Table of Contents
Employee leadership development is about helping people at work learn how to guide and support others. It teaches them how to make good decisions, solve problems, and inspire their team. This training helps them grow into better leaders who can take on more responsibility. It’s like learning how to be a team captain – you practice skills that help everyone work together and do their best.
Professional leaders aren’t born ready—they’re developed. But, what is employee leadership development, and why is it crucial? Simply put, developing employees it’s a strategic initiative aimed at nurturing leadership skills in employees, empowering them to drive success, and aligning teams toward shared goals.
Need to gear up your leaders—Join a leader development program, and start earning digital certificates!
We’ve created a comprehensive guide on employee leadership development, its benefits, and handy tips to help organizations build their tailored programs.
How To Improve Leadership Skills
Ask yourselves—How to improve leadership skills for your business growth? Employee leadership development is the stepping stone for streamlined success, and it’s vital for building a strong workplace culture and business scaling.
Here are the key benefits of developing leadership skills for companies. Investing in future leadership development doesn’t just focus on the now—it also shapes the future of your leaders and keeps them up with the times. Developing strong leaders can build a strong foundation for the future, ensuring a result-driven workplace, dynamic business approaches, and easier alignment of overall goals. Improved soft vs hard skillsPeople who develop leadership skills rely on soft and hard skills, from teamwork to specialized software management.
Soft skills allow leaders to communicate and collaborate effectively across teams, while hard skills ensure valuable projects are seen through with practical, hands-on experience. Higher employee retention Developing new leaders doesn’t just keep them on board—it also aids with overall employee retention. When employees are led the right way, they’re more motivated and likelier to stay in a company.
Investing in leadership, and offering digital credentials for their efforts, demonstrates your support of their career journeys—while they support your business growth. Enhanced decision-making leadership employee development leads to better decision-making, smarter budget allocations, and improved challenge management. When the going gets tough, skilled leaders know what to do, when to do it, and most importantly, how to do it so nothing impacts your business drastically.
Leadership ad Development Programs: Key Skills
What is employee leadership development based on—and what does it train? One of its main focuses is training leadership behaviors, like accountability. But, there are also key skills that leaders need to hone for their roles, and leadership development programs can help build them.
- Conflict management. Managing conflicts like a professional is a top skill leaders should develop. It’s about offering resourceful solutions, being a good listener, and knowing how to find a ‘happy middle’ compromise.
- Negotiation. Leadership development helps build strong and fair negotiators, ones who can balance their powers and drive satisfying results through strategic moves.
- Strategic thinking. Leadership development ensures professionals can foresee future challenges and growth opportunities, ensuring they carry out business plans with confidence and preparation.
- Delegation. An art in itself, delegation is a top skill leaders should possess. It ensures the right tasks land in the right hands, streamlining daily operations while instilling long-term efficacy.
- Mentoring vs coaching. Like everyone, leaders need to be coached to become great mentors themselves. Leaders who can pass on their knowledge can build next-gen professionals ready to apply key leadership skills to sustain long-term business growth.
- Resilience. A must-have skill for leaders, resilience helps them effectively navigate and recover from challenges by staying adaptable, calm, and focused.
- Executive integrity. Employee leadership development gives professionals the confidence to communicate with executives. They can break down complex ideas easily, present strategies and plans logically, and efficiently adapt to board decisions.
Leader Development Plan: How to Implement?
ou must follow a real leader development plan to have success. Companies that offer dedicated leadership programs are 2.5 likelier to identify and prepare strong leaders. There are various dedicated programs to help organizations develop specific leadership skills and behaviors. Here are some of the most popular employee leadership development approaches to choose from, and some of the leadership skills training topics.
Technical skills training programs
Leadership development programs can help fill in any technical skill gaps in professionals. Whether it’s coding, project management, or content marketing, building the right technical skills helps leaders confidently navigate their role’s complexities and ensure optimal performance aligned with industry standards.
Soft skills training programs
Soft skills are just as essential as technical skills. Employee leadership development programs focused on honing skills like communication, active listening, and public speaking can help leaders improve teamwork, enhance customer relationships, and efficiently present decisions and strategies to non-technical boards.
Leadership behavior development programs
Employee leadership development programs can also focus on training specific behaviors needed for these roles. Such can include anything from strategic thinking to adaptability training. These programs often focus on aspects like emotional intelligence (EQ) and conflict resolution, allowing professionals to effectively manage teams and make better decisions.
Mentorship or coaching programs
Many employee leadership development programs will offer first-hand mentorship. This is a long-term commitment to learning key leadership elements and gaining hands-on experience from a seasoned leader. Coaching programs are another way to develop leaders, though these programs have a completion deadline and are centered on building specific leadership capabilities that are needed in the workplace ASAP.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGS)
One of the best ways to develop leaders is to rely on ERGS. Employee Resource Groups help future leaders develop a sense of community while learning how to nurture relationships, in and outside the workplace. These groups operate like internal clubs where leaders can learn from experts and peers, and build relevant skills to prepare them for the new role.
