Exclusive Interview with Rob Moors, Head Coach & Founder, Rob Moors Consulting
How To Develop A 'Best-In-Class' Leadership Development Program
Posted on 02-03-2021, Read Time: 6 Min
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“Instead of being salesmen with a trunk full of courses to offer, learning and development leaders should become Performance Doctors, where they consult with their stakeholders to identify the symptoms that are blocking performance. Those symptoms are then explored in more detail to understand the root causes, problems, challenges and opportunities. From there comes the L&D Performance Diagnosis, alongside a treatment and/or care plan to improve performance; but the key here is that they have to be able to prescribe more than the traditional training methods,” says Rob Moors, Head Coach & Founder, Rob Moors Consulting. |
Rob brings with him more than 20 years of experience in L&D. In an exclusive interaction with HR.com, Rob talks about how to re-imagine training for future, challenges of leadership development, key elements of a ‘best-in-class- leadership development program, and more.
Excerpts from an interview:
Q: Why is it crucial for leaders to learn, relearn, unlearn and develop continuously?
Rob: I’d actually say that it’s important for us to realize that we’re all learning, all the time. In fact, learning is like oxygen… it can breathe life into the things we do, or it can help to set fire to them; it’s our choice.
For that reason, I’d say that it’s important for leaders to understand themselves and take time to understand what they’ve learned each day, as well as what they need to learn to drive forward. What we need to perform as leaders, as well as how we are able to measure the success of that, can change on a daily basis, so it’s important that we’re always looking out for the real learnings, and asking for support at the moment, rather than just attending planned formal training workshops.
The best catalyst for this is asking for feedback from those you serve; you are there to develop, motivate and support your team… are you doing that? Could you improve? What are you doing well? This naturally changes continuously, so leaders need to adapt continuously.
For that reason, I’d say that it’s important for leaders to understand themselves and take time to understand what they’ve learned each day, as well as what they need to learn to drive forward. What we need to perform as leaders, as well as how we are able to measure the success of that, can change on a daily basis, so it’s important that we’re always looking out for the real learnings, and asking for support at the moment, rather than just attending planned formal training workshops.
The best catalyst for this is asking for feedback from those you serve; you are there to develop, motivate and support your team… are you doing that? Could you improve? What are you doing well? This naturally changes continuously, so leaders need to adapt continuously.
Q: What are the challenges that companies face when developing leaders? How to address those challenges?
Rob: The key challenges are time and money, which sums up the challenges for most things in life when you think about it. However, I believe there are two other big factors when it comes to what is getting in the way of great leadership development: conflicting motivations and previous failures.
- Time: Managers are too busy managing performance and targets.
- Money: Leadership development can be expensive in terms of time and money, often with little or no obvious return on investment (ROI).
- Conflicting motivations: If leaders are targets and bonus driven… does that actually dictate where their day-to-day focus and energy goes, e.g., if team coaching takes them away from selling, they won’t do it.
- Previous failures: There are so many reports of limited ROI on leadership development that companies are becoming hesitant to spend more; they fear the same ineffective result. Why throw good money after bad?
These can only be addressed with a performance consulting approach; looking to drill-down into the real reasons behind these, rather than just the symptoms. Work needs to be done around the collective leadership mindset within an organization before skillset development has a chance to sustainably and scalably succeed.
Q: Companies spend enormous amounts of money on training and education, but they aren’t getting a good return on their investment. People soon revert to old ways of doing things. What needs to change? How?
Rob: Firstly, some companies are happy with that… a great training ‘day out’ is they want to fire up the troops… until next time.
To actually change all this though? The key again is leadership. However, learning and development (L&D) and HR need to point the fingers inwards as well as outwards on this one; until their own leaders can fully role model the values and behaviors they want to develop in others, they are unlikely to be taken seriously. It’s like an adult who’s glued to their mobile phone telling their child that too much technology is bad… command and control leadership becomes the only option in those circumstances, as respect and trust is eroded, which is one reason why people back to those old ways.
Leaders also need to re-adopt their people. In many organizations, responsibility for ‘people’ has largely been delegated to HR/L&D… so they are seen as responsible for ‘the people’ and so they often rename themselves ‘The People Team’.
However, let’s be straight, Leaders are responsible for their people. They should be targeted on more people-related metrics, like engagement – how can it be an HR or L&D issue if a team is lacking in morale and motivation? Leaders who own the wellbeing and development of their people do see return on that investment, as they coach, support and embed with their people, building trust and performance.
If net promoter score (NPS) is a good way to measure how good a job the company is doing, maybe it should also be used to measure how good a job its leaders are doing.
“How likely would you be to recommend your Manager to other colleagues?” 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
L&D can then support those activities.
To actually change all this though? The key again is leadership. However, learning and development (L&D) and HR need to point the fingers inwards as well as outwards on this one; until their own leaders can fully role model the values and behaviors they want to develop in others, they are unlikely to be taken seriously. It’s like an adult who’s glued to their mobile phone telling their child that too much technology is bad… command and control leadership becomes the only option in those circumstances, as respect and trust is eroded, which is one reason why people back to those old ways.
Leaders also need to re-adopt their people. In many organizations, responsibility for ‘people’ has largely been delegated to HR/L&D… so they are seen as responsible for ‘the people’ and so they often rename themselves ‘The People Team’.
However, let’s be straight, Leaders are responsible for their people. They should be targeted on more people-related metrics, like engagement – how can it be an HR or L&D issue if a team is lacking in morale and motivation? Leaders who own the wellbeing and development of their people do see return on that investment, as they coach, support and embed with their people, building trust and performance.
