Kamenev and Zinoviev were two Bolshevik leaders under Lenin. The impression Lenin made on them was so great that they both developed his handwriting.
The imprint leaders leave on people is mysterious and the legacy of effective leaders runs deep. But one thing it is not is standardized. HR departments in large organizations, currently working diligently on standardized leadership behaviours, and development systems, please take note.
If you systematize anything you end up with too much similarity. And that applies to the way large organizations develop leaders. There is already too much sameness out there.
According to all the recent research by The Gallup Organization, Marcus Buckingham and others, most corporate leaders are still failing to engage and inspire their people, despite the billions of dollars poured into management and leadership development every year.
Bennis and other leadership experts stress that the ingredients of leadership cannot be taught through courses. But, they can be learned.
Large organizations will find they only really succeed if the CEO and other formal leaders are actively involved in a hands-on way. When top management commit time and energy to the development of leadership is when it is taken seriously by those involved (Note 1).
Leadership development has to be derived directly from the organization‘s strategy and revolve around real issues. The ideal approach is developing-while-doing.
About The Author: Phil Dourado is the author of two leadership books published by John Wiley. His company, The Leadership Hub, has pioneered a new form of leadership development for large organizations – an online leadership community of practice within the organization in which the rest learn from the ‘best’ (the high performers). How this works in a FTSE 100 organization that has had a leadership community of practice for the past eight years is described on this link .