Leadership Development

I have specialised, since 2008, in developing individuals and cadres of leaders by developing Leadership Community Groups in large organisations.

I’ve proven and refined this approach, which emerged from research into how Communities of Practice (CoP) work, over a number of years.

My approach to leadership development in large organisations, based on facilitating a Community of Leaders, has won a series of awards on both sides of the Atlantic. The leaders we work with also tend to become fans:

“The work you are doing with the Leaders Lounge is inspiring and helps keep us all focused in our day to day business. Thank you for all that you do my friend!” Kerry Ranson, then Chair, IHG Owners Association

How does it work? White Paper

My Original White Paper (below) , explains the fast peer learning concepts I use to develop individuals and cadres within an online Leadership Community, based on Rock & Schwarz’s neuroscience-based ARIA learning model (Attention, Reflection, Insight, Action).

ARIA underpins my approach to facilitating individuals and the wider community within Group Leadership Communities of Practice so they can develop each other within the priorities set by the organisation.

Unlike other leadership development programmes that take up hours or weeks of a busy leader’s time, my approach combines learning with doing and insists that busy leaders should take a few minutes at most out of their schedule at a time to participate.

The personal commitment I wrote into the IHG Leaders Lounge as the Leadership Coach to its 1500 members was:

“If you are in this community for more than a minute without finding something useful to take out and put into practice as a leader in that first minute, then I’ve failed you.”

Does it work? Independent analysis from the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) says yes

The Corporate Executive Board (“CEB: What The Best Companies Do”) produced this independent report (below)of the Global Leadership Community of Practice for 1500 leaders I built and ran for IHG for nine years.

CEB labelled our community a “Leadership Productivity Portal”, which I quite like.

Interestingly, it was not me or IHG’s CEO or Board who said to CEB, “We have something interesting and rare here you should look at” (though the CEO was very active in the community).

It was a community member, a leader in IHG India, who attracted CEB’s attention to the platform because he was proud of it. That’s how Leadership Communities of Practice work – good things emerge, often unplanned and unexpected, and rarely from the top.

Though the communities are, of course, guided by the organisation’s overall leadership development needs.