Harness the Power of Leadership Development
by Holly Ransom: Founder and CEO of leadership development firm Emergent
In a world of constant change, effective leadership isn’t just important—it’s essential.
Leadership is the rudder that steers the ship of an organisation through the turbulent waters of market volatility, technological advancements, and shifting consumer behaviours.
However, the 2023 Global Leadership Forecast by DDI, the world’s most comprehensive ongoing leadership study, paints a concerning picture. Only 40% of leaders are confident in the quality of leadership in their organisations— a 17% drop in just two years, the steepest decline in a decade. Notably, the study also reveals that half of the CEOs surveyed consider developing the next generation of leaders a key challenge for their organisations, with only 12% of companies reporting confidence in the strength of their leadership bench—a significant barrier to growth.
In the realm of addressing this complex challenge, leadership training emerges as a powerful tool to identify gaps in leadership capabilities, hone key skills, and develop effective strategies that drive performance and growth. Whether it’s facilitating leadership development programs, offering executive coaching, or providing strategic advice on leadership succession, leadership development can play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of employee leadership and paving the way for organisational success.
The Impact of Leadership Development on Business Performance
As per the 2023 Global Leadership Forecast by DDI, organisations that boast a robust leadership bench demonstrate impressive advantages:
Their employees are 10 times more likely to categorise their leaders as “very good” or “excellent.” This is a testament to the level of trust and respect that employees have for their leaders, which in turn boosts morale and productivity.
Such organisations are 6 times more likely to attract and retain top talent. This is crucial in a market where the competition for skilled professionals is fierce. It also indicates that these organisations are seen as desirable places to work, where employees can grow and thrive.
They are 5 times more likely to prevent employee burnout. This is a significant advantage, as burnout can lead to decreased productivity, increased turnover, and a negative impact on the overall health of the organisation.
These organisations are 3 times more likely to be among the top financial performers. This is a clear indication of the positive impact that strong leadership can have on an organisation’s bottom line. It also underscores the importance of investing in leadership development and succession planning.
Emergent Leadership Development
Customised Leadership Development Solutions
Every business is unique, presenting it with a distinct set of challenges and opportunities for growth.
At Emergent, we understand this diversity and offer customised leadership development solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of each business, ensuring maximum effectiveness. Our focus lies in identifying leadership potential and fostering a holistic learning approach, empowering everyone to exercise their inherent leadership abilities.
We believe in providing practical tools that can be consistently applied, equipping your team to navigate any challenges they may encounter.
Emergent provides a diverse range of solutions including..
Interactive workshops crafted to meet your specific needs,
Long-term and short-term intensive programs designed to align with your organisational timelines and objectives
Immersive off-sites aimed at igniting drive, inspiration, and innovation—bringing your team together under a common purpose.
Additionally, we’ve developed an online leadership program within a custom-built app that can be tailored to your unique requirements. This online leadership learning platform offers convenience and serves as an ideal solution for teams dispersed across different locations.
Our Core Tenets
Building Trust and Communication
Trust and communication form the bedrock of effective teamwork. Emergent is equipped to foster these crucial elements within teams, thereby enhancing overall performance. The benefits of effective communication to team performance are manifold, including:
Enhanced comprehension
Boosted collaboration
Heightened productivity
Strengthening trust and unity
Encouraging ongoing improvement
With our online leadership training, we utilise a bespoke, internal platform that promotes open communication and cultivates an environment where employees are at ease sharing their thoughts and ideas. The establishment of trust and open communication within teams enables organisations to create a positive work environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, and success.
Identifying and Developing Emerging Leaders
Identifying and nurturing future leaders is crucial to ensuring that organisations have the right individuals in the right roles to achieve their goals. This also guarantees that there is a steady stream of leaders gaining valuable experience and rising through the ranks for long-term success.
The process of identifying and nurturing potential leaders is not a one-off event but rather a continuous journey. It starts with the recognition of individuals who display a certain spark – those who show initiative, demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, and have a knack for inspiring others. These individuals, when given the right guidance and opportunities, can grow into effective leaders who can drive the organisation towards its goals.
