How the relevance of your leadership framework dictates the success of assessment activities

In this article, we discuss Kiddy & Partners’ Leadership Framework and why ensuring its relevance is crucial.

As people professionals, we design assessment and development activities to help our leaders identify and build the capabilities they need to succeed in their roles. Ultimately, we anticipate that these activities will support our teams in driving business performance and growth. A well-designed leadership framework focuses learning and development efforts on enhancing skills and promoting behaviours that align with organisational vision and goals, as well as aiding in the cultural shift you are aiming for. Why is it essential to ensure that the framework remains relevant?

The world of work has changed

Over the last few years, the world of work has significantly changed. The digital transformation has accelerated, with some businesses shifting to virtual working environments overnight. Leaders needed new tools and skills to effectively navigate the realities of a global pandemic and remote work. Initially, gaps in leadership skills were addressed through ad-hoc ‘leading remote teams’ workshops.

Now, as many organisations recognise the benefits of remote working and choose to retain these new work patterns in some form, people professionals must develop more permanent solutions for developing leaders who will thrive in this new environment. While HR processes and procedures were quickly updated to reflect this shift, the same consideration has not always been given to leadership frameworks. Although broader capabilities may not have drastically changed, the way they are demonstrated in a virtual world differs.

New behaviours and skills must be recognised and defined to be effectively assessed and developed.

Future focused

Today, we are assessing and developing the leaders of tomorrow. How successful will we be if we use performance indicators from the past? We know that what got us here will not get us to the future, a behavioural shift will be necessary to manage new challenges.

An effective leadership framework needs to create an understanding of what is expected from people in the organisation we aim to create, rather than merely reflecting what is currently recognised and rewarded. For example, if the goal is to build an inclusive business where diverse backgrounds and perspectives are not only accepted but valued, then ensuring this is reflected in our leadership framework is critical. Our leaders will model these behaviours to drive change.

Strategy alignment

The goal of assessment and development activities is to build a talent pipeline that will drive the delivery of the organisational strategy. For these activities to be effective, people professionals need to have a deep understanding of the business’s strategic direction and map out the leadership behaviours aligned with it. Clearly defined, relevant expectations ensure that new employees are capable of delivering against the strategy and that learning and development initiatives provide existing employees with opportunities to develop the necessary skills to succeed.