The simplest definition of “leadership” is the action of leading a group or organization. However, this definition doesn’t detail the many ways that great leaders contribute to the success of their teams and organizations.
Great leaders take the initiative to develop and effectively communicate the organization’s mission, steering subordinates toward common goals. Importantly, they motivate and guide their teams to achieve great things.
Great leaders instill confidence, help build morale and act as role models. For instance, a leader who goes above and beyond to support his team inspires team members to act similarly. This benefits both the team and the organization as a whole.
However, not all leaders are born. Some are made. And even those considered “natural leaders” need additional training to help them improve their innate skills.
Leadership training is an investment that pays off in many ways. The following are four examples of the advantages of a leadership development program.
Leadership development training may help lessen turnover at both the leader and rank-and-file levels.
According to a 2019 LinkedIn survey, 94% of employees will remain with an employer longer if it values and provides learning opportunities. Meanwhile, research from the Work Institute found that lack of career development was one of the most common reasons cited for employees leaving their jobs.
This can be prevented by providing leaders and promising employees with access to training programs, such as leadership development, that teach new skills and may help them advance up the career ladder. Leadership development programs allow current and future leaders to unlock their potential and further improve their leadership capabilities.
Another common reason employees, particularly those below the managerial level, leave is poor relationships with their leaders. In fact, a Gallup report found that one in two employees have quit their jobs to get away from a bad manager. Additionally, a McKinsey & Company survey found that 34% of those who left their jobs between 2021 and 2022 did so due to uninspiring or uncaring leaders.
Leadership development training programs do more than just teach managers the skills to get along better with their subordinates. It prepares leaders to create an environment of trustworthiness, respect and cooperation.
Additionally, leadership development programs help managers enhance their communication techniques, sharpen their decision-making skills and improve how they manage conflict and challenging situations. They provide leaders the tools they need to become more inspiring, motivating and effective.
Companies across industries frequently apply a project- and team-based approach to everything from resolving workplace hurdles to developing new projects. In collaborative teams, members regularly bounce ideas off each other as well as motivate and hold each other accountable. Great teamwork results in teams that are creative, productive and efficient.
However, teamwork doesn’t occur in a vacuum. To get to this coveted place of collaboration and mutual respect, it’s necessary for a leader to effectively communicate their vision for their team and inspire their members to commit to it. A leader must also be able to identify weaknesses among members and prevent these from affecting others and impacting the team’s cohesiveness and sense of togetherness.
Leadership training helps by teaching leaders the skills to promote and uphold teamwork in their organizations. These skills include:
As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Achieving goals can be done faster when people work together as a team.
Each team member has something different to bring to the table: Unique talents, skills and opinions. When a leader creates an open and supportive environment, employees are empowered to impart their knowledge. This helps improve and hasten the problem-solving process. This kind of environment also fosters innovation.
Teamwork also results in better communication. Being able to communicate well with others makes it easier to share ideas, impart information as well as divvy up and coordinate tasks. By sharing the workload, team members can complete tasks more efficiently and get more done in less time.
According to an MIT Sloan Management Review report, a toxic corporate culture is the top driver of attrition during the Great Resignation. The report found that it is over 10 times more likely to cause employees to quit than compensation.
No one works where they don’t feel safe or valued and they feel disrespected or excluded. Fortunately, leaders can help create a more welcoming, inclusive and respectful space for their employees by leveraging the skills they learned from leadership training.
Leaders can combat workplace toxicity by:
Leadership development training helps build effective, strong and empathetic leaders who contribute to their subordinates’ career growth while driving organizational success. It also helps promote a positive work culture, thus decreasing attrition rates and improving employee satisfaction.
HPWP group provides onsite and virtual, facilitator-led training for leadership development. Our innovative approach to leadership training is backed by more than four years of research and application. Through our programs, we aim to help leaders achieve high performance through their teams and create a positive workplace that encourages excellence.
We offer a variety of transformative programs that teach the skills leaders need to become more effective and inspiring as well as instill confidence and competence. To learn more, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Fill out our contact form for any questions you may have, and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.