Effective leadership development requires much more than a training manual and a one-hour session. It’s not something your employees can check off a list and declare, “I’m good now, boss. Thanks!”
Measurable and actionable results are achieved when individuals have a clear plan to apply the learnings to their everyday jobs. With approximately $164 billion spent on learning and development programs1, those valuable resources can’t be wasted on under-delivered training.
“As Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) research proves, 70% of learning happens from experience – those enriching projects, stretch assignments, and delegated responsibilities,” says Marcie Mueller, Vice President of Leadership Development at IMPACT Group. “Twenty percent is learned from others, such as subject matter experts, vendors, peers, and managers. And merely 10% is learned from resources, including policy manuals, books, and articles.”2
Not only does the research say it’s so, up-and-coming millennials value acquiring challenging experiences. They view it as important to work and overall life satisfaction. Experiential (70%), Relational (20%), and Educational (10%) based learning needs to be integrated to achieve development goals.
Ready, set, ACTION!
“Action plans are a great way for program participants to strategically map out how they will become more effective in key areas,” says Barbara Adler, a Managing Coach for Global Leadership at IMPACT Group. “These plans are a driver in increasing effectiveness in areas that are essential for the person’s role and for attaining company goals.”
For example, IMPACT Group’s Women in Leadership program focus on three career accelerators: business acumen, corporate visibility, and personal effectiveness. By working with their manager and their career coach, the women leaders determine what skills they need to develop to excel in these three areas. “This gives the women flexibility to discover and grow in a variety of ways,” comments Barbara. Detailed plans are created with real-life scenarios the women will encounter or can execute in their day-to-day work. Regular coaching and progress reports ensure follow through.
Experiences Are Not All Created Equal
The CCL has also determined an effective stretch assignment includes Variety, Adversity, Diversity, and Intensity. 3
- Variety includes a wide range of experiences.
- Adversity incorporates setbacks or obstacles that must be overcome.
- Diversity ensure the person interacts with individuals across cultures, management levels, or business lines.
- Intensity describes a project with high visibility and successes or failures that matter to the company.
Action plans that incorporate these four elements ensure leadership development participants have a clear vision of what their end-goal is, how their actions align with achieving the goal, and how they can overcome weaknesses to master new skills. “This increases accountability, presents a clear timeframe for achieving the goal, and reinforces the concepts that are presented during the development programs,” shares Barb. “In addition to skill growth, this also increases their sense of accomplishment.”
Is it time to evaluate how effective your current training and development solutions are at delivering real growth and real results? IMPACT Group delivers development programs to empower talent at every level. Explore our suite of global leadership programs today!
1 Training Industry Report, Trainingmag.com
2 Blended Learning for Leadership: The CCL Approach, Center for Creative Leadership
3 The Benchmarks Sourcebook, Center for Creative Leadership