The development process involves immersive training, applicable tools, and hands-on experiences, allowing emerging leaders to lead teams and receive constructive feedback. This approach not only shapes them into well-rounded leaders but also provides insights into shaping a leadership-friendly organisational culture.
Ultimately, identifying and developing leaders is an essential investment in the organisation’s future, ensuring readiness to face challenges and seize opportunities. Unfortunately, leadership development is often overlooked until issues arise. By prioritising leadership development and evaluating potential leaders on key skills, organisations can foster a culture shift and set the stage for success.
At Emergent, we believe in unlocking the leadership potential within each individual, regardless of their position. With the right tools and environment, leaders can naturally emerge, contributing to the overall success of your organisation.
Driving Innovation and Growth
In today’s competitive business landscape, innovation and growth are vital for organisations to thrive. Agile leadership is essential to drive innovation, and leadership development can help organisations achieve this by:
Cultivating a culture of learning and curiosity: By fostering an environment of continuous learning and curiosity, leadership development programs help build team effectiveness and nurture leaders who are not only well-equipped with the necessary skills but also have an innate desire to constantly improve and innovate.
Formulating a concise innovation strategy: Leadership development aids in creating a clear and concise innovation strategy that aligns with the organisation’s overall goals and objectives. This strategy serves as a roadmap for driving innovation and growth in the organisation.
Offering thought leadership: Leadership development companies provide thought leadership, offering new perspectives and insights that can help the organisation to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing business environment.
Generating a portfolio of ideas: Leadership development processes can also help in generating a portfolio of innovative ideas, providing the organisation with a variety of options to explore for future growth and development.
Upon integrating these strategies, Emergent can steer your organisation to adapt and evolve, maintaining your edge in a rapidly changing world.
The Role of Senior Executives in Leadership Development
It’s widely acknowledged that senior executives are essential to business growth and culture change. Their responsibilities encompass:
Crafting strategies for talent management
Ensuring the right people are in the right positions within your organisation
Leading the efforts in attracting, developing, and retaining the best talent
Setting the strategic course for talent management that aligns with the broader business objectives.
Leadership development plays a vital role in devising focused and influential learning experiences for both budding and established leaders. Recognising that leadership is an ongoing journey of learning and skill-building, our approach at Emergent is rooted in fostering continuous development.
We have worked with senior leaders for more than 10 years and have provided leadership development support for everything from emerging leader program through to facilitating intensive executive-level leadership development.
Talent Strategy and Succession Planning
Strategic planning for talent and succession is a critical part of an organisation’s long-term triumph. The role of senior executives in succession planning includes:
Evaluating the existing scenario
Linking it to the business strategy
Identifying crucial roles
Engaging leaders
Choosing suitable candidates
Nurturing future leaders
Developing a succession plan
Emergent supports CEOs, CHROs, and boards in CEO succession planning by identifying, assessing, and nurturing a diverse group of potential successors, and establishing an inclusive process. A well-executed talent strategy and succession plan ensure that organisations can spot and nurture high-potential employees, ensuring the attraction, development, and retention of the most competent talent.
Transforming Organisational Culture through Leadership Development
Our leadership development services are aimed at building high performing cultures and preparing organisations to be resilient and adaptive enough to contend with uncertainty and constant change. We have played a vital role in driving organisational culture by working with leadership teams to define organisational values, embed high performance behaviours and go to work on key areas of capability that can drive collective success.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is crucial in creating a strong organisational culture. Emergent strongly advocates for the importance of leading with humanity and possessing an informed perspective on diversity and inclusion. This commitment is demonstrated by our focus on leadership development and its impact on organisations, as well as their collaboration with regional, national, and global organisations to effectively shape diversity, equity, and inclusion dynamics.
Creating a DE&I conscious culture allows organisations to build an environment where all employees feel valued and heard, resulting in enhanced collaboration, innovation, and overall business success.
