It's that time of year where everyone starts talking about future trends and how the business will be different next year. But maybe you are an outlier. Maybe you feel resistant toward these conversations about the future and are only somewhat intrigued by what is being discussed. Given the crisis-driven workplace realities, it is no surprise that you may feel skeptical, especially if you are exhausted from the past year. Or if past attempts to become future-ready have not yielded much success. It could be that you are entirely on board with getting future smart. You want to change and create trends rather than catch up to the competition. Whatever situation you find yourself in, no business sets out to become obsolete, and there are many proven benefits to futures thinking. "The future depends on what you do today." Mohandas Gandhi Benefits of Being Future Smart Contemporary business leaders operate in a fast-paced mix of societal, technological, and commercial crises. Leaders are forced to respond and navigate their businesses from one crisis to another. Advances in technology continue to be a significant transformational force like what past companies faced with the prior agricultural and industrial revolutions. Marketplace chaos brings increased stress, new demands and creates new opportunities. Business leaders benefit from being better prepared, having the right tools and resources at the right time, and improved decision-making. Having strategic foresight leads to enhanced change management and positions a business to move from responding and reacting to change to architecting trends. When companies lead new trends, it fuels revenue growth. Top Ten Business Trends Beyond 2022 Leaders can't be ready for what they don't understand. Here is a list and description of the top ten trends beyond 2022 that you need to understand to get ahead of the competition. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advances in technology will make Artificial Intelligence mobile and a part of every business sector. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are already investing in the scalability of AI and advances in technology such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) that enable better AI performance. Leaders and businesses that understand the value of data will transform their processes, products, and services with a competitive advantage. AI is projected to account for $15.7 trillion in the economy and boost GDP by 26% by 2030. Bricks-and-Clicks This trend is about using technology to transform internal business processes and customer experiences that are entirely self-service-based, always accessible, and without friction. The bricks-and-clicks business model incorporates pop-up stores, virtual stores, interactive kiosks, and online hypermarkets like Amazon. Technology will seamlessly help customers: make better decisions provide always-available access to services and products experience products and services virtually enable customers to pay for products and services electronically, such as Google Wallet, Apple Pay, or near field communication (NFC). Cybersecurity Increased utilization of technology and the complexity of consumer and corporate security threats will drive businesses and customers' increased cybersecurity investments. The trends in cybersecurity threats include increased counterfeits, increased network malware attacks, and geopolitical interference. Cybersecurity will become a competitive differentiator. It is projected that the cybersecurity market will grow to $433.6 billion by 2030, at a 12.6% CAGR. Gig Economy The gig economy gives employees and businesses flexibility. Flexibility is a significant competitive advantage in a crisis-driven marketplace. According to some estimates, as much as 50% of the workforce will be made up of freelancers by 2030. Advances in technology and increased hiring challenges will push businesses to outsource functions to address their needs. Using a temporary employee becomes a strategic advantage, especially for small businesses. It is projected the size of the Gig Economy will grow to $455 billion in 2023, a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.4%. Talent Shortage Globally growing economies lack the available skilled employees to meet growing job opportunities. Korn Ferry predicts that by 2030 there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people. Also, there is a growing trend in the US that people are unable or unwilling to work. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, the labor participation rate will decline to 60.4% for people 16 and older in 2030. Baby Boomer retirements will drive lower participation of those over 55. Additionally, people ages 16-24 in the active workforce are projected to continue to decline by more than 4%. The reduced size of the US labor force will push businesses to turn to technology, freelance employees, a global workforce, and talent management strategies to address employee retention and recruitment to meet growing workforce needs. Remote Work Work from home is likely not going away. According to McKinsey, communities and businesses will work and learn remotely. Advances in technology such as virtual and augmented reality will make working remotely easier. Real estate is not cheap and physical space for employees can be a high cost for businesses. Also, as work schedules move away from 9 to 5 to support omnipresent products and services, it doesn't make sense for all positions within a physical office space. However, leaders need to be smart about establishing a structure for decision-making and effective communication to reduce confusion and lack of clarity that can occur with remote work. Robotics The utilization of robotics in the engineering and technology sector will grow by 175% by 2030. It is projected that the global service robotics market size will increase to $46 billion by 2026, with Europe and Asia-Pacific leading the way in world investments. Robotics will revolutionize manufacturing and production through reduced costs and improved human and equipment productivity. Social Media Marketing According to research, 8 out of 10 Americans are shopping for something at any given moment. Additionally, 32% of shoppers change purchasing decisions based on mobile product information within brick-and-mortar stores. It is important to deliver relevant marketing messages, but they must be delivered through consumer touchpoints. Social media marketing will not stop changing and rapidly disrupting business, so businesses must keep learning to stay relevant. Early adopters already provide spaces for customers to make user reviews, social media posts, and stream while engaging with products and services. Social Purpose There is an increasing market for innovative, socially responsible, and affordable solutions. Customers are looking for organizations to address society's significant issues, such as social equity and climate change. It is not enough for your business to be green or promote social justice internally. Companies need to be transparent with potential customers about their social purpose and running their business. According to BrandWatch, Gen Z and millennials are deeply concerned about the environment, and almost two in five are purchasing pre-owned products. VR & AR The prediction of a world that blurred the lines between digital and physical was first discussed in 1992 as the metaverse. Businesses already have improved processes using smart glass displays for technicians. It is projected that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) markets will continue to expand in the US to $1.5 trillion by 2030. The future will include simulated reality making new business opportunities possible. Every business will need a real-time live 3D presence to tap this growing market. How to Make Your Business Future Smart Becoming future smart can be assisted by leveraging practices and frameworks from strategic foresight . Strategic foresight is a way of thinking, engaging, discovering, and acting. The goal of futures thinking is not to predict the future but enable better decision-making and strategic planning . Strategic foresight is a systemic view of change, considering not just the likely changes but all the possible potential changes. Here is a short video to learn more about doing business in 2030 and the concept of futures thinking. Strategic foresight is not traditional strategic planning . Strategic foresight links the organization to the external environment recognizing the company will operate within a larger world rather than be only change in the world. We want to partner with you to bring futures thinking principles and tools to your organization. We offer interactive strategic foresight webinars that last 90 minutes and involve a maximum of 25 participants. These webinars are ideal for teams looking to become future smart. Participants will learn: the purpose and benefits of strategic foresight how to apply the Futures Wheel strategic foresight tool and the STEEPLE scanning framework. Let's talk today about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational consulting solutions that work. References: Agrawal, M. (2021). The possibilities of AI in 2030: Transformation across dimensions. Forbes. Alt, W., and Markose, A. (2019). Top 9 cybersecurity trends for 2020. Booz Allen Hamilton. Baldwin, J. (2020). Engineering and technology trends to watch in 2020. GrabCAD Broda, K. (2021). Gig economy-The economic backbone of the future? Brodmin. BusinessWire. (2020). Global cyber security market (2020 to 2030). Berkshire Hathaway. BusinessWire. (2021). Growth opportunities in Retail 2.0 Berkshire Hathaway. Bussa, T. (2020). Cybersecurity 2030: A look ahead. Gartner Inc. Fortune Business Insights. (2019). Service robotics market size, share & industry analysis, by type (personal robots and professional robots), by application (domestic and industrial/ commercial), and regional forecast, 2019-2026. Gregg, B., & Perrey, J. (2020). The path to the next normal. McKinsey & Company. MarketWatch. (2021). AR and VR market latest trends and business opportunities through 2030. McFadden, C. (2019a). 7 Engineering trends to watch in 2020. Interesting Engineering. Strack, R. (2014). The surprising workforce crisis of 2030. TED. Tennant, A. & Schmelz, C. (2021). Brandwatch: E-commerce in 2022 and beyond. Brandwatch. The Economic Daily. (2021). Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Most leaders want to become better leaders. But it’s normal to have objections and doubts about investing in developing better leadership habits. When I talk with executives, I hear about how they are grappling with new workforce challenges, strategic concerns, and increasing demands for innovation. Observing these leaders in action, they often rush from meeting to meeting, fight one fire after another and respond to endless emails. The speed of the typical workday is a blur of activity. It's easy to get stuck in a pattern of doing the same things and hoping for better results. When you feel captive to a habit, it’s time to reevaluate. Here are five common objections to developing better habits and what leaders should keep in mind. Why striving for better habits matters Leaders must continually transform, adapt, and innovate or fall behind. Research constantly reminds us that the best and most creative leaders populate the most successful organizations. Leaders with closed minds and organizations slow to adapt to new ideas quickly fall behind and become obsolete in a fast-paced digital workplace. All leaders need to continually develop and evolve at a pace consistent with the change in our exacting world. Business leaders naturally desire to achieve both success and significance in life and at work. However, privately, they question if it is possible given the expectations from their board members, shareholders, and key stakeholders. In today's business environment, success and significance appear to be competing priorities and opposite ends on a continuum. Striving for better habits is a competitive advantage available to any manager or executive looking for a powerful point of differentiation. In the review and analysis of four separate studies in different industries, it was discovered that leadership effectiveness could account for up to as much as 45% of an organization's performance. According to Jim Collins in the book Good to Great, a review of 1,435 companies studied over more than forty years revealed that leadership effectiveness accounted for up to 6.9 times greater stock returns than market averages. Effective leadership makes a crucial difference in the personal and professional results you achieve and the life you live. Objection 1: I do not have the time to change my habits. One of the most common legitimate objections I hear is that “I don’t have time for this.” It takes time, practice, and consistency to create good habits and break bad habits. A common myth is that it takes 21 days to break a habit. The number of times you have to perform a healthy habit before it becomes a habit can vary substantially by the person and the situation. One study concluded it typically ranges from 18-254 days of consistency. The key is repetition, and eventually, it will become a habit. We all get the same amount of time in a day. As leaders, finding time to invest in personal development is challenging and often comes with feelings of guilt from the tradeoffs you have to make. However, how you choose to spend your time is visible to others and sends a message to the rest of your company. When you invest time developing yourself, you are reinforcing a learning culture where individual development is valued. Also, it is important to remember that your bad habits are costing you in ways that impact your success and significance. “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” – Samuel Johnson Objection 2: I have real work to get done. Similar to the objection of not having enough time but with the twist that an either-or decision must be made. For example, “I only have so many hours in the day, and I can either get the work done that our customers need or spend time developing myself.” This argument takes a nearsighted view of value. It minimizes the costs of bad habits on the leader, team, and business. It is similar to the belief that taking the time to sharpen a saw is too costly when compared to the value of continuing to cut wood with a dull saw. Creating new healthy habits increases your capacity and effectiveness with long-term returns on the initial investment of time. "If you believe that training is expensive, it is because you do not know what ignorance costs." Leboeuf Objection 3: These so-called bad habits were good habits in the past. These good habits will soon become bad habits as well. A topic like leadership means different things to different people. There are competing points of view on what makes for good leadership that creates confusion. Also, there are more than a few ideas in leadership books based on smoke and mirrors to sell ideas rather than research. The same leadership approach can have different results in different situations and with other people. For example, suppose I am about to make a life-threatening mistake. In that case, I appreciate direct and forceful