Leaders are most needed during times of crisis, and many are made when hardship reveals discrepancies within an organization. Management training must adapt in order to prepare the strongest possible leaders for the future. With COVID-19 reshaping the way the world works, now is the time for companies to revisit their existing management training programs and implement changes.
The Most Important Skills
Agility and resilience will be two qualities every company needs in its leaders going forward. Although both have always been considered valuable, never has the true depth of their reach been so evidently illustrated until now. Too many organizations were unprepared for the setbacks caused by the coronavirus; in times of crisis, time is limited and threatens company stability. Leaders must be able to swiftly transition their organization into the next phase of work while minimizing loss and damages.
Creating Opportunity
Leadership preparation spans far beyond orientation and management training. In order to create truly capable and independent leaders, a development plan should invest in ongoing learning opportunities for employees. Not only does providing such training open the doorway to leadership for unexpected individuals, but it also helps foster a greater sense of capability and strength within the organization.
Value is not only found in leaders; those who are not promoted to managerial roles are still immensely important. Opportunity, be it technology training or career-specific skills training, helps a company thrive at every level.
The Five W’s Framework
Aristotle developed the original five W’s framework, which poses the question of who, what, when, where, and why something will occur. In addition to these five pieces of information, professionals should also ask another important question: How?
- Who is a part of the leadership development program?
- What type of content does it cover?
- Where does the training happen?
- When does the training take place in the company calendar, i.e. when are promotions expected to occur, and how is training positioned with that time?
- Why does the program exist? What is its mission?
- How will new potential leaders be identified, and how will their success be measured during training?
One cannot redesign a leadership development program overnight, but now is an ideal time to start looking at existing frameworks and making changes. The pandemic presents businesses with the chance to thoroughly address any weaknesses and prepare for a new generation of challenges.