Summary
The term “leadership pipeline” refers to a pool of competent leaders, not just a list of potential candidates, who can fill critical roles at all levels of an organization. It is used to develop a more systematic and transparent system for identifying candidates for succession, as well as processes for their development. But why do so many newly minted leaders fail to make an impression? Part of the problem is that many companies’ succession planning consists of nothing more than compiling a list of high-potential individuals and the positions they might fill. It’s a mechanistic approach that’s too limited and inaccessible for identifying and addressing skill gaps that could derail promising young leaders. Even though organizations desire their hipots to take up leadership roles, at times, it becomes difficult to execute owing to several challenges. It necessitates a more in-depth understanding of the organization’s vision and context. One needs to have an intention to leverage technology to overcome these roadblocks.
“Strong leaders at all levels within an organization are a requisite for business success. Yet the leadership pipeline, the internal architecture for growing leaders, is often broken or non existent.”
One of our clients, a leading global energy player, chose to develop a premier leadership development program for its senior managers across business units and platforms, with the primary goal of making them ‘Future Ready’. As the global operating environment evolved, the corporate mission introduced a new leadership charter. It placed a strong emphasis on cultivating behaviors such as inclusive value creation, internal and external collaboration, digital thinking, and innovation. We partnered with them to develop a 6-month learning initiative for their senior leaders. With clear and concise design aesthetics, the intervention aimed to be instrumental in mindset change. The objective was to keep it practical–relevant content, feedback sessions, practicing managers as facilitators, single platform interaction, and peer connections.
