5 Practical Leadership Development Strategies That Work

6 Ways to Develop Adaptable Leadership Skills

Session 3: Senior Leadership Program: Customer Focus & Accountability

Imagine you're an overworked manager under pressure to deliver results. Your team needs guidance, but your calendar is packed with meetings, and professional development feels like a luxury you can't afford. You're not alone – this is the reality for many leaders today.

Yet experts agree being future-ready “requires a company to **scale up new capabilities**, including developing the necessary leadership and team behaviors.” (1)  

For a start, research shows almost all (95%) percent of employees feel that managers hold the _primary_ responsibility for ensuring employee happiness. (2) 

So, on the one hand you know [leadership progression](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/understanding-leadership-progression) and leadership development are highly valuable – essential, in fact. But, on the other hand, you need to find leader training solutions that fit with your busy work life.

The Story Starts Here.......

Research shows that organisations that invest in leadership development are 29% more likely to achieve long-term business success (Centre for Creative Leadership).

For those wondering about the [return on investment](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/TheGoodNewsstaffbenefitgivesyou353ROIforevery1spent), look at this Deloitte research: employees who spend just 1% of their work week on training can produce 218% more revenue ([Deloitte](https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/analysis/business-return-learning-development.html) 2021). 

Tremendous benefits result from simply showing you care about, and invest in, employees. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: [Return on Investment (ROI) of a healthy work culture](https://ideas.growthfaculty.com/l/1071223/2024-06-12/5q9w2b)

Here are 5 practical strategies to make leadership development work for you and your organisation.

Why Leadership Development Matters Now

The key to sustainable leadership development isn't about massive time commitments. It's about making strategic choices with the time you have.

[Secure Electronic Registries Victoria (SERV)](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/serv-leadership-development)’s journey with Growth Faculty began with a small pilot group, which quickly demonstrated the platform's value, particularly in the post-COVID environment. What started as an experiment evolved into a comprehensive leadership development program that allows leaders to learn on their own terms.

Freya Poulter, SERV's General Manager of HR, likens the platform to a "Netflix of leadership development," where leaders can access content in various formats, including podcast-style listening for commutes.

"A number of our leaders use it on their phone and listen to it in podcast style while they're driving to and from work,” says Freya.

So, find online leader training programs which offer flexible learning options that fit into your existing schedule, allowing you to learn between meetings or during your commute.

Start Small, Think Big

There's a reason 85% of top-performing organisations use thought leadership to develop their executives (Edelman Impact Study). External perspectives and proven business methods expose leaders to new frameworks and insights for solving complex challenges.

This is a crucial factor for global gaming giant [Evoke's](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/evoke-develops-leaders-with-growth-faculty) talent team, who run year-long development programs for about 30 high-potential mid-level and senior leaders. 

"It was requested that maybe we should add an external provider to be challenged a little bit more, to add flavour, to add new perspective to what we do," Mikolaj Jucewicz, Head of Leadership and Talent Development at Evoke, told us in interview.

Evoke's Talent Team chose Growth Faculty for giving them access to world-class speakers and up-to-date information. 

"You're not recycling content from 20 years ago, but you're truly discussing with the best authors the most relevant content that you can find," 

Try Growth Faculty’s [immersive live virtual learning program of events](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/GF-Program-Download), or look for other online professional development programs that give you direct access to industry experts and their insights.

Learn from Proven Experts

With many companies spread across time zones and locations, it’s increasingly important for any leader training solution to be as flexible as possible.

Global gaming giant [Evoke's](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/evoke-develops-leaders-with-growth-faculty) talent team encourages participation in Growth Faculty’s live virtual masterclasses and book clubs, but has embraced the convenience of the On Demand library of replays.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Mikolaj Jucewicz says Growth Faculty’s “flexible learning” is a key attraction for Evoke, alongside our “professional service, some great well-known authors joining live, and a really easy-to-use platform."

So seek out learning platforms offering multiple ways to engage with content:

·        Virtual live sessions

·        On-demand recordings

·        Mobile learning options

·        Interactive workshops

This flexibility will ensure that leadership development adapts to your schedule, not the other way around.

Choose Flexible Learning Paths

_“People are social beings and want interaction, and social learning is the primary form of learning, just as word of mouth advertising is the highest form of advertising.”_ - Stephen M.R. Covey

[Social learning](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/sociallearningleadershipdevelopment) improves by 52% an employees’ intent to stay with their employer and increases by 65% their willingness to recommend their employer to others.

Australian software company [Aurion](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/articles/aurion-case-study) knows the value of social learning. It hosts “watch parties” for executive level leaders, operational level leaders, and emerging and up-and-coming leaders under their Growth Faculty [Enterprise plan](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans).  

"We have time after those events together to reflect and talk about how that applies in our business,” says Cara Haslop, Aurion’s Director of People and Culture.

Group learning sees teams:

·        Share challenges and solutions with peers

·        Enjoy valuable opportunities for co-learning moments

·        Apply concepts to real workplace situations

·        Build professional networks

·        Learn from others' experiences

Whether online or in person, this collaborative approach enhances retention and practical application of leadership skills.

Build Through Shared Experience

Finally, effective leadership development needs to be consistent, affordable, and accessible. Look for a learning platform that offers:

·        Regular learning opportunities

·        Quality, current content

·        Practical implementation tools

·        Easy progress tracking

While Growth Faculty has been in the business for over 20 years, in 2024 we delivered several big improvements: a faster, smoother platform that's easier to use, clearer reporting for our corporate clients, and a new Enterprise package for large teams. We also added the ability to more easily learn in groups.

Make it Sustainable

They say that when organisations are **moving fast**, there's rarely enough time and space for leadership training and support. The [immersive live virtual learning program](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/) with Growth Faculty membership is one option to consider when researching how best to develop aspiring or current leaders.

Growth Faculty also offers a good value [Enterprise plan](https://thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans) for larger companies to develop leadership skills in teams of 20 or more employees.

Photo by [airfocus](https://unsplash.com/@airfocus?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-gray-sweater-holding-gold-iphone-6-8hDDPavjW2o?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash)

Reference:

(1)     Howard H. Yu, Zhike Lei, 2024, _“Being future-ready isn’t a luxury – organizations must perform and transform to survive and thrive,”_ IMD.org

(2) _"95% employees feel managers hold primary responsibility for ensuring their happiness: Survey." -_ hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com

5 Practical Leadership Development Strategies That Work

Why today's success and future-readiness require leader training

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Stay Inspired

5 Practical Leadership Development Strategies That Work

Why today's success and future-readiness require leader training

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired