Context-Conscious Training Programs Produce More Capable Leaders

What’s the Latest?

There’s much more to being a leader than one day finding yourself at the top of a totem pole. Earlier this week, Sylvia Ann Hewlett visited Big Think to talk about the concept of executive presence. To Hewlett, one’s presentation of self determines his or her legitimacy in the eyes of others.

Also important in achieving legitimacy is the adoption and communication of an executive approach aimed at tackling the challenges of a specific organization. Kathy Caprino, who does great work writing about careers and leadership for Forbes, recently interviewed Ray Carvey of of Harvard Business Publishing about the importance of leadership training.

What’s the Big Idea?

Like Hewlett, Carvey mentions the importance of poise and presence, explaining how one’s behavior must exude leadership. Part of being a leader involves finding the right balance between the roles of manager and figurehead. Carvey also tells how leadership training programs should maintain a focus on context and assimilation. Leadership skills are not one-size-fits-all for every organization. A company grooming a future leader must educate them through interactive experiences rather than, as Carvey says, “in a vacuum.”

Give the interview (linked again below) a read-through and tell us what you think about the current state of leadership training.

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