Career development planning
This type of employee leadership development brings the best of both worlds—equipped leaders and organizations that don’t shy away from investing in their career journeys. Career development planning is typically done long-term. It ensures professionals are both prepared for their leadership roles and that their new knowledge aligns with their career goals.
Team building leadership programs
Team building activities can improve work collaboration, enhance employee morale, and contribute to a healthier work culture. It’s also a great approach for organizations seeking to develop leaders remotely and ensure they can excel at their roles. Whether in-person or virtual, dedicated team building can optimize employee engagement and help leaders guide teams toward better collaboration and performance.
How to Create an Effective Leadership Development Program
To implement successful employee leadership development, organizations need to follow a few crucial steps, from assessing objectives to evaluating program efficiency.
Understand your leadership needs and overall objectives
Every organization will have different objectives and goals, so naturally, their leadership program will differ, too. The best way to align your overall goals with leadership needs is to think about your long-term goals. What kinds of leaders do you need now vs down the line? Are you aiming to cut costs? Do you want to boost client engagement? Or elevate employee retention?
For example, if your goal is to expand globally, you’ll need global leaders who can work with international teams and clients. The best way to determine your needs and goals is to communicate with teams, leaders, and managers to figure out the key leadership skills you need. This way, you can develop a tailored program with specialized leadership training.
Assess your potential leaders
With your priorities in hand, it’s time to select the people who would make great leaders and assess their capabilities. Leaders are typically the driving force in an organization, so you need professionals who can work well with others, drive results, and think ahead of the curve.
Using tools like peer feedback and employee surveys can indicate which professionals are interested in becoming leaders and transitioning from a previous role. At the same time, you’ll learn which current leaders need more dedicated training to take that next step in their careers.
Seek individuals who are already leaning toward leadership or those who already have some of the skills needed to do the job successfully.
Build a leadership development plan that fits
Based on your leadership and goal assessment, organizations can start building an aligned strategy. Develop a plan that includes a variety of learning methods, from mentorship to virtual sessions or attending courses that offer digital credentials. Ideally, you can implement the “70-20-10” model: 70% learning on the job, 20% mentoring and coaching, and 10% formal education.
Be sure the program is flexible to accommodate different needs and learning styles and is aligned with the organization’s culture and strategic objectives. Plan how long this development will take and what metrics you’ll use to monitor and track its success, like completion rates and assignment quality.
Get everyone on board
Before senior leadership and managers can support the proposed program, they need to understand why it matters to implement it. Communicating the program’s objectives, structure, and outcomes for participants and the organization paints a clearer picture of what everyone can expect. They can then take smart next steps to put the program into motion and see it through successfully.
What is employee leadership development without its top players? Current leaders are important for building up the workforce, and encouraging learning and development while investing in employee’s career development. Strong leadership breeds strong leadership and can contribute to the overall program with credibility and expertise.
Monitor, evaluate, and adjust program effectiveness
Monitoring, evaluating, and adapting—it’s the holy trio of an effectively delivered employee leadership development program. Following different metrics or using tools like 360-degree feedback helps evaluate learner progress and gather feedback to help fill any program gaps.
A regularly refined program doesn’t just help build leaders now—it makes organizations adaptable to train anyone down the line by keeping up with the trends and moving with the market demands.
The same practice of analyzing and adjusting should continue after the program is deployed.
This will ensure your program is up to par with the demands of specific leadership roles. It also aligns your program efforts with your organizational goals, allowing you to train in-demand leaders, anytime.
The Future of Employee Leadership Development: A Verdict
As organizations grow, so does the need to develop strong leaders equipped with skills and behaviors to confidently take the head. It’s the only way to ensure business growth and retain quality talent on board.
Companies that implement leadership programs have seen a 32% reduction in turnover rates and a 10% increase in productivity. This further makes investing in leadership development a valuable step of growth for organizations across all industries.
In the modern age, leadership development programs exist in different learning formats, meeting different objectives and catering to various career paths. The benefits go beyond improved business growth; leadership training can increase employee satisfaction and empower current leaders by strengthening their ability to guide and mentor.
Validating these skills skills is equally crucial. Offering digital credentials for completed leadership programs not only provides employees with visible recognition of their growth but also gives organizations a verifiable record of their staff’s expertise.
Is issuing and tracking leadership accomplishments getting the better of you?
Sertifier meets you halfway. Our all-in-one solution helps organizations automatically issue, manage, monitor, and tailor digital certifications for future leaders. With Sertifier, you can design and distribute verifiable digital badges and certificates in a few clicks.
Streamline credentialing and ensure authenticity—get started for free today!
What is Employee Leadership Development — FAQ
What’s the difference between leadership training and leadership development?
Leadership training focuses on teaching specific skills or techniques like communication or conflict resolution. On the other hand, leadership development is a broader concept, encompassing ongoing growth to enhance overall leadership.
What does a leadership development program focus on?
A leadership development program typically focuses on building skills like accountability, decision-making, strategic thinking, negotiation, and team management. It also nurtures qualities such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, and vision to prepare future leaders.
How do I know that we need a leadership development program?
Organizations might need leadership development if they are promoting employees into leadership roles or experiencing rapid business growth. They also might require leaders if their current team is limited or if aiming to boost organizational success soon.
