It has outsized influence on an organization\u2019s overall culture. So, if leadership is so important to create a great workplace, how to develop your next generation of business leaders becomes an existential question.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what prompted\u00a0BluSky Restoration Contractors<\/a>\u00a0to create a formal leadership training program.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we doing to grow people that we want to be able to promote one or two levels above where they\u2019re at today?\u201d says BluSky CEO Drew Bisping, reflecting on the questions BluSky leadership has discussed in developing a training program. \u201cAre we formally identifying them, and are we putting them through the right training that really is needed for that next step?\u201d<\/p>\n Leadership development has also become a core part of many organizations\u2019\u00a0diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging<\/a>\u00a0strategies. With significant contributions from its employee resource groups (ERGs),\u00a0Progressive Insurance\u00ae<\/a>\u00a0created a 12- to 18-month program to help ERG members and others grow their careers.<\/p>\n At BluSky, the Emerging Leaders Program is a five-month program with around 20 people participating at a time. The program, a key pillar of the company\u2019s broader culture and leadership development strategy, is also broken into smaller components where some employees can get involved in a smaller way without completing the full program.<\/p>\n Participants have a personalized program of both internal trainings and external coursework from universities like Harvard, Wharton, and Vanderbilt. At the end of the five months, participants deliver a presentation on what they learned to BluSky leaders.<\/p>\n The presentation tests how future leaders can tell a story and inspire others to follow them.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the culmination of the program, they have to say, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s what I did; here’s what I learned; here’s how I apply it\u2019 \u2014 and they have to do that on a stage, which is for some easy and for some not,\u201d Bisping says.<\/p>\n To identify what modules to include in the training program, BluSky\u2019s Simone Kelly, VP of leadership development, talked to current leaders to identify their strengths and weaknesses and analyze what future leaders might need.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think about any business, you\u2019ve got to sell the work, produce the work, and account for the work,\u201d says Bisping. \u201cLeaders would be strong in one, or maybe strong in two, but never strong in three.\u201d<\/p>\n Progressive\u2019s Multicultural Leadership Development Program (MLDP) consists of 12 to 18 months of workshops, business cases, action learning projects, and exposure to different areas of the business and senior leaders in the organization.<\/p>\n The program supports Progressive\u2019s diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives, ensuring its leadership reflects the people they lead and building a fair and inclusive work environment. Committing to those objectives means the program isn\u2019t designed to force participants into a leadership mold.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning, it was important that this program was not intended to \u2018fix\u2019 anybody,\u201d says Marisa Afzali, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Progressive. \u201cRather, it was to tap into the enormous talent already existing within Progressive and to find ways to support, provide exposure for, and help individuals realize their talents and apply them in new ways.\u201d<\/p>\n The program has a long tail effect for employees who participate.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is now a very strong alumni program \u2014 created by graduates \u2014 which continues to do book clubs, invite in guest speakers, host business acumen sessions, and more,\u201d Afzali shares. \u201cIt highlights how incredibly motivated and talented the graduates of this program are.\u201d<\/p>\n Who gets the nod to participate in a leadership program? It\u2019s important that these growth opportunities are seen as fair, as participation often coincides with promotion plans.<\/p>\n At Progressive, a large number of interested applicants submit an application and a manager\u2019s recommendation to be considered for the program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe set eligibility criteria in terms of job roles and functions for each of the program cohorts,\u201d Afzali says.\u00a0\u201cWe then market the program internally to employees in those roles, welcoming a diverse pool of interested employees.\u201d<\/p>\n Only a select group moves on to the interview stage, after which the program participants are chosen for the next cohort.<\/p>\n At BluSky, selecting participants relies heavily on senior managers who are familiar with an employee\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n \u201cAre they stepping up and performing in their current role, and is this somebody that we think we should invest in?\u201d Bisping offers as questions the company uses to identify candidates. \u201cI personally can’t see that, and so I have to rely on the leaders below.\u201d<\/p>\n How are companies making the business case for leadership programs which, they admit, are not inexpensive?<\/p>\n The value for BluSky is somewhat intangible, according to Bisping. That\u2019s in part because of how long it will take for the investment to be felt by the organization as new leaders rise through the ranks.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m comfortable not knowing the data behind my return,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a belief that I\u2019m willing to invest and I\u2019m going to make that part of my culture and my spend. And I just know that I\u2019ll get it back.\u201d<\/p>\n His timeline? He thinks it will be five to 10 years before he has meaningful data.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean BluSky isn\u2019t putting significant resources into its program. As Bisping explains, the leadership program \u201cstarted with a willingness to spend.\u201d When asked for a ballpark dollar figure for the program, Bisping confirmed it was north of seven figures.<\/p>\n At Progressive, the MLDP is evaluated based on promotions earned by large numbers of program participants in the years shortly after graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cOur initial program, which is focused on entry-level leaders, remains highly successful,\u201d Afzali says. Ninety percent of graduates have earned a promotion or made a career-enhancing move within two years after completing the program.\u201d<\/p>\n Newer programs that were added for aspiring leaders who are not yet in management roles are also showing success, with half to two-thirds of graduates being promoted or making career-enhancing moves.<\/p>\n What about the concern that you pay to train an employee and they leave the company? Bisping says leaders should also consider the converse proposition: \u201cWhat if I don\u2019t, and they stay?\u201d<\/p>\n Here are some tips to start to build your own leadership development program:<\/p>\n A successful leadership program requires that you let go of preconceived notions about how leaders develop in your organization.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, you have to believe that it\u2019s not going to happen on its own,\u201d Bisping says. \u201cThere’s a point in your organizational growth where you can\u2019t just depend on talented managers on their own. Even with great leadership within the organization, those leaders need a formal structure to follow and create sustainable impact on their team members.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you identify the places where development and training could improve the organization, you can design an appropriate course of study.<\/p>\n Even if you are creating internal programs and resources, you will need staff time and perhaps new hires to facilitate the process. It doesn\u2019t have to be the big amount that large multinational companies are putting into their learning and development programs, but Bisping says you must commit.<\/p>\n Having someone who has experience in developing leaders and creating a leadership training program can accelerate your efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe probably were fumbling around with it for the five to 10 years prior, and never really getting there,\u201d says Bisping. \u201cI think one of the most impactful pieces was to say, \u2018OK, I’m going to hire a professional.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Learn more about the empoloyee experience in your organization with\u00a0Certification\u2122\u00a0<\/a>and benchmark the performance of your leaders against the most-awarded employers on the market.<\/p>\nWhat leadership programs offer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Selecting participants<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cost and ROI<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Getting started<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. Acknowledge your leadership weaknesses.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Commit to a spend.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Bring in experts with experience in leadership development.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Start your journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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