Why development for leaders & employees is ambiguous & confusing

...what it is & how to move forward with it

I often find that companies have no idea where to start when it comes to development for leaders & professionals. Additionally, decision makers who have authority to implement reskilling & upskilling are all over the board – VPs, HR, C-Level, etc. I’ve also found that a fair amount of HR representatives don’t understand what development is or entails and I think it’s important to educate around this topic. Ambiguity around development should not be a reason that you don’t move forward with it.

Current state of development:

Over 60% of companies do not provide any leadership training or development. More so, most people haven’t had the benefit of experiencing a highly-effective leader role model where they can witness and emulate highly-effective behavior; the ripple/multiplier effect works both ways – for dysfunctional behavior as well as functional behavior. This leaves us with a lack of skills – it’s a training gap, not a skills gap; it also leaves us with unrealistic expectations of leaders (we incorrectly assume someone in a leadership role knows what they are doing).

55% of CEOs say that developing the next generation of leaders is their top challenge.

DDI

Research tell us that we recognize there is a problem (lack of development) yet we seem to have trouble taking action and implementing development. Why is this?

Scientific studies suggest that leadership is 30% genetic and 70% learned.

Food for thought: what’s the benefit of placing someone in a leadership position and providing them with no training or ongoing development?

If you aren’t providing them with highly-effective people management skills, there must be a benefit… what is it? Additionally, what’s the cost of not developing your leaders & professionals? How much do you care about employee retention, innovation, etc.? Have you done a cost-benefit analysis?

Why development is ambiguous and confusing:

Because it involves a lot of human behavior and that’s a tricky thing.
Because you might learn all of the “right” things to do and when you apply it, the response you get is unexpected or catches you off guard (human behavior). Not all skills involve how others respond, but, that is a big part of it and we can’t control how others respond. We can learn different tactics to best handle situations and our reactions.
Because there are so many external factors at play that are out of your control, even if you do the “right” thing – organizations have loads of politics – unspoken rules and power struggles that can be frustrating and hard to understand and navigate.
Because you might not know what highly-effective competencies look like (there are lots and they are very intertwined!).
Because you might learn all of the “right” things but still be self-sabotaging – you haven’t identified the root of your negative self-talk or subconscious firmly held beliefs that are holding you back. You might lack self-awareness as to things you are subconsciously projecting onto others. One I see frequently is coming from a place of distrust with employees and coworkers. You might not realize you are doing this. This is a natural, subconscious thing we do – let our past experiences affect our current experiences. Gaining awareness around this is not the easiest thing to do, but crucial for highly effective behavior.
Because you might learn the “right” things but are afraid to apply them – I see this a lot! It can be overwhelming. It takes time, patience, self-compassion and courage. When I work with clients, I work with them to break it down into small steps so that it’s enough of a challenge without feeling overwhelming.
Because most leaders have never received training, you are practically swimming upstream by learning these highly-effective skills, especially if you’re in middle management. This can be extra challenging.

Why Executive Coaching is misunderstood:

I know the name is confusing, but, Executive Coaching is for EVERYONE – not only for “executives”, not only as a perk for high-potentials, not only as a corrective measure for underperformers, not as a last ditch effort to fire someone. It really means coaching in the workplace for highly-effective skills and competencies.

Businesses that extend leadership training to ALL employees, regardless of managerial aspirations, are 4.2x more likely to outperform those that don't in terms of revenue growth, operating margin, and return on equity.

udemy business: 2022 workplace learning trends report

Both employers and individuals hire me to upskill or reskill. If an employer is hiring me, I work closely with them to gain an understanding of what competencies or skills they want to see developed for whomever is being coached. Very often, since historically most companies haven’t offered any leadership development, I end up coaching around a lot of fundamentals, which I find very exciting.

Many individuals who hire me are seeking help with their own growth. They want to be reinvigorated in what they’re doing, learn to constructively manage up, and be more confident in their overall skillset. I’ve helped individuals create their own development plans, go after a promotion, and learn what is potentially holding them back. Just the nature of hiring a coach can provide an external motivation factor. When an individual hires me, they are investing in their own development, which can feel extremely powerful because it’s something you are doing for yourself and are in control of.

Often, people find it difficult to secure a neutral, non-judgmental support person to discuss challenges or other personal items with. Many of my clients have identified that this is a huge benefit to using a coach.

