The Role of Leader Development in Company Culture
A company’s culture can be integral to its success. One key feature is that employees want to believe they can progress and be given more responsibility. That’s where the role of leader development comes in.
Many factors affect company culture, but most of them are tied to leadership. If employees feel they are in a dead-end job, it makes it a poor environment to work in. This can negatively affect many other areas of the business, such as productivity and reputation.
Whether you are a small start-up or an established business, exposing your employees to leader development opportunities can be game-changing. Here you’ll see the impact that encouraging leadership can have on an organization.
How Leaders Actively Shape Culture
Whenever people think about company culture, the first thought is often about leaders. The likes of mission statements and values can be important but they are meaningless if not put into action by strong leadership.
A good leader will give clear feedback and act as fairly as possible. This can develop into a culture of both respect and accountability. It prevents issues from being swept under the carpet and allows employees to feel as though they’re valued.
Conversely, there are leaders out there who avoid difficult conversations or promote their favorites above those who actually deserve responsibility. This can lead to a culture of resentment where progress slows and employees become disengaged.
Leadership development is important because many leadership skills aren’t instinctive. Even if an employee does have solid leadership skills, the wrong environment may mean they aren’t best placed to showcase them.
Any potential leaders need to buy into the culture you want to develop. With the right guidance, any potential leader will understand how their actions influence the people around them. This awareness can help to shape culture and allow the business to benefit from consistency of messaging.
Without leadership development, current leaders can either be stretched too thin or be underprepared. This can lead to confusion between departments where employees and stakeholders can’t see a clear plan of progress and action.
Building Trust Through Leadership Capability
It’s common to hear an employee complain about the incompetence of leaders. Trust doesn’t just happen through authority alone. A leader needs to show they are capable and competent; otherwise, people won’t have any trust in them or their decisions.
A leadership development program will focus on improving communication skills, decision-making and ethical judgments. When a company has faith in its leaders, it strengthens the whole organization.
Development also helps leaders think more clearly under pressure. In challenging situations, people look to leadership for guidance. Without any reliable guidance, problems can get out of hand quickly. This can be hugely damaging to morale.
A well-developed leader will be able to stay calm. With more balanced decisions and support, a team can better pull through any dips. This then has the benefit of a positive culture where everyone thinks they can pull through any challenges.
Developing Leaders at Every Level
It’s not enough to just have strong leadership at the top level and expect everyone else to follow. This is because strong messaging at the top can easily get lost at the bottom, especially in large companies that have multiple departments.
Leaders need to be developed at every stage of the process. This allows a strong culture to take root and spread through the branches of a company. This will produce better habits, consistency and opportunity. This turns into the business being more motivated to have better outcomes.
As an organization grows, it can be easy for any culture to be diluted. It also allows for leadership opportunities to be more successful and based on merit. When people see that opportunities are solely based on capability and commitment, it’s a recipe for hard work and loyalty.
Long-Term Cultural Impact of Leader Development
The impact of poor leadership development can be vast. It can be the root cause of many issues employees face. This can end up being a headache for an organization. A negative culture can lead to:
· High staff turnover
· Low morale
· A lack of productivity
· Burnout and increased sick days
· Lack of trust in leadership
· Weak collaboration between departments
· Damage to a company’s reputation
Leadership is not the only factor that can create a positive culture, but it is a fundamental aspect of it. As leaders grow in a business, many issues above can be mitigated or eradicated. For example, employees stay loyal and productive as they see a future at the company. Communication and trust get stronger as each department runs smoothly.
For a company, leadership development shouldn’t be an afterthought or a one-off. It needs to be an ongoing priority to maintain a healthy business. With strong leadership at every level, any organization is much more likely to thrive.
