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 on the job, leadership development turns insiders into CEOs, leadership development training, and leadership development coaching.
From Melissa Daimler: Why Developing Leaders Has to Happen on the Job
“You’ve surely experienced such context shifts as a leader yourself. Over the last 10 years we’ve seen the command-and-control style of leadership give way to a flatter, more collaborative approach. I’m now seeing another shift happening — to more and more discussion of contextual leadership. As Tony Mayo, director of the Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School, has put it, ‘Success in the 21st century will require leaders to pay attention to the evolving context’ a business is operating in. Contextual leaders facilitate adapting to change by helping their people understand the nature of new challenges and opportunities and how to address them in the moment.”
From Joseph L. Bower: More Insiders Are Becoming CEOs, and That’s a Good Thing
“Last week, Joann Lublin reported in The Wall Street Journal that more CEO jobs are going to internal candidates. According to her story, a survey by executive-search firm Spencer Stuart found that about four out of five S&P 500 companies that chose a new CEO last year promoted insiders. That’s the highest proportion since the firm began conducting the survey in 2004, and a big increase since 2012. That is good news for the companies involved. My research on succession, summarized in the book The CEO Within, revealed that CEOs brought in from outside the company succeeded less often than insiders even when the company’s poor performance would seem to have justified going outside for a new leader.”
From Stephen J. Gill: Training Isn’t Learning
“The problem with AT&T’s approach to change is that training isn’t learning. Formal training programs, including online classes, do not transfer into performance improvement unless the organization culture is aligned. That is, goals are clear, expectations are high, managers are supportive, practice is immediate and frequent, and learners are held accountable for results.”
From Mary Jo Asmus: How to have an exceptional executive coaching experience
“You, your company or your manager have decided that you will have the opportunity to work with an executive coach. Congratulations! This is a good sign that you are a good leader or a high potential and they want to help you to become an even better leader. You’re excited about this opportunity, but how can you make the most of your work with a coach?”
