Clear, trustworthy leaders with clear goals and good communication skills are essential for building community, a strong organization and a good reputation. But becoming a good leader requires continuous development, either through external or internal leadership development. But what gives the best results? We talked to Robert Marsalis, Senior Leadership Developer at Front Leadership.
Robert Marsalis has 20 years of experience in leadership development, team and organizational development, including as a senior manager responsible for leadership development at Det Norske Veritas. Robert was recruited to FRONT Leadership after being highly recommended by several clients. Robert is originally from Minnesota, USA and is a trained priest, political scientist and NLP coach.
Why is leadership development important?
Everyone deserves a great leader. People often talk about strategy and how important culture is to executing a strategy. There's a saying that goes: Culture eats strategy for breakfast. The culture must underpin the good strategies, and the strategies must underpin the good culture. Leaders must understand where we are going, understand their employees, and understand which culture matches our strategic goals. The manager is the interface between the larger organization and the employee. This is especially true for first-line managers.
"Being a manager is very demanding, and it's usually not something you learn at school. For example, many people have a degree in civil engineering or other professional subjects, and they haven't received this ballast from school. You need this professional ballast to gain credibility as a leader, and at the same time learn new skills and insights that come with leadership development.
Read also: Leadership development - Why is it so important?
What makes a good leader?
A good leader is able to see and communicate the strategic direction of the organization. He or she is able to connect this with the potential of the employees in a way that leads to performance and well-being in the workplace. Leaders are a very important factor in whether employees are engaged or not. Whether they are wholehearted in their work, enjoy their work, and understand what you are trying to achieve strategically. All of this depends on having leaders who are able to communicate a direction. They need to understand their employees, their potential and what questions to ask to get employees to take responsibility, or how to support the employee's skills development. Managers must create an organization where people feel seen and heard.
Read also: Be who you want others to be - "lead by example"
What is the benefit of internal leadership development?
Knowledge of the company is the most important advantage. You know the company from the inside. You often have a good insight into the internal language, and you have an idea of who the right stakeholders are; who should we talk to and who are the allies?
What's the downside of internal leadership development?
The biggest disadvantage is that everyone in the organization has the same blind spot, and no one is able to see what the organization needs. Leadership development is a profession, and not something an HR manager can do as a left-handed job. Leadership development is also a specialty, and you don't necessarily need the same skills to be a good HR manager as a good leadership developer. Leadership development also takes time, and it's work that needs to be prioritized. There is a lot of competition for attention on internal resources. Having a dedicated leadership development department is costly and often requires more resources than you can cover. It's not always as effective. It's difficult to be a prophet in your own country. You're not always heard.
What is the benefit of external leadership development?
The main benefit is competence and expertise. You get people who have leadership development as their full-time job and who are always looking for the best and most effective way to do things. These people are used to giving leadership development presentations, putting groups together and working one-to-one with coaching/mentoring. This gives a different credibility than using internal staff, and employees listen better to what they have to recommend. Leadership developers work with multiple organizations and learn from all of them. This means that the customer always gets what works best. I think having a forum where you can talk to other managers and a leadership development specialist is very useful.
At Front Leadership, we believe that the best results are achieved by integrating leadership development into everyday work life over several months, and sharing the experience gained at the next leadership gathering. This is based on a pedagogical foundation that says that you learn 70% by doing and reflecting on what you have done, 20% through discussions and 10% through formal knowledge transfer. Many companies have an annual management meeting at a hotel, and then it's back to everyday life. But do you remember what you've learned? Integrating it into everyday work life makes a big difference.
Read also: Leadership development program designed for all types of teams
What is the downside of external leadership development?
The biggest disadvantage is probably that you are not sitting in the company's office and are not part of the everyday life of the contact points. So you don't have the inside perspective. To gain this knowledge, you need to interview the participants to hear what their needs are.
What do you achieve with leadership development that works?
Successful leadership development provides managers with more expertise, new perspectives, skills and a reinforcement of the leadership philosophy you want to have in your company.
Read also: Method for effective leadership training - 10 principles
