Revolution required in leadership mindsets: Are you ready?

 We are often told that the business community hates uncertainty. If this is true, then there must be unprecedented levels of dread currently coursing through the veins of senior executives globally. Unpredictable trading conditions, big political uncertainties and now, major fears around IT security, mean that leaders are being asked to take important decisions in the face of extreme volatility and usually on the basis of incomplete or even non-existent information.

 

What is most clear to us here at The Scala Group is that swift changes in circumstances require equally rapid shifts in the mindset of a senior leader. The blunt truth, however, is that while many leaders are clearly unready for the new challenges they face, so too are the leadership recruitment and assessment models currently used to assess them.

 

Leadership assessment and development therefore also needs to change, and change quickly. Learning and development budgets are under pressure and what is required is something much, much better, faster and cost-effective to give us a rapid acceleration in leadership effectiveness and an accurate and personalised assessment of coaching needs. What does this better future look like? Well, the challenges our leaders face are highly experiential – and therefore so too must be the solutions.

Technology is a major part of the experiential assessment revolution we are witnessing. So much of what is written and said about technology in the workplace focuses on how it will replace the need for people, but far less is written around how technology, with the skilled assistance of consultants who know its potential inside out, can unlock greater potential for human development.

 

Nowhere is this more valuable for the whole organisation than when applied at the leadership level. And all the evidence suggests that live leadership simulations make for better assessment and development decisions and a faster and more effective development of senior level leadership.

 

Imagine, for example, you are the new senior executive of a company driven to the edge of bankruptcy by sudden fears over its readiness to withstand a sudden reputational crisis. What is the strategy to combat the crisis and move forward? The beauty of the Pinsight technology we use is that it allows live interaction with role-playing consultants to bring this sort of simulation alive as it happens. For 2 or 3 hours the simulation becomes their job as new challenges are addressed, goalposts are dramatically and deliberately shifted and situations change.

 

You probably already know, or have read, that experiential learning is the most effective form of workplace learning. But perhaps you don’t know how to explain it within your organisation to the senior decision makers to whom this sort of simulation could be applied.

 

Here are a few statistics to help you. The research suggests that the time for in-person assessment centres can be reduced from 1 or 2 days down to as little as 2 or 3 hours; that the simulations carried out are 250% more accurate than job interviews; and that combining technology with high quality consultancy can cut the cost of in-person assessment centres by around 80%.

A revolution is required in leadership mindsets, and for that to happen in turn requires a revolution in the way they are assessed and developed. Come and talk to us – and join the revolution.

 

The Scala Group combines world-class consultancy & Pinsight^TM technology for better leadership hires, talent reviews & impactful leadership development. Click here to find out more