How can you align leadership development with organizational goals?

First and foremost, leadership development must align with the mission and service standards of the organization. My current organization has done an excellent job of creating service standards that are clear and direct, and explain the expectations for how team members and patients need to be treated. We assess employee engagement two times per year. All of this means that I have clear direction about where we are and where we want to go. After interviewing as many leaders as I could, I then integrated all of this rich information to create a program. I am then using evidence-based practices from leaders like Jeffrey Pfeffer, John Maxwell, and others to help my leaders experience success. I am very excited for 2024!

Aligning leadership development with organizational goals is essential to ensuring that leadership initiatives effectively contribute to success. Through a strategic approach, including understanding organizational objectives, identifying key leadership competencies, assessing current leadership capabilities, and developing targeted programs, organizations can integrate leadership development seamlessly into their operational framework. This integration involves providing ongoing support, measuring progress, and fostering a culture that values leadership at every level. By implementing these strategies, organizations can optimize their leadership development efforts, driving improved performance and achieving long-term success.

In some cases, the organization may lack a definition of purpose and compelling vision, making it challenging for leaders to set meaningful goals that align with the overall direction of the company. There is no way to adequately design leadership development which really means identifying leadership behaviors best suited to achieve those objectives when the objectives themselves lack clarity and focus around measurable and meaningful outcomes.

Build the connection between the skills that will be learned in the program skills and the organizational goal. Clearly and concisely communicate to participants how learning and using the skill will help the company achieve a specific organizational goal.

An example that works well while you are in the assessment stage is to boil down the needs of the organization into what skills the leaders need to successfully get their teams there. That way, you are engaging development while ensuring strong company outcomes. Viewing what’s needed at a skill level also lends itself to succession planning and provides your people with transferable skills they can be proud of. Don’t forget to strengthen soft skills when developing, as well!

Similar to an employee value proposition (EVP), an effective leadership development program needs to have a leadership value proposition that speaks to an individual and organizational aspiration. On a foundational level, it's useful to define desired outcomes of a leadership development program around an organizational aspiration: a vision of what a culture shares as their common pursuit. Within the macro level outcomes defined, I believe it's then important to give leaders the opportunity to define their own individual opportunities for growth and development. Empowering leaders to identify their growth edge within the broader context of the organizational vision elevates buy-in and engagement within the leadership development program.

Embed leadership development into various aspects of the organization's talent management processes, including performance management, succession planning, and career development. Ensure that leadership development is viewed as a strategic priority and receives adequate resources and support.

Design leadership development programs that are specifically tailored to address the identified gaps and support the organization's strategic objectives. Ensure that training initiatives focus on developing the competencies and skills that are most relevant to achieving organizational goals.

And ensure that all of it is firmly grounded in your organizational values. Remember that leadership development shapes culture.

Using a method such as the 70-20-10 model can be highly effective in a learning journey because it allows the leader to take responsibility for identifying and executing on key areas for their growth. They consider how to split their time across the baseline work that's essential for their role (70%), ways to advance their team (20%), and areas that can lead to personal growth (10%). I created development plans utilizing the 70-20-10 model during my time at Spotify and would recommend the approach if you're looking to tailor learning initiatives to employee needs.

Remember to build in collaboration and flexibility; listening skills are essential along with an ability to communicate clearly; remember that everyone has different but valuable experiences to bring to the table. And check those goals regularly to see they are still where you're heading for.

Ensuring that each leader takes personal responsibility for their own learning journey fosters a culture of continuous growth and development within the organization. By setting clear expectations and providing resources for self-directed learning, leaders can actively engage in their professional development and drive positive outcomes.

To compliment traditional learning experiences - trainings, workshops, etc., the integration of peer learning can be highly effective. Creating peer cohorts that can operate as an internal advisory board and peer coaches can help employees work through challenges in real time, gain new and valuable perspectives, and stay accountable to the goals they set.

To evaluate your leadership development program's impact, start with clear goals: What changes do you expect to see in performance, culture, and organizational achievements? Use tools like surveys, performance data, and feedback for measurement. The Kirkpatrick model is handy here, breaking down the evaluation into reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Keep the process collaborative—engage leaders and stakeholders in discussing these outcomes. Analyze this data to see if goals are met and where to adjust. Celebrate successes openly, highlighting progress and learning points. This approach not only measures impact but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and recognition.

Reviewing leaders' performance reviews and gathering feedback from their employees is essential to ensure that the changes resulting from the program are positively impacting both individual performance and team dynamics. This comprehensive approach allows for a holistic assessment of the program's effectiveness and facilitates continuous improvement in leadership development initiatives.

A leadership development program will naturally succeed when it's designed around the true needs of the leaders. The ways in which you assess the situation prior to initiating a program have an exponential influence on the success of the program. It's so important to invest in assessing the situation through qualitative and quantitative mechanisms. Your clarity on the needs of leaders from assessing the situation will impact all future decisions for the design and development of the program.