Many organizations are in trouble and the leaders at the top do not know it!  The people at the top of a company do not have an accurate assessment of the quality of that organization’s leadership, according to   The Global Leadership Forecast.

They surveyed over 1,800 HR professionals and 12,423 leaders from 2,600 organizations on the status of leadership in those organizations.  The goal was to determine the effectiveness of the leadership and of leadership development efforts over a two year period.

One statistic that stuck out was that the closer to the frontlines the leader worked, the more negative they were about the company’s leadership quality. 

What They Can’t See Will Hurt Them

Study Results:  Percent Rating Quality of Their Company’s Leadership as Very Good Or Excellent

• Frontline Manager:  34%
• Mid Level Manager:  34%
• Senior Manager:  43%
• Executive:  46%

Why would the top brass think things were better?

• The authors propose that the top people are more likely to work with competent leaders.  To get to the top, you need to be good.
• Another explanation is the top leaders have more responsibility for leadership development and were hesitant to admit fault for the low leadership quality.

“Either way, their perspective could prevent them from fully understanding the pressing need to develop leaders at the lower levels of management.”

Building The Bench

The lower level leaders are saying the leadership where they are is failing, yet upper management is unaware.  If that is true, who are the future leaders of the company?

A primary job of leadership is the development of people.  Focusing on skill development without leadership development at the lower levels is short sighted.  There are 4 Steps To Building Bench Strength (click on the previous title to read them) any company or leader can implement.  Leadership development just needs to become a priority.

I sat in many meetings where the frontline leaders were told they had the most important job in the company.  The success of the company was squarely laid on the shoulders of the frontline leaders.

I believe this is true in most organizations.  But, if the responsibility for success rests on these leader’s shoulders, shouldn’t the organization they work for provide all the help and support they need to ensure that success?

Clear The Fog

At the top of a mountain, it is hard to see what is happening below you if there is fog.  The urgent issues can cloud the view of the people at the top.    But, it is the people at the top who must move away from focusing on the urgent, and prioritize what is important for the long term health of the company.

The leaders at the top need to come down from the mountain and take these findings seriously.  They need to make leadership development a priority.  Without good leaders on the bench ready to step forward and lead, that organization is heading for a difficult future.

The Bottom Line:

For a senior leader, realizing my view may be obscured is critical.  I need to get below the fog to see what is actually happening.  I need to heed the words of my frontline leaders and begin to prepare them for my job.

The Global Leadership Forecast is telling.  It show’s that companies are failing at leadership development.  Even though 46% of executives rated the quality of leadership in their company as good or excellent, that means 54% saw it lacking.

I point this out to you as an encouragement to put time and resources towards developing leaders at all levels of your organization.  Based on these numbers, any leader that does, will create a competitive advantage over the majority of the competition.

Question:

What can you do to improve the leadership bench strength of the team you are responsible for?