Leadership Development Playbook | DDI

As evidenced during the coronavirus, today’s organizational leaders are called upon to do much more than setting vision and strategy and delivering business results. Today’s leaders must be masters of emotional intelligence, expert coaches, engaging motivators, and role model compassion and empathy, to name a few. With leadership effectiveness so heavily determined by leaders’ so-called “soft skills,” these soft-skills continue to become a central focus of leadership and leadership development efforts. In this 30-page report by DDI, various insights are provided into how organizations can begin to re-evaluate which skills are most necessary and how they can be developed within leaders. Page 29 argues that there are certain skills that have the ability to increase leadership impact across multiple leadership situations and challenges. These leadership skills are also relevant during all career stages, which make them useful as a foundational component of leadership development efforts. They include 1) Interaction Essentials – the ability to facilitate high-quality interactions, through a diverse range of mediums and with a diverse range of people, 2) Business Judgment – the ability to make sound business judgments that are aligned with the organization’s cultural and strategic priorities. 3) Personal Mastery – the ability to understand, manage, and leverage one’s abilities, personality, and motivations to maximize personal impact and effectiveness. Other ideas are discussed.