EMERGING TRENDS
IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
SHAPING FUTURE LEADERS
FOR SUCCESS
LEADERSHIP | COMMERCIAL STRATEGY | INNOVATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................
3
Flattening Organizational Structures ...................................................................................
4
Organizations are facing a business world that is rapidly becoming more complex and challenging. Unsurprisingly, many are struggling with
how they can better prepare current and future leaders to be more agile to meet oncoming threats, overcome obstacles, and capitalize
on opportunities.
From our work with clients, we’ve identified the biggest leadership trends that will impact development programs over the coming years.
This white paper covers the following trends in detail and explores how companies can start addressing these key changes within their
development programs.
Increasing Need To Develop Self And Others ................................................................... 5
Approaching The “Talent Cliff” ..............................................................................................
5
Striving For Gender Balance ..................................................................................................
6
Shifting Focus To Soft Skills ....................................................................................................
7
The Top Leadership Development Trends:
•
Flattening organizational structures
•
Increasing need to develop self & others
•
Approaching the “Talent Cliff”
•
Striving for gender balance
•
Shifting focus to development on soft skills
•
Adopting a blended approach to leadership development
Adopting A Blended Approach To Leadership Development ....................................... 8
Concluding Thoughts ..............................................................................................................
9
Gender
Parity
Future
Leaders
Blended
Learning
Flat
Organizational
Structures
Development
of Self &
Others
Soft
Skills
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StratX ExL • Emerging Trends in Leadership Development
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FLATTENING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES
INCREASING NEED TO DEVELOP SELF & OTHERS
Many organizations are adopting flatter structures as some
business leaders believe this will lead to lower operating costs,
improved communication, and increased employee motivation.
Since these businesses have wider spans of control and less
centralized authority than those with more hierarchical structures,
expertise and knowledge are dispersed across a broader base than
most leaders have managed in the past. Thanks to technological
developments, information flows are changing from moving up
and down hierarchies neatly along reporting lines, to leaders and
their teams freely interacting with one another and outside subject
matter experts.
The breadth of available information and the speed at which it flows
will likely continue to increase over the coming years. Combined
with the ongoing evolution in technology, businesses need to be
prepared to face tougher competition.
In addition, most organizations are coming to grips with a “VUCA”
(Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world where:
No one individual can know everything and be
able to single-handedly lead their teams and
organizations.
HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATION
The Changing Face of the Leader
Because of these factors, the image of what a leader is supposed to
be is changing. The individual “hero” leader, or “the smartest person
in the room” who must know everything and micromanage his or
her direct reports will be a thing of the past. Flatter structures call
for collaborative, well-networked, and cross-functional leaders who
can nimbly adjust to complex, ambiguous situations. These new
leaders must be able to work with others who have expertise in
areas that they do not and are smarter than themselves.
The role of a leader is to articulate a compelling
vision to align and inspire teams to achieve a
common goal.
To be successful, a leader must be able to listen to their team
members, understand their drivers, and relate and coach as
necessary.
To keep on top of this rapidly changing
environment, leaders can no longer sit back
and say “I know everything I need to know” as
what they do know today will be outdated
tomorrow.
In addition, direct reports whose managers constantly tell them
they need to develop in certain areas are starting to question why
the “leaders” are doing little to visibly develop themselves.
The Self-Aware Leader
Leaders need to become more introspective and mindful, reflecting
on how well-equipped they are for the challenges they face and
what gaps in knowledge and skills they need to address moving
forward, continuously augmenting their own capabilities without
being instructed to do so by their own supervisors.
The Empowering Leader
In addition to being held accountable for their own development,
leaders must encourage the continuous development of their
teams. Consequently, these same leaders must ensure that the
resources are available for direct reports to take charge and drive
their own development. This will require long-term investments,
but these efforts will lead to more engaged, productive, and happy
employees.
APPROACHING THE “TALENT CLIFF”
Many organizations are concerned that they face a talent “cliff” or
“vacuum” as leaders born during the post-World War II “baby boom”
retire. The fear is that the next generation of senior managers will
not have the same leadership capabilities as their predecessors. If
economic growth stays steady or strengthens, low unemployment
and a lack of qualified candidates will make it more difficult for
companies to fill their pipeline with talent from outside.
FLATTER ORGANIZATION
Whereas leadership development programs have tended to
target “high potential” employees, companies will need to invest
in programs aimed at developing “high performers” and internal
talents that may have been overlooked for development in the
past. These initiatives need to be used in tandem with a proactive
approach to knowledge transfer between those who will be retiring
and those will take up the mantle afterwards.
Mentoring, coaching, and job shadowing are
examples of how organizations can manage
the transition.
Developing the Millennial Leader
In addition, more attention will be paid to Millennials, some of
whom may already be in management roles. Some companies
have had difficulties recruiting and retaining talented members of
this generation. Now is the time to start providing Millennials with
skills and development opportunities so that they feel fulfilled in
their roles and wish to remain with their current organizations while
also preparing them to succeed and create value sooner rather
than later.
