Summary

Development of leaders is being seen as of increasing importance in organisations today, as their role in the facilitation of staff and organisational success becomes ever more vital.

A leadership development programme consists of formal processes used to attract, develop, and retain leaders within an organisation. This may be based on a defined set of qualities for hiring and developing leadership talent, and include training programmes, early identification of potential, mentors, and special project teams to provide challenges and develop potential leadership skills.

Some key strategies in this area include:

• Converting goals into challenges

• Developing a leadership model

• Assigning and training coaches

• Identifying participants

• Conducting assessments and providing feedback

• Planning development and designing measures

• Providing solutions by integrating training and work experiences

• Providing supporting mechanisms to review and recognise progress.

For organisations wishing to implement a leadership development programme, an assessment of the skills, knowledge and competencies required of leaders should be conducted, and potential leaders measured against these. The best methods for closing any identified gaps should be identified and may include such activities as formal classroom-style teaching, mentoring/coaching, e-learning, challenging job assignments and job rotations. It is also important that ROI and success in closing the learning gaps is evaluated and measured.

Leadership behaviour and its development in staff over time can be assessed by various manager-assessment tools, '360 degree' feedback, and by carefully designing a measurement system that monitors the indicators of leadership development.