Closing advice
The connection between leaders and their employees is arguably more important than ever, and any individual or business failing to recognise the shifting nature of this relationship will likely find their leaders and organisational performance falling short in years to come.
Concerned about skill gaps within your current leadership population? Leader coaching provides each individual with the opportunity to reflect on their career, identify their areas of strength and development, and learn new techniques to best support their teams and the wider workforce. Any learnings can then be implemented immediately in their role.
Experiencing a lack of internal applications and mobility? Normalise the idea of career progression by ensuring leaders are also focused on continuing their own development. Role modelling this behaviour will inform employees throughout the business that it’s OK to take time out of their day-to-day responsibilities and focus on enhancing their career prospects – encouraging them to do just that.
Struggling to build a diverse leadership team? Establishing strong pipelines of diverse talent within the wider workforce would be the first step. Comprehensive assessment practices used within recruitment and development processes will ensure employees are hired and future leaders are identified based solely on their ability to perform the role – removing any element of unconscious bias.
Have leaders voiced their struggles with hybrid working? Ensure each member of the leadership team is sufficiently equipped to navigate this new way of working. Resilience training can help leaders develop mental toughness and provide them with the tools and techniques required to overcome the stresses of managing a dispersed workforce and encourage collaboration.
Cultural values no longer being reflected by leaders? A refresh of your organisation’s leadership framework may be needed. Identify what success looks like in this new reality and create clear messaging that leaders can understand. They need to know what the priorities are for the organisation as well as what is expected of them in order to help the business achieve its goals.
Talent retention continuing to be a problem for your business? An open line of communication between leaders and their team members is crucial. Regular career conversations will allow employees to voice their concerns and provide leaders with the insight needed to respond accordingly – mapping out development plans to enable career progression and quickly addressing any issues around engagement.