What is a Leadership Development Programme?

The right leadership development programme can take your leadership style from strength to strength.

There’s been a lot of discussion in recent years about whether real, effective and inspirational leaders are born or made. Some assert leaders are simply ‘wired differently’, with brain scans revealing leaders have more brain space devoted to decision-making and memory. This is arguably supportive of a concept known as the leadership gene, but this theory is far from certain. Other sources disagree and insist anyone is capable of greatness, given enough persistence, discipline, and passion.

It stands to reason that regardless of your perspective, the right leadership development can help individuals reinforce existing strengths, while getting people to work on leadership qualities they are currently lacking. After all, being assertive and trustworthy alone will not help you climb to the top of your career; you need to know how to utilise these attributes and you need to be prepared for certain challenges you will face as a leader. This is where a leadership development programme can come into play.

Carefully crafted leadership development programmes like those provided by Davis Associates help organisations build better leaders. These programmes are specifically designed to take promising employees from strength to strength, resulting in an individual who is resilient, self-aware and influential. Leadership development programmes achieve this feat in the following ways:

Discover leadership qualities and characteristics

With a leadership development programme, you will learn about various characteristics intrinsic to a good leader. You will also learn how to encourage the development of these personality traits. Entrepreneur lists prime leadership qualities as focus, confidence, transparency, integrity and inspiration. Forbes has similarly defined a great leader as a person capable of being honest, delegating responsibility and communicating well. Leadership development programmes reassert the fact that leadership isn’t all about asserting yourself; it’s about encouraging others so they will act as a valued member of your team.

Learn about your leadership style

No two leaders will be the same. Insisting one person plays by a certain set of rules completely counter to his or her personality won’t result in a great leader; it’ll simply prevent that person from achieving his or her potential. Leadership development programmes cover different leadership styles and help individuals find one that suits their character and individual strengths. No one style is better than another. Learning about these different styles will help you excel as a leader and certainly impact your confidence and the way others perceive you.

A leadership development programme can help leaders cope with change

Leaders within organisations have a lot of responsibility placed on their shoulders. One aspect that seriously helps any manager deal with this pressure is the ability to deal with change. Organisations need leaders at all levels to deal with ever-changing circumstances in order to succeed long-term. Leadership development programmes help candidates let go of old ideas and strategies and encourage the development of new ones. You will develop and emerge a more adaptable leader.

Learn about daily managerial challenges leaders face

Leadership development is an education in what managerial challenges you can expect to face. You will develop the ability to solve complicated problems, you will be trained to readjust and make wise decisions in rapidly changing conditions, and you will learn about the art of collaboration. Importantly, the concept of stress management and resilience is also emphasised.

Receive quality, ongoing feedback from professionals

Leadership development programmes are run by experienced professionals who are happy and willing to provide constant, valuable feedback when required. These executive coaches will help you see situations from another perspective and get you to confront questions you’ve never before considered.

Are leadership development programmes worth the money?

One study has shown 65% of all companies with leadership development programmes drive improved business results, as compared to 6% of companies without a leadership development programme. The study also showed an impressive 86% of companies with a leadership development programme rapidly respond to changing market conditions. As such, many regard leadership development as a key factor to business success.

It should be noted that financially, it is far more economical to train existing employees to higher levels of leadership than to seek out and recruit external candidates, when you factor in the cost of headhunter fees, advertising costs and in-house training. With this in mind, it really helps to invest in your existing workforce, particularly when you take into consideration the increased morale that can be derived from the prospects of advancement.

For years, Davis Associates has helped leaders worldwide realise their potential with the use of in-depth, tailored leadership development programmes. For a free, no-obligation consultation, get in touch today to see how your business can benefit from our expert team.