Patty's Business Blog

If you want your organisation to grow and your brand to outlive you in legacy, you have to worry about the culture, skills and competencies that you are transferring to your employees. Most organisations have a leadership development program in place. However, very few think about the content of the program. As the world changes, the work environment is also changing. You have to keep updating your programs to include skills that will make leaders who are fit for today's and tomorrow's business environment. Here are some crucial skills to add to such a program.

The Skill of Coaching

Leaders are selected because they are good at something. The easiest way to make their experience better is to put them in situations where they have to pass their skills on to other people. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to transfer their skills to the other person. Having coaching as part of your leadership development program will help you connect with those upcoming leaders who need to learn how to coach and inspire others beneath them to rise. When you have your employees mentored, their attitude towards the workplace changes, which boosts workplace productivity. 

The Skill of Accountability

Another crucial skill that you can include in a leadership development program is accountability. Most of the problems which occur at the workplace are a result of employees not recognising the direct link between their action and its consequences. Good leaders learn how not only to be accountable for their actions, but the actions of others. Training will help you create leaders who can define capabilities to everyone and create reports which help produce desired results.

Influence and Negotiation as a Skill

Leaders succeed in the workplace because they can create a following among their juniors. Good leaders avoid using their authority to control others and instead use their negotiation skills to inspire others to turn vision into reality. Most mid-level bosses make the mistake of using their authority to demand that the people below them achieve certain workplace goals. The approach creates a hostile work environment where things are done to avoid negative consequences, and not for success.

Communication and change management are other important skills which you can make part of your leadership training program. Change creates disorientation, and if leaders do not know how to handle it, your company's productivity will suffer. Before editing the program, look at your company's performance and see areas where you're ailing. A company's future is only as bright as the quality of leadership that handles all decision-making within.