communication to help me stop. However, when the stakes are not that high, I interpret that same behavior as obnoxious. Confusion typically comes before clarity. Rarely in business and in life do you have all the information you need before making a decision. If you are feeling confused, turn to peer-reviewed journal articles, and talk to others to gain a deeper understanding of effective leadership based on proven practices. Objection 4: I have tried to break habits in the past and failed. Most of us have experienced trying to break a bad habit before, only to keep doing what we don’t want to do. Although not the most common objection I hear, this is a common experience. When you view the process of breaking habits with a pass or fail mental model, it sets you up for frustration. Breaking strong bad habits is a learning process that needs to be viewed as the only failure is giving up. If you are struggling with this objection, spend some time clarifying why you are trying to break this habit in the first place. Ask yourself the following two powerful questions : What do I want to be remembered for in life and at work? This question requires considering why and what outcome you want from your personal and professional investment of time and energy. To answer this question, you have to factor in the impact you will have on others, what you stand for, and how you want to show up daily. What does personal and professional success look like this year and over the next five years? When thinking about the answer to this question, consider the following: material, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical, commercial, organizational, environmental, time, and team. "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be" - John Wooden Objection 5: My situation is different, and this leadership practice won't work in my situation. It is essential to know your habits and routines. However, leadership is not something that you are born with, and we are much more alike than at first we may appear. I say that because, in my experience, I find leaders from all walks of life, in all sizes of companies, across diverse industries, that believe they are the only ones struggling with a bad habit. Negative self-talk about a good leadership practice failing before you even give it a try can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you find yourself a skeptic and unwilling to get started, consider expanding your network and talking with others that share your situation. Find someone that has successfully tried or is using this practice. Also, spend time visioning what implementing a good leadership habit would look like . See this practice as a positive step in your leadership journey. What is the real objection for you to start creating good leadership habits? References: Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap--and others don't. HarperBusiness. Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, Cornelia H., Potts, H., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998-1009.

Exceptionally talented leaders are life-long learners. The most creative leaders are at the helm of the most successful organizations, constantly driving innovation and growth. Approximately 50% of annual US GDP growth is attributed to innovation by economists. Yet several studies suggest that disruptive innovation has declined since 1970. The wave of change driven by artificial intelligence and the evolving dynamics between employers and employees is reshaping the competitive landscape. Medal of Freedom recipient Eric Hoffer wisely noted, "In times of change, learners inherit the earth." Have you considered the skills you need to develop to stay ahead? Does your business strategy encompass the factors likely to shape the future? Here are three future-ready leadership traits, two ways to extend your strategic foresight, and one leadership habit to spark a brighter future for you and those you lead. Why being a life-long learner matters during times of change Most economists believe that a more efficient workforce leads to competitive advantage and lowers the costs of goods and services. As the world changes, people and businesses must change too. Advances in technology always attract attention because of their potential effect on employment. The scale and speed of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics have raised fears about the possibility of widespread job displacement in the near future because these advances are fundamentally different from previous technological advances. Employees with less education who handle routine tasks, such as cashiers or file clerks, are at the highest risk of job automation. Nevertheless, automation is expected to have broad impacts. Experts predict that between 9% and 47% of jobs might be automated in the future. You likely know someone who has personally experienced the impact of technology-assisted work or had their work replaced by innovation. Automation is everywhere and is a controversial employment topic. This video and news clip of an automated McDonald's went viral with people on both sides of the debate. Evidence suggests that more than 40% of the required skills in three-quarters of jobs have changed over the past three years, indicating that the future of the workplace involves change. Economists are mixed on the employment impact of automation. A recent MIT study revealed that wages in the U.S. have declined by 0.42%, and the employment-to-population ratio has declined by 0.2 percentage points for each robot added per 1,000 workers. None of this is to minimize the hardships experienced by displaced workers. However, robotics and AI may be simply another in a long A.I.ne of waves of innovation whose effects on employment will unfold at rates comparable to those in the past. Leadership and organizational development are essential investments in realizing your organization's potential and preparing the next generation. Becoming future-ready is a clear benefit for today's leaders. Falling behind in a fast-changing workplace is career-limiting and a competitive threat to your business. Although the amount of change today may feel overwhelming, it is essential to never give up on the person you can become. Check out this motivational video for some encouragement. 3 Future-ready leadership characteristics Leadership qualities are not something you are either born with or not. The following future characteristics may seem complex and challenging to articulate, much less measure. However, executive coaching and assessments offer deep insights into areas that, with attention, can lead to enhanced potential. When you think about the future of work and consider the leadership skills and qualities you will need technical and analytical skills will likely come to mind. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, you are justified in thinking this way . It is projected that by 2030, in the US and Europe, the time spent during a workweek on information technology and programming tasks will increase the most. While some skills will be less in demand, it is essential to consider the human leadership skills that remain in the technology-driven workplace. Leadership is a relationship, and technology is changing the relationship. Selfless love, humility, and data-driven decision-making are a few timeless leadership skills and qualities to enhance your leadership effectiveness: Leadership Characteristic #1: Selfless Love Without selfless love, the best of what might be is impossible for you and others. When leaders adopt a selfless love worldview, they desire to bring out the best in their followers by giving them the best of themselves . A couple of the most significant challenges leaders will continue to face in the future are retaining top talent and creating inclusive workplaces that bring out the best in all employees. Selfless love cultivates an organizational culture where healthy and caring leader-follower relationships break down the adverse effects of our differences. Selfless love enhances organizational commitment, productivity, job performance, and emotional well-being. Leaders who emphasize selfless love bring out the best in how people think, act, and feel in the workplace, leading to success and significance both personally and professionally. Leadership Characteristic #2: Humility Humble leadership behaviors reduce costs and increase revenue. Humility is a demonstrated lever for sustainable company development, enhancing employee innovation, team empowerment, company performance, and self-improvement. After analyzing 1435 companies over forty years, leadership guru Jim Collins concluded that humility and professionalism are the most transformative executive leadership characteristics. Humble leaders recognize and are self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They appreciate others and believe that life is less about themselves and more about the greater good. Humble leaders walk the line between self-confidence and over-confidence. They can be both competitive and ambitious. Humble leaders are not weak and indecisive. Leadership Characteristic #3: Data-Driven Decision-Making Innovations enable businesses to make sense of the chaos and complexity in the world. Technology is creating massive amounts of data with the potential to create a competitive advantage or overwhelm and paralyze leaders. Data-driven decision-making has become somewhat of a buzzword as many leaders and organizations aim to be data-driven. It is when leaders use facts extracted from data and metrics to guide business decisions that support business goals rather than relying on experience, intuition, and stories alone. Data analytics provide leaders with new insights and understanding of how to transform their business. Using data enables organizations to optimize operations, reducing costs and increasing revenue. Cognitive and predictive analytics go one step further, allowing organizations to transform quickly during market changes. Embracing data-driven decision-making cuts through the haze that comes from relying on intuition. 2 Ways to Ignite Strategic Foresight The past few years have made it abundantly clear that no one can completely predict the future. Strategic foresight can offer some valuable insights when rethinking the future of leadership. “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Wayne Gretzky Strategic foresight is a systemic view of change, considering all possible changes. It aims not to predict the future but to enable better decision-making and preparedness. Here are two practical steps to extend strategic foresight about what you will need to be able to do that you can’t yet do: Step 1: Get curious about potential challenges and opportunities facing your business over the next few years. Network with peers and colleagues. Do some of your investigating of business trends. It is easy to focus narrowly on the work and lose sight of where it is going. It is essential in this first step to avoid narrowing in on any potential trend too soon. You may find it helpful to use the strength , weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis to categorize the trends you identify. When doing this assessment, don’t be overly optimistic or pessimistic, but focus on what is likely: Consider what poses the greatest opportunity and risk for the business? Ask yourself, what strengths do I have that could be leveraged? Where do I need to improve to meet the challenges and opportunities identified? Step 2: Now, you are ready to focus and explore your shortlist of trends. Consider the impact and likelihood as you consider each point. Zero in on the more likely and critical challenges and opportunities. Ask yourself: What skills and qualities are needed by leaders to be ready for the potential challenges? What are the strengths I can leverage? Where is my real challenge? What trends and learning opportunities do I want to focus on? 1 Future-ready leadership habit Reflection is critical to build a brighter and better future for yourself and those you lead. Adequate reflection involves doubting, pausing, and being curious about the ordinary. Reflection improves critical thinking capacity . Critical thinking helps leaders navigate daily volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous situations in every business. It is the ability to use cognitive skills and strategies to increase the probability of the desired outcome when problem-solving. Critical thinking for executive leadership is required for businesses to grow, increase speed, and achieve sustainability. There is a saying in the military that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The following are some tips to embed reflection into your leadership habits. Journaling has been demonstrated to be incredibly impactful on leader-follower relationships, clarity of purpose, and improving new skills. Like building any habit, start small and tie it to an existing habit, like a routine, before you leave the office for the day. Critical reflection should be a social process and is most successful when collaborative. Leaders need to understand how followers perceive their actions. Leadership books, articles, and assessments can enable you to examine a particular situation from different points of view, supporting critical reflection. Here is a bonus link to " The Five Best Resources ," an assembled collection of my top five favorite books from thought leaders on change management, coaching, culture, innovation and creativity, leadership style, servant leadership, and strategic planning. Conclusion: Are you a future-ready leader? In today’s fast-changing workplace, failing to consider what you need to be able to do that you can’t yet do puts you and your team at risk of being left behind. A good place to start is by getting curious about the challenges and opportunities you will face in the future and taking an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. While technology and innovations are making some skills less in demand, human leadership skills will remain in the technology-driven workplace. Selfless love, humility, and data-driven decision-making are timeless leadership skills that enhance effectiveness. A habit of critical reflection unlocks a massive opportunity for you and your organization. It is achieved by developing the ability to doubt, pause, and be curious about the ordinary. So, as you think about the future, what do you need to commit to learning that you can’t yet do? References Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2020). Robots and jobs: EvidenceU.S.rom US labor markets. Journal of Political Economy. BLS. (2022). Growth trends for selected occupations considered at risk from automation. Monthly Labor Review. Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap--and others don't. HarperBusiness. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose . Organizational Talent Consulting. Ferris, R. (1988). How organizational love can improve leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 16 (4), 41-51. McKinsey Global Institute. (2016). Skill shift: Automation and the future of the workforce. McKinsey & Company. Mulinge, P. (2018). Altruism and altruistic love: Intrinsic motivation for servant-leadership. The International Journal of Servant-Leadership, 12 (1), 337-370.

