leadership development

In this 'article,' Peter Christie uses story telling to describe why an alternative approach to leadership development is needed in 2002. If minor miracles, courageous heroes and a new spirit in business is what you want for your organisation, then read on.

“You want to spend how much on management development?”

by Peter Christie

Jack Maritz, CEO of a large financial institution, was more than a little annoyed at Ronnie Templeton’s, the company’s Human Resources Director, request to increase the management development program budget for the next year.

“How much per participant?” hollered Jack.

“The direct cost is about R18 000,00 a participant,” Ronnie replied somewhat defensively, “but through the skills development levy we can get a whole lot of it back now.”

“For what?” Jack badgered.

“It’s important that we continue to develop our managers”, replied Ronnie, “and this is what it costs for a decent program.”

“But this is the same program we’ve had for the last ten years or more, and still we have hardly any leaders here,” insisted Jack.

“But we’ve put through over two hundred managers in that time,” Ronnie argued.

“But Ronnie,” exhorted Jack, “this isn’t about bums on seats, or any other number for that matter. Don’t you see, we done all this leadership development, spent all this money, but still we have few real leaders. Our guys are coming out of this program able to conduct a strategic analysis but unable to live up to their commitments. They can interpret a balance sheet, but can’t inspire their troops. They can repeat Maslow and Herzberg ad nauseum, but our morale has never been lower.”

“But the guys always say the training is great,” said Ronnie. “They really appreciate what we are doing for them.”

“Ja sure,” answered Jack, “they love the hotels, the food, being away in a great setting. But what are they doing for us in return? Nothing much because, to be fair, they’re learning the wrong things.”

“But we’re using the best school. They’ve got the best faculty. They get the best ratings,” answered Ronnie, trailing off quickly at the sight of Jack’s grimace.

“Sorry, Ronnie. But I want to see people come out of training who want to change the world. I want to see people who can get other people to achieve the impossible. I want to see people with the courage to tell me I’m the problem. I want leaders, I don’t want managers,” Jack retorted.

“So we’ll send fewer people next year then, Jack? “ asked Ronnie tentatively.

“No, we’ll send no-one,” Jack answered, “until you can find me a process that develops real leaders. We’ll spend anything we have to, we’ll pay small fortunes, but in return we’ll get minor miracles. We don’t want twenty certificates; we want twenty heroes. Find me something that will do that, Ronnie, but in the meantime, it’s better to do nothing at all.”

Ronnie was inwardly quite angry. The leadership development program was one of his occupational hobbies. He loved the idea of people developing their full potential, and was pleased with his role in ensuring that this happened in the company. So he thought attack may be the best defence.

“You know, Jack,” said Ronnie, “a lot of the guys say the company actually is the problem, because when they want to implement their new ideas they come up against a lot of resistance. The more things change, the more things stay the same you know, that kind of feeling.”

“So what have we done to address that problem, Ronnie?” asked Jack.

“I think they’ve got a point actually, Jack,” Ronnie replied.

“Yes, they’ve got a point,” Jack agreed, “but have we done anything to make sure that good ideas coming out of training and development fall on more fertile soil?”

“Nothing specific that I can think of,” replied Ronnie, wishing the meeting to come to an end now.

“Well then,” resolved Jack. “Two things for the top of our to-do list before we discuss this again. Firstly, let’s get a process that delivers genuine leaders. Secondly, let’s make sure that the integration of learning is built into that process. In future, I never want to hear an excuse along the lines of ‘But we can’t implement that’. Let’s ensure that our training efforts go along in tandem with developing the organisation. Only then we can really call ourselves a learning organisation,” Jack concluded.

Ronnie worried as he made his way back to his office. He knew Jack was right, but he didn’t know where to begin this new quest. But his worry was also tinged with excitement, as he intuitively sensed that he too was embarking on a new adventure.

The development of business management and leadership is a major growth industry. With the development of the National Qualifications Framework, the promulgation of the Skills Development Act and related legislation, and the recognition of the critical skills shortages in organisations, we have witnessed a plethora of business school and training centre offerings in the marketplace.

Yet a progressive CEO’s critical look at the content, curricula and processes of the majority of the courses, workshops and programmes aimed at developing managers indicates that little has changed over the past years, if not decades. The astute CEO will wonder why traditional management and leadership theory, and the ways it is delivered, are so static in an era ironically defined by increasing turbulence.

It is not surprising then, given the major and increasing investment made by companies to develop their people, that discerning CEO’s are demanding much more in terms of investment returns. Those visionaries amongst them are beginning to insist that their companies’ leadership development work is courageous enough to seriously experiment with alternative paradigms. As much as they are happy to embrace the rational concepts of analytical marketing, they wish also to explore the creative concepts of archetypal branding. They willingly engage in dialogue management, but are more fascinated at the power of storytelling in organisations. They are taken by the notion of the learning organisation, but are more inspired by the concept of spirit in business. Are you one of them?

Peter Christie is an associate of the Alternative School of Business (ASB). Contact Peter, Dunne Edelstein or Debby Edelstein at (+2711) 880-9749 if you’re interested in an alternative leadership development process involving major milestones, amazing adventures and a minor miracle.

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