’t. So, the FIRST step towards building leaders who are effective is for organisations to DEFINE and CLARIFY what “good” leadership looks like in THEIR organisation. To this end, we start with developing a Leadership Competency Framework.
Once you have a Competency Framework, three things become imperative.
• Firstly, we need to have HR frameworks in place to promote, based on Leadership Competencies rather than performance alone. Performance is important. But, if you don’t factor leadership competencies what happens is that you promote those who may not be living the values and do not possess leadership capabilities. This is one of the biggest reasons we propagate a culture of ineffective leadership
• Secondly, it is important to ensure all levels are trained on leadership competencies. Leadership is not limited to the helm of the organisation : You need to build leaders across the organisation.
• Finally, it is important to remove those who do not live values as well as behave in ways that are detrimental to the overall ethos of the organisation (no matter how well they perform). We often “excuse” bad behaviour (specially when they are super performers). For sure you need to support, train, coach and mentor individuals to correct their behaviours. However, those who break values and ethics of the organisation do need to be removed : because otherwise we build a culture of “looking the other way” which diminishes any efforts made to build a culture of leadership.
Q: Many tend to focus on Leadership Training these days. Can such a programme really transform employees into being leaders ?
Short answer : NO.
But, let me explain.
Leadership Training is critically important, as is Coaching and Mentoring. However, this ALONE is never enough. The organisation needs to build an “eco system” to nurture and grow leaders. Apart from that, here are some fundamentals if you want the “training” programmes to work : Firstly, it is critical that you look at developing leaders as a PROCESS and a not a “programme.” This process needs to involve training, putting training into practice at work, ongoing feedback, coaching, mentoring and also, very importantly, self reflection and introspection coupled with a healthy opportunity to “experiment” inside the organisation.
Secondly, any programme designed needs to be interlinked and long term. Simply doing a “series” of programmes is NOT making it interlinked. Many leadership programmes are “stand alone” programmes and are not part of a holistic series. So, design and related aspects of the programme matters as much as the curriculum.
Finally, it is critical to ensure that each layer (within the hierarchy) is taught how to nurture leaders in their fold. There is no point training leadership if the superiors don’t support and nurture them afterwards.
Put all these together : and what you create is a truly cohesive framework to build effective leaders across the organisation.
Q: Consequently, to train someone to become a leader what is a trainer hypothetical supposed to do? How do you fundamentally select a good trainer to help build leaders ?
Leadership is leadership no matter what industry or company. Having said that, it is important that you understand and appreciate nuances of culture, industry as well as the hierarchical level. For example, leadership, when you start out as a young management trainee is quite different to what Leadership looks like in the C Suite. So, choosing a trainer needs to be done carefully, because, unless you actually understand these nuances and subtleties, all you will be doing is training ABOUT leadership : NOT developing leaders. Learning about leadership can be done reading a book or attending a lecture or module in your MBA, but to develop leaders you need trainers/learning facilitators who are able to guide people through their development journey.
So, first and foremost, look for a trainer who has led teams themselves. Many times, many trainers lack the contextual understanding because they have not really worked in those levels or capacities. You cannot understand parenting unless you have children. You cannot understand leadership unless you have led !
Secondly, look for a trainer who has the ability to “teach” and “facilitate learning.” Remember your teachers in school ? Didn’t you have some teachers who clearly knew their subject but just couldn’t teach ? Leadership is the same. A good trainer is able to simplify things : Make it practical and approachable. They are also able to give you insights as much as tools.
Thirdly, look at the track record. Don’t look at how many programmes they have done : This is useless. Ask them to showcase RESULTS of their programmes. This is the litmus test many fail. Ultimately, a good leadership trainer will be able to demonstrate TANGIBLE RESULTS of the programmes they have conducted.
Q: You do talk about “Results,” does this mean, if you do a solid leadership programme you will be able to see immediate results?
That’s a loaded question ! Well… yes and no.
A carefully planned and structured programme WILL deliver QUANTIFIABLE and TANGIBLE results : but they are not IMMEDIATE.
Typically, in our experience, most executive level leadership programmes take about 6-9 months to really conclude with solid tangible results. Management levels take about 9-12 months. However, for more Senior Leaders, programmes often are 12-18 months as a minimum to really demonstrate paradigms shifts and true transformations !
Instant results are a myth : though very very popular as a marketing gimmick. Far too often many fall into the “come for this 2 day programme and be transformed” type of hype. But, I guess, all you need to ask is WHO has actually got transformed? This way, understand how baseless the claim is !
Q: Conducting training programmes for large groups of people is certainly not inexpensive. Is self-learning a viable option?
Once again, yes and no.
Yes : self learning IS critical. In fact, I would say it is fundamental. Leadership starts with you wanting to improve yourself before anything else. So, we often incorporate self learning as a mandatory part of our base level programmes.
If you are truly committed, it is very possible for you to grow as a leader simply by seeking knowledge, introspecting on your behavior and practically applying what you learn at work and learning through it from experience.
However, it IS important to be guided and nurtured by others. This could be either in formal training programmes or on the job by an excellent superior. Either way, as much as a sports super star ALWAYS had a Coach to make them the phenomenas they were : leadership is no different. You really DO need support and guidance at some point in your career.
Q: Change is inevitable. But, many times, organisations struggle to adapt to transformation and innovate. What sort of advice do you have for leaders with regard to adapting to change and innovation?You are absolutely right : Change is inevitable. The question is do we proactively change or forced to change?
Too many times, we change because we HAVE TO, rather than because we WANT TO. As leaders, it is imperative to understand that making change an integral part of our work is critical for organisational success. And towards this, innovation plays a huge role. Many misunderstand innovation : and many limit it to processes and products. However, true innovation is about EVERYTHING inside the organisation, including leadership itself. Many leaders who talk of innovation rarely look at themselves and ask, how do I innovate, how I lead or how does the organisation innovate how they lead…?
But change for the sake of change is also a dangerous thing : that is just chasing fads : which once again many organisations fall prey to. So, don’t go chasing the next “flavour of the month” and consider this change or innovation.
Good change has two fundamentals. Firstly, it is relevant to the organisation and the key stakeholders. Secondly, it adds value to the key stakeholders. Qualify any innovation or change based on these two aspects : And you will know what you should do and should not do.
