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How to Ensure Leadership Development Succeeds

November 6, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Here at the Tip of the Spear ‘The Point!’ blog we have highlighted the importance of investing in leadership development. We have also talked about how effective leadership development is in terms of ROI (such as with Executive Coaching). But all these benefits are only possible if the leadership development is approached in the right manner. In this post, we list four tips to make a leadership development endeavor successful… Enjoy!

#4 Measure Results

More often than not, the effectiveness of a leadership development program is judged by the satisfaction of the executives. While there is nothing wrong in using satisfaction as a criterion, Bbut satisfaction doesn’t always guarantee effectiveness. In fact, satisfaction can also mean that executive wasn’t challenged at all during the development training. Money wasted. The same is true when you only use participant feedback. In this scenario, the trainee will learn to game the system and perform in a specific manner simply to ‘pass the test’.

That is why it necessary to use effective systems to track progress and measure changes in the leader’s behavior over time. If participant feedback proves to be ineffective, imagine the implications ofconsider using 360 degree-feedback, where the results of the training exercises are shared with others. Of course, you can still say that the leader will only perform under the fear of negative feedback in this case as well, instead of experiencing genuine behavioral changes. But more on this in a while.

In the long run, the true measure of leadership development success is productivity boosts, cost savings, improved job satisfaction, and increased profits.

#3 Personal Development

While leadership training focuses on improving the corporate performance of managers and executives, many a times this involves prying a little in the trainee’s personality as well. Sometimes, a reluctance to change and improve as a leader often stems from the person’s mind-set. Employees, fellow managers, and even the board of directors don’t feel comfortable in addressing these issues, but this is where a leadership coach comes in. He will identify the root cause of why the leader is acting in the way he does, which may prove to be a little discomforting at first (see the point on satisfaction above), but this is necessary. Maybe the person is an introvert, or he has trust issues. These need to be resolved so that company objectives are fulfilled.

#2 Context is King

Many things come under the leadership umbrella: writing, speaking, listening, body language, confidence, personal grooming, emotional intelligence, and so on. You may excel at some of theseleadership skills, while lack at others. The key is to identify which areas of your leadership persona are most relevant to the company’s overall goals (or current strategic needs), and then to determine which of these skills need improvement. For best results, leadership training should only be focused on 1-2 core areas.

#1 Development on the Job

Finally, considering that the leader is the most crucial element in the organizational structure, it is hard to determine the mode of training. Should he take some time off work, be trained after work, or during the job? Every option has its pros and cons, but theThe third one seems to be the best, considering that this will not affect the company’s operations in any way. For example, if the trainee is an introvert and he needs to make a presentation on the company’s financial progress in the last quarter, the coach can teach him how to face a crowd with confidence. Thus, he is not only being trained while working, but the quality of his work will improve in the process. Not to mention, you will get feedback from the very people you are leading.

Summary

Once again, the only way in which leadership training can succeed is when it is approached with the right frame of mind. Underlying issues need to be identified, the training should be contextual, and most importantly, there should be a robust method to track results.

If you’d like more information about Tip of the Spear’s Business Advisory Services, consisting of Centered Executive Coaching, Leadership Development through ‘The Leadership Challenge’ methodology, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders use the CONTACT US page of this website.

Top 5 Leadership Communication Skills That Will Get You Promoted

November 6, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: When it comes to moving up the corporate ladder, it is things like integrity, a polished appearance, and communication skills training for leaders that take you to the very top. But there is a caveat. While years of integrity and robust communication skills take you to the C-Suite, only one mistake can bring you back to square one. In this post, we list 5 Communication Skills that will lower the chance of this happening… Enjoy!

#5 Excelling At Public Speaking

This is a given! Reaching the proverbial ‘Ivory Tower’, doesn’t mean that you get to lock yourself in a tower (or room), detached from your workforce and clients. On the contrary, you need to face the audience, both in front of you and behind the cameras sometimes. Note that a leader needs to be proficient at both group interactions and one-to-one interactions.

#4 Create Engagement

This follows from the previous point. Leaders, both men and women, have the ability to make their presence known when they are addressing a room. This not only entails oratory skills and the ability to make the message as concise as possible, but also good posture and body language. We typically see leaders attempting to lead, but with little/no one following them! With this in mind, during your presentations/conversations you might want to look to engage your audience with questions.

#3 Exude Self-Confidence

As a leader, you get to make all the decisions and get all the credit for the organizations success. But as mentioned at the outset, the leader gets all the blame, because s/he is expected to know all the answers. Think of it as success being the father of many, while failure is relegated to fatherhood of a few. As an emerging executive, it is your job to have an opinion, and stick to it. But more than that, you also have to develop the ability to make your opinion known and accepted by your workforce without being confrontational.

