Guest Post by Alison Brattle
Many companies spend a significant chunk of their training budget on executive-level training, and it’s usually money well spent. In 2014, the human side of leadership and business featured prominently in general and sales training. Many companies began to develop a more democratic style of leadership, with huge potential for positive results. Staying abreast of current leadership trends can provide positive results too; so what’s happening in 2015?
Smaller Companies Making Larger Investments
Investing in employees, with training opportunities such as leadership development and sales coaching, tends to have more of an impact in smaller companies than in larger ones. Over the past few years many small companies have realized this fact and have started to invest more heavily in training. The effectiveness of this strategy means the trend is set to continue in 2015.
A New Generation of Leaders
There’s been plenty of buzz about how leaders need to develop new approaches for training Millennials, but what about training the new generation of leaders? Having grown up with the technology that the rest of us have had to adapt to, this new generation will create a unique leadership style. It’s going to be important that companies utilize different training approaches for this generation.
A Focus on Emerging Leaders
A significant proportion of companies of all sizes struggle to fill leadership roles, and part of the problem is that they don’t dedicate enough funding to create leaders. That’s why many are now starting to focus greater efforts, and more funding, on developing the skills of potential leaders who emerge from within the company’s ranks. Recruiting leaders from other companies isn’t exactly a thing of the past. It’s definitely true that an increasing number of companies recognize the advantages that come with training high-potential candidates who are already in the company’s pipeline.
Recognizing the Possibilities of Collective Leadership
Something that is becoming a thing of the past is the concept of the “heroic leader,” the person who single-handedly saves the day and leads the team to victory whenever problems arise. Instead, leadership is becoming about providing collaborative solutions that involve an entire team. It’s a team that’s typically still headed by a single leader, but that leader is someone who operates on the principle that more heads are better than one, especially when it comes to solving problems.
The Rise of Vertical Development
There’s an increasing focus on allowing up-and-coming leaders to develop their own leadership styles. While this is partly out of the need to take advantage of the particular skills of Millennials, it’s also just good sense. The traditional form of leadership development, called horizontal development, concentrates on a specific set of competencies designated as necessary for leaders. In contrast, vertical development is all about cognitive development, helping emerging leaders develop and expand their minds. Horizontal development is no less important, but adding vertical development into the equation produces a synergistic effect that allows leaders to shine.
Creating “Global” Leaders
One concern for many companies, regardless of their size, is how well their leaders can do their jobs on a global level. Even small companies may operate in other countries, or do business with people and companies from other cultures, and that means their leaders must be able to work effectively in a wide range of situations. Specific skills such as the ability to make confident decisions in unfamiliar circumstances and the ability to interact clearly and effectively with people from other cultures are essential for today’s leaders.
Guest Post
Alison is a marketing manager of global sales and leadership training firm AchieveGlobal (UK) Limited, specializes in providing exceptional leadership development courses and helps organizations develop business strategies to achieve sales success. Alison enjoys sharing her insight and thoughts to provide better sales and leadership. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn
Top Trends In Leadership Development For 2015