COACHING FORLEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENT 139
I also know the value that fresh eyes can bring to the table. My goal is
to help the client team build a network of outstanding, committed
partners for program delivery from both within and outside the com-
pany. We work together to develop processes for recruiting and coach-
ing people from within the company who are selected to be teachers,
mentors, or coaches themselves. We also develop processes for identi-
fying, engaging, and managing the involvement and performance of
external resources that bring critical expertise and outside perspec-
tives to the development initiative.- Align leadership development processes with the organization’s human
resource management systems.I work with the client team to ensure that
the leadership development initiatives are tightly linked to the organiza-
tion’s performance metrics and human resource management infrastruc-
ture, including reward systems, recruitment and selection procedures,
and succession and executive resource planning processes. This final
step ensures relevance and impact for any development initiative.
In my experience, members of an effective client team must have a com-
mitment to moving the organization from where it is to a desired future
state. They need to have vision, to see the pattern of where the organization
was, where it is now, and where it is going. They need a real feel for the peo-
ple, the culture, and the political climate of the organization. And they have
to know how far you can push and how hard you can push the people.
My most effective clients are patient and persistent, have a clear vision of
the role leadership development can play in the organization, and are willing
to be an active part of the process. Clearly, it helps to have senior executive
sponsors who believe in leadership development. Without that level of sup-
port and involvement, it is hard to maintain the credibility and momentum of
the process. But even so, my most successful engagements have been those in
which a core team of motivated individuals have made a commitment to
make leadership development a key driver of business success.
From the experience I have gained while coaching teams to build high-
impact leadership development initiatives, I have learned that success in
leadership development starts with a commitment at the top. The initiatives
are tightly linked to the company’s strategic agenda. They are viewed as a
lever for communicating strategy, focusing behaviors, and driving change.
They provide next-generation leaders with an opportunity to learn, practice,
develop, and grow. And when done well, they drive business results, the best
measure of success that I can imagine.