#2 Enter Empathy

Many executives feel that they should be at an arm’s length from their workforce. However, true leadership entails that you engage with the people who work with you. This means that you improve your listening skills and make your audience feel valued. Turn your attention towards them completely and maintain eye contact. This is will cause your workforce to believe that they have a leader that listens to them. This will also allow them to see you as someone that can relate/understand where they are coming from (i.e., empathy).

#1 Laugh at Yourself

This doesn’t mean that you become a stand-up comedian. However, leadership communication skills do involve a sense of humor and the ability to engage people in casual conversations from time to time. You should also use some self-effacing humor from time to time while also taking cues from culture headlines to improve the receptivity of your message.

Summary

Being promoted involves that you ramp up your communications skills, especially drawing attention towards yourself speaking, while gauging the audience’s body language and facial expression to see how well they are receiving the message.

10 Leadership Development Goals for 2015

November 5, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Leadership development is the need of the hour for 2015 (or it should be!) More and more organizations are recognizing this need, which is resulting in billions of dollars being spent on training C-suite executives. However, a leadership development program is effective only when the objectives are clearly defined. Here are 10 leadership development goals that you can consider working in 2015… Enjoy!

#10 Greater Interaction With Your Team

Stop hiding behind your desk. Open your cabin door on a regular basis, and try to interact with your colleagues and employees. Emphasis on interaction. Most CEOs like to speak in monologue, even in front of an audience. Avoid that, and instead, increase two-way communication with your team.

#9 Action Based on Data

Intuition is not enough when you are leading a business. You need to stay up-to-date on your data, not only from the company archives, but from market surveys, reports, white papers, and trade journals etc. While innovation is essential for long-term growth, when there are budgetary concerns, you need implement strategies that is known to work.

#8 Strive for Clarity

Today’s business climate is marred by volatility. Leaders need to be on the go to stay at par with competition. While this calls for leaders that are flexible, it is equally important that they should know to communicate with clarity. Whether it is informing your team of a new business policy or introducing a new communication system in the office, you should learn the art of getting straight to the point without wasting a moment.

#7 Meaningful Messages

This follows from the previous point. Improving communication is one thing, but needless meetings, emails, memos, and presentations only interrupt your team instead of helping them work better. So, while you should entertain casual conversations with your colleagues from time to time, for the most part, you should speak only to add value to your listeners.

#6 Be Open to Criticism

In this age where employee/management trust is at an all-time low, those leaders are lucky that a team that speaks honestly to them. Once you assure people that you will give their opinions a fair hearing (even if they go against something you said and did earlier), you not only build trust with your team, but you always know what is going on in their mind.

#5 Talent Development

The leader of tomorrow actively participates in finding and nurturing employees that will implement those instructions to the best of their abilities. If you want to lead the best team, then you essentially need to handpick the topmost talent in the organization.

#4 Pick Out Future Leaders

In line with #5, a mark of a true leader is that he prepares others to take his position when his time is up. If you the company that you ran with such fervent passion to reach new horizons, then you need to develop leaders from your team that will carry your mission forward with the same vigor.

#3 Return to the Basics

As mentioned above, leaders are responsible for taking fast-paced decisions. However, instead of constantly focusing on the short-term decisions, you need to go back to the mission statement of the company. See whether the company is going on track and whether the mission statement needs some amendment or not.

#2 Be Open to Suggestions

See #6. As you encourage people to share their opinions, you get to understand a crucial business issue from all angles. For instance, it is the sales team that knows which marketing messages work the best, which can help you create the most effective marketing strategy on a tight budget.

#1 Empower your Team

Finally and most importantly, a wise and dynamic leader is essential to boost a company’s bottom-line. However, when all the thinking and decision making rests on one man’s shoulders, then he wouldn’t be able to avoid burnout for long. What needs to be done is to teach every person on your team to think for themselves. They should be able to contribute meaningfully when it comes to finding solutions for unique business problems. This way, the success of the company will not be dependent on individuals.

Summary

To sum up, as we enter into 2015, you should create leadership development goals for yourself and make all efforts possible to achieve them to stay on top of your game.

What’s the ROI for Executive Coaching?

November 5, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: All over America, corporations are spending more than $1 billion a year on executive coaching. For most of these organizations, this is not a last-minute remedial action, but rather a long-term investment in leadership development that pays off in the long run. And pay off it does, with reported ROIs being up to 700% of the initial investment. However, the real return on executive coaching actually goes beyond figures. In this post, we stress on the real return on investment of executive coaching… Enjoy!

A Satisfactory and Enriching Experience

Most executive coaching engagement participants and their sponsoring organizations testify to the high satisfaction rates of executives who undergo such leadership development. For example, out of the 400 executives at Dell Computer Corporation who were offered coaching, 90% reported high satisfaction rates in 2001.

