Speakers You Need (SyN) recently identified four key trends they are seeing in the Learning & Development industry this year. High on the list is the need to institute comprehensive leadership training at all levels within an organization.
SyN understands that developing and shaping leadership has long been viewed as a top-down requirement. Middle level managers, lower level managers, and aspiring managers have not always been a part of the process. However, many companies now recognize that to be successful, managers at all levels require, at a minimum, basic leadership skills. SyN recognizes that as corporations place a stronger emphasis on improving customer satisfaction, managers from every level will be expected to create and maintain an environment that is customer focused and service-oriented. In fact, the need for leaders at all levels was named one of the 12 critical issues in the Global Human Capital Trends survey of 2014 (Deloitte University Press) and again in 2016. The urgency to grow and expand leadership throughout the ranks has only increased in the years since.
Today’s organizations are more adaptable, more flexible, and faster than ever. The workforce is also changing to include a larger number of millennials and a declining number of boomers. According to a recent report in Forbes (December 22, 2017), one in three adult Americans will be millennials in 2020, and by 2025, 75 percent of the workforce will be millennials. Forbes describes millennials as team builders, less self-focused, and more well-suited to work together. This new workforce will expect to work hard but will also expect to play a significant role in the direction of the companies they work for.
The shift in the workforce has created a lag or gap in leadership training. The Washington Post reports that in a 2015 survey (February 12, 2018), 46 percent of companies stated leadership as the skill hardest to find in its employees. In that same survey, companies reported only 36 percent of their employees listed leadership as a strength within their firms. Today, companies are increasingly global, and many have flattened organizational structures. These changes, along with a market demand for improved service, illustrate the point that leadership training at all levels is critical to sustained growth.
Additional reasons to implement multi-level leadership training include: creating a consciously defined leadership model, fostering team spirit, developing self-reliant employees, and building an environment that allows improved accountability. Additionally, by developing leaders at every level, organizations create a pipeline of managers capable of making decisions with confidence. Empowered managers are more invested in their companies and will work to create stronger organizations that can meet and exceed client and customer expectations.
SyN believes that effective leadership can have a “trickle-down” benefit to any organization. Strong leadership — even at the lowest level — creates a happier work environment. A study cited by Forbes (September 8, 2015) reports that 42 percent of employees left their job due to bosses while 74 percent said a good relationship with their boss boosted motivation. A third of those surveyed also said that a good relationship with their boss was more important than job satisfaction. Higher employee retention and positive job satisfaction mean improved productivity.
SyN also believes that investing in leadership at every level will not just be a trend in 2018 but will be for the foreseeable future. With products and services more digitally and customer driven every day, speed and top-notch service will continue to be a higher priority for customers. Equally important to multi-level leadership training is the projected change in workforce demographics. SyN understands that leadership training from top to bottom is a critical step in helping companies build strong organizational cultures, create long-term growth, and achieve sustained success.
SyN is a professional development and live stand-up training company headquartered in Kansas City with more than 100 subject matter experts positioned throughout North America. For more information about leadership, team building, goal setting, mentoring or any topic facing businesses or organizations today, please contact Rocky White, SyN CEO and President at 913.815.1494 or http://speakersyouneed.com/