Connecting the dots to leadership

Events like these disrupt the “business as usual” environment and take many organisations by surprise. In such crises, it takes a leader with foresight and resourcefulness to steer an organisation back on track. 

Our research shows that one of the top pressing concerns of organisations today is their inability to develop leaders and effectively plan for leadership succession. Leadership is always a critical factor in an organisation’s success, but even more so during turbulent times. Although economic growth has begun to stall, the pace of globalisation continues unhindered. Interlacing supply chains and internationalised business operations thus make Thailand prone to shocks that occur on the other side of the world. How are we preparing our future leaders for the road ahead? 

Many may argue that leaders are born, not made. But in his 2005 Commencement Speech to graduates at Stanford University, Steve Jobs stated that his experiences over the years – taking calligraphy class, building Apple from his garage, and getting fired from his own company – made him the man he was. It takes a series of meaningful experiences to equip a leader with the right tools to tackle complex problems and drive innovation; however, do these experiences happen by chance or by choice? “Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college,” said Jobs. “But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later… I was lucky.” 

If organisations leave the development of their high-potential talent to fate, not only are they taking a big gamble on the outcome but they run the risk of losing them down the road. Steve Jobs is one-in-six-billion. But what if it were possible to design a series of “dots” for your organisation’s best talents in order to create a path to leadership. That’s exactly what Deloitte has done, coining the concept “leadership by design”. 

Organisations that put their priorities on developing their people will design paths to leadership. In doing so, you must first crystallise what your industry and business environment will look like in the future and determine what capabilities your leaders will need to manage the business. Second, with that clear vision in mind, you have to define the experiences and programmes that will develop the competencies needed for your future leaders. Third, you must assess the current talent pipeline and ask some difficult but important questions. Is your current pipeline made up of the right people? Are they where they need to be? Only then can you make the right investment and develop a series of leadership programmes that are right for your organisation’s future.

In brief, to ensure you have the best people driving your business for the road ahead you must create “leadership by design”. For this, both ends of the business strategy must be tied to your leadership strategy, issues with your current pipeline must be identified, and the optimal talent management processes must be developed to build solid stepping stones that will eventually lead to leadership readiness. 

 

Kessara Sakmaneevongsa is a partner at Deloitte Touch Tohmatsu Jaiyos.