Leadership Training Priorities

In my three decades of management and leadership consulting and training, it has become abundantly clear to me that adequate and effective leadership is a major obstacle and challenge for most organizations. Most organizations neither effectively qualify potential leaders nor have a mechanism in place to assure that leaders maximize their potential to succeed. I generally recommend that organizations emphasize and prioritize leadership training. These are the basics of leadership training, and the components that all successful programs include:

(1) An organization must have programs for various levels of leadership. The first level is entry level, or early leadership identification and development. These individuals are also known as the future leaders. Next, there is intermediate leadership training, or training leaders at the local and/or lower levels of the organization. There must then be advanced training, for those entering Board or Trustee levels of leadership. Finally, there must be elite training, for those involved in the highest leadership positions of an organization.

(2) Organizations must train in what is required to be a leader. In other words, "How to be a leader?"

(3) What are the skills required for leadership? These include communication,effective listening, negotiations, staff oversight, member relations, decision making, etc.

(4) How to market the organization? This means getting existing members more involved, lapsed members excited again, and potential members to join, as well as exciting donors and potential donors./

(5) How to clearly elucidate the mission statement of the organization? This includes clearly creating one that effectively yet briefly explains the importance of the organization, what it does and what it stands for.

(6) Leaders must understand all aspects of motivation.

(7) Leaders must be trained to be able to both write an effective letter, and give an adequate and motivating speech and/ or address.

(8) How to answer objections? Leaders must fully be able to use the five steps to answering an objection.

(9) How to effectively work with co-leaders and staff? What should a leader expect?

(10) What is the difference between micromanaging and effective management? What must be done before a leader can effectively delegate responsibilities?

(11) Leaders must fully understand the organization.

(12) Leaders must be trained to fully utilize all aspects of the decision making process, and understand all potential ramifications, both positive and negative, of either making a decision and taking action, or conversely, what might occur if no action is taken.

(13) What are the components of leadership judgment? What is involved in the process?

(14) Leaders must learn the basics of negotiation, as well as the pitfalls of contracts.

(15) When should a leader and an organization use a consultant, and when not to do? What should an organization look for in a consultant?

These fifteen items are just the "tip of the iceberg." However, when one evaluates and compares the most effective organizations and compares that to those that flounder, in the vast majority of cases, a significant difference is the concentration on leadership training and qualification. Today, many organizations seem to be suffering from a dearth of leadership and involvement, and one of the major causes of that, is the lack of concentration on developing and training its leaders.