Creating an effective leadership development strategy and program within an organization requires adherence to a core of essential beliefs and activities. We offer some suggestions, and have divided these beliefs and activities into commitments, certainties, costs, and components.

1. Value your people as your organization’s greatest asset.
2. Develop an organizational culture where people are being developed as leaders.
3. Think about succession planning so that all leaders in the organization are thinking about whom is being developed that could take their place.
4. Be sure the board is committed to leading an organization that develops leaders.
5. Make sure the C.E.O. models the meaning of continued personal growth and development.
6. Commit dollars, because leadership development costs money.

1. People who are continually learning are usually more motivated.
2. People who are well prepared to do their job are usually more productive.
3. Leaders who “think leadership” are always on the lookout for the future leaders for their organization.
4. Growing leaders are ready to take on new challenges and opportunities.
5. Retention rates are higher among leaders who feel good about their development.
6. The organization gains a reputation for its development of its people.

1. Organizations are spending money on leadership development even when they think they are not. For example, if an organization is spending $35,000 on a person to do a job, but that person is not well prepared and is only producing $25,000 worth of ministry, the lack of leadership development is actually costing the organization $10,000!
2. The board and C.E.O. must be committed to spending money on leadership development.
3. There must be a belief that training is not a perk, but rather, a necessity.
4. When spending money on training, effort should be made to determine its value and return on investment.
5. One way to understand the commitment to leadership development is to determine the dollars spent on training per person each year.
6. You don’t have to “get there all at once,” so determine how much more you will invest next year in your leaders.

1. Create a profile of the skills and competencies you want to see developed in your leaders. A good place to begin is “A Roadmap to Effective Leadership: A Leader’s Developing Attributes” in the Lead Well! Learning Guide found on this website. You will want to expand on many of these, being specific to your organization’s requirements.
2. Write job descriptions for all staff positions, and include a list of expected skills and competencies that are necessary.
3. Create an approach to recruitment of new staff. Do you “grow your own?” Or do you add people who have experience elsewhere? Do you quietly recruit, or do you advertise? Do you look locally, or nationally? And how do your tell your story to recruits?
4. Be sure you have a way of providing an orientation for all new staff – including the organization’s mission, values, history, and programs; key policies and procedures; “how things work around here;” getting acquainted with other staff members.
5. Provide some form of entry-level training for ministry positions. If you are a part of a national organization, this will likely be predetermined. Usually the focus is on the ministry and essential team and community relationships. Because some of what must be known is unique to your organization, you must provide the training. Other necessary skills may be learned through outsourced training programs.
6. Be sure that supervision is a key component in leadership development. Supervisors can provide on-the-job training, help people set goals, provide encouragement, are sure that each person has a personal growth plan (think about using the Lead Well! Learning Guide), provide accountability, and conduct effective performance reviews.
7. Create either a formal or informal program of coaching or mentoring. New staff members will be well served with a good peer mentor to walk them through their early days of employment. Mentoring can help people think through important life questions as well as guide people in their growth in ministry and leadership. Outside coaching can help people develop and can offer a measure of accountability.
8. Various kinds of assessment tools should be used to help people understand themselves, and to help team members understand each other. Among the many tools are Meyers-Briggs, Performax, Predictive Index, StrengthsFinder, etc.
9. Provide training for mid-level leaders, since these people are taking on new responsibilities of supervision, team building, planning, budgeting, fund raising, project coordination, communication, conflict resolution etc. Always connect training to the job, directly and indirectly.
10. Provide training for executive and senior leaders since these people set the pace and must continue to grow as well. As organizations grow and become more complicated, there is a need for high-end specialized training. Flexibility and custom-made leadership development is important here since even national organizations don’t always have programs for these people. Both high-end training workshops and academic programs could meet those needs.
11. Be sure there is a program to equip volunteers, including a basic orientation program for your organization and its ministry, and training that will help these adults be more effective in their volunteer work. Cut to the chase! Remember they are adult learners and their time is valuable.
12. Keep records regarding the training received by all employees, and the dollars spent on training both as an organization and per person during each year.

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