If net promoter score (NPS) is a good way to measure how good a job the company is doing, maybe it should also be used to measure how good a job its leaders are doing.
“How likely would you be to recommend your Manager to other colleagues?” 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
L&D can then support those activities.
Q: How can companies develop a 'best-in-class' leadership development program? What should be the key elements?
Rob: The key is to start with mindset, getting everyone thinking in a new way, focusing on Vision, Values and Behaviours first, rather than Results and Performance. Building and agreeing that with their people is central to that. There’s no point in starting straight with ‘courses’; it just won’t change anything.
Once the appetite for that new collective leadership mindset is there, people will want to build the toolsets required to work this way and to succeed. Aligning performance and then results to this mindset then becomes a more motivating experience; everyone knows what they need to do, what they need to learn, and how to help each other to achieve it.
Finally, then and only then, we can realize the skills required to support all of this, e.g., coaching, communication, feedback, etc.; as leaders will understand why they need those skills, and how they link directly to unlocking potential, achieving high performance and then results.
A continual and scalable coaching culture is the umbrella covering all of this; self-coaching, peer coaching, executive coaching, etc., pushing goal creation and accountability while unlocking potential and performance. Enabling leaders to lead in a coaching style, rather than trying to make everyone a professional coach, is more relevant and digestible to most leaders, and so should be the focus of your leadership development.
Once the appetite for that new collective leadership mindset is there, people will want to build the toolsets required to work this way and to succeed. Aligning performance and then results to this mindset then becomes a more motivating experience; everyone knows what they need to do, what they need to learn, and how to help each other to achieve it.
Finally, then and only then, we can realize the skills required to support all of this, e.g., coaching, communication, feedback, etc.; as leaders will understand why they need those skills, and how they link directly to unlocking potential, achieving high performance and then results.
A continual and scalable coaching culture is the umbrella covering all of this; self-coaching, peer coaching, executive coaching, etc., pushing goal creation and accountability while unlocking potential and performance. Enabling leaders to lead in a coaching style, rather than trying to make everyone a professional coach, is more relevant and digestible to most leaders, and so should be the focus of your leadership development.
Q: How should companies re-imagine training for the future?
Rob: Training Teams became Learning Teams. And so, learning teams need to evolve again. Performance outcome needs to become the priority now, and if L&D teams don’t shift gear to own that, someone else will; and the Covid world has only served to accelerate this process.
Instead of being salesmen with a trunk full of courses to offer, L&D needs to become Performance Doctors, where they consult with their stakeholders to identify the symptoms that are blocking performance. Those symptoms are then explored in more detail, for e.g., with focus groups, frontline staff, customers, etc., to understand the root causes, problems, challenges and opportunities.
From there comes the L&D Performance Diagnosis, alongside a treatment and/or care plan to improve performance; but the key here is that they have to be able to prescribe more than traditional training methods. For example, if I can only prescribe Paracetamol, the gun wound in my arm will not get better. L&D has to advise where leadership, technology, systems, etc., are to blame, and not use training as a sticking plaster to cover that up; instead supporting their stakeholders to address the bigger picture.
Instead of being salesmen with a trunk full of courses to offer, L&D needs to become Performance Doctors, where they consult with their stakeholders to identify the symptoms that are blocking performance. Those symptoms are then explored in more detail, for e.g., with focus groups, frontline staff, customers, etc., to understand the root causes, problems, challenges and opportunities.
From there comes the L&D Performance Diagnosis, alongside a treatment and/or care plan to improve performance; but the key here is that they have to be able to prescribe more than traditional training methods. For example, if I can only prescribe Paracetamol, the gun wound in my arm will not get better. L&D has to advise where leadership, technology, systems, etc., are to blame, and not use training as a sticking plaster to cover that up; instead supporting their stakeholders to address the bigger picture.
Q: How do you develop a good succession plan?
Rob: By developing a fundamental leadership practice to co-create and collaborate with their people; to invite people into the conversations, ideas, concerns and projects they have; encourage them to challenge, own and contribute, while coaching and feeding back all the way.
This way, you will foster future leaders by their ability and desire to learn to lead, rather than simply being the best at what they do in the team.
This way, you will foster future leaders by their ability and desire to learn to lead, rather than simply being the best at what they do in the team.
Q: What are the key leadership behavioral shifts that you see happening? How prepared are companies to cater to this change? What should they do to prepare themselves?
Rob: Prioritizsation of people over the mission as the people will deliver the mission.
People are rarely the top priority, as all bonuses and incentives are largely based on results such as sales targets and closure rates. I think we’ll begin to see organizations adding ‘softer’ targeted elements to their leadership performance, such as Leader NPS, engagement, attrition rates, etc. In short, targets that focus leadership behaviors on people, their purpose, wellbeing and potential, which then motivates their teams to get the results.
The best way companies can prepare for this is to ask their people what they really need from their leaders; rather than asking consultants what behaviors their leaders should have.
People are rarely the top priority, as all bonuses and incentives are largely based on results such as sales targets and closure rates. I think we’ll begin to see organizations adding ‘softer’ targeted elements to their leadership performance, such as Leader NPS, engagement, attrition rates, etc. In short, targets that focus leadership behaviors on people, their purpose, wellbeing and potential, which then motivates their teams to get the results.
The best way companies can prepare for this is to ask their people what they really need from their leaders; rather than asking consultants what behaviors their leaders should have.
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