Leadership development may be the most important thing any company does. That’s why, every week, I review blogs and other publications that cover leadership development to find the very best leadership development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to posts about leadership development, leadership branding, and succession management.
From Michelle M. Smith: What Makes Leaders Successful? They Keep on Growing and Learning
“Successful leaders continue to grow and develop on the job. The willingness and ability to learn throughout one’s career is increasingly important as changing technology, markets and methods require new skills and behaviors. Learning ability influences the extent to which you grow as an individual, as well as how you’re perceived by others.”
From Tacy Byham: Why You Need an Authentic Leadership Brand
“While there’s no perfect way to be a leader, there are clearly identifiable practices that set apart truly effective leaders from average or poor ones. Research by Morgan McCall, Jim Collins, Robert Hogan, and DDI shows that successful leaders demonstrate three key attributes—we call them differentiators—that help them gain confidence and skill in leading a group. When leaders embrace these differentiators, they are successful out of the gate.”
From Norm Smallwood and Dave Ulrich: Building a Leadership Brand
“In recent years, thousands of companies have spent millions on their own corporate universities; yet most have failed to develop true leadership bench strength. That’s because, in too many cases, the approach to leadership training is detached from what the firm stands for in the eyes of customers and investors. Rather, training is the same from company to company, regardless of whether the company is a fast-food chain or an aerospace contractor: A senior executive extols the importance of leadership; outside experts talk about business strategy, elicit 360-degree feedback, or take personality inventories; everyone spends time socializing and playing golf. Leadership practices are piecemeal and are seldom integrated with the firm’s brand, let alone with the daily operations of the organization.”
From China Gorman: How Bad is Your Succession Management?
“As we wring our hands on the lack of talent in the external pipeline, perhaps we should be spending more time attending to the skills and development of the folks already in the organization!”
