Put some leadership into that leadership program
"The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development." John C. Maxwell
As a leadership author, consultant, coach, speaker, and trainer following my 27-years in the U.S. Army I've taken on the cause of creating future leaders and helping organizations invest in their people. There exists an epidemic of bad leadership in companies and communities due largely to a void of leadership training and education in our academic institutions. For proof, look no further than Gallup's employee disengagement survey, which hovers around 65% disengaged employees in the workplace. I've made it my life's work so I'm always pleased to see conferences and programs which contain leadership in their title. I've noticed a disturbing trend however - leadership is missing from the agenda.
Look for yourself. Find your local chamber of commerce or city government and type in "leadership (name of city)." Many have a program which recruits a cohort of mostly younger people from local government and businesses who show promise to be future community leaders. Scroll further and find the agenda. You'll likely not find anything reflecting leadership training. There may be a slight mention of leadership development but its contents and objectives are vague or missing altogether. What you'll find instead is a tour of who's who - people in the community who hold positions of leadership talking about what they and their organizations do. Indeed, this is valuable to aspiring community leaders. It helps them see the big picture and get a sense of how the community works. However, this is not leadership.
Just because a person holds a position of leadership does not mean they can lead. If one applies the Gallup standard of 65% to the group of leaders an attendee will encounter in a leadership program, there is little assurance they will learn leadership. I've examined many of these programs and what one will typically find is a promise of discussions on topics such as business, education, economics, agriculture, public policy, healthcare, and government. These are important topics for sure, but again, none promises leadership.
There is no shortage of leadership training and education available to leadership programs. Assign a book or leadership case study. Book a speaker or find a local military veteran to talk about military leadership. Include self-awareness training, offer presentations on influencing people, ethical dilemma case studies, teach vision, and values. Don't just mention culture in the program - define it and teach the group how to form and foster it. Take a guided tour of a local battlefield site - the possibilities are endless and the benefits of this experience will leave an indelible mark on the program's participants.
If leadership doesn't fit in the program, take it out of the title. Don't mislead participants into believing they will gain some leadership acumen. If it is a who's who, call it Community Engagement or Building Community or (enter city name)'s Future. The epidemic of bad leadership will not be fixed anytime soon, therefore it is incumbent for leadership program directors to alter their programs and tackle the 65%. Make the investment today so that future leaders can teach leadership in future programs which contain leadership in their title. Our communities and companies, moreover, our people deserve this.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell