138 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES
their job is to get results and at the same time to build commitment to the or-
ganization’s culture and values. But there is little doubt that today’s leaders
must carry out those responsibilities in an incredibly complex environment.
The current business climate challenges leaders to fulfill their responsibili-
ties while directing their organization’s movement into a new economic
order. This often requires not only the development and deployment of new
strategies and business models, but also reformulation of corporate culture
and values.
My clients tend to be business and HRD leaders from organizations like
Cisco, 3M, Aramark, and Merck that are looking to build relevant leadership
development initiatives to meet the challenge of today’s complex competi-
tive environment. I work in partnership with those clients to design, develop,
and sometimes deliver initiatives that help their organization to get results,
shape culture, and develop leadership depth. As challenging as this work can
be, there is nothing more inspiring or exhilarating than working in tandem
with a team of clients to build momentum, ratchet up performance, and in-
spire renewed leadership commitment across an organization.
The number-one critical success factor in my work is having a team of
clients—on both the business and HRD side—that is visibly committed to
leadership development as a driver of organizational performance. It really
helps if the team is comprised of both business leaders and HRD experts.
Early in the engagement, I try to facilitate discussion and build consensus
within the team around a number of issues that are at the heart of effective
leadership development processes. The goal is to have the team:
- Clarify core objectives for development based on the strategic impera-
tives of the firm,including discussions around targeting key audiences
for development; defining critical competencies and capabilities; creat-
ing networks to share knowledge and leverage performance; enhancing
communications and teamwork; refining organizational culture; and
implementing business strategies. - Select methods and approaches to be used for development, ensuring
consistency with the company’s strategic imperatives and the overall
learning/development objectives of the initiative. This could in-
clude action learning projects, leader-led learning, classroom educa-
tion, and other methods for promoting individual and organizational
ef fectiveness. - Build and maintain strategic par tnerships with resources to help in
initiative delivery.I am a strong advocate of leader-led processes in
which client company executives play major roles in any initiative. But