After
participating in a good leadership development program, you’ll no doubt
feel inspired to transform yourself, your team, and your organization.
That’s why companies spend
more than $46 billion per year
on such training. They want their employees, from high potentials to
top executives, to gain energy and purpose by learning and envisioning
the future with others.
However,
many program participants find it challenging to sustain momentum and
achieve durable post-program results. As an executive who recently
graduated from one of ours told us: “I left incredibly motivated. I had a
clear plan for how I needed to lead and restructure my area. Three
weeks later, I was extremely frustrated. It felt like nothing had
changed.”
Most
often, leaders are making progress — just not at the speed they had
hoped. Success requires determined effort combined with care about
pacing and adjustment. Here are some practical strategies to help you
navigate the crucial post-program “reentry” phase and maximize the
impact of your experience.
Anticipate reactions.
When
you return from your program, colleagues will be curious about it. When
they ask you how it went, don’t overwhelm them with too much
information or gloss over your answer. Instead, have ready a few
60-second elevator pitches – each highlighting a key takeaway, its
strategic implications, why it’s important to you, and how it will shape
your thinking in the future.
You
will likely need different pitches for different stakeholders. For
example, your pitch to your direct reports might be about what you
learned about empowering the team. At the same time, the one to your
boss might be targeted to executing the strategy or achieving business
results. A well-crafted reentry pitch will engage the heads and the
hearts of listeners and signal potential changes.
Recognize others’ contributions.
Take
the time to recognize the people who made it possible for you to attend
the program. Tell reports how much you appreciate their hard work
ensuring operations ran well when you were away.
Also,
explore what they learned and how they developed during your absence
and any impact it’s had on their future goals and aspirations. Any
post-program change agenda will require the support of your team, and
this is an opportunity to both create goodwill and explore how you might
free up time by shifting responsibilities.
Make
sure to thank your boss, peers, and others, too, emphasizing how they
might benefit from your new insights and ideas. By demonstrating your
gratitude and connecting your experience to group and organizational
success, you reinforce your commitment to others.
Embrace the opportunity.
Leaders
often worry that their newly acquired behaviors or visions will be met
with skepticism and jokes about just returning from a course. “Who
kidnapped the real you and substituted this alien?” is a common refrain.
But don’t let this fear hold you back. You will be more disappointed in
the long run if you fail to make any changes or if others fail to
recognize your growth.
Remember
that this is an opportunity. Acknowledge that while you are committed
to continuous, long-term personal and team development, the course was
indeed a catalyst for new thinking. Emphasize that you are dedicated to
working with others to drive meaningful change.
Communicate your intentions.
To
gain support for your change ideas, it’s essential to be candid about
your intentions and the challenges you anticipate. The idea isn’t just
to inform them and eliminate any preconceived notions they might have;
it’s also to involve them in specific areas of transformation.
Be
mindful that you have been thinking about this evolution for longer
than they have, though, and allow them time to process, reflect, and
adapt. Ultimately, the goal is to create a shared understanding and
facilitate a smoother transition.
Pace yourself.
You
may return to your professional life inspired and impatient to fix
things right away. But pace and prioritization are paramount.
Of
course, if the program has prompted you to realize that you have been
procrastinating on a critical change and have the authority to make it,
do so immediately. Be courageous, communicate clearly, and take action.
However,
most changes will benefit from a more gradual approach. Introduce new
ideas incrementally, respecting others’ adaptation process. Small,
consistent individual and team shifts are better accepted and less
disruptive. Allow time for practice and refinement to solidify changes.
Build a support network.
You’ll
want a support network both inside and outside your team. Stay in touch
with people you met in your development program to share advice and
hold one another accountable. You might consider creating a group on
platforms like WhatsApp or establishing a buddy system whereby partners
check in every four to six weeks. Within your organization, identify
individuals in the best position to discuss and advise on your intended
changes and enlist them to provide regular feedback and help you work
through challenges.
Stay the course.
The
only way to achieve change is through consistent effort. Accept that
your initial work is unlikely to yield immediate results, that there
might be resistance and setbacks, and stay patient. Communicate often
and clearly, balancing understanding with determination. Recognize that
small steps add up to significant ones, and stick with it. With work,
your development program experience can lead to long-lasting personal,
team, or organizational change.
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