Two Pathways to Develop Leaders from Within

Marketing gurus always tout that you get far more bang for your buck by developing existing customers than trying to find new ones. The same value and resulting higher benefit applies to developing talent internally rather than sourcing it externally. However, so many executives have experienced first-hand, the myriad of failed leadership development investments. That doesn't mean there isn't a good solution.

In fact, leadership development solutions that work are well documented.  The requirements include the right balance of: assessment data, skill building, 1:1 coaching, peer solution development, real-world application, time, and accountability. But there are very few programs available to bring in-house, that integrate all of these areas, are proven, measurable, adaptable, and scalable.

The best organizations want development of leaders to happen internally, across teams, so they can work within their culture and learn from employees as they transform from manager to leader. But developing custom curriculum takes time and is somewhat unproven--ultimately a risky and hefty investment in today's agile, fast-moving corporate environment. The question is no longer "should we build or buy?" when it comes to strong leaders and middle management; the question is, "how do we build leaders in a cost effective way and show measurable results?"

This is the reason we're suddenly seeing so much adoption of the LEAP University approach. While LEAP has historically been a "public" offering allowing organizations to send one or two leaders to be developed, we're seeing a significant uptick in organizations that are bringing the program in-house to develop a broader cross-section of their leaders from within.

LEAP University is scalable to fit organizations in two ways:

CERTIFY INTERNAL RESOURCES. Certify and develop internal experts to coach, facilitate, and manage unlimited LEAP cohorts internally, across the organization, gives you maximum flexibility and scalability. Additional benefits include:

1. Stickiness. The program isn't an event that happens, but a culture of leadership learning that is being developed.
2. Acceleration. Having internal resources who understand the existing culture and are available to members and leaders alike, helps accelerate the transformation of both individuals and the organization for lasting improvement, not short-term gains.
   
3. Transformation. In addition to transforming managers into leaders who collaborate, improve productivity, and develop high-performing teams, the organization has a growing pool of highly skilled leaders where change initiatives and strategies are more easily integrated into the business for strong results.
   

ENGAGE AN EXTERNAL EXPERT. Sometimes, culture, quest for external knowledge, or availability of resources call for bringing in a third party professional. In this scenario, organizations contract with our LEAP Certified Coach/Facilitators to organize, assess, facilitate, and coach through the transformation. Benefits of bringing in an external resource include:

1. Leveraged Resources. No need to allocate internal resources  who don't have the time or the required expertise.
   
2. Expertise. LEAP coaches and facilitators are experts with a wealth of knowledge who have completed rigorous certification and have a track record of leadership and achievement in their own right. Their "outsider" experience provides credibility and examples that contribute to accelerated learning and support learners with their specific challenges.
   
3. Acceleration. Detachment from internal politics and confidentiality can mean more willingness and openness during the transformation/journey -- ultimately accelerating the right changes in the individual or team. 
   

Buying talent is expensive and risky because ultimately you don't know what you will get. Building your existing talent is less risky and pays much bigger dividends to the business. Which pathway is right for your organization? There's no one right way, it's a decision best determined by honest reflection of your organization's needs, culture, and resources.