The Value of Management and Leadership Qualifications

One of the participants explained how he had applied a leadership model in practice:“I didn’t used to try and understand other people’s perspectives or weaknesses. Now I tryto have more empathy of their schedules and always suggest to them when is a suitabledeadline, so they’re setting the deadline. I always try and check that they’re happy andconfident doing it, if they need any help, things like that. That was one of my biggestthings – not because I’m a horrible person, but because of time pressures – I’d just saywhat needed to be done and not really consider anyone else.”These enhanced people management skills are evidence of an engaging transformationalstyle of leadership, which is known to not only increase employee engagement andmotivation, but has also been shown to enhance team performance (Alimo-Metcalfe at al.2008; Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe 2011).2.3.5 Managing change more effectivelyMany of the focus group participants described how undertaking their MLQ had equippedthem to manage change better, a particularly relevant benefit given the prevailingeconomic conditions. This increased effectiveness was largely attributed to enhancedpeople management skills, which enabled them to communicate change more positivelyand in a way that engaged staff rather than de-motivated them.A Leeds Leadership Centre (NHS) participant spoke of the constant changes in the NHSand the demands they place on staff. The qualification gave her the skills to talk to herstaff pragmatically about the implications of change. Instead of being negative, she wasable to help people accept the changes by keeping the vision of service quality at theheart of the discussion.2.3.6 Improved networksFocus group participants also valued the networking opportunities which their MLQprovided. Undertaking courses gave participants the opportunity to meet people within theorganisation that they would otherwise not have met; they valued the opportunity to buildrelationships with their colleagues and have a wider network of “friends” internally to callon when needed.2.4 Lasting change tomanagers’ skills,knowledge andbehavioursThe survey aimed to understand how effectively the skills and behaviours learned duringMLQs were transferred to managerial practice in the workplace. Some 85 per cent agreedor strongly agreed that the qualification helped them make lasting changes to the way theymanage and lead, with just 15 per cent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.Managers who completed their qualification more than five years ago – the upper band inthis question – gave significantly more positive responses than all other groups who hadcompleted their qualification more recently (apart from those who undertook their MLQ oneto two years ago). This suggests that the benefits of becoming qualified are long-lasting andmay grow with time. Indeed, this trend was apparent in the focus groups, with participantsdiscussing how real life situations helped reinforce and develop their learning long after theyhad completed the qualification.2.5 External rewardsThe survey asked respondents how far they agreed that their most recent MLQ hadcontributed to a series of external rewards. Figure 12 below shows that over half of thosemanagers surveyed felt that the qualification had helped them achieve a promotion or careerprogression. More than one in four reported that their MLQ had contributed to a salaryincrease, whilst 80 per cent agreed that it had resulted in increased professional recognition.19