A twist on developing our leaders – “What if”

It’s a new year and it’s time to capitalise on the optimism this can often bring. And it just might be the time to consider making one of our first investments of the year in the talent in our organisations.

Despite best efforts, often mandatory training intended to put people on the fast track provides only a marginal return on investment. This is an issue because we are dealing with constant and accelerated change – at our work places, the way we work, the way we relate to and collaborate with our colleagues, co-workers, employees, clients and service providers, and in our personal lives. In this context, leadership development becomes increasingly important.

In a recent Harvard Business Review Blog article we read about an unusual way of developing “mindful” leaders. Sounds a little airy-fairy, right? But we encourage you to read on. Typically, training for the organisation’s “elite” and “up and comers” pretty much follows a template from by-gone days. Still a cherished rite of passage – most “elite learning” is not transformational, not integrative and marginally relevant. The contents are usually well-preserved – in a binder on a trophy shelf like hardware. And, a lot of talent gets left behind with this traditionally exclusive approach.

So, why not consider an approach that engages and excites the whole person. What would that look like, though? Outcomes of Genentech’s mindfulness approach to leadership development are impressive and are hard to dispute.

“What if, instead of stuffing people with curricula, models, and competencies, we focused on deepening their sense of purpose, expanding their capability to navigate difficulty and complexity, and enriching their emotional resilience? What if, instead of trying to fix people, we assumed that they were already full of potential and created an environment that promoted their long-term well-being?

In other words, what if cultivating a successful inner life was front and center on the leadership agenda?”

Here’s the story: While working with a personal coach in 2006, Todd Pierce, then CIO of Genentech, decided that the uninspiring leadership development models had to change. He wanted to develop a model that would help his people grow. He collaborated on the development of the “Personal Excellence Program” (PEP) which focuses on unleashing human capability, resilience, compassion and well-being. The belief was that transforming an organisation is not primarily about changing systems and processes as much as it is about changing the hearts and minds of people. Here are the principles and some outcomes so far of that program:

Principles:

• Developing people is a process — not an event.
• People don’t grow from the neck up.
  • Too much training focuses on the mind transferring content. The focus here is integrating the head, the heart, and the body.
• Put mindfulness at the center (but don’t call it that – most of us aren’t ready to hear about this stuff in the boardroom!).Because of the possible religious connotations to the concept of “mindfulness”, the program revolves around three phases:
  • reflection on and selection of a specific quality or capacity you want to work on (patience, decisiveness, courage);
  • three months of cultivating the capacity for self-observation
  • hard work of turning insight into deliberate, dedicated, daily practice.
• It’s harder to grow alone. There’s an exponential impact in having people grow and learn together.
• Everybody deserves to grow. Include all people not just the “stars” – on a voluntary basis.

Some 800 employees participated in the program and results speak for themselves.

“When Pierce took over the IT department in 2002, its employee satisfaction scores were at rock bottom; four years into the program, the department ranked second in the company and is now consistently ranked among the best places to work in IT in the world (even in the wake of Genentech’s 2009 merger with Roche Group – always a turbulent and dispiriting experience).”

An impact report on PEP demonstrated a 10-20% increase in employee satisfaction, 50% increase in employee collaboration, conflict management, and communication; 12% increase in customer satisfaction; and nearly three times the normal business impact. Genentech continues to be voted as one of the best places to work.

With these kinds of results, it’s clear that finding more relevant ways to inspire leadership and attract talent can make a difference to the return on investment. It can create greater loyalty across the board, go beyond seeing transforming systems and processes as the only goal and, equally as important, it can embrace humanness in the workplace. So, let’s take a moment – unplug and put mindfulness at the centre of our day. We might just end up creating an important legacy for our companies.