Self-awareness is fundamental to getting more out of life and work. Evidence suggests it's a predictor of leader and company success. That goes for life too. Leadership creates dilemmas between right and right. Consider the often-competing responsibilities between your well-being, family, friends, and work. It doesn't stop there. It can be a struggle to keep track of your responsibilities. It is helpful to understand that the quality of your life is defined by the quality of the routine practices performed automatically in daily life. It is easy to get the need for better habits in theory, but in practice still fall into unintentional patterns and accidental habits. No leader I know sets out to develop bad habits. Also, I don't believe the most significant barrier for many leaders is creating a greater desire for better habits. The answer can be found in greater awareness of proven leadership principles, reflection, and practical tools that busy leaders can successfully apply. Here is one leadership development tool that creates the clarity you need to achieve your goals. Not sure where to start? An essential insight is to understand that work and life are interrelated. Each affects the other. Stress at work doesn't vanish when you walk out of the office. It can drain physical and mental health and tax the most important relationships. It's the same for stress in life. True self-awareness means seeing yourself objectively and knowing how you are doing from the perspectives of principles that apply in life and work. Easier said than done, right? It's challenging to keep a focus, especially given the nature of the fast-paced, ever-changing workplace. Unfortunately, self-awareness is rare in leaders. According to a global study by the Hay Group involving 17,000 leaders, less than one in five women and one in twenty men had a sense of self-awareness. Some leaders don't even try, pursuing whatever is perceived as most urgent at the moment as they move from meeting to meeting. It's a real struggle to keep focused in a fast-paced digital workplace. However, most habits do not get better on their own. A saying I heard in the food distribution industry is that we are all either ripe and rotting or green and growing. You will unlikely gain traction as a leader without focusing on what matters most. One tool that can provide awareness of what matters most in life and work is the Accidental Habit Assessment . This tool allows you to rate yourself on ten proven principles. It then calculates your score for each life-changing leadership habit displayed as a low, medium, or high score for each principle. How far can you go? The customized report and guide will provide you with an "aha" moment as you reflect on your leadership to understand your strengths and accidental habits needing improvement. Without reflection, perspectives quickly become blurred in a fast-paced workplace with potentially devastating consequences. Reflection facilitates learning, provides perspective on self-limiting beliefs when used purposefully, and improves productivity. Evidence suggests spending 15 minutes daily enhances productivity by as much as 23% more than those without reflection time. This is the first year for the assessment, and I love hearing how the assessment provides surprising insights into ways leaders can better elevate people, profit, and purpose. How far have you come? Getting from where you are to where you want to be is based on knowing where you are starting from and where you are going. The score provided in the Accidental Habit Assessmen t not only tells you where you are, it lets you know how far you have come. Habits contribute to the actions you will take tomorrow. But with a good understanding of your current habits, you can make better decisions informed by enhanced self-awareness and reflection. Improving your Life-Changing Leadership Habits score over time also helps provide the motivation and engagement needed for building better habits. How far will you go? During this 10-minute quiz, you'll answer 24 multiple-choice questions and choose which answers best describe you. Once you are finished, you'll receive a customized Life-Changing Leadership Habits report and guide to help you focus on what matters most. Best of all, this is totally free. Additionally, your report becomes a personalized reading plan to access researched and field-tested leadership resources and transformational tools in my new book, Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose . Don't miss this chance to discover your accidental habits. It's fast, free, and gives you the visibility you need to achieve success and significance in life and work. References Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. Flaum, J. (2018). When it comes to business leadership, nice guys finish first. Green Peak Partners and Cornell University. KornFerry. (2016). New Research Shows Women Are Better at Using Soft Skills Crucial for Effective Leadership and Superior Business Performance. Wilson, T., & Gilbert, D. (2005). Affective forecasting: Knowing what to want. Current Directions in Psychological Science: A Journal of the American Psychological Society, 14(3), 131-134. Zes, D., & Landis, D. (2013). A better return on self-awareness. Korn Ferry Institute .

Harnessing the potential of company growth takes having well-equipped leaders. Every successful leader needs the right tools and useful skills. When companies look for a competitive advantage, there is often talk about making leadership development investments. It also tends to come up when budgets get tight or during mid-year reviews when there is a realization that half the year is gone. But during these conversations, leadership development programs are typically questioned. The truth is that leadership is more than a position, and event-driven development often fails to create lasting change. But, while narrowly focused programs don't work, leadership development does. Surprised? Why is leadership development important? We know technology needs frequent updates to perform well. In a fast-paced and turbulent workplace, leaders must also continually add to and enhance their skills or risk falling behind. Here are a few ways that well-equipped leadership makes a difference in the workplace: Team Performance Several research studies have investigated the connection between the leader and business performance. Studies have demonstrated that effective leadership improves follower performance and promotes higher business results, follower job satisfaction, and follower organizational commitment. Innovation and Creativity Evidence suggests that leadership is essential for driving innovation in a company . A study involving over 400 executives from 48 companies connected strategy and innovation performance directly with good leadership habits. Trust and Change Studies have demonstrated that the level of trust in leadership directly correlates to employee retention, organizational commitment, and support for organizational change . Furthermore, when executives build trust, evidence suggests that organizational change readiness increases. Internal Communication & Relationships Words shape worlds. Studies have revealed that influential leaders enhance two-way communication, creativity, collaboration, job attitudes, and organizational commitment. Leadership Transitions Leadership transitions, whether successful or not, are costly. Evidence suggests that, on average, 35% of internally promoted executives fail, and direct reports spend 10-20% of their time helping a new leader transition. Successful leadership transitions increase company revenue, have 13% lower attrition rates, and are 90% more likely to achieve long-term performance goals. Leadership development is a leadership transition acceleration tool. "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Derek Bok Who is leadership development for? A common barrier to leadership development comes from companies and individuals failing to recognize leadership as something more than a job title. A company avoiding this mistake is Amazon. They offer a month-long training and leadership development program prior to hire. They believe that all employees should be owners one day, so they train them to take ownership over their products, services, and careers. "At Amazon, we believe that everyone is a leader. And leaders know that they always have things to learn." Amazon Jobs As companies have flattened organizational structures or moved to self-directed work team structures, the need for leadership development has expanded. However, not all leadership development programs are effective. The development needs of a project manager, frontline leader, or executive are similar but different. Leaders learn best when development is bite-sized and personalized. What does leadership development mean? Leadership is one of the most researched and least understood topics in the social sciences field. Just as there is no one definition for leadership, there are often many different perspectives on what is and is not considered leadership development. Leader vs. Leadership Development: There is a common debate over whether leader development differs from leadership development. Leader development typically focuses on the individual, including self-awareness and leadership identity. Management Development vs. Leadership Development: Another common area of confusion is between management and leadership. Adding to this confusion is that different global cultures have different preferences for using leadership or management development. Management development is typically company-specific task knowledge and skills for managerial roles. Leadership development includes formal and informal activities and practices that enhance leaders' qualities, traits, and behaviors that improve results and relationships. What are the elements of an effective leadership development program? While skills and tools are often emphasized in leadership development programs, there is much more to consider. The effects of the leader's character , company culture, the quality of leader-follower relationships, and leader and follower traits are elements that directly impact program outcomes. Leaders make decisions based on their character every day, consciously or unconsciously. The impacts of these decisions reinforce desired or undesired behaviors, thinking, and employee feelings. In a study of executive leaders and their organizations over two years, CEOs who scored high on aspects of character had an average return on assets (ROA) of 9.35%, in contrast to CEOs with low ratings who had a ROA of 1.93%. Gaps in leadership performance are frequently tied to a lack of support rather than an individual's lack of desire to perform well. To maximize development investment returns, programs need to account for environmental performance influences such as leadership feedback, resources, and incentives. "A bad system will beat a good person every time." Edwards Demining How to get the most out of your leadership development investment? Many leadership development programs are missing the mark because they are event-driven. Leadership development is best viewed as a system and not an event. Aligning development readiness with high-quality coaching improves development outcomes. Development readiness refers to the leader's and organization's ability, orientation, and motivation to develop. Leaders who want to learn and can focus on learning tend to view obstacles and challenges to their learning as the path to improvement. Effective leadership development programs leverage a continuum of leadership development approaches, such as: Classroom and executive development programs Executive coaching with leadership assessments Mentoring and cohort learning Self-paced e-learning Adaptive delivery, microlearning, and prompts in the moment 3 Reasons to Invest in leadership development Reason #1: Reinforcing Company Culture Financially successful businesses, according to Forbes, have identified organizational culture as the critical factor in their success. Evidence from a study involving 1435 companies over 40 years revealed that great sustained results depend on an overarching corporate culture. Company culture impacts everything in business and plays a role at the individual, team, and organizational level. A company's culture exists within the shared experiences and learnings of its employees. A simplified working definition of organizational culture is how things get done within the organization when no one is watching. What leaders reinforce, either intentionally or unintentionally, influences what does and doesn't get done. Leaders at all levels play a vital role in creating the organizational culture. Ultimately every organizational result is the direct contribution of an employee. Evidence from numerous studies repeatedly confirms the vital importance of company culture on business results. Also, research links company culture to employee morale, commitment, health, productivity, and well-being. Leadership development programs equip leaders with the knowledge, skills , and abilities to effectively reinforce the desired company culture and d the company's vision, mission, and values. Reason #2: Attracting and Retaining Your Best Leaders The best leaders in your company place a high value on continuous growth and development opportunities. The 2018 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report involving 400 people managers and 200 executive leaders revealed that 94% would stay at a company longer if they received development opportunities. According to an IBM study from 2014, employees who do not feel they are being developed to achieve their career goals are 12 times more likely to leave. Great companies are the outcome of having great employees. Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace report declared that the single biggest decision executives make is selecting the leader. "When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision . Not compensation, not benefits—nothing." Jim Clifton Multiple studies reveal that leadership style can enhance organizational commitment. More committed leaders and employees are less likely to leave, are more productive, and are more likely to give discretionary effort toward their goals. Reason #3: Creating a Robust Leadership Pipeline A lot of businesses are experiencing a leadership shortage. Alarming data from a new global study reveals that only 14% of leaders are confident with hiring decisions. Also, only 11% of CEOs rate their organization as having a solid bench of ready-now leaders. Having the right leadership in the right place at the right time is vital to harnessing the potential of company growth and navigating the volatility in the marketplace. Good leadership can make a success out of a weak plan, and ineffective leadership can destroy a business with a great strategic plan. What could be more vital to company growth and sustained business performance than a pipeline of well- equipped, ready-now, and future-ready leaders? Leadership development programs build current capability and future capacity. Our suite of leadership development programs are: personalized packaged into bite-sized formats supported with tips and tools to create good daily leadership habits Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational consulting solutions that work. References Avolio, B. J., & Hannah, S. T. (2008). Developmental readiness: Accelerating leader development . Consulting Psychology Journal, 60(4), 331-347. Bambacas, M. (2010). Organizational handling of careers influences managers' organizational commitment Journal of Management Development. Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2011) Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based on the competing values framework (Third ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Conger, J. & Fulmer, R. (2003) Developing your leadership pipeline Harvard Business Review. Gartner (2019) Gartner says 45% of managers lack confidence to help employees develop the skills they need today. Goler, L., Gale, J., Harrington, B., & Grant, A. (2018) Why people really quit their jobs Harvard Business Review. Gurdjan, P., Haibeisen, T., & Lane, K. (2022). Why leadership development programs fail McKinsey & Co. IBM (2014) The value of training IBM Corporation Jan, J. & Kandampully, J. (2017) Reducing employee turnover intention through servant leadership in the restaurant context: A mediation study of affective organizational commitment International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration 19(2),125-141. Kleinman, C. (2004) Leadership: A key strategy in staff nurse retention The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing 35(3). Korn Ferry (2022) The leadership shortage. LinkedIn (2018) 2018 Workplace learning report LinkedIn Rhyne, R. & Neal, S. (2021) Top CEO challenges 2021: 4 key trends in leadership.

What you need to know to get the most significant return from leadership development. We intuitively know that for leaders to be successful, we need to invest in developing our skills as leaders. The more a leader learns and effectively applies the better they become, and consequently, our organizations achieve better results. This statement is the tenet of leadership development. While there is truth to that statement, it overestimates the impact of the leader on the company and individual results, and it underestimates the impact of company culture, the leader-follower relationship and specific traits. Leaders perform within a company culture and are a part of the culture. Also, by sheer numbers alone the most substantial part of an organization is followers, not leaders. We tend to look to a leader to solve our problems rather than focusing on the reality that a company achieves most of their results through followers. By definition leaders need followers, or they are not leaders. Let's define leadership as service to others and followership as service to the leader both united in a common purpose and dependent on each other. To achieve greater success and maximize our leadership development investment performance we need to make some changes . One More Tool for the Toolbelt While the concept of followership is relatively new as compared to leadership, let’s consider a practical but fictitious leadership scenario to help us understand its meaning. You have likely heard the saying in leadership training that you are going to get another tool for your toolbelt. So, what if I gave builder “X” the best tools in their toolbelt, coached them to be their best physically, mentally and spiritually and put them in harsh working conditions and gave them a capable team that all spoke and understood different languages. Then I gave builder “Y” of same physical, mental, and spiritual well-being the same tools in their toolbelt and placed them in a good working environment with a capable team that all spoke the same language. Then I presented both builders with a challenge where they had the same amount of time and resources to build the same house. Which do you think would create the best home? Of course, the answer is obvious that a builder with better working conditions and a team that can communicate effectively can outperform a team in harsh conditions and cannot communicate effectively or efficiently. For too long companies have focused leadership development on the tools in the toolbelt of the leader, or the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of the leader and not stopped to consider the impact of the leader-follower relationship, organizational culture, and specific traits. Before discussing what senior leaders need to understand and what they can do to maximize a company’s leadership development return on investment, let’s quickly take a step back and recognize how we got here. Globalization and Today’s Workforce Realities The business world is shrinking as large multinational companies continue to expand into new markets, and the makeup of our workforce in our companies is becoming more diverse. One of the critical issues facing most senior leaders is the lack of having ready now employees within their organization. For more than ten years we have known that as the Baby Boomers start to retire organizations would begin to struggle to find talent. Generation X is not large enough to fill the gaps created by the Baby Boomers exiting organizations. In turn, each of the past five years the war for talent has continued to intensify globally. In the past, it was a company-specific problem, but now globally countries are recognizing the challenges and looking at their policies to help expand their country’s workforce. If you listen to the news, you know our world is full of complex problems like cybersecurity, and global political uncertainty but the topic of talent management is in discussions from the boardroom to the breakroom and companies are turning to leadership development to help solve their complex challenges. The leadership development industry is booming. Likely your company is making new investments in leadership development or considering an investment. 3 Insights You Need to Understand Here are three insights to help you understand how to maximize your company’s leadership development return on investment. 1. Understanding the Leader-Follower Relationship Followership is a relatively new term in comparison to leadership with some of the earliest research literature originating out of the 1960s. Today followership is often seen as common sense, or passive activity; however, conversely effective followership is active and courageous. We are not talking about effective followership being a “yes man” but of speaking truth to leadership and daring to disagree. Buildings and equipment do not achieve results without employees in organizations. Every organizational result is the direct contribution of, at some point, someone doing something, and by sheer numbers in organizations it often comes down to followers. Additionally, even leaders in organizations are followers. The CEO of a publicly traded company will be a leader for the company and a follower to the board of directors. It is common to think of the value of the follower in the leader-follower relationship as a minimum of being half of the total value of the relationship, but it is likely more accurate to think of the value of working on the leader-follower relationship as a multiplier. The follower can improve the results of the leader, and the leader can enhance the outcomes of the follower. Globally organizations sub-optimize leadership development investments when focusing only on the leader. Healthy leader-follower relationships require a supportive organizational culture, specific traits, and development to enhance corporate results from leadership development investments. 2. Cultural Context for the Leader-Follower Relationship Culture is one of those words that if you ask ten employees to define it, you will get ten different responses. Contemporary definitions recognize culture as far more than only what employees do at work, and culture impacts social relationships like the leader-follower relationship. The globalization of the workforce within companies creates an increasingly complex and diverse workplace with a variety of beliefs, values and behavioral norms represented. You may notice these cultural differences by hearing employees talking about how it feels different in this office as opposed to another office, observing leader performance shifts when they take on new but similar responsibility for leading different workgroups, or when there are diverse perspectives on an identified successor. To focus solely on leader development and exclude the culture in which the leader-follower relationship exists limits the effectiveness of the investment in the leader. Cultural beliefs, values, and norms also need to be understood and aligned to support the leader-follower relationship. Research exists for how cultural values support leadership such as, The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer, but there is limited work on understanding how cultural values support followership. It is crucial for organizations to have a culture where the leader-follower relationship can thrive. Globalization and the increasing diversification of the workforce will continue to increase the significance of company culture on leader-follower relationships and organizational results. 3. Follower and Leader Traits The research on an ideal follower and an ideal leader is similar in that there is a lack of agreement on a standard definition for both. However, the volume of research on followership lags leadership research. A quick search of Google for the word “leadership” returns 2.0 billion hits, and the word “followership” returns 0.001 billion hits (as of September 20, 2018). The expanding use of technology that allows information within a company to flow more quickly and freely is also enabling independent decision making by followers. One of the essential traits for a follower is the willingness to disagree and let the leader know the truth even when it is difficult to deliver. Inversely a critical characteristic for a leader is active listening. Leaders need to be able to listen not only to what is said but the feelings also being shared. Recently there has been an increase in focus from senior leaders on understanding the success traits of leaders for use in selection, competency models for development, performance management, and succession planning. Once a company defines the attributes of effective leader-follower relationships they can be used to create similar models for selection, development, and performance. Senior leaders can then use these talent management processes to measure performance and provide meaningful feedback and recognition to employees. 