Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023 - 32

retention over a specific timeframe.
Another objective might be to reduce
recruitment costs, which can easily
be measured with baseline costs and
savings by hiring and developing within.
Although developing leadership talent
can be expensive, other gains (such as
retention and recruitment savings) could
offset costs. Employee turnover can also
result from bad hires as leaders have a
profound impact on culture.
Develop Your Leaders
You can decide to create your leadership
development internally (if you have the
resources) or in partnership with an
experienced reputable vendor. Even if
you opt to hire leaders and not build,
consider providing an onboarding
development plan for new-hire leaders.
It will save time and frustration for
newcomers to learn company-requisite
culture, processes, policies and other
nuances - especially in large or
complex organizations.
as a fix for performance issues. Also,
your budget might dictate the limitations
to the number of participants.
From your assessment, determine what
level managers or leaders will be invited
to participate. Will you have mixed levels
or homogenous peer groups? Will your
strategy be open enrollment or a oneor
two-year cohort? Ensure diverse
participation:
Heterogenous
development, budget, decisionmaking
authority, mentoring, etc.
* Managers should learn leadership
skills as they develop into more
experienced
managers.
This
is
taking the long view of preparing
managers for future leadership
positions in your organization.
groups
will afford rich learning by members of
differing functional areas, backgrounds,
experiences and geographies.
Individual Contributor to Early
Career Manager
If you decide to source candidates from
an internal pool, they can emerge from
different levels in an organization (e.g.,
individual
contributors,
supervisors,
managers and leaders). Here are five
factors to consider when planning your
leaders' development:
* Core
management
skills
for
Leadership
development should
not be approached
as a " quick fix " of
generic workshops.
new managers are still relevant,
particularly for individual contributors
transitioning to a people management
role. They must learn to accomplish
work through others. This transition
can be a challenge for technically
inclined employees who get
promoted to manager as they might
think, " It's easier to do it myself, " in
situations where delegating would
be more appropriate.
* If an individual is elevated to serve
as manager over their former peers,
the transition can be challenging,
depending on how the newly appointed
manager handles their relationships.
* Individual
contributors
do
not
Select Participants
Determine who and how you will select
your
program
participants.
Will
you
have an application process? Will highpotential
candidates be the primary
audience? Generally, programs requiring
copious resources should not be used
32
learn how to become managers
simply by having the title. Careful
consideration must be given as to
why an individual is being selected for
a manager role. Merely having strong
technical expertise is not enough. An
assessment of interactive skills (e.g.,
" power skills " or " soft skills " ) and a
development plan is key.
* Provide resources to set up new
managers
adequate
for
success,
resources,
such
including
as
Some organizations recruit external
college graduates and develop
them internally, like in leadership
development programs (LDPs or GLDPs
for the graduate level). These programs
typically require high grade point
averages, strong recommendations,
solid applications and rigorous
interviewing among other criteria in the
selection process.
LDPs can be structured by tapping
internal resources for various learning
components, such as subject matter
experts (SMEs) or functional leaders or
external experts. At a minimum, LDPs
still require dedicated resources like
a program manager, budget, senior
sponsorship and university relationships.
As a note of caution, SMEs are often
promoted into manager roles without
adequate preparation. Subject matter
expertise does not equate to leadership
skills. Many technically inclined
managers fail as managers or leaders.
A long view is important, as managers
need both managerial and leadership
skills for current and future roles.
Mid-Career Manager to Leader
Presumably,
experienced
managers
within your company will have
knowledge and expertise of your
specific products and services. This
can serve only as a foundation for
future leaders and can be a potential
strength over external candidates.
However, this is not enough. Despite
debate about the differences in
definition between manager and
leader, the need for strong soft skills is
without question.
Furthermore, for executive-level leaders,
we find that traditional programs are
no longer adequate preparation
today's and tomorrow's challenges.
for
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2022/04/07/there-is-no-difference-between-managers-and-leaders/?sh=226b8db86e73 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2022/04/07/there-is-no-difference-between-managers-and-leaders/?sh=226b8db86e73
Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2023

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