How do you measure success in leadership development?

There are countless articles and conversations happening these days about leadership programs that do not work. On our blog, we've talked about the shift from the traditional 70-20-10 model to 52-27-21, and the recent article from McKinsey "Why Leadership Development Programs Fail", touches on this and three additional easy-to-overcome, but still prevalent issues.

We hear time and again from executives that leadership development tops the list for both current and future priorities, yet it's hard to measure and quantify change in leadership behavior, or whether the leadership program is focused on the right things for what the company needs. Generally, executives seem left to sum it up anecdotally as "it just doesn't work". But positive change in leadership behaviors and attributes CAN be measured. And well integrated and executed programs with tracking in place can and do show that leadership development does work.

How do you measure success in leadership development?

Through our LEAP cohort and LEAP University programs we're set to graduate more than 70 Leaders in 2016. We've graduated more than 450 since starting the program. Every single individual's progress has been tracked and measured. Here are the Top 5 Positive Changes reported by graduates (and their executive sponsors) during their transformation from manager to leader:

• Gained confidence to lead any group even without expertise in that technical arena
• Greater skill in managing emotional impulses (emotional intelligence)
• Increased courage to make decisions as a leader
• Can effectively lead teams through change
• Comfortable and competent when using different leadership styles in different situations

We can even quantify to what degree there has been positive change for the individual, via our Confidence and Competence Assessment. Back to the McKinsey article, matching the competencies of the leader to the needs of the organization at that time, can help make the investment in development more fruitful. But if the program doesn't measure the change in competency, then how would one go about matching and developing the right skills for the job? Knowing how a leader has developed through the program is a key component of measuring success and finding the right talent for the job.

Take this a step further and consider - would development initiatives be more successful if your organization could identify the competencies needed for the particular role, and focus on customizing the leadership program for that employee? It's totally doable with the right, integrated program that combines assessments, skill building, 1:1 coaching, peer problem solving, and real-world application. We know that it cannot be done in 2-3 day workshops or online training, so why are those options even being considered?

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