A lack of executive sponsorship is the biggest barrier to organisations successfully developing leaders, according to a comprehensive global study by Korn Ferry, the global leadership consultancy.
The “Real World Leadership” study of more than 7,500 executives from 107 countries found that there is not only a general lack of active sponsorship, buy-in, and support from the top, but also disappointment amongst respondents in the standard of leadership development programmes in their organisations. Over half (55 per cent) of respondents ranked the benefits derived from these programmes as only “fair” to “very poor”. Executives responding to the study also said that filling gaps in their leadership pipeline is a top leadership development priority.
“The first step in gaining executive buy-in for leadership development is to start with strategic business needs,” said Korn Ferry principal consultant, Dési Kimmins. “Executives must examine what challenges the organisation currently faces, where the business is going, and the leadership profile required to get the company to where it needs to go. This process starts with the C-suite and must sustain that level of endorsement and sponsorship to be successful. The most senior leaders need to engage in the development strategy and insist the impact is regularly measured and reported.
“Given the vital role leadership plays in the success of any organisation, leadership development has to become a ‘must have’ rather than ‘nice to have’ business process. Organisations are already investing heavily in leadership development but they need to ensure that these resources are being spent wisely and producing the desired results. Involvement from the top level of the business is vital to achieving that.” The study also highlights a need for top leaders to take part in their own development. A common mistake is to assume that executive development should be pared down as executives move to higher levels in their organisation.
“People assume that the necessary development happens naturally, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Kimmins warns. “A CEO, for example, not only has to run a business but also deal with a large number of external stakeholders, such as shareholders, the board of directors, business partners and even the media – which he or she has often not done before. That’s why stepping into the CEO role is sometimes described as a career change, not just another step on the career ladder. Development and feedback even at this level are essential when so much is at stake.”
The report offers specific tips for increasing the effectiveness of leadership development programmes and creating a robust and sustainable leadership pipeline: Embed leadership development in the culture and strategy of the organisation, ensuring it is consistently sponsored by top executives. Embrace the idea that leadership development is a continuous process and not just made up of one-time classes or one-off events. Make leadership development more relevant and engaging by focusing programmes on the organisation’s current strategies and business issues. Roll out relevant and appropriate development for employees at all levels in the organisation, right to the very top. Don’t cut back on investing in leadership development when times get tough. That is the time to double down on efforts.
