Dr. Vince Molinaro, CEO of Leadership Contract Inc. A NY Times best-selling author. A global expert helping leaders lead strategic shifts.
Many leadership programs miss the mark. The reason is that programs are misaligned with both business needs and the needs of managers and leaders.
As I discuss in my book Accountable Leaders, it’s the reason many executives quietly admit their disappointment with internal leadership programs and their inability to create value and have a tangible impact.
I’ve found the problem isn’t usually about lack of effort or budget. The real issue is misalignment—we implement the wrong kind of development for the challenge at hand.
Learning From The World Of Emergency Preparedness
To understand what I mean, it’s helpful to look to the world of emergency preparedness. I’ve noticed emergency planners often work in three phases:
1. Steady State: Services run as usual, and daily operations keep the community safe and functioning.
2. Ready State: Resources shift into high alert as a potential storm looms, ensuring people and systems are prepared to respond.
3. Future State: Planners focus on long-term resilience, planning for emerging risks, calamities and uncertainties that could pose severe threats to a city or country.
Leadership development can follow a similar set of phases.
Applying These Phases To Leadership Development
In steady state, organizations need leaders who have the skills and capabilities to perform effectively in their current roles. Ready state development prepares leaders to successfully transition into new roles. Finally, future state development equips leaders to navigate strategic shifts and drive transformation.
Each phase has its own purpose, and success depends on knowing which one to apply—and when. Let’s explore each in more detail.
1. Steady State Development: Getting The Fundamentals Right
Steady state development focuses on immediate performance. It ensures leaders are effective in their current roles by strengthening the core skills, mindsets and routines they need every day.
A good example is a foundational frontline leader program covering basics such as setting team expectations, delegating tasks or developing coaching and feedback skills. These are capabilities every frontline leader needs.
2. Ready State Development: Gearing Up For What’s Next
Ready state development bridges the gap between current performance and the demands of a new position.
For example, a leadership development program for new middle managers should look very different from one for frontline leaders. Success as a middle manager requires the ability to work across an enterprise, support change initiatives and lead other leaders and functions. Ready state development builds these skills.
3. Future State Development: Leading Tomorrow
Future state development prepares leaders to navigate disruption, seize opportunities and shape the long-term direction of the business.
This typically begins with senior executives facing significant transformation. When done well, it equips leaders with the capabilities needed to drive strategy, culture and large-scale change.
Common Missteps That Can Derail Impact
One of the dynamics I see in many organizations is when the leadership development strategy is misaligned with what leaders actually need. Here are some of the most common missteps:
• Confusing today with tomorrow: Organizations assume that steady state or ready state development will be enough to equip leaders for the future. Without deliberate future state programs, leaders end up trained for yesterday’s problems.
• Relying on the wrong vendors or providers: Many vendors excel at training for the present but struggle to build future-ready leaders. Repackaging old content with new labels won’t prepare leaders for disruption and transformation.
• Ignoring the business context: Steady state development can be valuable in stable environments. But in organizations undergoing transformation, it can feel tone-deaf and irrelevant.
• Mistaking activity for impact: Too many organizations invest in trendy or highly visible leadership development training programs without connecting them to strategy. Leaders leave with plenty of content but little ability to deliver results.
Assess Your Organization: Questions Leaders Can Ask
• Are we investing in the right type of leadership development for the challenges our leaders actually face? How do we know if our leadership development is aligned with today’s business challenges?
• Do our programs help leaders perform today, prepare for their next role and shape tomorrow—or are they stuck in one phase? How can our leadership training prepare leaders for both current roles and future leadership needs?
• Have we fallen into any of the misalignment traps: confusing today with tomorrow, relying on the wrong vendors, or mistaking activity for impact? How can we avoid common leadership development mistakes like vendor mismatch or misaligned programs?
• Are we building a leadership pipeline that is fit for the future—or one that prepares leaders for a world that no longer exists? What are the signs that our leadership pipeline is outdated and not building future-ready leaders?
Aligning Development Programs With Leaders’ Real Needs
The best approaches to leadership development align the right kind of experience with the challenge at hand: Steady state strengthens performance today. Ready state equips leaders for their next career leap and role. Future state develops leaders who can navigate ambiguity, drive change and shape tomorrow.
When organizations avoid the misalignment traps and align development with both the leader’s stage and the company’s strategy, they build a pipeline that is capable, confident and future-ready.
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