executive development

Much has been written on the topic of leadership. In an organizational context, I see leaders having to navigate the following four layers at any point in time: leading SELF (think of self-regulation, self-development, Exec coaching, etc.), leading a TEAM (more on intact team development here), leading an ORG (more on Org design, health and transformations here) and leading within the SYSTEM (think of company planning, budgeting, etc. as well as cross-functional relations and how a leader and their org(s) are nested within the larger system). Any of these layers should be addressed via leadership principles / expectations, development opportunities and accountability measures. 

Additionally, it's critical to explore synergies and/or frictions in-between layers (depicted via lighting symbols in the below visual) to enable systemic transformations. A synergy might be a leader's self-development as they explore and improve how they're running their organization. Meanwhile, friction may emerge between leading a team that is generally operating on a "launch & iterate" philosophy while the system is aiming towards product excellence. The interplay between these layers creates both synergies and tensions that leaders must navigate skillfully, treating potential friction points not as problems to solve but as polarities to manage through balanced leadership approaches.

In general, a best practice is to co-create leadership principles and corresponding expectations in collaboration with key stakeholders, aligned with company goals / values / leadership principles (if available). Once in place, foundational development initiatives (e.g., live workshops, self-paced learning, peer-to-peer circles and 1:1 coaching) can be deployed across all expectations to introduce and have leadership adopt new standards. This can originally be rolled out to all Directors and above, then continued as a newly hired / promoted Exec Onboarding program. To incentivize adoption, close the loop with an accountability measure by introducing a leadership assessment program (e.g., via Perf, Engagement Survey, or as a stand-alone) connected to performance assessments and, down the road, compensation planning. Iterate on the design based on early adopter feedback, changing leadership expectations, or other program impacting reasons.

Below is an example of an Exec and manager leveling structure, oversight and organizational / industry scope followed by an "Inspirational Leadership" expectation as well as a Leadership Development Program example. As with any change process, roll-out and adoption are key success criteria. Hence, building out a strong stakeholder map, co-creating the design and rollout, and giving leaders a voice to share feedback are just a few elements to successfully roll out and activate new role / level expectations.

[example] Exec / manager leveling structure, oversight and org / industry scope

[example] Articulation of "Inspirational Leadership" expectation

[example] Leadership Development Program Outline & Timeline