It’s not about leaders. It’s about leadership.
Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall."—Stephen Covey
Leaders play a critical role in our organizations. We need great leaders — they have a profound impact on the success of organizations. Furthermore, the pressure to identify and develop future leaders has never been more significant. We must grow leaders while recognizing, against a very different business landscape and set of demands. However, that alone will not unleash the full potential of our organizations.
Many organizations capitalize on leadership potential by identifying the “stars.” Moreover, these high-potential programs enable organizations to target the growth of small groups of high-potential leaders. The results are outstanding.
Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led."—Warren Bennis
However, as the pace of business increases, this strategy falls short. Transforming potential into meaningful business results requires far more than picking and choosing people who meet a precise profile. In today's world of constant change, organizations need to re-think their strategy. More importantly, they need to broaden their efforts to develop and unleash the full potential of the leadership talent that exists in every employee.
Leadership is about Behaviour
At the end of the day, leadership is about behaviour, regardless of a person’s title or where they fall in the company hierarchy. Organizations face new and unfamiliar challenges, However, success depends on increasing the frequency of leadership behaviour from individuals and teams across the organization. This effort ensures that the organization can deploy the right leadership at the right moment for the proper context. So instead of redefining the criteria and isolating a small group of “stars,” the challenge is to understand and unleash the most significant source of potential: The entire workforce.
We take a holistic view of potential — beyond merely identifying leadership potential among individuals. Instead, we aim to surface, activate, and accelerate potential in every individual, within teams, and across the full force of your organization.
Ladder of Leadership
The “Ladder of Leadership” research shows a direct correlation between the most successful business leaders and specific performance competencies at first/intermediate-level, senior-level and C-levels of management.
We use SuccessFinder, a talent assessment and career success prediction platform to identify high-performance traits for the entire employee life cycle.
“As a behavioural researcher, I wanted to understand the details around the What got you here won’t get you there mantra. What our team found is that there are key competencies that all leaders need and others that are distinctly different at each rung of the corporate ladder.” — Dr. Laurence Crevier-Braud, SuccessFinder
The leadership research collected over two years used a database of over 1,000 high performing managers. The findings suggest three sets of performance competencies that are required for success at —and between— each level:
- Always on: Two fundamental performance competencies are essential at every level of management — to lead decisively and thrive in chaos.
- Leap: There are a few bridging behaviours between first/intermediate to senior-level management and a different set between senior and C-level management.
- Lead: And there are a few competencies unique to each leadership stage.
- Leave Behinds: The “once and done” list— suitable only for where you are, not where you’re going.
For example, the research found at the mid-management level it is crucial to be able to build consensus. But at the senior management level, it’s more important to demonstrate character. By the C-level, the most important people skill is exercising political influence.
Our clients are calling this a game changer.
This type of research, in addition to the unique predictive cloud-based SuccessFinder assessment test, is helping organizations and leaders achieve their goals, driving customer demand and investment.
Download the Ladder of Leadership Research
