Have you ever been or have you seen leaders been thrown into leadership roles too soon or without the proper tools and training? What happened? Don’t throw your technical experts in the deep end by promoting them into leadership roles without the tools and skills! Leadership development is a must-have in today’s fast-paced, changing world. The most successful businesses are those that can attract and retain talent. So what do they all have in common? First, they understand the importance to invest in leadership development.
Yet, leadership is often overlooked when it comes to developing employees. If you’re not investing (or don’t plan to invest) the time and resources into your managers, you’ll pay for it down the road!
When you invest in your employees’ growth, they’ll be more likely to stick around and grow with you — which means more opportunities for everyone involved!
Why Is Leadership Development Important?
Leadership development is important because it helps your employees grow. It teaches them how to lead while developing leadership skills and qualities to become better leaders today – and for the future.
According to Zippia’s research, 83% of businesses understand the importance of investing in leadership development at entry-level roles. Yet, only 5% of organisations have done it. Moreover, 21% of companies in Australia have no leadership programs at all.
Additionally, only 48% of employees view their company’s leaders as ‘high quality.’ So, developing leaders helps retain employees and improve the skill level of current employees to turn them into tomorrow’s leaders.
Leadership development aims to develop an individual’s skills and abilities for leadership. It can be done in many ways, such as through on-the-job training, mentoring or coaching, and self-development.
Another reason leadership development is essential is that it helps organisations grow while they develop their employees’ skill sets. In addition, it helps businesses better understand what they need to do to succeed in the future.
Furthermore, it helps individuals understand how they can advance in their careers, take on more responsibility, and become more successful while earning a higher salary.
Employees who can develop their skills and become more effective will be able to serve your organisation and its customers better. They will also feel more fulfilled in their jobs, which makes them more likely to stick around longer.
Leadership development helps employees learn new skills and become more effective, which improves their performance as well as the performance of those around them. This can positively impact the bottom line if it leads to increased sales or improved customer satisfaction scores.
How Leadership Development Contributes To Ongoing Success
Leadership development is a long-term investment. Therefore, investing in leadership development is essential before you need it. Because you never know when your current leaders may leave, or new hires will need training.
In either case, leadership attitude training can help keep your employees engaged and happy at work. In addition, investing in leadership training allows employers to retain their best talent—which is key to any business’s success.
Why You Should Invest In Leadership Development
Leadership development is essential for an organisation to be successful. Here are the seven main reasons why it is important to invest in leadership development:
1. Increase Revenue
Investing in leadership development will improve your company’s bottom line. You’ll also attract and retain better employees, which means you can focus on other strategic parts of your business. It will also significantly reduce spending time and money recruiting new people to fill vacancies or training existing team members for new roles.
According to Training Industry, in 2019, businesses saw an ROI of 29% within only three months of leadership development training and an annual ROI of 415%. This means that organisations saw a return on investment of $4.15 for every $1 spent on training.
Leadership development also allows businesses to create new revenue streams and reduce costs while improving customer and employee satisfaction.
2. Improve Employee Engagement And Productivity
Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, and a lack of engagement can cost businesses millions of dollars.
Gallup’s employee engagement report found that 51% of employees are disengaged in the workplace. On the other hand, higher engagement leads to 17% higher productivity, better retention, and increased profitability by 21%.
When you invest in leadership development, you help your team members feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. As a result, they’ll have higher levels of loyalty and motivation, leading to improved employee performance and boosting your bottom line.
3. Reduce Employee Turnover And Retain Talent
Employee turnover is costly. In Australia, due to high employee turnover and talent shortages, in 2022, there is currently an average cost of $23,000 per candidate. This is a staggering increase from $10,000 just a year ago, while some companies are paying up to $40,000.
The key to retaining employees in your company is that it must be a good place for them to work. Leadership development programs help to create a positive culture and work environment. The main reason that employees quit is a lack of appreciation, which is why 79% of employees choose to leave an organisation.
Also, 86% of employees have said they would change jobs if the new company provided more professional development opportunities, according to a report by The Execu|Search Group.
On the other hand, a study by Better Buys shows that companies with leadership development programs have 34% higher retention rates. Not surprisingly, they also have greater job satisfaction among their employees and lower turnover rates than those without these programs.
By committing to invest in leadership development programs with your employees, you are more likely to retain high-performing employees and attract new exceptional employees to your organisation.
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4. Demonstrate Commitment To Your Employees
Your employees are your most valuable resources. They are the ones who make your company successful by undertaking the day-to-day activities that keep the business generating a profit.
Employees provide excellent customer service, create a positive work environment, and work hard to ensure they perform their job well to meet the organisation’s objectives.
So, you must show that you care about their success as individuals and as part of your company’s overall success.
