Tools
The Whole-Person Approach
To lead others with this human-centered mindset, it is helpful to first reflect and understand what drives or deters your …
Due to rapidly evolving technological advancements and shifting employee priorities, today’s leaders face complex challenges in the workplace. They’re pressured to deliver more with less, all while ensuring employees are engaged, motivated and productive.
Today’s organizations require leaders who can swiftly pivot with changes, like the integration of new AI tools, and support employees through ongoing transitions. Essentially, modern businesses need leaders who possess diverse skill sets to influence employees effectively and can navigate uncharted territories well. Leadership training is all about developing leaders who can do just that.
Whether you need executive buy-in to implement training programs or you are ready to launch an initiative to build more flexible leaders, here are some of the benefits of leadership training and reasons why it’s a worthwhile investment.
Leadership training equips participants with the skills to lead others effectively. These skills empower leaders to make genuine connections with employees and empower them to perform at their best.
Depending on the program, a leadership course might also create space for leaders to develop self-awareness by reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses. With greater self-awareness, leaders can feel more confident in their approach and make better decisions about how they lead others as well as how they approach their own development, supporting the success of the overall organization.
The Situational Leadership® Essentials course provides a direct way to develop more effective leaders across your organization. It teaches leaders how to identify their default leadership style and adapt it to each employee’s performance needs for specific tasks, which is crucial for building a culture of trust, collaboration and high performance.
Leaders play a major role in employee engagement. According to Gallup, leaders account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Engaged employees are more motivated to do their jobs well and remain loyal to their organization.
Leadership training equips leaders with the skills to nurture engagement, such as learning how to make employees feel supported and valued. Well-trained leaders ensure employees have the resources they need to grow in their careers and discuss opportunities that provide a stronger sense of purpose, which is another factor that increases engagement and retention.
Your leadership culture is your organization’s vision of effective leadership. It includes the shared beliefs, values and practices that shape how leaders make decisions and influence employees.
Building a strong leadership culture is important because it ensures leaders align with an organization’s goals and consistently communicate a unified vision to team members. Also, employees know what to expect when their leaders share the same framework, reducing confusion and stress and allowing them to focus on their work.
A leadership training program can teach leaders a standard framework or best practices for effective leadership. As a result, leaders have a clear roadmap to follow when interacting with team members and making an impact.
For example, the Situational Leadership® Essentials course teaches a simple framework that all leaders can apply to identify employee performance needs and match their leadership style accordingly. The course provides a straightforward method to get leaders and employees speaking the same language about performance, strengthening your organization’s culture as a whole.
Leadership training can benefit employees at every organizational level. It helps team members hone valuable skills, such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving, that can be applied to numerous situations. These skills nurture a performance culture where employees are empowered to take ownership of their development and aligned with organizational goals.
Leadership training also teaches current leaders how to recognize high-potential employees, which is the first step in succession planning and preparing future-ready leaders. After identifying high-potential employees, leaders can help them grow in their careers and prepare them for future leadership roles.
Psychological safety is a launchpad for innovation. Various studies have shown that individuals are more likely to share ideas and take risks—both elements crucial for innovation—when they feel safe speaking their minds.
Sharing ideas can lead to innovation in many different ways. For instance, a leader might spot an opportunity to improve an idea that an employee shares, resulting in a whole new approach. Or, team members might work together to identify unmet needs, each bringing their own firsthand experiences and thoughts to the table. They can then brainstorm ideas to meet these needs in new ways and come up with solutions that an individual may have overlooked.
In any case, fostering a culture of innovation allows companies to continually generate new ideas and swiftly adapt to market changes or evolving customer demands. Making sure leaders have permission to experiment, learn from mistakes and inspire team members to do the same is foundational to building a culture of innovation.
Through leadership training, leaders can learn how to create a more supportive and collaborative work environment, where all team members feel secure sharing their thoughts and ideas.
With over 50% of today’s managers experiencing burnout, organizations must take action to address this widespread condition to maintain positive work environments. Fortunately, leadership training programs can help mitigate burnout in various ways.
For example, by learning how to effectively hand off tasks through a leadership development course, leaders can share responsibilities with their team and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
With many teams working remotely and geographically dispersed, effective communication and collaboration are more important than ever. When employees understand what’s expected of them and have the necessary resources and support, they can stay on track with projects, no matter their location. They can also feel more connected and valued when leaders communicate with them openly and provide opportunities for collaboration.
Overall, employees who are given clear expectations and feel like part of a team are more likely to feel motivated to do their jobs well and derive greater satisfaction from their work.
Leadership training programs like our Communicating Effectively course teach leaders how to communicate with intentionality to prevent confusion and foster collaboration.
Want a foolproof way to increase morale and motivation? Teach your leaders how to recognize employees and give meaningful praise.
Recognition has numerous benefits, including boosting morale, motivation, productivity and retention. According to Gallup, employees who feel adequately recognized are less likely to quit their jobs. That said, giving recognition when it’s undeserved can backfire and make top performers feel undervalued. Leadership training can teach leaders how to give praise and recognition when it’s due.
Today’s companies face an unprecedented rate of change. With 53% of employees globally feeling like too much change is happening at once, organizations need leaders who can prepare employees for change and help them thrive in it.
There are leadership courses and workshops specifically created to teach techniques and strategies for managing change. Leaders might learn about the types of emotional responses employees typically have when a change occurs, so they can prepare for their reactions and help them navigate emotional challenges. They might also learn how to effectively communicate the “why” behind changes to reduce confusion and help team members embrace change confidently.
Our Situational Change Leadership™ course was designed to equip leaders with the skills to drive performance and engagement amid change. Through our course, leaders build better self-awareness and learn how to tailor their leadership style to match both the individual and the change-related task at hand. That way, employees feel supported, heard and valued amid uncertainty, and are therefore committed to overcoming resistance and growing the skills they need to adapt to a new environment or workflow.
Leadership training is an opportunity to ensure leaders have the skills and vision to advance company goals. For example, many of today’s organizations focus on building more flexible, people-centric workplaces that prioritize employee well-being to attract and retain talent. That’s because 92% of workers say it’s important for them to work for an organization that values their psychological and emotional well-being.
Teaching leaders the skills that enable a more whole-person approach, like practicing empathy and other aspects of emotional intelligence, can align them with the company’s vision to build a workplace that prioritizes well-being.
Leadership development shouldn’t be a check-the-box initiative; it’s a strategic investment in your organization’s future and an integral part of your long-term talent strategy.
At The Center for Leadership Studies, we make it simple to implement high-impact leadership training programs that drive lasting behavior change and organizational efficiency. Browse our award-winning leadership training courses today and learn how our Performance Readiness® Pass enables organizations to drive performance in an ever-changing business environment.
