Leadership Development for Leadership Teams

“Red arrows in apollo formation cotswoldairshow 2010 arp” by Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone)

With all the focus on the development of individual leaders, it seems that so much of what matters in organisations gets missed from many Leadership Development programmes. That is working well together as a team. Sure there may be something about Belbin or a team activity welded into a Leadership Development programme but it’s often removed from the context and dynamics of where leaders work each day.

How come so much is spent on developing individual leaders and yet so little work on working well as an actual purposeful team?

Take that one step further. Huge much focus is put on individuals or a strata of individuals yet you rarely see a whole team go through a Leadership Development programme together. Often in my work with teams you see there are common leadership development themes or leadership journeys. Sharing leadership learning is a large component of well functioning teams.

How come so much is spent on developing individual leaders to lead and yet so little work on developing an actual purposeful team to lead?

So much of what matters sits in collective performance. So much of what matters exists in the real world of people working together. So much of what matters is found when we share our learning with actual peers and let it become something even more meaningful.

Maybe the current focus on the individual is largely a transactional hangover from a world of HR that is slowly receding?

Maybe there lingers a perception that individual leaders will make the difference so develop the individual?

Maybe developing a team is seen as too hard let alone learning together as a team?

I really do wonder if any of these stand up to scrutiny… maybe it doesn’t matter. It feels as though we’re long overdue a shift away from comfy convention to a different level of insight and commitment in Leadership Development that…

…shifts from the stranded individual to the connected team;

…helps leaders lead and participate in actual purposeful teams;

…helps leadership teams lead and perform well together.

…helps leadership teams learn and develop together.

What if that was the focus of your leadership development expenditure and commitment? What value could you create?

I believe it’s something we should look towards, don’t you?