4 Steps You Can Take Now The following is a simple four-step approach to help you get started improving your leadership development investment. Step 1. Setting the Stage A good start for introducing the concept and attributes of effective leader-follower relationships is to conduct a workshop with the company’s senior leadership team on the topic of understanding the meaning of the word’s followership and leadership. The purpose of this discussion is to reinforce the importance of the leader-follower relationship, surface cultural differences that likely exist in a diverse workforce, and start building alignment toward a company definition for both leadership and followership. After discussing definitions, you can use the research that exists on leadership and followership to define the traits identified for effective leader-follower relationships in company-specific language. An example would be to take the followership trait of speaking truth to leadership and leadership trait of active listening and discuss behavioral examples of what each would look like put into action within the company. Enlisting the help of the senior leadership team in identifying and describing the attributes is to help ensure buy-in for company standards when incorporating these into the various talent management processes. Step 2. Creating a Movement Next, engage intact work teams in workshops set up similarly as in the prior step with the senior leadership team. It is essential to use this workshop to discover cultural differences that exist across the organization and work toward alignment. Senior leaders choosing to engage the workforce in this discussion need to recognize the relationship between time, cost and quality. Each of these variables impacts the next. Companies that only invest a minimal amount of time and funding will have limited quality and vice-versa. Step 3. Building Reinforcement At this point, it is important to update the appropriate company competency development models, performance management processes, and job descriptions if they exist to include the ideal leader-follower relationship traits identified in steps 1 and 2. Updating these documents and processes provides clear and explicit expectations and feedback for leaders and followers. Step 4. Creating Sustainability It will also be essential to consider long-term sustainability so incorporating this development into the orientation and onboarding will assist with assimilating new employees into the culture and company. Development of employees in the concept and attributes of the leader-follower relationship will maximize the value in leadership development investments. The intent of this article is not to present that multinational companies facing increased globalization should focus on the leader-follower relationship instead of leadership development, but rather on these critical insights for greater company success and improved leadership development investment performance.

To be successful in a rapidly changing world, we need to invest in developing new leadership skills. According to TrainingIndustry.com, an estimated $166 billion was spent in 2019 on leadership development in the United States. The more a leader learns and effectively applies, the better they perform, and consequently, our organizations achieve better results. This statement is the tenet of leadership development training. While there is some logic in that statement, it overestimates the leader's impact on the company results. The statement also underestimates the effects of company culture, the leader-follower relationship, and leader and follower traits on organizational outcomes. This article provides evidence-based insights and four simple steps to unlocking organizational talent potential and boosting corporate results by moving beyond leadership development. "If you believe that training is expensive, it is because you do not know what ignorance costs." ( Leboeuf ). Leaders perform within the company’s culture and are a part of the culture. Also, by sheer numbers alone, the most substantial part of an organization are followers, not leaders. Too often, we look to a leader to achieve organizational results rather than focusing on the reality that most results come from followers. By definition, leaders need followers, or they are not leaders. Leadership is the service to others and followership is the service to the leader, both united in a common purpose and interdependent. Followership can account for up to 80% of organizational results (Carsten et al.). To maximize the leadership development investment organizations, need insight into understanding: (1) globalization's influence, (2) leader-follower relationship, (3) cultural context, and (4) desired follower and leader traits. Insight #1. Globalization The business world is shrinking as large multinational companies continue to expand into new markets. The makeup of our workforce in our companies is becoming more diverse . One of the critical issues facing most senior leaders is the lack of ready employees within their organization. For more than ten years, we have known that organizations would begin to struggle to find talent as the Baby Boomers start to retire. Generation X is not large enough to fill the gaps created by the Baby Boomers exit from the workforce. In turn, each of the past five years, the war for talent has intensified globally. In the past, it was a company-specific problem. Now globally, countries are recognizing the challenges and looking at their policies to expand their country's workforce. If you listen to the news, you know our world is full of complex problems like cybersecurity and global political uncertainty. Still, talent management is in discussions from the boardroom to the breakroom. Companies are turning to leadership development to help solve their complex challenges. The leadership development industry is booming. Likely your company is making new investments in leadership development or considering an investment. Insight #2. Understanding the Leader-Follower Relationship Followership is a relatively new term compared to leadership. Followership is often perceived as a passive activity; conversely, effective followership is active and courageous . We are not talking about effective followership being a "yes man" but speaking truth to leadership and daring to disagree . Leaders in organizations are also followers. The CEO of a publicly-traded company is a follower of the board of directors. It is common to think of the follower's value in the leader-follower relationship as being half of the total amount of the relationship. Still, it is likely more accurate to think of the value of working on the leader-follower relationship as a multiplier . The follower can improve the leader's results, and the leader can enhance the follower's outcomes—globally, organizations sub-optimize leadership development strategy when focusing only on the leader. Healthy leader-follower relationships require a supportive organizational culture, specific traits, and development to enhance corporate results from leadership development investments. Insight #3. Cultural Context for the Leader-Follower Relationship Culture is one of those words that you will get ten different responses if you ask ten employees to define it. Contemporary definitions recognize culture as far more than only what employees do at work, and culture impacts social relationships like the leader-follower relationship. The globalization of the workforce within companies creates an increasingly complex and diverse workplace with various beliefs, values, and behavioral norms represented. You may notice these cultural differences by hearing employees talking about how it feels different in this office instead of another office, observing leader performance shifts when they take on new but similar responsibility for leading other workgroups, or when there are diverse perspectives on an identified successor. To focus solely on leader development and exclude the culture in which the leader-follower relationship exists limits the effectiveness of the investment in the leader. Cultural beliefs, values, and norms also need to be understood and aligned to support the leader-follower relationship. Research exists for how cultural values support leadership such as, The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer. However, there is little work on understanding how cultural values support followership. Organizations must have a culture where the leader-follower relationship can thrive. Globalization and the increasing diversification of the workforce will continue to increase company culture's significance on leader-follower relationships and organizational results. Insight #4. Follower and Leader Traits The volume of research on followership lags leadership research. Google's search for the word "leadership" returns 2.0 billion hits, and the word "followership" returns 0.001 billion hits. The expanding use of technology enables independent decision-making by followers. This change makes one of the essential traits for a follower, the willingness to disagree, and let the leader know the truth even when challenging to deliver. Inversely a critical characteristic for a leader is active listening. Leaders need to be able to listen to what is said and the feelings shared. Recently, there has been an increase in focus from senior leaders on understanding leaders' success traits for use in selection, competency models for development, performance management, and succession planning. Once a company defines the attributes of effective leader-follower relationships, they can be used to create similar models for selection, development, and performance. Senior leaders can then use these talent management processes to measure performance and provide meaningful feedback and recognition to employees. 4 Steps for Boosting Organizational Results This article's intent is not to present that companies should focus on the leader-follower relationship instead of leadership development. Preferably by taking the following simple steps, you can boost organizational results by moving beyond leadership development topics alone. Step 1. Setting the Stage An excellent place to start introducing the concept and attributes of effective leader-follower relationships is with the organization's senior leadership team. Conduct a workshop with the company's senior leaders with the objective of defining the meaning of the word's followership and leadership in the organization's context. The purpose of this discussion is to reinforce the importance of the leader-follower relationship, identify cultural differences that likely exist in a diverse workforce, and create expectations. After discussing definitions, you can use the research on leadership and followership to define the traits identified for effective leader-follower relationships in company-specific language. An example would be to take the attributes of speaking truth to leadership and active listening and discuss behavioral examples of what each would look like put into action within the company. The senior leadership team's help in identifying and describing the attributes is to help ensure buy-in for company standards when incorporating these into the various talent management processes. Step 2. Creating a Movement Next, engage intact work teams in workshops set up similarly as in step one with the senior leadership team. It is essential to discover cultural differences across the organization and work toward alignment. Senior leaders choosing to engage the workforce in this discussion need to recognize the relationship between time, cost, and quality. Each of these variables impacts the next. Companies that only invest a minimal amount of time and funding toward creating the movement will achieve limited quality and vice-versa. Step 3. Building Reinforcement At this point, it is crucial for human resources to update the appropriate company competency development models, performance management processes, and job descriptions to include the ideal leader-follower relationship attributes. Updating these documents and processes provides clear and explicit expectations and feedback for leaders and followers. Step 4. Creating Sustainability It will also be essential to consider this work's long-term sustainability, so incorporating the leader-follower development into the orientation and onboarding will help assimilate new employees into the culture and company. Developing employees in the concept and attributes of the leader-follower relationship will maximize the value of leadership development investments. To learn more about how your organization can boost organizational results by moving beyond leadership development contact Organizational Talent Consulting . References Blair, B. A., & Bligh, M. C. (2018). Looking for leadership in all the wrong places: The impact of culture on proactive followership and follower dissent. Journal of Social Issues, 74 (1), 129-143. Carsten, M.K., Koonce, R., Bligh, M.C., & Hurwitz, M. (2016). Followership in action. Cases and commentaries. Emerald Publishing Limited . Gobble, M. M. (2017). The value of followership. Research Technology Management, 60 (4), 59-61. Kelley, R. E. (1988). In praise of followers. Harvard Business Review, 66 , 142. Leboeuf, M. (1985). The greatest management principle in the world . Putnam Publishing Group.

