Are you training employees or teaching them to learn?
Leadership trends come and go as fast as books fall off the best-sellers lists.
On the other hand, #leader-led learning (also known as leader-led development) is here to stay.
Leader-led learning takes employee development out of the training room and into everyday conversations led by department managers.
Leaders take on the role of recognizing developmental needs of their team members and then help them to cultivate new skills to further their professional development and personal growth.
Leader-led learning is a more flexible, applied approach to achieving department-specific objectives, while building trust and engagement with direct reports.
This shift from more traditional, formal training elevates an organization from being a company that teaches, to a company that learns.
“Winning companies” wrote Noel Tichy in the Harvard Business Review, “[have] moved beyond learning organizations to become teaching organizations…because teaching organizations are more agile, come up with better strategies, and are able to implement them more effectively.”
Are you ready to up your game and build a learning organization?
Here are the 4 reasons why shifting from strictly HR-led learning to adding leader-led learning to your organization will leave a lasting impression:
1) Leader accountability. Leaders are held accountable for discovering and developing the professional skills of their team. They guide learning sessions and take ownership of the content that's covered, making them more accountable for the performance results of their department.
2) Employee engagement. Leader-led learning gives employees the opportunity to work with, not under their managers. It allows them to be part of the company's success, and a great way to build trust, keep the conversation going, and sharpen the skills of the leaders of tomorrow.
3) Boosts the company's bottom line. Increased employee engagement results in employee retention, and the lower costs of coaching leaders to teach, versus training an entire staff, will result in financial gains for the organization.
4) Learning opportunity for leaders. Leaders can sharpen their skills, and by engaging face-to-face with their employees on a regular basis, leaders will learn new skills along the way.
Learning is more impactful when the teachings come from the personal stories and real-life experiences of leaders. It builds trust between leaders and their team members, and catapults business results when implemented regularly, and effectively.
Not all leaders are natural-born teachers.
I believe, with the right tools, training, and coaching, people can have productive conversations that build better relationships and results in the workplace.
Companies that have licensed Lisa’s Leadership Programs have seen great results when it comes to helping leaders learn new skills. Perhaps this is the next step for you?