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Organizations are putting increasing emphasis on the need to work
towards gender balance, aiming to promote a higher proportion of
women to senior leader and executive roles over the coming years.
Companies are doing this not only because it is the right thing to
do, but because it is increasingly seen as good business sense. A
recent study by a global leadership company found that:
Organizations with women holding at least 30%
of leadership roles are 40% more likely to have
sustained, profitable growth.
Women-only cohorts can also help build
strong networks of women leaders within an
organization.
GOTIATIONS
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UNICATI
ON
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CO
EMPATHY
TIVATION
MO
COACH
IN
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AGEM NT
AN
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Elevating the Female Leader
Achieving gender parity will likely require proactive efforts not
only to elevate women to senior positions but retain future
women leaders who are still a few years away from being ready.
Organizations will achieve this primarily by implementing the right
policies and creating an environment that is inclusive for women
and supportive of their development. Leadership development
programs, however, will also play a crucial role. Such initiatives
can help women delegates recognize their own effective leadership
behaviors and unique style that may differ from what is considered
“normal” in their company. A business project component in an
initiative can provide participants with high-visibility opportunities
to demonstrate their acumen and suitability for senior and executive
positions.
&
NT
ME
OP
CR
EA
All too often, we hear the story of the employee who is very talented
in his or her area of technical expertise but then runs into problems
once promoted to a leadership position. Such managers lack the
skills to effectively communicate with and delegate to their new
teams, hampering the ability of the team to achieve its objectives.
As the role of a leader migrates towards managing teams of diverse
members who have different technical skills and areas of expertise,
there will be greater emphasis on the need for leaders to develop
their “soft skills.”
Providing advice, mentoring, and feedback will
be critical to team performance and leaders will
likely require training and coaching themselves
on how to do these effectively.
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VIT
TI
ONALITY DEV
RS
EL
PE
Organizations that can make progress in this area will be less
impacted than others by the looming “talent cliff”.
A SHIFTING FOCUS ON SOFT SKILLS
TIM
E
STRIVING FOR GENDER BALANCE
The Emotionally Aware Leader
Impactful leaders of the future will be adept
in areas such as emotional intelligence, active
listening, self-awareness, and empathy.
Using these will enable leaders to develop a “people-centric”
approach to managing their direct reports that can be customized
for every unique individual, helping team members feel valued
and empowered. Consequently, teams will be more engaged and
motivated.
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A BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Still today, many leadership development initiatives have a one-sizefits-all approach, with delegates confined for days in a classroom
being “taught” leadership concepts with little emphasis on practical
application.
Effective leadership is key to driving business success. In an ever-changing business environment, leaders will have to adapt and develop
non-traditional skill sets and empower their teams to thrive.
Development programs for all management
levels need to evolve and use a wide variety of
modalities; programs focused on leadership are
no different.
Modern programs should integrate components that address
both “hard” business acumen and “soft” skills, using face-to-face
workshops, webinars, business projects, and executive coaching.
Programs should be both “divergent” and “convergent”.
On one hand, elements such as eLearning and executive coaching
should be individualized and provide leaders with more authority
and responsibility for designing their own development path
according to their specific needs. On the other hand, group
learning elements such as workshops and team business projects
can provide an opportunity for leaders to put into practice what
they have learned in a collaborative environment, allowing “pull
through” of learning and knowledge transfer within a cohort so that
experiences are brought back to the leaders’ colleagues, shared,
and impact the entire team.
FREE CONSULTATION
StratX works with Fortune 500 clients that are currently facing the trends listed in this whitepaper, co-creating solutions that are preparing
current and future leaders for the challenges of today and tomorrow. For more information about how we can support your teams and
your organization, contact us today at stratx-exl.com.
In addition, as the importance of leaders partnering with
other subject matter experts within an organization increases,
development initiatives should put increased emphasis on delegates
building viable networks of leaders across geographies, functions,
and business units that can interact and work together to work
towards common goals.
DIVERGENT
Individual
Assessments
C
O
N
V
E
R
G
E
N
T
Group Project
Work
Cohort
Networking
1:1 Executive
Coaching
Personal
Development
Plan
Theory Discussion
Sessions
Communication
Workshops
Team-Building
Exercises
Business Case
Study
Peer Feedback
Sessions
Business Project
Presentation
Online
Learning
Business Project
Work
Peer Coaching /
Knowledge Transfer
Convergent and divergent components to a learning journey should complement each other. The large-group convergent
activities on the left prepare the learner for individual and small-group learning activities in the divergent phase. The
subsequent activities in the convergent phase on the right provide the opportunity for learners to practice skills and use
knowledge built during previous activities.
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White Paper Written by Corwin VANDERMARK / Designed by Holly LLOYD OWEN & Alexandra HARRIS
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LEADERSHIP | COMMERCIAL STRATEGY | INNOVATION
STRATX-EXL.COM
Yann Cartier
Business Development Manager
17 avenue de l’Opera
75001 Paris
FRANCE
+33 (0) 1 53 46 69 00
paris@stratx-exl.com