Making leadership development stick
Article Type: Abstracts From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 26, Issue 5
Thomas R.J., , Jules C. and , Light D.A. Organizational Dynamics, January-March 2012, Vol. 41 No. 1, Start page: 72, No. of pages: 6
AbstractFormal leadership development programs fade from memory within days. In this article, the authors explain how one company – National Grid, the second-largest utility in the USA – avoided that trap, producing both more effective leaders and better business results. The critical ingredient? Putting leaders’ experience and real business problems at the center of the learning process. National Grid’s approach had three core elements. First,assessments and coaching were done ahead of time, to determine participants’strengths and weaknesses as leaders. Second, there were a series of“action labs,” in which the new leaders could share experiences that had shaped them while also solving problems critical to the company – such as the need to unify the organization while also improving customer satisfaction. Finally, to ensure that the lessons of the program “stuck,”participants concluded the formal training armed with their own “personal learning strategies” and a personal board of directors .ISSN: 0090-2616 Article type: Research Paper Reference: 41AJ767
Keywords: Coaching, Experience, Leadership development,Problem solving, Success, Training
