How do you choose effective leadership development materials?

To effectively foster the desired leadership within your organization, it is crucial to establish a clear leadership framework that aligns with your vision, mission, and core values. This alignment not only ensures consistency in leadership development but also cultivates a cohesive organizational culture where leaders embody the expected behaviors and mindsets. A well-defined framework serves as a benchmark for evaluating potential development materials, allowing you to invest wisely in resources that truly resonate with your organizational ethos. This strategic approach enhances leadership effectiveness and drives sustainable organizational success.

When evaluating the quality and credibility of leadership models, I recommend assessing their real-world application. It's important to inquire about how a particular model translates into practical leadership actions. Many leadership programs tend to remain theoretical, emphasizing individual traits and characteristics, often overlooking opportunities to transform interpersonal dynamics and drive tangible results. An effective model should offer clear guidelines for implementation and provide learners the opportunity to actively engage with and apply the model in real-life scenarios, fostering experiential learning rather than just a theoretical understanding

When considering format and delivery of the leadership development materials, a key component to consider is accountability of implementation of the materials. What formats will allow the individual to not just learn the material but also implement the concepts within their work? Are there mechanisms through which their manager can engage with the individual on their leadership development progress as they go through the material? By transferring the knowledge into current situations, an individual can better absorb and demonstrate the leadership development skills they are acquiring through the training.

We used excellent facilities at colleges for specific management courses which basically covered subjects from the superb MBA programmes ( such as at Harvard in the US). Much about leadership is the ability to get the best out of staff and before we can do that we need to understand our own skills , experience and motivation . So we used experts in these fields . A leader must also have a balance of empathy , strength and calmness .

Define your organization's vision, mission, and culture to prioritize areas for development. Assess the qualifications, experience, and reputation of the material providers to ensure credibility. Choose materials that fit your preferences, availability, and budget, considering formats like reading, listening, or online courses. Gather feedback from peers, mentors, or colleagues who have used the materials to make an informed decision.