Guidebook: Optimizing Your Leadership Pipeline

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© Development Dimensions Int’l, Inc., 2016. All rights reserved.
Guidebook:
Optimizing Your
Leadership Pipeline

A leadership pipeline approach
is not a single program or tool.
It’s a process that provides both the right
quantity and quality of leaders—in time—to step
up and meet pressing business challenges.
Here are questions you should ask, tips to consider
and proven practices to help get you started.
Source: DDI and The Conference Board: Global Leadership Forecast 2014|2015

Have you connected leadership development
to your organization’s business priorities?
#1
Begin with where
your business is going.

Human capital remains CEO’s top challenge according to The Conference Board CEO
Challenge®
. When we asked leaders to assess their own readiness, only 27% reported they
were “very prepared” to create an optimal workplace where employees deliver their best.
Very few leaders are ready to
address CEO’s top challenges.
#1

The top 5 leadership attributes and
behaviors most critical to success
as a leader:
1. Retaining and developing talent
2. Managing complexity
3. Leading change
4. Leading with integrity
5. Having an entrepreneurial mind-set
#1

Leader segments most critical for accelerated development
(Next 1-2 years).
Are you developing the right leaders
for the future of your business?
#1
53% 51%
38%
32%
22% 21% 20%
16% 16% 13%
Source: Brandon Hall Group, State of Leadership Development 2015: The Time to Act is Now

Have you developed success profiles—more
than just competencies—for your leaders?
#2
Define leaders who fit
the profile for success.

There are four factors that will
define a successful leader:
1. Organizational Knowledge
2. Experiences
3. Competencies
4. Personal Attributes
#2

Creating a holistic view of a leader’s role helps define what
success looks like.
What People KNOW
Technical and/or professional
information needed to successfully
perform job activities.
Examples:
- C++ Programming
- Client Acquisition Strategies
- Cross-Cultural Differences
What People HAVE DONE
Educational and work achievements
needed to successfully perform job
activities.
Examples:
- Led a Sales Team
- Started up an Operation
- Launched a New Product
What People CAN DO
A cluster of behaviors
performed on a job.
Examples:
- Decision Making
- Planning and Organizing
- Coaching
Who People ARE
Personal dispositions and
motivations that relate to job
satisfaction, job success or
failure.
Examples:
- Leadership Disposition
- Cognitive Ability
- Risk Averse

• Anticipate and react to the nature
and speed of change.
• Act decisively without always
having clear direction and certainty.
• Navigate through complexity,
chaos, and confusion.
• Maintain effectiveness despite
constant surprises and a lack of
predictability.
Successful leaders
are also able to:
#2

How do you prepare leaders for the next level?
#3
Manage leaders
in transition.

To help, provide programs
that approach development
differently for each level.
#3
Whether assuming a leadership role for
the first time, taking control of a business unit,
or stepping into a new position, leaders in
transition encounter significant challenges
and they are overwhelmed.

However, only 37% of organizations use formal programs
to ensure smooth leadership transitions.
Leadership transition programs
have an impact on:
+ The quality of leadership development
+ Engagement and retention of leaders
+ Current and future leadership strength
+ Financial performance
#3

Here’s what leaders
find as the most
effective leadership
development method
at each leadership
level.
#3

Do you know who should move up and why?
#4
Choose the right people
to move up the ladder.

Research shows that many organizations face a dilemma when having too
many or too few high potentials. Revisit your process to ensure you have the
right people and right quantity in your high potential pool.
Identify high potentials, assess readiness,
then fast track to prepare them for growing
leadership responsibilities.
Targeting the Right Size
Pool to Maximize High-Potential
Engagement and Retention
#4

#4
Placement + Promotion Decisions Strengths + Development Needs
Assessing Readiness
Assessing readiness not only pinpoints each leader’s
strengths and development needs, it also helps you make
accurate placement and promotion decisions.

#4
There is a difference between
performance, potential, and
readiness.
But!

#4
Performance
How well a person is
doing in their current
role.
• Measure using your
organization’s performance
management system.
Potential
Likelihood of future
leadership growth,
or future leadership
promise.
• Measure using an
objective process for
identifying high potentials.
Readiness
The ability to step
into a new level of
responsibility and
meet its demands
within a shortened
period of time.
• Measure using simulations
or assessment centers
that present challenges
similar to the new role.
Here’s the Difference:

Do you have buy-in from your senior leaders?
#5
Secure ownership at
the most senior levels.

A leadership pipeline cannot be successful
without full support and buy-in at senior levels.
One way to do this is by measuring impact
and providing proof that supports the need
for leadership development.
#5

Link leadership development with business metrics.
#5

#5
In our research, we found that when organizations were successfully extending
their leadership development programs across all three levels, they financially
outperform their peers, and decidedly so.
Developing Across the Entire Pipeline:
A Key to Financial Success.

How can you drive results and ensure
ongoing impact?
#6
Weave in principles
that ensure success.

To sustain a leadership pipeline
initiative, you must have:
• A sound execution plan
• An effective communication strategy
• Clear accountabilities
• Stakeholders with the right skills
• Alignment with related HR systems
• Success metrics
#6

More Ideas to Achieve Success!#6
Source: 2015 Brandon Hall Group State of Leadership Development

Recap
1. Start with the business and where it’s going
2. Define profiles for leadership success
3. Manage transitions at all leader levels
4. Choose high-potentials wisely
5. Gain buy-in from senior stakeholders
6. Use proven practices to ensure success

Guidebook: Optimizing Your Leadership Pipeline

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