Give the Gift of Growth
What comes to mind when you think of corporate training programs? Watch any irreverent episode of The Office, and most of us will laugh because it’s based on an element of truth. We’ve all been there--the first day of work subjected to health and safety videos from circa two decades ago, the role-playing during a “crucial conversations” class, and the web-based training that never allows you to click through to the next page until ALL material has been read and your knowledge of the content satisfactorily reflected in the passing of a true or false quiz. Need we say more? This training may be necessary to help individuals learn new skills or explain procedures. Still, it does very little to truly develop employees and satisfy their need to learn and grow. If we single out millennials in the workforce, Gallup research has found that “87% of millennials rate ‘professional or career growth and development opportunities’ as important to them in a job.” Furthermore, they “have a burning desire to learn and grow” but “not all of them want to become CEO someday.” [1]
Some of you may have just let out an audible, “phew” knowing that your organization isn’t structured with a plethora of rungs on the ladder for people to climb. Formalized leadership training programs tend to be standard in large companies that consist of many management layers. However, in smaller and flatter organizations, less attention is inadvertently given to developing employees’ leadership potential because there are significantly fewer management positions available. Yet, regardless of the organization’s size, researchers have found that improving leadership across the board has an overall positive effect on the organization as a whole. [2] Many employees just want the opportunity to learn how to lead well in their current capacity. For nonprofits that depend on engaged volunteers to carry out their mission, leadership development is becoming even more important. While regular promotions and advancement may be limited for your staff, opportunities for improving the leadership that staff members provide to volunteers is unlimited.
Let’s chew on that for a moment and consider that volunteer management practices vary greatly depending on the organization’s staff members’ leadership capacity. Researchers Hillary Knepper, Maria D’Agostino, and Helisse Levine, studied the correlation between staff leadership development and volunteer impact. They summarized their findings by saying, “We also learned the importance of relationship building and the importance of taking the time, despite busy schedules, to provide feedback and performance assessment to volunteers.” (Sounds like another gift we talked about--coaching!) They went on to emphasize the significance of “getting to know volunteers better to support their interests with assignments and encouraging staff to utilize their skills as best they could.” [3] Creating a leadership development program for your staff demonstrates that your organization is dedicated to its employees’ growth and ensures that staff members are equipped to provide excellent leadership to volunteers.
Designing Your Leadership Development Program
The Center for Creative Leadership has identified over twenty different types of learning activities and guided experiences that can be used in a leadership development program. [4] Many of these activities are cost-effective, but they do require dedicated time and commitment in order for learning to take place. Considering the return on investment when it comes to learning and growing, we think it a valuable gift to invest in. Below are a few suggestions for implementing a development program in your organization.
Classes, Courses, and Training. University classes, professional conferences, and webinars are popular options for formal leadership training. In addition to the wealth of wisdom and knowledge that participants can gain from attending formal classes and training programs, participation in these types of structured learning environments can provide employees with opportunities to network with other dedicated professionals and build relationships that benefit both the individual and the organization. As an added plus, many offer discounts for nonprofit employees.
Professional Book Clubs. Discussion guides are available for many of today’s best-selling books on leadership. A free discussion guide for Brene Brown’s book Dare to Lead is available online [5] and James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s classic book The Leadership Challenge [6] includes questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter. Additionally, a number of experts have shared advice online about how to structure and run productive professional book club meetings. Susan Heathfield’s article on how to get a successful book club up and running is full of practical advice and helpful tips. [7]
Peer Coaching. Coaching is increasingly becoming more popular as a model of professional development. Peer coaching is a strategy that is widely used in the field of education. School leaders found that it was not uncommon for principals and teachers to leave a formal training session excited to try a new strategy or skill only to fall back into their old habits and routines once they returned to the classroom. The peer coaching model was developed to help increase the effectiveness of learning and development activities that require change. In her book about peer coaching, author Pam Robbins said, “Peer coaching is a confidential process through which two or more professional colleagues work together to reflect on current practices; expand, refine, and build new skills; share ideas; teach one another; conduct classroom research, or solve problems in the workplace.” [8] Peer coaching provides the support and accountability needed to make lasting changes.
Engaging Your Volunteers
The leadership activities discussed above can also extend to volunteers. Inviting volunteers to participate in book clubs and peer coaching can go a long way to keeping them engaged in your organization’s mission. Volunteers often come to nonprofits with a wide range of professional backgrounds and life experiences. Their participation in leadership development initiatives could increase both the diversity of your group and the learning opportunities of its members.
The 2018 Volunteering in America Report shared that 77.34 million adults (30.3 percent) volunteered through an organization in 2018 and said, “Altogether, Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value…” [9] For nonprofit organizations that depend on volunteers, their development and engagement must become a high priority. Just as employee engagement has become a key indicator of organizational success, volunteer engagement is a crucial factor for organizations that rely on volunteers to carry out their mission.
Authentic and Cost-Effective Leadership Development
Devoting time and resources to creating a customized leadership development program can provide unlimited opportunities to invest in employees’ professional growth, provide relevant development opportunities for volunteers, and help improve the overall effectiveness and sustainability of volunteer-based organizations. If you need assistance with creating a customized leadership development program that will work for your organization, Lakeside Leadership Services can help! We offer a complimentary initial half-hour consultation and coaching session, as well as affordable coaching packages for leaders of non-profit organizations. Visit us online at www.lakesideleadership.org or send an email to contactus@lakesideleadership.org to take the next step on your leadership journey.
Biographies
Amanda Lacey, MTA and Amanda K. Lake, DSL, are partners at Lakeside Leadership Services, a company that provides learning and development consulting services to leaders of small businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, and churches. As Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches, they offer training and coaching to leaders, teams, and individuals based on the CliftonStrengths assessment for adults and students, the StrengthsExplorer assessment for children, and the proven principles of strengths-based psychology and development. Lakeside Leadership Services also offers coaching and consulting in the areas of strategic planning, team learning and performance, employee engagement, organizational culture, and educational programming. Amanda Lacey can be contacted by email at AmandaLacey@LakesideLeadership.org and Amanda Lake’s email address is AmandaLake@LakesideLeadership.org.
References
[1] Hickman, Adam Ph.D. (2020, January 29). What ‘Meaningful Feedback’ Means to Millennials.
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/284081/meaningful-feedback-means-millennials.aspx
[2] The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development by Ellen Van Velsor, Cynthia McCauley, and Marian Ruderman. (2010). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
[3] Volunteer Management Practices During Challenging Economic Times by Hillary Knepper, Maria J. D’Agostino, and Helisse Levine. (Fall 2014) Journal of Public Management & Social Policy, p.15
[4] The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development by Ellen Van Velsor, Cynthia McCauley, and Marian Ruderman. (2010). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[5] Dare to Lead Read-Along Workbook https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DTL-Read-Along-Workbook-v1.pdf
[6] The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner (2017). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[7] How to Implement a Book Club at Work by Susan Heathfield https://www.thebalancecareers.com/implement-a-book-club-at-work-1917942
[8] How to Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program by Pam Robbins. (1991). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
[9] 2018 Volunteering in America Report by National Service.Gov https://www.nationalservice.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/volunteering-us-hits-record-high-worth-167-billion#:~:targetText=The%202018%20Volunteering%20in%20America,through%20an%20organization%20last%20year.
