Maximise your leadership ROI - strategically develop your leaders to see a return on your long-term investment in them.
Last time we looked at how organisations can improve their ROI in the recruitment process. Of course, the costs do not end there. You have invested heavily to secure the right candidate who has the right personality traits and human skills potential for the role, now comes the task of both retaining and crucially developing them so they can fulfil their promise.
A 2022 Gartner survey revealed that 60% of HR professional respondents cited the effectiveness of leaders as their top priority for 2023. But what practical steps can organisations take to meet this objective?
Invest in coaching to give your leaders perspective
Invest in the best coaches to give your leaders perspective. From Metallica to Oprah, Serena Williams to Eric Schmidt, leaders across the world invest in the development of their own leadership potential.
“The one thing people are never good at is seeing themselves as others see them. A coach really, really helps“ Eric Schmidt.
360 assessments also play a key role in helping leaders to learn more about themselves and their impact on stakeholders. However, to be insightful, the assessment must be user friendly for the rater (giving their feedback) and for the subject to take action on that feedback. The McQuaig 360 Leadership Review excels in both these areas (request a trial here). It’s quick, concise, and crucially, easy for even the most time-pressed leader to digest.
Do your confident leaders struggle with their self-esteem?
This question lies at the root of so many leadership issues. An individual appears confident to take on and succeed with their workload. Yet their behaviour smacks of uncertainty when it comes to their own personal worth. We tend to see this play out as aggressive rather than assertive behaviour, and a cold rather than rational attitude towards other people.
It can be a puzzling scenario, one that is difficult for the leader to articulate and fix. This is where flowprofiler® delivers great value. flowprofiler® defines self-confidence as a dimension of emotional intelligence, and self-esteem sits within resilience. Ask the individual to complete eqflow® and resilienceflow®. Their results will reveal how they can appear outwardly confident, while inwardly struggling with their inner worth. For most people this comes as a revelatory discovery. It can explain how they can exceed their targets, but this achievement never seems to be enough. They need ‘more’ but don’t know what that ‘more’ is. They are overachieving, yet remain under fulfilled.
Conversely, you may have leaders who have quiet confidence and strong self-esteem, but appear overshadowed by their more vocal co-leaders. flowprofiler® will help them to learn how they can better use their emotional intelligence and resilience skills to consolidate their position, add greater value and be recognised for their contribution to the organisation.
In both scenarios, flowprofiler® provides the language and insights that give greater depth to challenging leadership coaching and mentoring conversations.
Invest in your leaders to build your employer brand
Your leaders determine your success as a destination employer. Every organisation is different and will attract different individuals to join their tribe. For example, Elon Musk is clearly doing something right to have built groundbreaking global brands, but would everyone want to work directly for him? Perhaps yes and that sort of leadership will suit some. But it certainly wouldn’t be right for everyone. It’s important to understand what your leaders stand for, how they need to lead the people you have, and what outcomes they expect from their teams. Productive, absolutely. Pushed to the edge, probably not so much.
Attracting, developing and retaining the right leaders, while appropriately and legally setting those who are not a good fit on a different pathway, is essential for high performance teams. Organisations who invest in this process yield long-term results and consistent returns. It’s important to also remember that senior leaders are part of the employee lifecycle too. Having a strategic succession plan in place will help organisations to smooth the transition as great leaders move on or bow out gracefully.
Inspiring performance through communication and by example
Teams perform better than led by an individual who inspires them to achieve their potential. This could be in the form of a dynamic high profile Richard Branson type, it could also be in the guise of a more thoughtful and empathetic leader such as Satya Nadella. In either scenario, leaders need to be able to flex and adjust their communication style to meet the needs of the subject and situation. This can only be achieved with strong emotional intelligence and resilience skills. They need to be able to ‘read the room’ and adapt accordingly. Leaders without self awareness and regulation will invariably be unable to take people with them through times of change and challenge.
Your leaders need the skills to effectively communicate the direction of the organisation. Yet in a 2021 Gallup survey, just 22% of employees felt their leaders were able to do this. Without that sense of direction, employees will lose confidence in their leadership teams, leading to reduced productivity, low morale and greater employee turnover.
Take the first steps towards a new era in leadership development
To get return on investment in your leaders, HR professionals should have buy-in from their c-suite. To achieve the necessary results requires investment in a leadership development programme which aligns with the organisation’s objectives and values. Results do not happen overnight although the green shoots of change can be obvious quite early in the process. Patience and resilience is necessary to overcome challenging hurdles. But, with the right tools and support structure any organisation can create the conditions for leaders and their teams to thrive and grow.
Contact us to learn how flowprofiler®, McQuaig and our portfolio of professional development workshops and coaching blend together to create a leadership development programme bespoke to your organisation’s needs.
