150 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES
development plans for those selected leaders, and managing their job
exper iences. If the purpose is to support the transformation of the
company, it is critical to identify the specific transformations that need
to be made and then touch lots of leaders in a high-impact way. If the
purpose is to improve current operations, it is critical to conduct a thor-
ough needs analysis to identify the critical knowledge and skill gaps and
then touch as many leaders as possible in a high-impact way.
- Produce cool-looking solutions AND help insure execution.It’s not
enough to develop an elegant leadership development product that gets
“oohs” and “aahs” when presented to other HR people at Linkage
Leadership Conferences. (Although that does feel good!) If the leader-
ship development product doesn’t get implemented and benefits re-
ceived over a sustained period of time, the effort cannot be considered
a success, except for what was learned from the failure. Producing ele-
gant leadership development products has almost become a commod-
ity. There are many consultants and firms that can produce leadership
development products that are as elegant as or more elegant than the
products I help clients create. I don’t try to differentiate myself by the
elegance of the product. Studies at GE that led to the creation of their
CAP model demonstrated that the failure of projects to achieve the de-
sired benefits resulted more from a failure to consider the acceptance
and support for the project rather than failures of design. I work with
my clients to focus on building a supportive environment for the prod-
uct as much or more than I work with them on the design of the prod-
uct itself.
Some of the principles I use in building acceptance include the following:
- Involving line managers in developing the product.Line managers,
when successfully integrated into the design process, can help ensure
acceptance of the product when it is released. The concept is de-
scribed in the phrase “If they build it, they will come.”
- Testing for simplicity, practicality, and focus.Many of my clients are
well educated in the behavioral sciences but have never held a line as-
signment. I am forever biased by my more than 20 years as a line man-
ager and user (or sometimes victim) of HR products and services.
Often, during the design process, I ask myself, “ What would I have
thought about this product in my line manager role?” Sometimes, I
conclude that I would have called it “HR foo foo” or something even
more obscene. When that happens, it’s time to go back to the draw-
ing board. The key questions I ask, to see if it passes the test of a line
