The importance of leadership training

Today's Business Lessons

The importance of leadership training
 

BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) 

By Francis J. Kong  

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 19, 2012 

Google the word “leadership” or “leader”, and you’ll get 495 million hits. There’s just so much information on the subject matter, and so many authors and speakers from both the business world and the academe banking on this subject matter, that, sometimes, reading up on it or studying it becomes so confusing.

But you know what I found out?

After going to New York in October of 2010 to listen to top business leaders like Jack Welch, Jim Collins, Charlene Li, AJ Lafferty of P&G, former US Vice-President Al Gore, James Cameron of Titanic and Avatar fame; and then again in October of last year where I got to listen to Howard Schultz, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Bill George and a host of celebrity speakers, including former US President Bill Clinton, I found out that…

Leadership training is still very low on the priority scale of many companies.

One of speakers even said, “…The lack of right and proper leadership training is the most important factor that has caused both the success and demise of corporations… Think Enron, think the big names that are in trouble, and on the positive side of the equation, think Apple, think IBM, think Xerox, etc.”

Why the low priority on leadership training? Because most company executives look at leadership training programs as “soft-skills” programs that are not essential. Understandably so – how can you respect any program that is labeled as “soft”?!

But every single business guru in the New York gathering – including the celebrated Tom Peters – has said that, today, soft is hard and hard is soft! And business executives who embrace this idea and embark on leadership training run effective business organizations that are always ahead of the curve.

Ever since I used “Level Up Leadership” in my public runs, I’ve seen so many other trainers use “level up” as well. Now we have Level Up Education, Level Up Selling, Level Up HR Practices… Imitation is the best compliment? Maybe. But maybe it’s also because there’s really a need to for people and organizations to level up, as competition continues to get tougher these days. Homeostasis is never good, especially for business.

What’s homeostasis?

Homeostasis is the tendency of a system or organism to stabilize, stay the same. It’s like a thermostat that keeps change within a certain range, a comfort zone.

In business, in order to grow and progress, it’s necessary to leave the comfort zone. But every time you do, homeostasis kicks in, slowing your progress or halting it altogether. Homeostasis often shows up as fear. For instance, you’re moving along nicely toward a certain goal when, seemingly out of the blue, you get panicky and stop. You get an interview or you have a proposal that’s been accepted, and the initial excitement wears off, and you’re left with the sick certainty that you won’t be able live up to the opportunity.

Companies and business organizations, no matter what the size, need to train their leaders and emerging leaders in leadership skills. Handling and leading (not managing) the generation Y people alone needs a brand new set of leadership skills. Invest in leadership training and ensure future leaders who can bring your business to the next level. Remember: Success without succession is failure.