| In today's workplace, time is more than money. | | | | organization that influence behavior than it is the |
| With the many organizational changes that have | | | | unwritten ones. The issue of "how we do things |
| been accelerated themselves, it would stand to | | | | around here" can dictate exactly the focus of |
| reason that leaders need to get up-to-speed and | | | | "successful" leaders (defined by the organization.) |
| highly effective as quickly as possible. This is true | | | | If the unwritten rule is, to succeed you have to |
| especially in cases where many of the leadership | | | | show forcefulness as a leader, it is difficult to |
| positions have developed through re-organization | | | | imagine an open mind when it comes to |
| or a change in company priorities. In more cases | | | | collaborative methods of leadership. These rules |
| than I can remember seeing before, leaders are | | | | of behavior and engagement cannot be |
| being placed in areas of responsibility for which | | | | underestimated when it comes to the overall |
| they are not quite ready. | | | | effectiveness of leadership development. |
| The idea of accelerating the development of | | | | 3. Tolerance toward risk and innovation. At the |
| leaders...and development of specific leaders who | | | | beginning of a leader's development process in a |
| need the support...is an important topic. It also | | | | new role, innovation is not only easier it is likely to |
| begs the question, why is it so difficult to speed | | | | be desirable by the leader. If I don't know any |
| up the process of leadership learning when the | | | | better, I may come up with ideas that have not |
| demands are so great and the need is so | | | | been tried before in order to establish myself as |
| pressing? | | | | the new person in that role. Unfortunately, in |
| I would suggest that the speed of leadership | | | | many organizational cultures, the tolerance |
| development is in large part a function of the | | | | towards risk is so low that the actual lesson that |
| organizational culture in which the leader operates. | | | | must be learned by the leader is to not rock the |
| While there are other factors at play, including the | | | | boat. This not only stymies the development of |
| availability of tools for leadership development, | | | | the leader, but the development of the |
| recent research would support that the culture is | | | | organization as well. If there is a culture of |
| a large factor. While I'm not sure I agree with all | | | | humiliation around failed ideas and innovations, it is |
| of the conclusions (I hardly ever do!), I think there | | | | unlikely that the new leader will develop quickly |
| are some interesting findings worth considering in | | | | into the powerful person he or she has the |
| terms of cultural inhibitors to growth. These | | | | potential to be. |
| include: | | | | While a culture like the one above can make |
| 1. The collective attitudes and established norms. | | | | things more difficult, it does not have to create |
| One of the inhibitors to accelerated learning on | | | | an impossible situation. Like with many similar |
| the part of leaders is the overall attitudes and | | | | issues, the first step is to acknowledge that these |
| actions of support (or not) within the organization. | | | | are forces fighting the desired change. Then you |
| This is in part the issue of diversity of opinion and | | | | can create strategies to address them. It may be |
| dialogue. On the one hand, if there is AN attitude | | | | that you need to take ownership of your own |
| in the organization about learning, it may be a | | | | development if the environment is one that |
| very cohesive culture. On the other hand, if that | | | | discourages it. You can test the unwritten rules by |
| attitude and norm diminishes the value of | | | | asking, "Is this what we really believe around |
| leadership learning and only focuses on the value | | | | here?" And you can deal with risk aversion in large |
| of leadership action, it might be that it is difficult | | | | part by doing your research and making sure that |
| for leaders to identify their performance gaps and | | | | everybody is clear on the potential upside as well |
| address them. | | | | as the downside. None of this is easy in practice, |
| 2. The written and unwritten rules that influence | | | | but unless you take accountability to start the |
| behavior. On this topic I've written and spoken a | | | | change within your organization, you will be waiting |
| lot. It is less the written rules within the | | | | a long time for somebody else to do it. |