What is development for leaders & professionals:

While there are many skills and competencies to be learned and fine-tuned, the below list is simply a short list of topics I help leaders & professionals with:

Navigating your own insecurities while leading others
Showing vulnerability & imperfection
Over-thinking or second-guessing yourself, your judgment, your decisions
Admitting that you don’t have the answer
Navigating company politics (or minimizing politics)
Speaking up the right way & getting buy-in
Not feeling empowered
Managing up
Feeling confident in making decisions (learning decision making tactics)
Worrying about making mistakes or making the wrong decision (perfectionism)
Lack of feeling engaged or motivated
Dealing with an ambiguous path to a promotion
Wanting to shield direct reports from other dysfunctional higher-up leaders
Desire to strongly support and engage your team
Showing visibility or building/nurturing relationships while working virtually
Lacking ability to give up control and delegate to others
Fear of things going wrong when it was your call
Uncomfortable having difficult conversations and/or soliciting or providing feedback
Ineffective time management habits, constant interruptions/”fire drills”, lack of focus & thinking time
Setting boundaries & realistic expectations (+ communicating these & holding others accountable to them)
Change management and dealing with pushback
The need to be agile, resilient, and innovative
Creating a “career portfolio” to track all of your progress and accomplishments – used to go after promotions, new jobs, or to reinforce all that you’ve learned and done (to build confidence!)
Helping companies create and nurture a leadership pipeline
Learning your own strengths and weaknesses & creating a plan to limit the downsides of your weaknesses
Strategic hiring, promoting, and onboarding

What are realistic expectations for upskilling or reskilling leaders & professionals:

Here are some realistic expectations you should have around developing leaders & professionals:

speed of learning: everyone learns at their own speed; be realistic and understanding of this
not everyone has a growth/open mindset (you might not want these people in your organization, but that’s up to you); these people might not be coachable or able to develop in the way you want them to
can only focus on what’s in our control: or what we think we can influence; fear/worry about outcomes or others isn’t productive; learn to trust your judgment and your abilities; we can’t control how others respond – we can try to be prepared and understand different tactics based on our audience. I know how badly some of you want to change others; remember that leading by example and exhibiting highly-effective behavior will rub off on others!
involves learning + applying: whatever modality you choose for reskilling or upskilling, it should consist of both learning + application; the applying piece is crucial and should not be overlooked; group trainings will often cover the learning aspect, but not the application piece; group training will also not delve into people’s insecurities, self-sabotaging thoughts, or firmly held subconscious beliefs. In group settings, people are probably not as willing to talk about their lack of confidence or insecurities. Working 1:1 with a coach can offer you both aspects of learning & application, while diving into your personal human behavior, allowing for long-lasting change. If you choose an online course, make sure you have a plan in place for the application piece – a mastermind group, accountability group, coach or mentor
it’s all about trial & error: I find that what worries people is that they want something to be perfect when they do it and not only is that unrealistic, but it adds this crazy, unnecessary pressure; give yourself space to try new ways and tweak as you go along – the whole thing is a learning experience; is it really always such a high stakes situation? What’s the worst that could happen and how do you think you will handle that?
narcissists won’t change: it’s unrealistic to think narcissists will change; I’ve been around my fair around of narcissistic leaders & employees; nothing can be done to try to make them change; don’t waste your money or time on them. I certainly have no interest in attempting to coach these people; be realistic about how damaging they are to your organization and take action accordingly
length of engagement if using a coach: in an effort to limit ambiguity on hiring a coach, length of engagement is very dependent on many factors (pain points, goals, challenges, external factors), but, if choosing to work one-on-one with a coach, on average, I suggest a very minimum of 3 months working together (2x per month) and ideally 5-8 months working together (2x per month); after every engagement, I always recommend monthly ongoing sessions (and additional ad hoc sessions if something time sensitive arises) because there are always new situations popping up, the environment is constantly changing, and knowing you can look forward to the support gives you peace of mind and continuous motivation; (depending on your comfort level and goals, you could also stay at 2 sessions per month)

Moving forward with development for yourself or your company:

Identify what skills or competencies you’re looking to acquire. If there are multiple, prioritize them and do your best to figure out what’s realistic. What can you work on this month? This quarter? Can you pick an area of focus for each quarter for the next year?
Figure out what kind of learning modality you want to use (online self-paced course? live course? book? coach?) Consider your learning style – how do you best absorb information?
Determine a gameplan for how you will apply what you learn. What do you want to apply? How will you apply it? How will you track progress?
Don’t get discouraged when it doesn’t work the way you expected. Make tweaks and try again. Not every approach will work the same because there are so many external factors out of your control at play.
If you aren’t using a coach, create your own support system so you have neutral parties to go to for counsel, advice, and to vent.

What you can do to reduce ambiguity & promote development:

Share this information and educate others. If you know who your decision makers are, share this with them. I’d like to see 100% of organizations offering leadership and development to all employees, or at the very least, managers and aspiring managers. Let’s get this number as close to 100% as we can. It’s crucial. You deserve to thrive at work.

Many organizations struggle with issues like high turnover, burnout, low productivity, gossip/politics, and ineffective leadership. Amber offers an easy-to-start streamlined solution through one-on-one leadership coaching, administering & debriefing Hogan assessments, dynamic leadership workshops, and personalized strategic guidance. The result? Reduced turnover, improved productivity and innovation, and a strategic and thriving workplace. Ready to discover how coaching can benefit your organization?

Why development for leaders & employees is ambiguous & confusing

...what it is & how to move forward with it

Why development is ambiguous and confusing:

Why Executive Coaching is misunderstood:

What is development for leaders & professionals:

What are realistic expectations for upskilling or reskilling leaders & professionals:

Moving forward with development for yourself or your company:

What you can do to reduce ambiguity & promote development:

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