Business Leader Development Training Program
The Business Leader transition program is uniquely based on the leadership first principles for business leaders as outlined in the Leadership Pipeline book. It is an intensive program that gives the leader insights, tools and practical training in how to fully step up and into the role as business leader.
The program clarifies the specific responsibilities and performance expectations for business leaders and ensures that the leader develops the right work values, time application and skills in order to be successful in the role. After the program, the leaders will have a clear perspective on how they uniquely create value as a business leader, and they will have learned to appreciate their leadership work.
Why Invest in Developing Business Leaders
Many successful functional managers are looking forward to the business leader role. However, this leadership passage has been the end of the career for so many highly successful functional managers.
Most executives transitioning from functional management to business management is in for a "leadership shock." A business manager is in a much more visible position and is closely watched by all his/her functional heads, senior management, all employees and external stakeholders.
A few wrong words can start an avalanche while a few well put words can mobilize the entire organization. Many business heads also feel that they are "going it alone" – they receive much less guidance from their boss than they did when they were functional managers and they do not have natural peers who provide them with direct or indirect feedback.
In addition, the complexity is enormous at this leadership level. Building business strategy and integrating functional work requires connecting a lot of dots.
And of course, there is a huge value shift: from valuing one's own function to valuing all functions appropriately.
Accordingly, an investment in developing business leaders is not just an investment in the business leader. It is an investment that will impact the entire business performance.
Target Audience
The target audience is business leaders, meaning leaders with full strategic and P&L responsibility for a business unit. They may be responsible for a major business unit or a sub-business unit. They report either to an enterprise leader, a business leader for a major business or a Board.
What the participants have in common is the responsibility for developing and executing a business strategy as well as full P&L responsibility.
This executive director training program has a documented and validated track record of creating lasting change in terms of knowledge, attitude and behavior for both newly appointed business leaders and for business leaders with five or ten years of experience in the role.
Action Learning
Everything is based on the participant’s own day-to-day challenges, and in addition we will include the participant’s direct manager in the learning process.
Instead of the participants bringing the training back to the job, the participants bring their job into the training.
The integration of everyday life is so strong that participants often feel that participation in the program is like being at work rather than being on a program. Consequently, learning from the program is directly and immediately applicable when the participants return to their job.
Becoming a Certified Business Leader
Upon completion of the program the participant can be registered as a certified business leader.
In order to register as a certified business leader, the participant must have at least six months’ work experience as a business leader.
From Functional Leader to Business Leader
As something unique in the market, the Business Leader transition program will address all three key elements in the transition, namely work values, time application and skills. Especially our unique ability to support business leaders in changing their work values is what creates the lasting impact of the programs.
Below we have illustrated the key transition elements for a business leader.
Program Content
Proven Learning Impact
We have a road-tested corporate executive training program with a long track record in terms of proven learning impact. We will build on our track record and customize the program to your organization’s specific needs and, as a minimum, include:
Your human resource tools and processes
Clear link to your business needs
Specific content or exercises of your preference
Your company values
Your leadership model
Links to other leadership initiatives
Typical Transition Issues
In the program, we will support leaders in overcoming the typical transition issues for business leaders. As you will probably notice, these are behaviors you also see in more experienced business leaders.
Keeps “running” the function they headed prior to being promoted to business leader
Unable to assemble a strong management team of functional leaders
Does not appreciate the people side or “soft” side of running the business
Fails to balance the focus between quarterly numbers and long-term preservation of the organization
Key Topics in the Program
Below, we have illustrated some of the core content of a typical leading leaders transition program. As you will notice, the entire program ties directly into the job that needs to get done for a leader of leaders. The final content and learning flow is designed in collaboration.
Program Flow
The program design for business leaders is normally highly customized. Some organizations only have very few whereas other organizations have multiple business units with each their business leader. At the same time, some organizations prefer individual learning journeys for each business leader whereas other organizations prefer designing a common program for their business leaders.
Consequently, we design everything from individual business leader coaching to two- or three-day onsite programs for a group of business leaders.
The most significant impact is achieved by combining individual development and management team development by gathering a group of five or ten business leaders in a classroom.
Below we have illustrated a program flow for inspiration. Your program will be customized to your needs. The flow consists of:
Two 1.5 hours of individual reflection sessions
Two half-day sessions where the business leader is together with his/her direct reports (management team)
One two-day onsite session (BL session) where the business leader is together with his/her business leader peers
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