What is the next big thing in Leadership?
Funny isn’t it? There are a million and one leadership books, courses, essays, articles, seminars etc. out there claiming to be offering you the ‘next big thing’ in leadership philosophy.
Now don’t get me wrong there are, of course some excellent publications available and there is also the never ending cycle of contributions from people with their own ‘unique’ approach, hoping that their insights are noticed and their leadership ideology and models are adopted in training courses up and down the country. In reality though, authors rarely provide further insight about how we can each become the next great leader that hasn’t already been discussed and written about at length. So what is the 'next big thing' in leadership?
Do we need a 'next big thing' in leadership? And how do you know which leadership training courses are the most up to date and appropriate?
It occurs to me that there is pretty much a consensus these days about the shared characteristics of notable and successful leaders, (although each, of course, will have his or her own style and personal eccentricities). The same is true for leadership training. It is accepted that the knowledge and skills that leaders need are defined and can be trained out successfully to develop those desirable leadership traits in others. So why is there such a vast array of leadership training courses out there each claiming to offer something that little bit extra and that little bit different?
Training providers everywhere are having to think very carefully about how they present their wares. Why should you choose training company A over training company B? What does company A have that company B is not offering?
It is not surprising that leadership training courses, just like everything else, are marketed with some degree of creative flair and let’s be honest, good marketing and a bit of creative flair go a long way to standing out in a crowded market.
For those of you old enough, you might remember the poster campaign for the US evangelist Billy Graham when he first came to the UK in the late 80s. In a world without the internet, social media and 24 hour television, Billy Graham wasn’t very well known in the UK and so a very clever marketing company came up with the LIFE poster campaign. Posters showing the word LIFE jumbled up (FELI / FLEI etc.) appeared all over London (and perhaps further afield, I’m not sure) with a series of slogans such as ‘Can you make sense of it?’ and then ‘Made sense of it yet?’ Finally a series of posters with the word LIFE on appeared with the message ‘Can you make sense of it? Come and hear one man who can.’
This was indeed a very creative way to introduce an unknown (in the UK at least) motivational speaker to a new audience but how unique do you think Billy Graham’s message and approach really was? Having never attended one of these events I’m afraid I cannot comment specifically and perhaps it’s unfair of me to comment at all on this event, some might say, however I suspect a very confident, passionate and engaging performer was delivering a very similar message to that delivered all over the UK and beyond every single week by those with perhaps much less flair and pizazz. Did Billy Graham metaphorically ‘invent the wheel’? I doubt it.
I guess the same could be said about the mountains of leadership resources that are available. In my opinion one of the most notable and influential leadership publications to appear in recent(ish) times is Stephen Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and although it markets itself more within the self-help genre with a tag line of ‘Powerful Lessons in Personal Change’, it nevertheless stands out as one of the most engaging and thought-provoking books, relevant to leadership, that I have encountered.
Training providers never tire of rolling out another Stephen Covey quote to seduce the learner's grey matter (and with good reason), but when you consider that '7 Habits...' was written 27 years ago and is still as popular today as it was when it was first published, then how much has really changed?
Out of curiosity I checked out Amazon’s website to see which ‘leadership’ books are currently topping the best sellers chart and ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ today ranks as the number 4 best seller…..STILL. I wonder how many Leadership publications have been written in the last 27 years with a hope of achieving a similar guru-esque status that Covey’s book has had and is continuing to have..
So where is this ‘next big thing' in leadership?
Well I guess, aside from some creativity and marketing flair, great leadership is still great leadership and good solid quality leadership training is still valid and always will be regardless of how you dress it up or try to market it. Do we really need to re-invent the wheel? Or do we go with what works and has been tried and tested for decades?
I’m all for the ripping up of the rule book and aiming to improve ourselves but so far, I’ve not seen any evidence that tried and trusted leadership methods need to be drastically redefined.
In 2014, Forbes conducted a study into the ‘next big thing’ in HR and Business and they came to the conclusion that the next big thing is ‘Simplicity’ (quite satisfying for me as Simplicity is one of the core values that I defined for my organisation well before coming across that article) but forgive me, weren’t Motorola, General Motors, Toyota and others employing the notions of simplicity to their working practices back in the 80s?
The point is that whilst organisations can define, package and market leadership training in exciting and creative new ways the basic premises remain the same.
So it seems the 'next big leadership thing' is probably the same as the 'last big leadership thing,' but repackaged with a fancy new slogan to entice you to keep up with the Jones's.
Now I'm not suggesting that all leadership courses are the same and like anything, you will find good and less good quality products out there so what is it that you look for when entrusting the training of your leaders to a third party and how do you choose a good quality, reasonably priced leadership training provider?
Here are my top 5 tips:
1. Know where your knowledge or skills gaps are and be sure training is fit for purpose. Don’t forget that your training provider can often provide suggestions on how to address your needs. You don’t know what you don’t know and training providers are specialists.
2. Make sure you know what you’re getting for your money, discuss your needs and expectations and agree these with your training provider before handing over any money.
3. Don’t pay over the odds. Higher prices do not necessarily indicate that you will receive better quality training, in the same way that more reasonable prices do not indicate poor quality training. Find a balance and be realistic with your budget. Providers will sometimes negotiate a bespoke rate to suit your needs, especially if you identify that a large number of people would benefit from the training on offer.
4. Find out what support (if any) participants will receive once the actual training event is over. A good training provider will continue to be available after the event for help and advice. That’s not to say you should expect your provider to become a dedicated helpline. Be realistic with your expectations and ensure support is provided for individuals via the usual line management chain as a first resort.
5. Finally, do your homework and choose a provider that you trust. Speak to other individuals or organisations that have attended a training event and get some recommendations or testimonials. Speak to them directly if you can, although be aware that companies will always respect the privacy of their clients.
And remember that, the 'next big thing; is probably not as different from the 'last big thing' as some providers would have you believe.
Good luck!
Glen Turner
If you have any questions or comments regarding this article please do not hesitate to contact me at the following address: enquiries@gpttraining.com