According to a study by SHRM, 41% of employees consider career advancement opportunities within their organisation as very important.
The best way to demonstrate that commitment is to invest in leadership development. It also shows your commitment to them long-term and that they have a chance for progression within the company.
Doing so helps eliminate any doubt of being stuck within their current position. It also prevents employees from considering working at another company to advance their careers.
5. Prepare Your Business For The Future (And Change)
In today’s changing world, business leaders must be able to adapt their skills and strategies to remain competitive. Organisations need leaders with the critical thinking skills necessary to make decisions in any environment. The success of your organisation depends on it!
By providing leadership development training, you are providing your employees with the necessary tools and resources to quickly adapt and strongly and successfully lead in a constantly changing and disruptive environment.
Leadership development will allow you to grow and prepare your team for the future. Moreover, doing so can help create a truly agile workplace beyond senior executives.
Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch.
6. Execute Your Business Strategy
Leading organisations align their business strategy with strong and successful leadership development.
It provides employees with the essential leadership skills necessary to implement the long-term business strategy and meet organisational goals. It also equips strong leaders with the critical tools to shape the business strategy and foster a positive culture.
It is also much more cost-efficient to develop, coach, and promote people from within your business than to hire someone externally.
In 2022, finding a new hire in Australia will take between 33.4 to 40 days. This doesn’t even cover the significant time and money cost of getting new employees up to speed during the onboarding process, which leads to HR spending, on average, up to 7 hours per week.
Leadership Development programs help take your employees to the next level and provide them with the skills they need to thrive in a leadership role. In addition, investing in your high-performing employees and internally promoting team members to leadership roles will save significant money in the long run.
7. Close Skills Gap And Create More Leaders At All Levels
Investing in leadership development programs is a great way to create more leaders at all levels of the organisation. When you invest in leadership training, you promote new talent and open up opportunities for people who want to take on new roles they may not have had before.
It also helps your company to plan for any potential problems that may arise unexpectedly. What if someone suddenly resigns or gets seriously ill? What will happen when senior management reaches retirement age?
Offering leadership development helps close the gap between what skills employees currently possess and what an employer wants.
According to research by the Association for Talent Development, 83% of all organisations have a skills gap. With disruption, change, and a fiercely competitive market, such significant skill gaps can affect an organisation’s future and put them behind its competitors.
Half of the surveyed organisations also said they have insufficient leadership bench strength and aren’t effective at preparing people for leadership roles.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. —Benjamin Franklin.
Invest In Leadership Development Programs Now
Leadership development is a vital investment in the future of your company. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the leadership has the skills and knowledge to lead the company into the future.
Simply put, leadership is the key to success.
Leadership development programs can be expensive but worth it in the long run. This is because they provide a competitive advantage in attracting top talent and developing employees who clearly understand their role within the organisation.
Leadership development should not be a one-time event but rather a continuous process that will ensure better results for your company in the long run. Investing in leadership development can help you create a culture of excellence and innovation, leading to better outcomes for the entire business.
The truth is that if you don’t know how to harness new innovations and trends in leadership development, your company may risk being left behind by its competitors—and thus losing out on crucial opportunities for growth and profitability.
Businesses need to stay up-to-date on all things related to leadership development — whether it be how best practices have changed over time or what new developments are coming down the pipeline next year—so they can provide superior service for customers while also attracting top talent and retaining high-achieving employees.
Leadership Development – Leaving A Lasting Impression
Leadership development is a long-term investment. Investing in leadership means not just paying for one training program or coaching session. Instead, you’re investing in your company’s future, which can take time to bear fruit.
Your leaders may need extra time when they start their new roles; they’ll likely learn on the job as they get used to their new responsibilities.
While it can be frustrating when you want measurable results immediately, it’s worth remembering that companies like Google with the BOLD Internship Program and Salesforce have made considerable investments in leadership development programs over many years. As a result, they have reaped enormous rewards, such as those investments paying off now and in the future!
To be sustainable, it ultimately means that leadership development must be funded by something other than salary dollars. So instead, organisations should consider setting aside funds specifically for these initiatives (and perhaps even earmarking some revenue from sales).
It also means leaders should expect (some) patience from management as they work through this process. Undoubtedly, some executives may be tempted to cut corners or skip steps if results aren’t immediately visible. However, taking shortcuts won’t benefit the organisation in the long run, and they won’t achieve the desired results without completing the necessary steps.
Conclusion
Leadership development is a process of ongoing discovery and learning. It is not just about giving orders but also providing feedback, coaching and mentoring.
It is essential to invest in leadership development as it can help improve the company’s culture, employee engagement, customer satisfaction and business performance.
Leadership development can also cause productivity to skyrocket and increase revenue.
Are you currently investing in leadership development in your organisation?