Leadership Development Tools: What You Need in Your Toolbox

In a previous blog post, we explained why leaders need tools to help them do their work. In this post, we describe the nature of these tools and give some examples.

Leadership development is a deliberate, systematic effort to build the capacity, capability, and readiness of individuals to lead in ways that advance organizational strategy and performance.

In a business context, it goes beyond training individuals in leadership skills. It focuses on growing a sustainable leadership pipeline that can meet current and future organizational needs.

A leadership assessment tool is a prescription for how to go about specific types of leadership work, using proven, step-by-step practices and leadership skills that are based on solid organization concepts helpful, to more expediently address certain types of organization, leadership, and management issues. The tools are helpful for strategic thinking, communications planning, emotional intelligence, working through highly multifaceted issues, and the execution of complex objectives.

The systematic use of tools contributes to a leadership development process that helps a leader move individuals, teams, and whole organizations toward success, which helps leaders help others achieve the organization’s strategic goals. And that helps everyone learn how to learn.

It’s the sequence of applications that creates effective leadership styles so the leaders can manage and focus their time, help people think strategically, help leaders with problem-solving, build cross-organizational alliances, and address issues for which there are no easy answers. (Review the table below for a classification of the types of work and tasks for which tools are used.)

There are hundreds of thousands of books, studies, and articles that provide leadership advice and insight. Yet, in practice, the vast majority of organizations continue to struggle with planning, improving organizational competence, and executing change.

Just as manufacturing and service organizations have learned to use LEAN and Six Sigma methods to enhance product quality, we believe leaders can similarly use assessment tools to more easily manage risk, improve communication efficiency and effectiveness, and improve the speed of strategic execution.

One example of a strategic leadership tool is “The Leader’s Map,” which demonstrates how leadership can be practiced as a describable, teachable, repeatable, measurable, and institutional process. Rather than seeing change as a unique event or based on the competencies of a few leaders, change can be understood as an almost predictable, recurring set of circumstances that can be anticipated, described, and thus easily executed across internal and external organizational boundaries.

The tool is scalable and can be used by senior leaders and first-line supervisors. The use of the tool's standard practical leadership language and process provides a structure for the full range of leadership work. It increases collaboration, embeds the change within the organization's cultural fabric, and provides a vehicle for action learning.

Using The Leaders Map™ (review Diagram 1) facilitates the implementation of change because the impetus no longer needs to reside with senior leaders alone. It can now become a more significant competency that resides within middle management. This frees senior leaders to more effectively concentrate on the true strategic issues. The competence of middle managers to do this work leads to higher levels of employee engagement and the ability of managers to achieve the organization’s longer-term financial and strategic objectives. The tool gives middle managers and senior leadership a common language and structure for executing change.

Using The Leader’s Map™ helps leaders understand that:

Management work is about creating stability to ensure the organization achieves its stated goals. Examples of management tools include steps on how to complete a performance appraisal, how to provide individual coaching, and how to interview job candidates. Most organizations have effective programs in place that help people develop the kinds of skills needed to adequately perform management work.

Leadership tools help people think strategically, work more effectively across organizational boundaries and competing priorities, plan and monitor complex execution, and address challenges with no easy answers. It is in this area that most internal training initiatives have failed to adequately prepare mid to senior-level leaders to address the challenges before them.

If you’re asking yourself, “Is leadership development measurable?” the short answer is yes. The measurement of our leadership development initiatives will depend on the leadership assessment tools you are using, your organizational culture, and your overall goal for developing leaders. We have outlined several popular leadership assessment tools in this blog, but another useful and measurable tool is the leadership style assessment. This tool helps evaluate an individual's self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and leadership behaviors. Here are some more useful resources to help you build up your leadership assessment initiatives.

The Leadership Development Programs Certificate will help you prepare top performers at all levels in your organization to take on management responsibilities through high-impact leadership development programs.

Course Info

This program will show you how to design and implement effective leadership development programs that nurture high performers and future leaders, preparing them with essential leadership skills to take on new roles within your organization. You will learn how to take your leadership training beyond individual events and build the foundation for a holistic, successful leadership development journey that begins by laying the groundwork and partnering with senior leaders.

Building Leadership Skills Through the ATD LEADS Model

The ATD LEADS model, an exclusive model based on industry-leading research and best practices, serves as the foundation for the course. Using the model as a guide, we will explore all the components necessary to build a successful leadership development program, from establishing organizational readiness and analyzing various assessment models to evaluating leadership competencies and behaviors and their relationship to your organization's workforce needs. Several case studies allow you to learn from other organizations that have implemented leadership development programs.

This course addresses identifying good future leaders and designing leadership development opportunities, including creating learning events. You will also learn how to sustain programs by demonstrating their impact on organizational readiness and the bottom line.

In this issue of TD at Work, Lindsay Bernhagen and Al Dea explain how artificial-intelligence coaching can strengthen leadership development by giving more people more opportunities to reflect, experiment, and grow in the flow of work. You’ll learn:

The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Worksheet: Ready to Launch AI Coaching? and a Checklist: Choose the Right AI Coaching Partner.

What is ATD’s Leadership Development Day?

ATD’s Leadership Development Day is a free virtual event that offers you the opportunity to hear from top minds in leadership development. You’ll hear leading organizations and solution providers share real-world case studies and actionable insights. During our day of engaging sessions, you’ll learn practical strategies and connect with industry experts. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your leadership development programs.

Who is it for?

Anyone responsible for developing leaders in their organization. Whether you’re creating a new program from the ground up or interested in transforming an existing program, this event will have relevant insights and practical takeaways for you.

This blog post was originally published in February 2014 but has since been updated with new information and resources.