Leadership development is a lifelong journey, and leadership support should be too. Unfortunately, that is not the way most organizations provide it, if they provide it at all. Leaders who do receive support generally have to wait until they reach the echelons of the C-suite where there is no shortage of executive coaches primed to undo years of bad practices and institutional neglect. Or, companies may invest in one-time certificate programs or leadership conferences that are both costly and temporary. It is far less glamorous, far more intensive and much more effective to support leaders throughout their journey starting from the very beginning. The best way to do this is through consistent, multiple levels of support.
Leadership support is necessary because leadership is challenging, nuanced and often very lonely. To maintain motivation, reduce isolation and avoid burnout, leaders need consistent, authentic support. This support helps leaders feel appreciated, work through challenges and operate more effectively with someone else to share ideas. There are many ways to offer leadership support, and the best way is to provide it in 3…2…1
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT IN 3
Leadership is oftentimes a lonely endeavor, and this is perhaps the area where we are most neglectful. Skill development is wonderful, and we do a lot of it, but leaders need more than just skills. Like everyone else, leaders need connection and community to bounce ideas off, receive support and share resources and ideas. This is something they often do not naturally experience in their workplace. Training programs and classes can provide this level of support but are temporary. Once the program ends, so does the frequency of connection.
Leaders need continuous, ongoing connection and support in a community setting. This community can be as small as 3 and as theoretically big as you choose, though an effective group should be big enough to provide diverse ideas and small enough to allow a strong level of trust, connection and opportunity for everyone to share. Somewhere in the 5-15 range, with freedom to experiment based on the needs of the group.
The group can be as structured or unstructured as is most beneficial to the people within it. It can take the form of a mastermind or lunch and learn or walk and talk or whatever clever (or plain) design you choose. The format of the group is far less important than the people within it. Expectations, commitment, confidentiality and emotional safety are necessary for such a group to thrive.
A leadership support group does not need to be a big investment of money or time, but it will most certainly provide a powerful and needed benefit. Details and logistics can be decided by the leaders themselves as they know best what they need. They just need to know that participation in such a group is not only accepted by the organization but is actively encouraged.
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT IN 2
There is great value in community and there is great value in receiving one-on-one support. Providing leaders with someone they can talk with in complete confidentiality is essential to their leadership development. In addition to whomever they report to, it is necessary to provide space for leaders to have open discussions without fear of judgment or backlash. Ideally this person would be external to the organization. If this is not possible (or the organization is unwilling), the internal person must uphold the utmost integrity and confidentiality. Depending on the leader and their needs, this person could be a mentor or a coach or a colleague from a different department. Provide options so the leader can make the best choice for themselves.
Like group support, one-on-one support is most effective when it happens on a consistent basis, and again, the level of consistency will depend on the needs of the leader.
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT IN 1
In addition to group and one-on-one support, leadership development must also come from individual inner work. Self-reflection and self-awareness are crucial to deep, authentic leadership growth. Leaders need the space and tools to be able to reflect on their own performance and develop a true leadership mindset. This might involve writing; reading leadership blogs, articles or books; listening to leadership podcasts; taking self-assessments and self-evaluations; thinking; brainstorming; processing; strategizing; analyzing; self-development; or any other number of areas. There are countless ways leaders can work on themselves. They may need some exposure to and support with how to do this work which and then need the space to do it. This is where levels 2 and 3 can be helpful.
Too often, leaders receive little or no support in their growth and development. In cases where they do, it often takes the form of one-off trainings or conferences that provide a level of value but not nearly the level of support that leaders require to do the challenging, arduous work of leading well. Providing leaders with the opportunities of support on all 3 levels listed above, is the best combination for leaders to grow and thrive. It is undoubtedly a commitment and an investment, and most certainly a worthwhile one to make. We know the high costs of poor leadership and the great benefits of strong leadership. We know that strong leadership does not just magically happen. We must make it happen.
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