Leadership Development – What Is Your Organization's Plan?

Le Sueur, MN (PRWEB) June 27, 2014

Today’s great leaders are going to retire, various studies have indicated that between 25 and 50% of today's leaders will retire in the next five to ten years. The skills and knowledge they have gained over 30 plus years in the workplace will soon be gone and companies will be left without the know-how and intellectual skills these leaders possessed. So what does this mean to the the businesses of today? Even without the higher than normal attrition of leaders leaving the workplace, there is already a documented need for development of new and upcoming leaders in the workplace. intRAtrain by Russell Associates has developed solutions designed to help companies prepare for the large influx of new leaders.

The Brandon Hall Group conducted a study of 329 organizations in 2013 and found that 75% of respondents felt that their current leadership development programs were not very effective. The leaders of today and tomorrow are going to affect the reputation bottom line of the organizations for which they work, so ensuring they develop and can lead with confidence is of critical importance.

No one ever said developing leaders was easy or simple. A study conducted by the he American Society of Training and Development found that over $170 billion is spent annually on developing leaders, yet confidence in newly developed leaders is not showing marked improvement. Developing leaders takes time and a strategy to achieve results. The first step in developing a leadership development plan is to analyze the current situation. What is the company’s current bench strength? How do it fit into your future plan? The current employees are the backbone of an organization, yet are often missed when development needs are examined. Often, there are high-potential entry level employees that can develop into leaders, so it is wise to consider all employees during the process.

A basic analysis should determine:
1.    What talent/leaders are currently in place
2.    What talent/leaders are needed
3.    What gaps exist between the two

This may seem like a good plan but how is this best accomplished? A preferred method is conducting an organization-wide talent assessment that studies the strengths and weaknesses of each employee to find skill gaps and talent development opportunities. According to a study conducted by ASTD in 2012, 55% of organizations do not conduct organization-wide talent assessments.

intRAtrain by Russell Associates and refined and is offering an improved method to assess the leadership and talent status of organizations. The new and improved assessment survey package that allows companies to complete a 360 degree employee survey. This assessment survey package allows employees, peers, and superiors to evaluate employees using a customized tool unique to the company and industry. Click here to see read how others have used the survey and assessment tool.

Jerry Van Oort, CEO of Russell Associates commented, " Companies that aren't taking a critical look at the leadership needs are missing a opportunity to prepare now. The results our clients have found are often eye-opening for both the company and the employees. The process gives the organization the information they need to determine how to best deploy the time and resources needed to achieve the highest return on investment. Over time we have refined the assessment process we use and have developed a new and improved package for our clients. I invite everyone to take advantage of the special offer we are offering during July"

Leadership development starts with knowing who and what should develop to lead the organization to greater heights. Russell Associates will be offering a 20% on all leadership assessments during the month of July. If your organization is not ready to start now, give Russell Associates a call to schedule the assessment for a later date.

About intRAtrain and inspectiTRAC by Russell Associates
intRAtrain and inspectiTRAC by Russell Associates, based in Le Sueur, Minnesota, has over 30 years experience and expertise working with companies to increase employee productivity from improved job skills training; increased employee safety, safety, food safety and quality behaviors. Using technology, Russell Associates develops solutions that increase effectiveness and efficiencies, reduce cost, and improve ROI from training, testing, and inspections/audits.

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