Yearly Archives: 2024

Despite the ever-growing need to have a pipeline of leaders ready to step up, many companies flounder to put together a strong emerging leading program. In fact, many don’t have one at all.

Recent Gallup research reveals a stark reality: only 33% of U.S. employees are engaged at work. Since managers are responsible for at least 70% of employee engagement, there’s clearly a gap between what employees need and what leaders are providing.

Good facilitation acts as a force multiplier for leadership effectiveness because it drives better teamwork and quicker results. "Leaders with facilitation skills are better at influencing, settling disputes, and keeping groups cohesive and productive," Miclot remarked. 

Failure is one of the most valuable tools at your disposal. And while a lot of attention is placed on the importance of seeing failure as an opportunity, much less attention is placed on how to actually fail. Next time you’re deciding how to move forward with a project, activity, or decision, work through Edmondson’s four steps. You’ll likely have a much better idea of how you want to move forward.

How do you choose the right topics for your emerging leader program? Throughout hundreds of conversations with heads of leadership development, “content” consistently shows up as one of the biggest stumbling blocks. 

Just like star athletes often struggle to transition to the role of “coach,” a star sales rep can struggle to succeed as a sales manager. As a manager, your success no longer hinges on personal performance. Instead, it hinges on your ability to create a thriving team. At the same time, your responsibilities increase.

“Why would I want to measure my emerging leader program? It might show we aren’t making a difference!” That was the very real response I got many years ago from the VP of L&D at Novartis when I asked her about her measurement strategy.

Since Chat GPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, leadership development has seen an explosion of new technology. That said, most leadership development professionals still aren’t adopting it. In the 2024 LEADx Leadership Development Benchmark Report, we found that just 24% of leadership development professionals currently use AI in their work. 

Sales leaders are the lever for a high-performing sales organization. One study cited in the Harvard Business Review found that 69% of sales reps who exceeded quota rated their managers highly.