Is there anything more unsettling than making huge decisions alone? Thankfully, it's been a while since I've tried. But in the past, I've made my share. I can tell firsthand that having a coach has many benefits beyond better decision-making. Leaders constantly navigate competing priorities. Boards, direct reports, customers, and of course, family and friends all have their unique needs. Leaders must be able to carefully explore and assess new ideas to thrive in an increasingly complex workplace. Executive coaching is a thought-provoking and creative partnership that inspires leaders to maximize their potential. Before you start exploring whether the costs are worth the benefits. The first question you need to wrestle with is if you are entirely ready. Like any development, you will get the most significant return when you can do the work. Here is what you can expect it to cost, five frequent benefits, and what to look for in an executive coach. What executive coaching is and is not? Coaching is not counseling, mentoring, or consulting. Counseling deals with past or current trauma, mental health, and symptoms to restore emotional wellness. Executive coaching focuses on the future and not the client's history. Unlike a coach, a mentor sets the agenda for their client using their experiences to guide the relationship. While that approach can be helpful in reality, we are all created with different strengths and backgrounds. A coach draws out the executive's desire and works to co-create options to achieve the executive's goals with individual and organizational benefits. Consulting involves partnering but differs from coaching by collaborating on the development of comprehensive strategies and tools. A consultant provides answers, and a coach uses questions to help you find the answers to your questions. An executive is a person with senior managerial and leadership responsibility in a business or organization. Executives are the owner, CEO, or Senior Leadership Team at a midsize company. These are generally categorized by revenue between $10 million to $1 billion and 50-250 employees. They can also be a Director or VP or on the Senior Leadership Team at a large organization. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The method of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership. Executive coaching, then, is a coaching relationship between a coach and a person with senior managerial and leadership responsibility in a business or organization. Why do executives and business owners need coaching now more than ever? Today's reality for a senior leader is that the marketplace changes rapidly. You are either ripe and rotting or green and growing. So, how can an executive effectively stay green and grow in such a fast-paced environment? In an extensive quantitative study by Stanley Black & Decker, the Sasha Corporation found that executives receiving coaching increased goal performance by 15% compared to executives not receiving coaching. In a literature review of 81 executive coaching studies, researchers found that executive coaching positively impacts the leader and the organization. These benefits range from becoming more confident to contributing more effectively to empowering employees and improving employee retention. Some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 100 contribute to the $1 billion executive coaching industry. Coaching is a fast-growing sector, and the broad support for executive coaching as a solution to today's challenges and its effectiveness is undeniable. Evidence suggests executive coaching leads to individual and organizational benefits, including: Enhanced self-awareness Improved performance Better communication Stress management Conflict resolution Decision making Career advancement “It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.” — Denis Waitley What do you get from executive coaching? Outcome 1. Resilience Resilience is a fundamental outcome of executive coaching. Frequently, leaders look for a coach to help adapt their leadership style, deal effectively with change, or build high-quality, trust-based relationships. As executives work to achieve their goals, barriers, and challenges must be overcome. In the process of overcoming these barriers, leaders build resilience and self-confidence. Outcome 2. Shifting Assumptions and Perceptions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are key growth strategies for many organizations: entering new marketplaces, acquiring new technologies, and leveraging scale and size. Culture is critical during notable changes, such as M&A, and executive leaders increasingly work with and lead multicultural teams. Coaching helps leaders shift assumptions and perceptions and adopt positive cross-cultural motivation, vision, and cultural agility. Outcome 3. Improved Emotional Intelligence (EQ) A recent Harvard study revealed that a leader's emotional intelligence (EQ) matters more than their mental ability (IQ). A key outcome of executive coaching is improved emotional intelligence. Often, leaders pressed for time to move from one urgent task to another and miss the advantage of pausing to reflect and become self-aware. An executive coach's use of assessments like a 360-leadership survey and purposeful reflection helps leaders learn and enhance their emotional intelligence. Reflection improves performance. Outcome 4. Growth Focus and Accountability Any road will get you where you want to go if you don't know where you are going. Setting direction is vital to growth as a leader. An executive coach ensures development goals are purposeful and bring perspective to the best areas to focus. Leaders are busy and without accountability, miss opportunities for learning and growth. In the executive coaching relationship, external accountability is a crucial benefit. A coach can help the leader prioritize critical topics to change in the best direction. Outcome 5. Developmental Feedback Executive leaders receive feedback continuously from a wide range of sources on potential areas of development but also can struggle to make sense of the feedback. Proximity to a problem sometimes impacts the leader's clarity on importance. Also, general feedback is often not presented in effective or constructive ways. A coach assists the leader with filtering through various points of critical feedback to return focus on the essential constructive aspects. How much does executive coaching cost? Executive coaching costs and pricing strategies vary widely based on the services offered, the executive coach's experience level, and the client's organizational level. Executive coaches commonly use hourly, value-based, retainer, or productized pricing. Studies by the Harvard Business Review and The Conference Board suggested executive coach rates range from $200 to over $3500 per hour. Some coaches, like Marshall Goldsmith, who is frequently listed as the top-rated executive coach, use a performance-based pricing model. Simply stated, he only gets paid when his clients improve. Ready for the mic drop? He gets $250,000 per client for a year-long engagement. Recently, virtual coaching has become more popular, and offers added convenience, service, and affordability through reduced travel and costs from associated time out of the office. Although these benefits are advantageous, the research does not support replacing face-to-face coaching with virtual coaching. In reality, in-person and virtual coaching both have associated pros and cons. What to look for in an executive coach? A good executive coach is trained and qualified. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a globally recognized association with evidence-based competency and code of ethics certification requirements. The ICF identifies the following eight core coach competencies updated as of 2019 based on empirical data collected over two years and from job analyses of 1,300 coaches globally: Demonstrates Ethical Practice Embodies a Coaching Mindset Establishes and Maintains Agreements Cultivates Trust and Safety Maintains Presence Listens Actively Evokes Awareness Facilitates Client Growth In addition to the list of coach qualifications, evidence suggests the following additional traits and competencies specific to executive coaching: Self-confidence Assertiveness Goal Orientation Continuous Learning & Development Integrity Business acumen Psychological knowledge Organizational knowledge An excellent executive coach usually refrains from giving advice or sharing personal stories. Instead, the coach asks powerful questions to help the executive clarify their problems in achieving their goals. Conclusion: Is Executive Coaching Really Worth It? The confidence and growth that comes from a creative thought partnership in the executive coaching relationship can't be beaten. Now more than ever, due to the complexity placed on senior leadership roles, executives need coaches who can support their continuous development. Falling behind in a rapidly changing marketplace will not lead to success. The coach-leader relationship fosters a leader's growth through purposeful direction, reflection, feedback, and accountability. See how our goal-oriented executive coaching turns your aspirations into your future. Accelerate your career - Coaching keeps you feeling challenged and increases your blind spot awareness. Live life to the fullest - Coaching facilitates experimentation and self-discovery. Shift your mindset - Coaching helps you challenge your assumptions and views. References: Ahrend, G., Diamond, F., & Webber, P. G. (2010). Virtual coaching: Using technology to boost performance. Chief Learning Officer, 9,44–47. Athanasopoulou, A., & Dopson, S. (2015). Developing leaders: By executive coaching. Oxford Press. Athanasopoulou, A., & Dopson, S. (2018). A systematic review of executive coaching outcomes: Is it the journey or the destination that matters most? The Leadership Quarterly. 29(1), 70-88. Berglas, S. (2002). The very real dangers of executive coaching. Harvard Business Review, 80(6), 86-153. Clark, D., Cohn, A., & Goldsmith, M. (2019). A short guide to pricing your services as a consultant or coach. Harvard Business Review. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. ICF. (2020). 2020 ICF global coaching study: Executive summary. International Coaching Federation.

Sometimes it is easy to spot the difference between a leadership bad habit and a good one. Take communication. While ineffective leaders avoid difficult conversations and blame their teams when issues don't go away, effective leaders know their responsibility is to lean in with vulnerability. Years ago, I was making a succession planning and leadership development presentation to the board of directors. My leader wasn't there. But, my boss's leader was. My goal was to review the past year's outcomes and make a pitch for future talent management investments. I was nervously waiting outside the executive board room, going through the presentation in my head. My boss's boss stepped out of the board room, told me a joke, and walked in with me. The presentation went well. However, I misspoke at one point, and he quickly chimed in to cover me. I remember feeling humbled by his kindness and servant's heart. Here's the reality: Outer game habits like that don't just happen. Unlocking your inner game maximizes leadership potential. Why Unlocking Your Inner Game is Important? Leadership creates defining moments; situations where choices must be made between right and right. It is in these moments that your inner game guides how you respond. While your leadership behaviors (outer game) prescribe what you should do in a given situation, your character ( inner game ) will decide what you do. Evidence suggests that effective leadership involves a combination of competence and character applied to challenging work. "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Viktor Frankl Studies reveal that executive leaders with high character scores outperform leaders with low character scores on business financial measures. In a study of executive leaders and their organizations over a two-year period, CEOs who scored high on aspects of character had an average return on assets (ROA) of 9.35%, in contrast to CEOs with low ratings who had a ROA of 1.93%. Character determines how leaders apply competence, and it shapes decisions. How to GROW Your Inner Game The GROW model is one of the most popular frameworks used by executive coaches to unlock inner game potential and maximize leadership performance. The framework was first written about by Formula 1 driver Sir John Whitmore and has become a go-to approach applied in executive coaching research. Given that your ultimate goal is changing, the GROW model relies on questions rather than instruction. Tapping into client-centered critical thinking, the model invokes improved self-awareness and leads to increased personal responsibility for change. In this two-minute video Sir Whitmore reflects on the question, what is the GROW model? The GROW framework represents a journey that begins with the client clarifying an inspiring and challenging goal from their point of view. Then the client's current reality, barriers to change , and available options are explored. The framework is based on the belief that imagination creates breakthroughs to change. The final step is connecting the client's motivation for change with a clear path forward. Specific timebound actions tied to commitments and accountability create transformation. This step involves the client deciding which steps they will take and when to achieve their goals. 2 Key Skills To Unlock the Inner Game Too often, everyone is talking. Time and attention get spent on urgent and surface-level topics in a digital full-speed world. At the same time, opportunities for talking about what matters most are missed. Being honestly heard is rare. The hybrid workplace has not helped. Due to technology limitations, leaders communicating with a remote workforce receive less context and fewer cues. The art of active listening and smart questioning skills are two keys to unlocking the inner game. 1. Active Listening is the ability to hear and improve mutual understanding. Hearing is not a synonym for listening. When you actively listen, you pay attention, show interest, suspend judgment, reflect, clarify, summarize, and share to gain clarity and understanding. When you are practicing active listening, you are available to the other person. Active listening builds trust and improves the creativity needed for exploring available options and motivation for change. Active listening skills include verbal, nonverbal, and empathic listening: Verbal listening is paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, assumption checking, and questioning. Nonverbal listening refers to your body language. Eye contact, leaning forward, and an open body position all provide cues of affirmation. Empathic listening involves sensing the explicit and implicit feelings being communicated. 2. Smart Questioning is grounded in curiosity and creates understanding. Because these questions have no expected answers, they open minds and enhance creativity. There are three levels of smart questions: Level 1: Yes or no questions. Are you OK with implementing the new leadership development program for the operations team? Level 2: Provocative questions. I am excited about the new leadership development program that you created. I can tell it will add a lot of value to the operations team. How are you thinking about it? What is the real challenge in implementing leadership development? Level 3: Catalytic questions. Which parts of the leadership development program will produce the most significant value? How would you describe success in implementing the new leadership development program? What assumptions do you have? A GROW conversation typically begins with level one questions, intending to get the conversation to the highest level possible. Conclusion: Unlocking Your Inner Game Outer game habits like that don't just happen. Unlocking your inner game maximizes your leadership potential during defining moments. Many people are good talkers. However, few are skilled listeners, and the hybrid workplace is making it more challenging. The GROW model is a proven executive coaching framework . This framework relies on the art of active listening and smart questioning skills to enhance trust and creativity. Skillfully applied, like an acorn can become an oak tree, your inner game potential can maximize your leadership performance. How could the GROW model help you maximize your potential or develop those you lead? References Bazerman, M. H., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (2011). Blind spots: Why we fail to do what's right and what to do about it . Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Glaser, J. (2014). Conversational intelligence: How great leaders build trust and get extraordinary results. Bibliomotion. Seijts, G., Crossan, M., & Carleton, E. (2017). Embedding leader character into HR practices to achieve sustained excellence. Organizational Dynamics, 46 (1), 30-39. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.02.001

Have you ever hesitated to share a suggestion or challenge the status quo at work? Yeah, you are not alone. A memorable crucible experience of mine was early in my career when I needed to give some critical feedback to a division president. But I didn’t, and the company missed an opportunity to improve. Silence is expensive. But a natural tendency is to play defense when times get tough. In a rapidly changing digital workplace, the benefits of cultivating a climate of psychological safety are well established. Overcoming the fear of failure and blame is necessary for companies to adapt and innovate. A recent Pew Research Center survey of US employees found that 89% believe it is the responsibility of business leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. We all share a need to belong. Shared identity is a fundamental aspect of effective communication and belonging. Here are the four leadership dimensions and practical ideas for creating a shared identity at work. Why a shared identity matters Social Identity Theory suggests that we share identity with individuals with whom we associate. And as a result, we are more likely to trust and influence those individuals compared to individuals and groups with which we do not associate. Academic research suggests that the benefits of shared identity include: Productive conflict Wellbeing Inclusion and belonging Improved performance Enhanced knowledge management In conversations, we tend to find communication more comfortable and productive with those we consider “us” versus “them.” According to social identity theory, as individuals, we are more motivated to be receptive and mentally able to process more fully communications with those we identify. Numerous studies have revealed that shared social identity improves team communication. Perceived similarity increases communication quality, and perceived differences lower communication quality. Shared identity leads to shared understanding resulting in effective communication. When it comes to communication and social identity, perception is reality. 4 Stages of psychological safety and the leadership challenge Psychological safety is the degree to that you feel included and able to learn, contribute, and provide critical feedback without fear of being embarrassed, excluded, or penalized. Psychological safety is different than trust. Trust is if you will give others the benefit of the doubt, and psychological safety is the environment influencing if others will give you the benefit of the doubt. Psychological safety helps you and others work better together. The leadership challenge is to increase intellectual friction while decreasing social friction. There are four defined sequential stages of psychological safety: Stage 1: Inclusion Safety We are constantly dividing the world between them and us. Inclusion safety is creating a shared identity so others are viewed as being in the same group. Stage 2: Learner Safety This is feeling safe enough to experiment, ask questions, and fail as a part of the learning process. Stage 3: Contributor Safety Is participating as an active full-fledged member of the team supported by autonomy and encouragement. Stage 4: Challenger Safety This is the last stage when others can provide constructive criticism and engage in productive conflict without fear of exclusion or retaliation. This is the stage where teams and individuals can adapt and innovate. It is extremely dangerous in a competitive marketplace not to have a culture of psychological safety. Psychological safety is a tool for leaders to help care for followers. Also, when it is emotionally expensive in the workplace to share what you think and feel, it triggers a self-censoring instinct that shuts down and blocks collaboration and innovation. “The presence of fear in an organization is the first sign of weak leadership.” Timothy Clark In a defensive and virtual climate, how can leaders best create a shared identity? In a complex and crisis-driven marketplace, leaders need employees that take risks. Identity leadership research has identified the following four dimensions of leadership that moderate shared identity: 1. Being one of us. Exemplifying the unique qualities and what it means to be a member of the team and distinct from other groups. Are you a model member of the team? 2. Doing it for us. Standing up for and championing the interests of the group rather than the leader’s interests. Acting in ways that overcome challenges and prevent team failure. Are you acting as a champion of the team? 3. Crafting a sense of us. Making a diverse team feel that they are part of the same group and increasing cohesion and inclusion. Clarifying what the team stands for and what it does not by defining core values. Are you creating team cohesion? 4. Making us matter. Designing and clarifying team roles and responsibilities in ways that maximize coordination and value visible to the team and organization. How well have you defined team roles in ways that are helpful to the team and business? Where you begin and how you approach creating a shared identity makes a difference. Studies have revealed that creating a shared identity is best introduced at a grassroots level versus a top-down approach. It is more effective to begin developing a shared identity within your team versus the organization. Also, evidence suggests team participation in the development of shared identity makes it better. “A change imposed is a change opposed.” Spencer Johnson Creating a shared identity begins with a conversation. Try asking the following questions in your next team or one-to-one meeting: Why is this team important to you? What is the value this team brings to the business? If you want to take it up a level, using an assessment can be a powerful tool for starting a good conversation and providing additional insights into a shared identity. The DISC temperament inventory or the Clifton StrengthsFinder are two low-cost proven tools that enhance clarity, commitment, and contribution within a team. What is the real shared identity challenge for you and your team? References Ashforth, B., & Mael, F. (1989). Social Identity Theory and the Organization. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14, 20–39. Eckel, C. , & Gorssman, P. (2005). Managing diversity by creating team identity” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Vol. 58. 371–392. Clark, S. M., Gioia, D. A., Ketchen, D. J., & Thomas, J. B. (2010). Transitional identity as a facilitator of organizational identity change during a merger. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55(3), 397-438. Dick, R., Ciampa, V., & Liang, S. (2018). Shared identity in organizational stress and change. Current Opinion in Psychology, 23, 20-25. Greenaway, K. H., Wright, R. G., Willingham, J., Reynolds, K. J., & Haslam, S. A. (2015). Shared Identity Is Key to Effective Communication. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41(2), 171–182. Krug, H., Haslam, A., Otto, K., & Steffens, N. (2021). Identity leadership, social identity continuity, and well-being at work during COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology. Nagle, J., & Clancy, M. (2012). Constructing a shared public identity in ethno nationally divided societies: Comparing consociational and transformationist perspectives: Constructing a shared public identity in ethno nationally divided societies. Nations and Nationalism, 18(1), 78-97. Parker, K. (2018). Many Americans say women are better than men at creating safe, respectful workplaces. Pew Research Center. Rink, F., & Ellemers, N. (2007). Diversity as a basis for shared organizational identity: The norm congruity principle. British Journal of Management, 18(s1), S17-S27. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2007.00523.xvan Steffens, N., Haslam A., Reicher S., Platow, M., Fransen, K., Yang, J., Ryan, M., Jetten, J., Peters, K., & Boen, F. (2014). Leadership as social identity management: Introducing the Identity Leadership Inventory (ILI) to assess and validate a four-dimensional model. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(5). 1001-1024.

