Current Practices in Leader Development: A Report on Characteristics of Effective Leader Development in Current Contexts

In this session, you’ll hear about how peers are strategizing leader development in light of current challenges, and it will describe characteristics of effective initiatives and specific shifts in approach to leader development in recent years. It is based on the newly (about-to-be?) published Learning Guild research project authored by the speaker. The findings were drawn from industry reports and experiences of senior professionals in the leader development space.

The research found that in response to emerging needs, organizations have changed their leader development initiatives so that they:

1) Promote different mindsets and contextualized skills

2) Are designed to be more holistic, blended, and long term

3) Utilize experiential learning strategies

4) Emphasize relational learning and network development

More broadly, effective leader development programs are described as: reflexive and catalyzing, contextualized and authentic, supported and aligned, blended and sustained, human and relational, and well-grounded and evidence-informed. The session will break down and discuss each of these descriptors. In addition to overviewing findings, the session will invite audience members to share their experiences.