Personal and Team Growth

Executive coaching has also proved to increase organizational improvement, both for the individual leaders receiving coaching as well as their stakeholders. Productivity increases have been as much as 88% as employees see a competent, talented, and an often easy-to-approach person leading their organization. Not to mention, executive coaching also fosters greater teamwork, which paves the way for creative collaborations and more opportunities for delegation.

Quantifiable Benefits for Businesses

Executive coaching makes a positive impact on a business’s bottom-line in more than one way:

As people are trained and groomed internally, you will not have to worry about hiring talent from outside to lead your organization. This will further enhance your ‘promote from within’cultural strategy.
When the organization works as a team, there is a decreased chance of conflict developing, which saves precious time and energy for leaders that have to intervene.
The leader learns to study industry trends while also keeping an open ear for suggestions from within the organization. This coupled with the executive’s knowledge and experience, means that they’re more likely to identify sound business opportunities while avoiding weak prospects.
Coaching becomes company culture. Once an executive undergoes training and learns to spot their own weaknesses, they can share the same insights with potential candidates for future leadership positions in the organization.

Summary

While the average ROI for executive coaching is somewhere along 340% to 700% of the coaching engagement fee, this post was developed to show how investing in leadership development through executive coaching can help businesses make profits (the only reason why a business exists).

10 Leadership Communication Skills of Great Leaders

November 4, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Why study communication skills of great leaders? Well, simply because great communication is one of the major denominators (if not the only one) between social, political, and business leaders across the globe. And since we stress so much on communication skills training for leaders, it is only logical that we take some cues from those in key organizational positions that are performing at what we consider to be a ‘great’ level. Simply put, if you want to excel as a leader in your organization/industry, make sure you have the following 10 key communication skills embedded in your leadership toolbox… Enjoy!

#10 Engage With Your Workforce

As an executive, you may have to send emails and memos to your workforce on a regular basis. But whenever you get the chance, forego corporate communications and engage with dialog with others. When you engage with people in conversation (as compared to monologues), you automatically increase the effectiveness of the message.

#9 Gather Facts Before Taking Action

This follows from the previous leadership communication point. When you engage with your workforce on a regular basis, you will generate honest feedback instead of sanitized versions of the truth. The benefit is that during times of conflict, you will have all the facts needed to thoroughly evaluate the situation. As a result, you will make impartial decisions as compared to executives who are so detached from their subordinates that all they get is one-sided information.

#8 Clarity is King

In today’s corporate world, time is a rare commodity, especially if you are operating in a highly competitive industry, or one that is constantly undergoing change, such as technology. If you need to make split-second decisions and want your employees to be informed of a change in company policy, then just get straight to the point. This is especially true if you are relaying bad news, such as a drop in cash flow. Get some pointers on getting straight to the point from Churchill’s WWII speech: ‘the news from France is very bad….’

#7 Speak Only to Add Value

Improving your leadership communication skills is an essential part of leadership development, but this does not mean that you increase the frequency of speaking to your workforce. Speak only when it’s necessary, and do so only to add to the listener’s experience. Otherwise, people will come to resent your interactions.

#6 Welcome Criticism

This is the true mark of the leader. The leader doesn’t shun or shout down dissenting opinions. Instead, he welcomes as an opportunity to learn more about what people around him are actually thinking. This takes us to the next point…

#5 Listen More

Great leaders know that communication isn’t one-way traffic. There is great wisdom in listening to what others have to contribute to a discussion, even though you may have the final say. In fact, just by the (not so) simple act of listening, you will learn a lot, which is necessary to stay on top of your game.

#4 Body Language and Eye Contact

Communication doesn’t only refer to strong oratory skills. You also have to take non-verbal cues into account, especially body language and eye contact. The way you stand, your hand gestures, and your eye contact with your audience plays a major role in the receptivity of the message.

#3 Body Language of the Audience

Conversely, you also have to pay attention on the body language of the listener. Also try to take cues from his facial expressions to gauge if he truly understands the message.

#2 When you Speak to All, You Speak to None

When your messages are directed to everyone without any specificity, people will have an excuse to avoid personal responsibility. However, since leaders not always have the luxury of dealing with people in one-to-one settings, you should the develop the habit of tailoring your messages in a way that each person in the room feels that you are talking to them.

#1 Know your Material

Finally, if you want to command authority from your listeners, you need know your material really well. Only when you have subject expertise can you get people getting interested in what you have to stay, and this will positively influence the response you get.

Summary

Communication skills are essential if you want to mature as a leader. The job of a C-Suite executive is not an easy one as s/he has to hold their organization together, and this is only possible via robust communication skills.

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