Developing a Leadership Strategy a Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success
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WHITE PAPER Developing a Leadership Strategy A Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success By: William Pasmore Contents Introduction 1 What is a Leadership Strategy? 2 Creating the Leadership Strategy 3 Creating the Leadership Development Strategy 17 Implications for Talent Acquisition, Talent 21 Sustainability and Leadership Practices Getting Results and Building the Talent 24 Your Organization Needs Conclusion 25 References 25 About the Author 25 Introduction Organizations depend upon capable leader- Can we count on the next generation of ship to guide them through unprecedented leaders to step up once they are in posi- changes. Yet, there is ample evidence in tion? Or are we seeing evidence of a talent the news and in recent research reports gap that cannot be closed and will result that even some of the best and most vener- in even greater numbers of high-profile able organizations are failing to adapt to failures? What can your organization do to change, implement their strategic plans avoid the risks associated with inadequate successfully or prepare for a more uncer- leadership and better prepare its current tain future. We believe the turmoil we and future leaders for changes that are are currently observing has something to yet unforeseen? do with leadership, and that if we don’t Every leader is aware of the value of a well- change our current approach to leadership defined business strategy. Few, however, development, we will see even more of the give thought to the leadership that will be same. required to implement strategies that call As well-known companies disappear or for changes in the direction or capabilities are taken over (think of Lucent, Chrysler, of the organization. Without proper leader- Lehman Brothers, Northern Rock, Merrill ship, even the best and boldest strategies Lynch) and new forces like the economies die on the vine, their potential never real- of China and India rise, surveys of CEOs ized. This paper defines what a leadership show that they believe the one factor that strategy is and how to go about creating will determine their fate is the quality of one for your organization that will forever their leadership talent. Yet many top execu- change the way you develop leaders and tives bemoan the lack of leadership bench create new leadership capabilities. strength in their companies and wonder what will happen once the baby-boomer generation of leaders finally steps aside. ©2014 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 1 What is a Leadership Strategy? In order to understand what a leader- In more robust definitions, leadership in- ship strategy is, we first have to be clear cludes both formal and informal leaders. about what we mean by leadership. The Observations of actual organizations in Center for Creative Leadership has been action are rarely as neat and tidy as their studying leaders and leadership for near- organization charts would suggest. ly 40 years and has recently come to an important conclusion: leadership begins Communication, influ- with individuals in leadership positions, but it doesn’t end there.1 The ability of an ence and collaboration organization to accomplish its goals does are occurring up, down not depend solely on the force of will of a single great leader, or even upon the and across the organi- effectiveness of the organization’s chain zation, almost as if the of command. These things are important, but don’t in and of themselves help us organization chart didn’t understand why some organizations suc- exist, as revealed by the ceed where others fail. work of various people Instead, research has shown, we must understand leadership culture, as de- on mapping informal fined by the collective actions of formal networks within and informal leaders acting together to 2 influence organizational success. It is not organizations. simply the number or quality of indi- To ignore this reality in any discussion of vidual leaders that determines organiza- leadership is to miss the point of what is tional success, but the ability of formal really going on and what must be under- and informal leaders to pull together in stood and managed if strategies are to the support of organizational goals that be implemented successfully. ultimately makes the difference. Thus, when we speak about leadership here, it is both the leaders themselves and the relationships among them to which we refer. At various times, the idea that leadership is greater than the individual leader has been referred to as interde- pendent, boundaryless, collective or connected leadership. 2 ©2014 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. Thus, when we describe the leadership of an organization, at a minimum In much of the work on talent and leadership bench strength, the focus has been on only the first two of these we should consider: ways of describing an organization’s leadership. By leav- A The quantity of leaders needed, as indicated ing out connected leadership and leadership culture, we by current and projected formal leadership have overlooked what makes leadership come alive in positions depicted on an organization chart organizations and the factors that often determine wheth- (number, level, location, function, business er strategies and plans will actually be achieved. unit, reporting relationships, etc.) A good leadership strategy takes all of these factors into B The qualities desired in selection (demo- account. Simply having all of the leadership positions on graphics, diversity, background, experience the organization chart filled will not produce the leader- level) ship that is required to implement strategies, adapt to change, support innovation or other important organiza- C The skills and behavior that are needed to tional agendas. It is not just having the right number of implement the business strategy and create bodies, it is what those bodies do and how they relate to the desired culture (skills, competencies, one another that matters. knowledge base) D The collective leadership capabilities of A leadership strategy makes explic- leaders acting together in groups and across it how many leaders we need, of boundaries to implement strategies, solve problems, respond to threats, adapt to what kind, where, with what skills, change, support innovation, etc. and behaving in what fashion indi- E The desired leadership culture, including vidually and collectively to achieve the leadership practices in use, such as col- laboration across boundaries, engagement the total success we seek. of employees, accepting responsibility for Very few organizations have an explicit leadership strat- outcomes, creating opportunities for others egy. Is it any wonder that without one, CEOs find that they to lead, developing other leaders, learning don’t have the leadership talent they require? how to learn, etc. ©2014 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 3 Like business strategies, leadership strategies are future state, and implications for talent management based on a thorough analysis of the current situation processes can be identified. When the strategy is imple- and an informed view of the future. The strategy then mented, business results will provide feedback on how provides a series of recommendations to close the gap well the leadership strategy is working and help shape between the current situation and desired future. Once what new business strategies can be considered with the leadership strategy is known, a leadership develop- the leadership talent that has been developed. ment strategy can be formulated to produce the desired The leadership strategy should be driven by the business strategy and specify: A. Quantity: How many leaders will be needed over the next 5–10 years, taking into account growth needs and projected turnover 1. When 2. Where 3. At what level B. Qualities: The characteristics individual leaders and leaders overall should possess when selected or retained, such as: 1. Demographics 2. Internal promotions versus a. Age external hires b. Gender 3. Diversity, targeted diversity c. Race a. Level d. Culture of origin b. Location e. Education f. Experience 4 ©2014 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. C. Skills/Behaviors: The specific skills, behaviors, knowledge, competencies or abilities leaders need by function, level, location or unit to implement the business strategy 1. Generic behavioral competencies that 4. Skills or knowledge required by level apply to all leaders in the organization or function 2. Specific behavioral competencies by 5. Skills, knowledge or capabilities level or function by location 3. Generic skills and knowledge required 6. Language capabilities by all leaders in the organization D. Collective Capabilities: The capabilities that are required of leaders when acting together, such as: 1. Providing direction, demonstrating 5. Implementing successful innovation alignment and generating commitment requiring cross-functional collaboration as a collective leadership team 6. Adapting to change in a cohesive and 2. Solving problems or making improve- coherent manner ments efficiently and effectively that 7. Working together to grow the business require collaboration across internal or in new markets external boundaries 8. Ensuring compliance/transparency 3. Engaging employees in decision requiring a consistent set of values, be- making and to gain their active liefs and actions across the enterprise support in implementing planned 9. Being responsive to customers in ways cross-functional actions that demand