Leadership in business is a critical element that can make or break an organisation’s success.
According to the Brandon Hall Group, 77% of businesses report that leadership is lacking, yet only 5% of companies have implemented leadership training across their organisation according to the training industry.
More worryingly, 72% of leaders report they are burned out by the end of the day yet developing and retaining future leaders outranks economic and business concerns, according to the Development Dimensions International Inc.
Investing in leadership capability is a great strategic move and identifying the right leadership skills to lead the complexities of today’s workforce is even more important.
Eighty per cent of millennials would rather receive on-the-spot feedback and recognition over formal reviews. So, it is time to ditch the annual appraisals and do things differently, but that’s a discussion for another time.
In the past, a job title or the position on an org chart defined leaders but that’s a thing of the past.
Leaders are lifelong learners, learning about themselves, learning from others, learning about others.
Leaders gain influence because of their leadership qualities not because of their job title. It’s all about influence over authority.
Leaders inspire others, they take employees and teams on journeys. They are storytellers empowering people to innovate, collaborate and grow and engaging them in the vision and mission of the company.
Leaders don’t need to have all the answers, yet they communicate effectively, think strategically, listen intently, make tough decisions when needed, empathise, show vulnerability and are able to adapt quickly in today’s world.
By investing in your people, your company with thrive, and leadership skills are the key to unlocking team and business performance.
In Cumbria there are some amazing opportunities for leaders to develop their skills and I would encourage people to get onto it as a business priority in 2024.
