Here are 10 ways to optimize your investments in training and skill building workshops for yourself and your organization

Written by: Laurie B. Moret, PhD and Dee Gaeddert, PhD

The “war for talent” has focused awareness on the need for leadership at all levels. It has also increased the expectation that executive development investments will pay off visibly and quickly. There can be no doubt that some of these expectations are not being met. While successful executive development engagements take many forms, to be truly effective, they should share one important quality: the participation of highly proactive and engaged leaders.

Leaders do not have to climb ropes or jump off cliffs to learn about themselves in ways that help make them more productive, more efficient, happier, and better qualified to take on new challenges. They do, however, have to take an active approach to selecting and managing development experiences that best fit their needs and their company’s.

Common executive development engagements include:

• Simulated learning experiences that place leaders in situations that replicate challenges they will face;
• Targeted skill building, such as media training tailored to an executive who will be interviewed on TV;
• Individual executive coaching or team-based coaching on a variety of subjects (e.g., specialists in interpersonal relations);
• Stretch assignments designed to provide necessary experience for a future role;
• Targeted assessment and development planning as part of succession planning or career path planning;
• Course work to improve technical and/or soft skills;
• Mentoring programs; and
• Peer networking roundtables.

With such a wide array of development opportunities, it can be difficult to know which one will deliver the right results for the right time. Executives should evaluate their needs and seek an appropriate development opportunity any time they encounter a major professional event: a promotion, a merger or acquisition, a move from headquarters to a line function (or vice versa), or a major shift in job role and responsibilities (e.g., the composition or size of the workforce they lead), to name a few.

There may be other triggering events, such as when leaders question their ability to handle important challenges; or, just as important (and more challenging), when they are perceived to have problems handling an important aspect of their role. If one of those situations is coupled with the loss of a trusted adviser or confidant, seeking development support is all the more important.

The following tips provide some guidance for achieving the best outcome:

Assess the landscape. Some organizations maintain an executive development process and automatically include leaders when they take on new roles. Other companies are less generous. Identify the norm in your company and understand the extent to which your request for development qualifies as a typical practice.

Demonstrate your potential. Anticipate that you may have to build a case for your request by demonstrating your communication skills and business savvy. A convincing case often depends on how self-motivated you are perceived to be. Making an articulate, passionate, and well-supported case for your professional development can help tilt those perceptions in your favor.

Make the business case. While executive development often is expensive, the returns can be sizeable. Several recent studies, for example, identified returns of 500% to 600% on investments in executive coaching. Lay out how the experience will improve your contribution to the organization and how those improvements align with current and future business demands. If you control your own budget, you may simply need to be prepared to articulate to the board or a financial officer how much, and where, money was spent.

The time is now. Don’t wait until your hair is on fire to get help. Regardless of what type of experience you ultimately seek, it is easier to gain financial and interpersonal support when you are addressing a need in advance rather than waiting until the situation is urgent.