Employees want more meaningful and purposeful work. Few experience happiness or commitment in the workplace. Research indicates that only two in ten U.S. employees are satisfied with their place of work. Despite this, 71% of executives recognize an engaged workforce is critical to a company's success. You're not alone if you are on a quest for the perfect career or feel stuck in a rut. A recent study found that nearly three in ten employees are looking for a new job in the new year. However, the best solution for many may not be found in switching positions or companies . There's a saying that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. Discovering purpose and meaning at work begins with a clear picture of what it looks like rather than simply thinking, "Anything but this." Here is what you need to know about an ancient Japanese concept called ikigai and three steps to finding purpose and meaning at work. Starting with the end in mind matters Career fulfillment and satisfaction are found in balancing your passions, skills, and interests. It is a positive response to an actual or felt satisfaction of needs, desires, or aspirations. Athletes are trained to visualize themselves successfully achieving their goals before events. Numerous scientific studies link creative visualization (the ability to start with the end in mind) to improved performance, goal achievement, and stress management. Research supports that beginning with the end in mind through creative practice boosts your confidence and competence. Here is a short video on the concept of mental imagery used by athletes. Ikigai ( e -key-guy ) is a Japanese concept dating back to 794 AD that refers to your direction or purpose in life, providing fulfillment, satisfaction, and a sense of meaning. The literal translation consists of two words, 'iki' meaning to live and 'gai' meaning reason. Evidence suggests that the positive psychological effects of ikigai include: professional success well-being academic success physical benefits such as longevity of life Evidence from a study of over 40,000 adults found that both men and women with ikigai had a decreased risk of death from external causes. Visualizing your ikigai/career fulfillment Clarifying your ikigai unlocks the ability to visualize success (career fulfillment and satisfaction). Here is a short video on the meaning of ikigai. The key to understanding your professional ikigai is to explore the following four questions: What do you love to do? What does the world need? What can you get paid for? What are your strengths? The intersection points of these four questions help you clarify your passion (love and good at), mission (love and world needs), vocation (world needs and paid for), and profession (paid for and good at). The busyness of a fast-paced digital world has a way of keeping us from achieving our life's goals. Although this concept may appear straightforward, the value lies in the hard work of uncovering your answers to each of the four questions. Here are three steps to clarify your picture of career fulfillment: Finding Purpose and Meaning Step #1: Ask Yourself This is a potentially obvious point, but crucial. Planning is often the most significant barrier to reflection. You get too busy or distracted and move on to the next thing before reflecting. It doesn't have to be long, but I recommend scheduling at least 20 minutes in a quiet place. Then, ask yourself each question and journal what comes to your mind. Don't filter. Just write it down. Remember that discovering your answers to these questions is a journey rather than a one-time process. Finding Purpose and Meaning Step #2: Ask Others Find a few people who know you well, that you trust, and will be encouraging. Ask them how they would answer the questions for you. Consider hiring an executive coach . An effective executive coach will challenge assumptions and views and encourage, stretch, and challenge you. Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential. Finding Purpose and Meaning Step #3: Reflect Reflect on what you heard. Consider themes rather than specific points shared and, as needed, edit or delete points you journaled. Once you understand your ikigai well, you can use the four questions and a simple Likert rating scale, where one is low, and five is high, to score every professional opportunity you might be considering along with your current work. The higher the score, the higher the alignment with your ikigai. References: Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 Proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Garcia, H. & Miralles, F. (2018). Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life. Penguin Life. Personio (2021). Counting the cost: How businesses risk a post-pandemic talent drain. Schippers, M., & Ziegler, N. (2019). Life crafting is a way to find purpose and meaning in life. Frontiers in Psychology, 10 , 2778-2778. Tanno, K., Sakata, K., Ohsawa, M., Onoda, T., Itai, K., Yaegashi, Y., Tamakoshi, A., for JACC Study Group, & JACC Study Group. (2009). Associations of ikigai as a positive psychological factor with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese people: Findings from the Japan collaborative cohort study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67 (1), 67-75. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Job openings and labor turnover summary. Economic News Release.

Caught between the pressure of urgent and important work demands, delegating is often one leadership approach to get cut. Yet one of the top five reasons high potential employees leave their current employer is for an exciting career development opportunity. What if effectively delegating is the very thing executive leaders need to master now more than ever to win in the marketplace? Effective executive leadership involves effective delegation. Executive leaders that maximize their purpose approach delegating with intention and a win-win mindset. Carefully considering the task, situation, employee capacity and capability, communication, and leadership support are essential to delegating, so that sticks. What Delegation Is and Is Not One of the more complex and essential things for a leader to do is go from doing to leading. Giving up authority and responsibility can seem counterintuitive to leadership. Effectively delegating increases work-related discretion and the authority for an employee to make decisions without consulting with you for pre-approval. Effective delegation is a dynamic two-way process that involves the transfer of responsibility and authority from the leader to a willing delegate. Effective delegation is not assigning a task or decision to an unwilling employee. Giving a direct report the responsibility without the authority does not work. Not having the authority to act results in wasted time and frustration for both you and the employee. Why Delegating is Important Research has found that effective delegation improves job satisfaction, responsibility, performance , intrinsic motivation, confidence, and career development. It is thought that delegation signals trust and support from the leader to the delegate, resulting in increased follower effort and performance. Additionally, effective delegation improves the employee perception of the leader's performance. If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make an impact, learn to delegate. – John C. Maxwell Organizational Culture and Relationships Matter Research has demonstrated that your relationship quality with the employee and the organization's culture moderate the effectiveness of delegating. High levels of trust in high-quality leader-follower relationships enhance the positive outcomes of delegating. Likewise, if your relationship is weak with the delegate, the outcome is at risk. Hierarchical organization structures typically found in high-power distance cultures limit the positive effects of delegation on performance. High power distance relates to the lack of balance in power between the leader and follower. In traditional high power distance national cultures found in countries such as China or Japan, the leader has a much higher degree of power than the employee. 5 Steps to Delegating Effectively Effective delegation can be challenging. Spending a little time and effort upfront to consider the task, situation, employee, communication, and leadership support is crucial to delegate effectively. Use the following five-step checklist to improve your delegating skills. Step 1. Consider and decide if you should delegate. Delegating during crises with critical benefits or harm to the organization is not appropriate. Determine if delegating will help you use your time better or potentially develop others for succession or similar future work. Circumstances with tight timelines with severe or long-term consequences do not allow for mistakes or coaching for development. Step 2. Decide to whom you will delegate the decision or task. Consider if they have the experience, knowledge, skills, tools, resources, and willingness needed to succeed. Delegating to an employee that is overloaded can lead to costly mistakes. When using delegation for development, consider how to best support the delegate's development. Step 3. Clearly communicate what you are delegating, timelines, outcome expectations, and why you are delegating. Write it down and discuss it with the delegate to make sure they accept. Clarify if you will keep some of the elements of the task or decision yourself. Explain the reasons for why you are delegating and why you chose them. Discuss the tools and resources available and as appropriate development coaching. Step 4. Communicate with others. Decide what critical relationships are involved in this work and make sure they know what and to whom you have delegated the task or decision. Step 5. Provide feedback, incentives, and consequences. Monitor performance and provide corrective and appreciative input along the way, so the delegate knows how they are doing. Then evaluate their performance and let them know how they did. Doing a task for the first time and not knowing how you are doing is frustrating. Key Summary Points: Executive leaders that maximize their purpose approach delegating with intention and a win-win mindset. Giving a direct report the responsibility without the authority does not work. Effective delegation improves job satisfaction, responsibility, performance, intrinsic motivation, confidence, and career development. High levels of trust in high-quality leader-follower relationships enhance the positive outcomes of delegating. Hierarchical organization structures typically found in high-power distance cultures limit the positive effects of delegation on performance. Spending a little time and effort upfront to consider the task, situation, employee, communication, and leadership support is crucial to delegate effectively. If you want to architect a positive culture or need an executive coach , we're ready to partner with you to craft a solution specific to your organization's context and challenges. Getting started is as easy as visiting www.organizationaltalent.com or contacting us via email info@organizationaltalent.com. Organizational Talent Consulting utilizes proven, simple, and transformational personal and organizational development solutions to help our clients learn, change, and apply tools in ways that benefit their unique needs and corporate culture. References: Chevrier, S., & Viegas-Pires, M. (2013). Delegating effectively across cultures. Journal of World Business: JWB, 48(3), 431-439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2012.07.026 Drescher, G. (2017). Delegation outcomes: Perceptions of leaders and followers’ satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 32(1), 2-15. Joiner, T. A., & Leveson, L. (2015). Effective delegation among hong kong Chinese male managers: The mediating effects of LMX. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(6), 728-743. Yukl, G. and Fu, P. (1999), “Determinants of delegation and consultation by managers”, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 219-232.