Folders in the Cupboard
Lots of leaders have a cupboard somewhere in their office. When you open it, you’ll see a series of folders that have stayed behind closed doors for quite a while. These are relics from different leadership programmes they have participated on over the years and whilst they may contain great content, the only memories of the programmes that remain are about the venue, the people and the food (and drink).
Most leadership programmes are based upon the transference of information. Many of them examine case studies and various scenarios that are interesting but are dependent upon the leader’s ability to retain, recall and apply that cognitive information at critical times. This typically doesn’t work and that’s because the development of leaders isn’t dependent upon the transformation of information. It’s dependent upon change.
If you have people in your organisation who are not leaders but who need to lead, then they need to change. Examining a case study, no matter how relevant or interesting, isn’t going to do this. Therefore, they attend programmes that intellectually stimulate them and come back to the office to put the folder in the cupboard. Nothing changes and they don’t develop.
If you want something different, you may need to invest in processes and programmes that stimulate behavioural change. During this, it’s important to stretch their mind and experience but also their behaviours and awareness. This is what we do and we’d love to chat with you about how we can help your organisation to develop great leaders.
Imagine if, when they thought about the programme, they didn’t just recall the venue & food but also the time that they changed.
Johnny Parks