3 Professional Development Resources

To enjoy success in organizational change, you need leaders.

Not just leaders who are skilled in change management, yet those of strength and experience in diverse areas.

Where leadership is learned, organizations aiming to be innovative and sustainable must prioritize, and invest in, professional development.

Whether you're in a position of authority, aiming to grow into one, or an individual contributor seeking improved engagement with stakeholders, here are 3 resources to bring value.

Leadership with a Powerful Purpose

It's not enough, anymore, for leaders to prioritize profit. It's not the driving force, for existing employees, or the magnet, for recruiting candidates, that it once was.

Instead, the Triple Bottom Line, or 3BL, considering of people, planet, and profit, should be the focus. Developing a mission, vision, and core values, interwoven with organizational communication and project execution, lends to engagement, collaboration, and positive outcomes.

From the BCG article, "Leadership with a Powerful Purpose":

"Purpose aligns every element of the business; it is how employees see themselves as part of something bigger, regardless of their role."

Want to Be a Better Leader? Start Studying Bad Ones

Early in my career, I was fortunate to be surrounded by great leaders. From front-line employees to department managers, general managers, regional managers, VP, and C-suite members, I had powerful, and accessible, examples, models, and mentors.

There was such consistency in this, that it was clear when others didn't meet the standard. That's not to say every leader came skilled to the brim. Several were in early career stages, without the experiential reps that would lead to future success.

Rather, it was obvious when the effort and attitude displayed weren't of the same quality that was the norm. Whether their tenure was short- or long-lived, the examples of "what not to do" became memorable.

From the Inc. article, "Want to Be a Better Leader? Start Studying Bad Ones":

"Examining what doesn't work helps you understand better why something works, providing insight into the deeper reasons and mechanisms that generate positive outcomes."

How to Train and Build Leaders from Within Your Team

Given the recent, high incidence of employee turnover, voluntary and involuntary, and related, uncertain future, organizations must consider the internal mobility of their team members.

Rather than to endure the costly roads of recruiting anew, with lengthy times to ramp, build familiarity, and become efficient, a reallocation of these investment resources in professional and career development of existing employees is critical.

In Martin Rowinski's article, "Are You Tired of Losing Valuable Employees? Here's How to Train and Build Leaders From Within Your Team," on Entrepreneur.com, he expands on the following 3 keys:

Pinpoint potential leaders
Pave pathways for opportunities
Create a leadership pipeline

A Common Denominator

In each, what stands out is the need for organizations and individuals to be growth-minded and with commitment to continuous learning.

Need to prioritize this a bit more yourself? Here's 2 things to help:

Block off 30-60 minutes as a weekly, recurring appointment on your calendar
Add the particular resources you'll be exploring to a running list or the calendar invite's description, so your time is efficient, and not lost to searches for material

What's something interesting you found this week? Hit reply to let me know, or use the contact form if you're reading this in your browser.

In health,
Boh