Leadership Development

'Being global is not just about where you do business.'
 - Robert J. House, The Wharton School

Leadership development programs at Clarion Learning are designed and developed for internationally-active managers and executives who wish to lead and coach their group members more effectively to increase operational effectiveness, implement business strategy, drive change and achieve their defined business objectives both locally and within the global organization.

The Return on Learning (ROL) from leadership development can be significant. Leadership development programs help organizations increase operational effectiveness, strengthen corporate culture, implement business strategy, support cross-border cooperation and drive organizational change. The most important step in generating ROL is establishing a strategic context for the program from the beginning. What are the business results we are aiming for? What are the changes that we need to make to create those results? The design, delivery and review of the learning then flow from this.

The framework we propose for developing leadership talent is based on the assumption that there are likely to be three levels of leadership role in most global organizations. The Executive Leadership Team shapes the vision, values, culture and strategy of the business as well as developing future leaders. Strategic Leaders develop and align the business strategy and lead ongoing change processes to achieve the vision. Operational Leaders lead the day-to-day business operations and support people to get results. They manage people and tasks.

The framework therefore becomes a leadership development pathway which moves leadership talent from the local operational level to potentially the global executive team. Tracking this flow of talent through your organization becomes a Key Performance Indicator for the overall effectiveness of your talent management and leadership development programs.

Ultimately your leadership development pathway should be designed following intensive discussions between the Executive Team and your Learning and Organizational Development group about the core competencies of an effective leader within the context of your vision, business strategy and corporate culture. However to give you an idea of how a leadership development pathway could look, we have generated an example based on current leadership development research, theory and best practice.

Some of the key development issues could include;

inspiring shared vision

Inspiring shared vision means developing a clear sense of direction individually and for our groups within the existing organizational vision framework. It also means clarifying our own personal values and leadership style and aligning them with defined corporate leadership guidelines. A shared sense of vision enables us to align our group members with business and organizational objectives.

implementing business strategy

The essence of successful strategy is selecting, implementing and executing activities differently than rivals do. The challenge in a fast-changing global business environment is to determine our strategy, stick to it in the face of adversity but also be flexible enough to respond immediately to changing market conditions. As leaders we must be willing and able to make clear choices.

creating change

Driving the changes in values and behaviour that the individual, group and organization need to achieve their business objectives is a key leadership activity. Effective leaders understand the process of personal and organizational change and can identify and overcome the obstacles we face in leading change. As leaders we must learn to set the example for the changes we wish to create.

collaborating across cultures

Ensuring collaboration across cultures requires leaders that can develop strategies for managing cultural differences at an individual, group and organizational level and support the development of a global mindset. Working within a global matrix inevitably leads to creative tension and conflict. Managing the matrix effectively is a core competence for global leaders.

unleashing talent

Team leadership means dealing with individual group members with differing levels of competence and commitment. Effective team leaders support and challenge their group members to stretch their performance. If we want to develop our team and be more effective ourselves, we have to do less and coach more. This means leveraging the individual and collective strengths in our group to get results.

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