NHRD April 2013.pdf - National HRD Network

help their people to focus deliberately and
unabashedly on developing EI.
But can people learn to lead with emotional
intelligence? The answer is a resounding
“Yes!” Despite the fact that folklore would
have us believe that leaders are born, not
made, it is in fact possible to develop EI.
It’s not necessarily easy, however, and most
conventional learning and performance
management programs do not help people
to develop these competencies. There
are many reasons for this, including the
following:
l Many leadership development programs
simply don’t focus on the right skills.
There has been a proliferation of
organizational competency models
over the past two decades. The socalled
“competencies” in many models
are often an amalgamation of skills,
values and vague language around
organizational objectives and/or
trendy jargon. When, as is often the
case, these complex models are used
as the basis for training, people leave
programs confused and unable to
translate the learning experience into
changes in behavior. In addition, many
of these models do not include the very
competencies that really do make a
difference—notably those linked to EI.
l Leadership development programs are
often designed around organizational
objectives. There is nothing inherently
wrong with this, of course. But,
organizational outcomes are rarely
compelling enough for people to
engage in the hard work of changing
themselves.
l programs are often designed with
an assumption that people will learn
and change if career advancement is
held out as a carrot. It seems logical
that learning can and should be tied
to promotions, developing as our boss
thinks we should and the like. It is also
true that many achievements-oriented
people want to advance their careers
and will work hard to do so. However
we have found that getting the next
job or pleasing the boss are, for most
people, not powerful motivators over
time.
l Learning methodologies (whether
online, face to face, or blended) are
often archaic. We’ve known for decades
that adults learn best when the learning
experiences include theory and models,
reflection, dialogue, experimentation
and application. This means that
the learning experiences have to be
just that—experiences. Far too many
leadership development program
designers force people to sit in chairs
listening to lectures and/or watching
endless PowerPoint presentations. The
outcome: Billions wasted on leadership
development programs that don’t
foster learning for individuals or their
companies.
So, how do we solve these problems?
How do we provide meaningful learning
experiences that result in real change for
people and organizations? How can we
help people to develop the competencies
that matter—like emotional intelligence?
In this article, we have teamed up to
share a summary of Resonant Leadership
for Results, a learning program used to
develop EI and achieve organizational
objectives in stellar companies and
institutions such as an international bank,
a well-known government, pharmaceutical
companies and many more. This program
was developed by Annie McKee and her
team at the Teleos Leadership Institute
and has been conducted all over the
world with thousands of people. Resonant
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April | 2013 NHRD Network Journal