Two weeks ago, I shared my first of three lessons that explore the impacts of investing in leadership development. In this second lesson, I cover two new specific benefits, as well as the disadvantages that executives, entrepreneurs, and teams may experience if they do not dedicate resources to advancing leadership.

Improving Culture

When you invest in leadership development, you create a more engaged workplace and culture.

Employees want leaders who let them know if they are progressing in their role, provide praise when it is well-earned and constructive feedback, as necessary. Giving feedback is a skill of successful leaders, and it shows through employee engagement:

• 43% of highly engaged employees receive feedback at least once a week
• 18% of employees with low engagement receive feedback at least once a week

Through leadership training, you can teach effective ways to provide feedback to motivate and increase the skill level of your people.

Those who don’t invest in leadership development risk creating a stale work environment with low morale that evokes the following employee behaviors:

• The feedback at their review is not respected.
• Lack of follow-through on the employee’s goals.
• Leaders’ decisions are not trusted.
• Creation of cliques within the team or company.
• Team members tend to say the right things but not perform the right actions.
• No interest in going the extra mile to support the company’s needs.

Authentic Leadership

When you invest in leadership development, you can implement an effective leadership style.

Leadership training can assist in carrying out the most appropriate leadership style for your organization and the work you do. This training creates an environment for individuality, flexibility and learning.

• Personal leadership style. Individual leaders learn to develop their own leadership style that will create the best response from their team members.
• Adaptable style. When leaders have the skills to adapt their style to create trust, respect, support, collaboration, and open communication, they are exemplifying the values of a high-performing and effective professional.
• Leading by example. When leaders are eager to learn in any environment, they are showing their team what is necessary to be successful and promoted.

When you don’t invest in leadership development, it may lead to a lack of professionalism and trust in the environment. This can result in the following employee attributes:

• Complacent – Don’t possess the skills to carry objective, positive, and forward-focused conversations.
• Unsupportive – Forgo asking how they can help their team members.
• Uninspired – New ideas or improvements are not shared.
• Entitled – They feel they are doing the leader’s job.
• Solo focus – Out for their agenda vs collaborating for the team or company’s success.
• Disengaged – Dislike attending meetings that are not about them.

Learn more about steps you can take now to invest in leadership development to create a more engaged workplace and improving culture by implementing an effective leadership style… Connect to grow.