Leadership Development in practice

There are innumerable theories about leadership development and multiple models about a good leadership development practice . I think an excellent Leadership development program has still the classic principals of training design in mind which are as follows :

1. -          The right set of competencies and traits( could be key leadership traits necessary for organizational success like entrepreneurship, innovation , strategic thinking , execution etc ) that one wants to develop using the program as a vehicle
2. -          Using the right blend of mediums ie classroom based, online , discussion mode, field visits  etc based on  the participant profile and the program objectives
3. -          Sponsorship  of the top management for this initiative
4. -          Selecting a solid base of vendors for the parts that may be outsourced and partnering with the vendors deeply to ensure that you get the training delivery bang on
5. -          Ongoing evaluation of the program at periodic intervals
6. -          Follow thru mechanism in place to ensure that the program learnings are translated into action
7. -          Mandated participation of the participants immediate Manager in the follow thru and actual program delivery as well
8. -          Element of teach back sessions to peers , team members embedded in program design coupled with using social media to keep the participants  and trainers/ faculty  connected .
9. -          Leveraging virtual technology to the fullest in terms of having  a repository  that contains the program specific material , a site where participants , program  faculty can express their views etc
10. -          Most importantly decide the degree of complexity you want to cover based on again program objectives and participant profile ie whether  you are aiming at a deep behavioural sensitisation/ change  or developing generic leadership skills your approach may change according to the objective
11. -          An action element is highly necessary for adult learners and hence company specific projects/ futuristic projects will make the learning more relevant and interesting
12. -          Assigning mentors and  coaches during the learning process and even after that will certainly help to make the journey smoother and aid the personal and professional development of the participants

All these are the basic ingredients of a well crafted leadership development program .Please note the list is indicative in nature there could be other important things too which based on the context you may incorporate ..I tried to follow these tenets when we designed and implemented a leadership development program in house -LEAD.. I am even sharing these learnings with colleagues in a few countries