Ascension Leadership Academy Lifespring Explains the DNA of Successful Leadership Development Strategy

Investing in leadership development can have a significant, positive impact on the bottom line. Organizations achieve a return on investment (ROI) in leadership development by increasing leaders' ability to influence teams and impact the company — retaining and attracting top talent, leading through transformation, and driving results.

Furthermore, leadership is essential during times of uncertainty, such as the business environment we worked in during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leadership development is essential for navigating the unknown futures ahead.

Ascension leadership academylifespring shares the elements of a successful leadership development strategy.

The DNA of a Successful Leadership Development Strategy by Ascension Leadership Academy Lifespring

Ensure Executive Support

Without executive support, there is no money for leadership development. Successful strategies go far beyond securing a budget in engaging organizational leaders in this process.

Include top management from the start. This involvement could be formalized through crucial stakeholder interviews or by forming a steering committee to guide on and approve critical milestones. Alternatively, you could gain support through less structured methods. Set up informal meetings with leaders who advocate learning and development (L&D); listen to their stories and solicit input and feedback as you go.

Executive buy-in is essential for achieving widespread participation and engagement, whether a formal or informal approach is preferable for your company culture. Why should employees care if their leaders don't?

Understand Organizational Needs

It is critical to understand the problem before designing a solution. Just because the executive team considers leadership development quest does not imply that the underlying issue is well understood — or that leadership development will solve it.

Begin with data to begin your journey toward discovery. Interview key stakeholders to learn what leaders require, or examine rich data sources such as company surveys and exit interviews to uncover themes about culture dynamics.

Start With Leadership Skills

There may be a laundry list of skills to organize into a curriculum for existing and upcoming leaders based on the insights gained from the needs analysis and L&D's knowledge of best leadership practices.

Don't fall into this trap. Instead, use the desired behaviors as a starting point to develop a holistic view of leadership in your organization. Filter that definition through the lens of brand values and existing performance core competencies to create a foundation for the program.

The goal is to develop a framework for leaders at all levels to build leadership skills throughout the employee life cycle. You can then attach learning objectives to this framework to understand what progress will look like.

Bottom Line

Use these insights explained by Ascension leadership academy lifespring to build your leadership development strategy, and you will hit the jackpot.