WHY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

EFFORTS FAIL TO IMPROVE

WORKPLACES AND LEADERS ???
 ANNUAL EXPENDITURE ON LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
$ 14 billion in U.S. according to McKinsey & Co.
$ 50 billion according to Harvard Kennedy School lecturer Barbara
Kellerman
$ 20 billion according to Jeffrey Pfeffer based on Association for Talent
Development data
Still low levels of job satisfaction & employee engagement
Workplace bullying & harsh treatment of subordinates & co-workers
continues
 According to The Conference Board and the consultancy Booz & Co.
CEO tenures are down
Terminations are up
HR executives & senior leaders can fix these problems IF they want to
 EVALUATE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS USING THE RIGHT MATRICES
Some of the companies dont measure leadership development
Others assess resource consumption or hours of employee training
Very few measure whether it leads to improvements in satisfaction,
turnover
To get outcomes companies should focus on real learning/growth
than entertainment
 HIRE PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE
DOING
Leading leadership speakers/experts (with degrees in social science or
leadership experience)
Ability to talk & present
Knowing social science theory & evidence are table stakes for
developing effective leaders
 STOP CHASING INSPIRATION
Telling inspiring stories doesnt do much to create lasting change in
case of alcoholism, obesity & drug abuse
Listening to an inspiring speech motivates for a moment only
 FACE REALITY

Stop emphasizing rare examples of excellence

Confront problems rather than feel happy & comfortable
Authors fill leadership books/blogs with exceptions rather than the
rule
Jim Collins found only a dozen of Level 5 leaders (who demonstrate
modesty & other exemplary characteristics) in more than 1,400
companies he studied
 To improve the state of leadership identify what the norm is rather
than describing the few who surpass it
Example : In health care, instead of telling nice stories about doctors
who wash their hands, quality experts measure hand washing
frequency & then design & evaluate interventions to increase it
 UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROBLEM &
SOLUTIONS BEGIN WITH US
Key to improvement exists in the decisions we make
People complain about absence of truthfulness but then continue to
reward leaders who engage in strategic misrepresentation