Leadership development programs prepare leaders for a future we can’t predict. We know the future will differ from today, but we’re not sure how. The leaders who master three important sets of foundational skills are most likely to succeed. No matter what the future holds, these basic skills will be important.
Leadership development and people
One sure bet about the future is that people skills will be critical. Your challenge is to help your aspiring leaders develop skills for dealing with people, no matter what changes in the world around them.
Teach your aspiring leaders people skills basics. Coach them so they refine their skills. When they’ve mastered the basics, help them master high-stress, confrontational situations and difficult conversations.
Leadership development and learning to learn
Learning new skills is vital for leaders today. The future won’t be different. In fact, learning new skills quickly will become increasingly important.
Help developing leaders learn from instructional programs and just-in-time resources. Teach them how to learn from experience. Help them develop the habit of reflection.
Leadership development and decision making
Effective leaders make good decisions. Aspiring leaders can learn to make good decisions under pressure. Teach decision making the way the military does.
They give leaders templates for analyzing situations so they consider all the important factors, even when they don’t have much time. Develop decision-making templates for your company and industry.
Military leaders learn to share their decisions in a standard format that includes all important information. Develop a standard information sharing format for your leaders.
The military learned that leaders learn to make good decisions by making lots of decisions and getting feedback. Design classroom situations that incorporate decision-making practice and feedback. Make sure that experienced leaders provide some of the feedback.
We don’t know what the future will be like. But we can develop effective leaders if we help them master skills that will be important no matter what the future holds.
