Make the case for optimizing your leadership development program•When executed correctly, a leadership development program results in clear benefits for the organization, including increased ability to meet strategic objectives and higher levels of engagement and productivity across the organization.• In order to maximize success, leadership development must be thought of as a process that continually builds on itself, not a “project” or a one-off, check-the-box activity.• To help make leadership development an ongoing process, it must be aligned to your organizational and HR strategies, processes, and structure.Use McLean & Company’s Leadership Development Capability Model to understand your program’s level of capabilityPerform a holistic assessment of your current leadership development programThere may be underlying issues that are causing the leadership development program to be unsuccessful that are not initially apparent to HR.McLean & Company recommends the following methods for assessing the state of your current leadership development program:1. Hold a focus group to gain qualitative feedback.2. Use the Leadership Development Assessment Questionnaire to factor in opinions of key stakeholders on the seven success criteria. 3. Assess the program from your point of view as HR, using the Leadership Development Assessment Tool.You may have more than one issue impacting the success of your program. Focus on quick wins and improving the largest issues first.Your program may not be the issue. Consider if these external items are causing the lack of success with your leadership development program:Non-Supportive Organizational Culture You may need to focus on developing a learning culture that supports the development of leaders.Non-Supportive Upper ManagementIf upper management isn’t supportive of the program, it can be difficult to get participants to take it seriously and be accountable for their own development.Poor Compensation Practices Issues and inequities with your compensation practices could be causing disengagement among employees and resulting in low levels of participation in the development program.You Have the Wrong LeadersYour leaders simply may not be a good fit for the organization and are not accountable and committed to developing their own abilities and performance.Set goals and metrics for measuring successUse metrics that demonstrate positive behavior and business impact as a result of the leadership development program to prove its value and increase buy-in.Address alignment and integration issues with your leadership development program Organizations that have not aligned their leadership development program to their organization’s strategic imperatives will not achieve the desired results with their program.When in the beginning stages of planning your leadership development program, there are several important questions that should be asked and answered. These include:1. What, precisely, is the program for? 2. How are we defining leadership?3. What do we need the outcome of the program to be?• The answer to these questions should invariability be derived from the organizational strategy – the goals and objectives that the organization is driving forward to achieve. • It is also necessary to stay in tune with and responsive to the organization’s changing directions and business needs.Ensure that your leadership competencies are aligned to your organization’s strategy and your program supports your competencies, so that you are developing leader capabilities toward the right objectives.Integrate your leadership competencies into your other HR functions so that they are aligned with and supporting the behaviors and skills necessary for the success of your organization.Use the outcome of your talent management systems (performance appraisals, IDPs) to develop learning plans and future learning strategies. Ensure that your program follows leadership development format best practicesDevelopment is most successful when a variety of learning formats are used, including experiential, relational, and formal learning.• Leverage the work environment for development. Ensure that the on-the-job project is taken seriously by the business and has real value. Leaders who devote long hours to projects that are then dismissed as simply being part of the development program will quickly become demotivated.• Establish evaluation and feedback mechanisms. When businesses fail to track and measure changes in leadership performance, they send a signal that following through on the development is not important. • Develop accountability with participants for their own development by: 1. Establishing accountability partners2. Executing on the individual development plan 3. Leveraging the participant’s manager 4. Reinforcing the learningCommunicate and secure resources for a program re-launchExecutive buy-in for the program will help ensure that you have the resources needed to deliver effectively.Demonstrating to the business the ROI in training and development has consistently earned a place among the critical issues in HR. • This is due in large part to the cost associated with developmental activities. • Many organizations still feel “training” dollars are “discretionary spend” - even with a good strategy linked to business objectives. • This emphasizes the need for the leadership development strategy to clearly demonstrate financial impact on the important drivers of the business.• Use McLean & Company’s Leadership Development Program ROI Tool to calculate a return on investment for your program.Support from senior executives is necessary for running a successful leadership development program. Gaining executive support can help ensure: • The program aligns with and delivers on their desired business goals.• The program receives adequate support and resources to deliver on the desired outcomes.Creating a learning culture must start with those at the top demonstrating their personal engagement with leadership development and support for change.

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