“A good leadership development program
Leadership of others ultimately begins with self. Without self-management it is not possible to keep the professional requirements in balance; individuals who govern themselves are more able to lead others.
Successful organisations not only have
great leaders, but are constantly looking to develop the next generation of successful leaders. How do we pro-actively cultivate leadership talent in young people despite the challenges that we face in South Africa?
The education system has in the past and continues to fail young people; students are moved through grades regardless of their performance simply because we do not want them left behind.
The standard for excellence has been lowered through our public schools including entrance grading systems at universities and colleges. 30% effort is deemed to be the benchmark resulting in the production of mediocre professionals, business owners and future leaders. Other developing countries still insist on students achieving the highest standards in public schools in order to qualify for entrance into their universities. Singapore is an example of a country that continuously invests in education and the long-term competencies that are required for future strategic success. Only strategically adept and interpersonally skilled individuals or leaders can transform organisations. There is a great need for the emergence of a new generation of South African leaders who are effective, accountable, committed to serve, action- oriented, principled and ethical.
needs to be grounded in “real life” experiences.”
Unless the right people are occupying the right positions at the right time with the right skills, competencies and attitude, then organisations will not survive. We need to engage today’s talent and raise change agents who will develop new perspectives, inspire confidence and guide South Africa into new heights as well as lead in global economies.
It is up to organisations to identify, build and develop future talent to sustain them for the next generation. One may ask, what is the best way to develop leadership talent?
Over the past few years, I have asked several managers where they learnt their leadership abilities and the response they often gave was that their job experiences and superiors have contributed the most. They rarely mentioned formal training, despite the number of leadership courses and programmes they may have attended.
A good leadership development
programme needs to be grounded in “real life” experiences.
Various studies have also confirmed that job action learning programmes with experiential activities aimed at solving real- life problems with immediate relevance to the organisation, superiors and personal experiences or hardships play the most pivotal roles in executive development hence the saying, “the only real training for leadership is leadership”.
June 2012 | Management Today 13
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