In the previous issue on this series, I dealt with the subject of people-orientation as a dimension of leadership, contrasting it carefully with task-oriented leadership. In today?s issue, I address the next stage of the seven-stage leadership process, which is people development.
Whereas people-orientedness is about being concerned about the wellbeing, happiness and personal dignity of people, and understanding and meeting their personal needs, people development is concerned fundamentally about ensuring people?s personal capacity to solve problems and get things done now and in future. Hence, a people-oriented leader may not be necessarily committed to people development; by the same token, a task-oriented person may be seriously committed to people development. There is thus no necessary connection between a leader?s orientation (task or people) and their commitment to people development, although leaders who are people-oriented also generally tend to be committed to people development.
The effective leader is committed to developing people, hence, is an effective human resource manager, in effect. In human resource management, a fundamental belief which influences practice is that an organisation?s most valuable assets are not their physical, financial, technological or even material resources; it is their people (employees) in whose minds are stored all knowledge, expertise, experience and memory of the organisation which are required for success. With that as a backdrop, spending money on the development of people is viewed as a viable investment with sure dividends.
But it is not just any person who is a valuable asset to an organisation; it is the right people, measured in terms of their possession of the right knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies, relevant to the success of the organisation. It is through the process of training and people development that people come to acquire these skills and competencies. This is where people development derives its source and legitimacy. When the right people are trained in the right way, in the right skills, etc., they help save the organisation substantial cost because they are less likely to make mistakes (mistakes could lead to direct financial losses, such as return of faulty products, loss of customers, as well as indirect losses in the form of legal fees and court fines when mistakes lead to injury, death or violation of certain laws). They are also generally more likely to perform their task excellently and deliver value to the organisation?s stakeholders and this ultimately, add value to the organisation.
Developing people goes well beyond merely giving them information. It is about being committed to, and ensuring that the people who work with or under you possess the relevant skills, competencies and attitudes required for success in the business of your organisation. It is about asking whether they are prepared, skills-wise to face any future challenges or take advantage of opportunities. Challenges may come in the form of volatile, competitive market and constraints imposed by requirements of new technology whilst opportunities may be a market that is waiting to be explored or vacant positions to which people may be promoted. People and organisations can be overtaken either way (by challenges and opportunities) if they do not possess the necessary skills and competencies.
But what is the difference between training and development, or are they one and the same thing? Absolutely not! Training tends to be short-term, focusing more on preparing people to be better or improve in their current roles. If, in addition to preparing people for current roles, the intervention also prepares them for future roles to be able to take advantage of external opportunities and internal prospects, as well weather any challenges in the future, then it is referred to as development. Development makes people capable of taking on more challenging tasks; it makes them venture into new areas; it makes them capable of taking up leadership positions. Development ensures the future (continuity) of the organisation. With several developed individuals, an organisation not only becomes sure to face and surmount current challenges without looking for external assistance, it can also be sure that it is a position to face future (often least foreseen) challenges.
However well you might think make people feel comfortable around you, until you begin to develop them, you are simply making good friends but surely never insuring the continuity of the organisation. Everything may seem in order until you leave the scene, then the weaknesses and ignorance of the people suddenly begin to surface. At that point, proud, selfish leaders will feel a great sense of pride arising from their knowledge that there seems to be no individual in the organisation who qualifies to take up their roles. It makes them feel exceptional, and, like a guru who have no match or replacement. That sort of attitude is surely for immature, self-ambitious, insecure leaders. I have seen senior officers, knowing perfectly they are retiring compulsorily in December but attend a foreign training session in October? What is the sense in that? Maybe per diem, air travel, etc? But does that help? Are you one such leader?
Secure leaders feel least insecure to develop others. Insecure leaders feel the greatest sense of insecurity to develop others. They know who they are, what they have and what they are capable of doing. They like to share with others, and believe that, this way, they are able to increase the cumulative knowledge resident within the organisation. Leaders that fail to develop their leaders have paid for this in several dear ways. You and I can count organisations that have collapsed because of lack of leadership development, when the current leaders lack the vision, commitment, skills and competent of their predecessors to live up to the established high moral, ethical and quality standards.
To be able to do effective people development that is relevant, the following questions need to be asked:
What are the requirements of the person?s current position/role/job/?To what extent does the person possess the skills necessary for performing this job?Observing the trend in the industry where your organisation operates, what are the likely skills and competencies going to drive the business in the near future?How prepared are the people to face the future ? its challenges and opportunities?
Having asked and answered these questions, the decision has to be made whether training/development should be provided externally or by external providers or internally? The decision about whether to provide development experiences internally or externally will depend largely on the availability of trainers in-house or the nature of development being sought. If internal provision is chosen (either as the only means or as one of the means), one sure way to do is this is by way of coaching, which becomes the task of supervisors or first-line managers. Coaching is a broad subject area that cannot be rendered sufficiently in this issue. So stay hooked.
ARTICLE: SAMUEL TENGEY
