Leadership Development is Vital for the Culture of Your Organization

In most business structures there is an overall leadership hierarchy. A CEO, members of the board, and upper management have important responsibilities and must make critical decisions. This includes setting goals and implementing the right systems in order to achieve those goals.

What some companies fail to do, however, is create a culture of high performance throughout the entire organization. Therefore, leadership development is vital. In fact, according to the Center for Creative Leadership:

“Numerous in-depth studies have reached the same conclusion: Organizations that invest in leadership development perform better than those that don’t.”

Leadership Development Increases Communication Within the Organization

Among the most important skills leadership development offers is tools to increase communication within the organization. From the top to the bottom, members must effectively communicate with one another to create an effective culture. Examples of this include:

·         Making communication a priority: Simply put, some managers get wrapped up in their responsibilities and forget to communicate. Others assume the members of an organization are of like mind, when they may not be. However, studies show that organizations that communicate well, and on a regular schedule, have an overall higher rate of achievement.

·         Delivering a clear message: Lower level employees rely on leaders for direction. Mixed or unclear messages lead to confusion among staff members. Confusion will often lead to a lack of confidence in the leaders themselves and the organization as a whole.

·         Listening effectively: One-way communication is simply not successful. Ideas should be exchanged in order for efficient processes to be implemented. A common trait among good leaders is the ability to delegate, but also to trust the feedback he or she receives from that delegation. In both cases, employees are valued.

·         Enhancing teamwork: Teamwork is essential within a successful organization to create solutions to problems as they arise. This includes both inefficiencies in business processes and personal conflicts that can infiltrate an organization and lead to lower productivity.

Leadership Development Increases the Performance of the Entire Organization

An effective system of communication is certainly a very important part of a successful organization, but it is only one step towards increasing performance. Bersin & Associates is an independent research firm that has studied the impact leadership has on the overall performance of an organization. In a 2008 study, the firm concluded:

“It is important to remember that leadership development is not just about developing leaders – it is about creating a culture of performance. There is a relationship between good management and employee commitment. Great leaders attract, hire and inspire great people. A mediocre manager will never attract or retain high-performing employees. Leadership development creates a magnet for high performers and fosters a high-performance organization.”

In other words, companies that invest in leadership development are actually making an investment in the culture of the organization as a whole. By increasing communication and valuing employees, each individual will increase his or her performance. As each person achieves more, the organization will as well.

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogertrapp/2014/03/23/organizations-need-leaders-at-all-levels/

http://smc.temple.edu/strc/undergraduate-program/undergraduate-concentrations/organizational-leadership-faqs/

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/landing/DrivingPerformance.pdf

https://www.udemy.com/blog/leadership-activities/