MARCH 2020HR TECH OUTLOOK8DEVELOPING MID-LEVEL LEADERS FOR MORE STRATEGIC ROLES ­ IT TAKES MORE THAN NEW SKILLSWanda J. Hayes, Ph.D., Senior Director, Learning & Organizational Development, Emory UniversityByWhen organizations align leadership development and talent management strategies, executive development is often the major focus. Many organizations also invest in the development of their new front-line leaders to develop skills to manage others. However, mid-level leaders are often overlooked. Leaders at this level are typically in operational roles, balancing the priorities of their leaders with managing the workforce. What is required for success at the next level requires additional skills and expanded ways of thinking. In the current environment, where unemployment is low and finding the right talent for higher-level strategic roles is difficult, growing talent from within the organization has never been more important. Developing mid-level leaders allows organizations to retain their talent and the knowledge of, and relationships within, the organization. This was the challenge that Emory University faced three years ago. To address the situation, the HR Learning & Organizational Development department set out to design a solution that would develop high-potential, mid level leaders and improve the success of their transition when promoted to more strategic roles. The result is the Emerging Leaders at Emory Program.Closing the Competency Gap:In determining areas of focus for this new leadership development program, it became clear ­ through surveys, interviews, benchmarking, and literature reviews­ there were clear areas of competency that needed to be developed in order to be successful at the next level. These included: 1. Developing Accurate Self-Insight2. Coaching Managers3. Communicating with ImpactWanda J. HayesIn MyOpinion
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