Adapting to Industry Challenges
In an ever-changing business landscape, organisations must adapt to industry challenges to remain competitive. Emergent provides invaluable training, insights and guidance to develop leaders, manage change, and heightening overall performance.
Emergent aids organisations in:
Navigating complex industry challenges
Maintaining competitiveness by sharpening tactical and strategic ability
Nurturing new leadership capabilities
Promoting a consulting mindset
Stimulating collaborative problem-solving
Case Studies: Emergent Leadership Development
We have played a key role in developing self-aware, reflective and high-EQ leaders for clients like Microsoft through the delivery of online workshops to their global workforce.
In 2023, we worked with one of the world’s leading insurers to develop an intensive leadership development offsite to allow the team to identify the actions that were getting in the way of strategic success and make a plan for how to work together differently.
Extending our work into high performing sport, Emergent worked with Australian Football Team the Port Adelaide Football Club to build a high-performance pyramid and leadership program that supported the team to a record breaking 13 consecutive win season in 2023.
These success stories showcase the effective leadership development on organisations and underscore the potential for exceptional results through strategic leadership development
Choosing the Right Leadership Development Advisor
Choosing the right leadership development partner is a pivotal step in ensuring your organisation’s success. When deciding on an advisor, it’s important to consider your organisation’s specific developmental needs and goals. Here are some strategies to assess the potential success of a consulting partner:
Conduct evidence-based analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of their consulting engagements
Utilise key performance indicators (KPIs)
Gather both qualitative and quantitative data
Assess the quality and relevance of the services provided by the consulting partner
Establish a relationship of trust
Maintain open and clear communication
By selecting the right leadership development partner, organisations can unlock their full potential and drive business growth. This process involves avoiding common mistakes and asking the right questions to ensure the best fit.
We at Emergent are ready and willing to assist you, whether or not we turn out to be the right partner for you.
The Future of Leadership Development
The landscape of business and leadership development is constantly evolving to meet the demands of the times. Some of the emerging trends include:
The transition towards flatter organisational structures
Addressing the impending ‘Talent Cliff’
Striving for gender balance in leadership roles
Adapting to the rise of remote and flexible working arrangements
Incorporating mobile learning into corporate training initiatives
Combining coaching with innovative communication methods
Using gamification to make leadership development more engaging
Shifting from hierarchical to networked organizational structures
Prioritising Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) in leadership
Ensuring high-quality coaching and development programs are accessible at all levels.
The role of effective leadership in propelling business success is more crucial than ever. Exceptional leaders not only set the tone for the organisation but also craft a vision for the future, and inspire their teams to achieve their goals. By staying abreast with these emerging trends and focusing on effective leadership development, organisations can secure their long-term success in a rapidly changing world.
At Emergent, we are equipped to help navigate these challenges, providing tailored leadership development solutions that go beyond conventional approaches.
Summary
Leadership development is a powerful tool that organisations can leverage to drive business success. Through identifying and developing leaders, driving innovation and growth, transforming organisational culture, and adapting to industry challenges, developing your leaders holds the key to unlocking an full potential. By choosing the right leadership development partner and staying ahead of emerging trends, organisations can chart a path towards a brighter and more successful future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a leadership coach and a leadership development advisor?
A leadership development advisor helps clients resolve specific problems and enhance their operations, reputation and competitive position. Meanwhile, a leadership coach will often work one-on-one to develop leaders.
What is the overall impact of leadership development on business performance?
Leadership development has a significant impact on business performance, helping to identify and foster leaders, promote innovation and growth, and improve team effectiveness.
Holly Ransom: founder and CEO of Emergent
Regardless of whether you’re running a small business or a global corporation, Holly Ransom provides leadership development programs designed to foster a natural leadership culture. These programs empower your team to confidently navigate the ever-changing business landscape. Contact us today to discuss your specific needs.
Get in touch to take your leadership from good to great.
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