Why is Leadership Development so Important?
posted by agammy
Because when your 9-5 friends and family members are complaining about their jobs, more often than not they are talking about the management. “Management doesn’t understand,” “My boss is mean,” “There is no leadership” . . .
Think about it - how often do people look for a new job because they are not motivated by the leadership, because their ideas aren’t being listened to, or simply because their boss is awol and doesn’t provide direction?
If you need more convincing that lack of managerial skill is a huge problem in today’s business world (or if you just want to read some stats about bad bosses) read this article about the findings from a Florida State University “Boss” study.
The study confirms what you most likely already knew - there are just too many new managers that have either picked up bad habits from the managers they learned from, or who have transitioned from employee to boss without learning the skills required for success. (See below for the three categories of bad bosses!)
As a coach, you know that all three of these boses can be saved with some constructive coaching, and this is where you can come in and make a difference. Whether someone needs to improve their communication skills, motivational tactics, or delegation abilities, a good coach can point out these skill deficiencies in a positive, constructive manner, and help a manager develop the skills they need to lead with confidence. Imagine how many organizations could have higher productivity and customer satisfaction if managers were equipped with the training and skills required to be good managers!
The best thing about offering Leadership Development coaching services is that every manager in every business can benefit from your coaching and expertise. You may not be an expert in banking, or craftsmanship, or technology, but you do have expertise in the field of leadership, and that is valuable expertise to have! As time passes, one’s skills in a particular field become less important, as their ability to lead becomes a truer test of progression and success. By the time someone becomes a manager, the importance of their individual-contribution decreases while the importance of their leadership ability increases. This means, almost everyone gets to a point where they can benefit from leadership coaching, so your skills will always be needed.
CPP actually offers a really really great assessment for leadership development - the CPI260. If you are thinking about expanding your services to include Leadership Development, it’s a great thing to offer to your clients looking to develop the proficiencies they need to become top notch leaders.
