Leadership Excellence

About the Program

Leading in today’s business environment requires a range of skills, many of which are not taught in business school. As organizations strive to develop their “bench strength,” they must ensure that the next generation of leaders has all the skills needed to take over the reins when the time comes.

Attendance at the Guttman “Leadership Excellence” program will provide this next generation with the full suite of skills they need to become high-performance leaders. The program is a comprehensive capability development program made up of six modules, offered at phased intervals.

We begin the program by interviewing the organization’s senior executives to learn which of several key leadership skills they consider most important in their job. We also ask them to rate the importance of each skill to effectiveness at their level. Next, for each of the key skills, we ask these senior executives to rate the capability of candidates for the “Leadership Excellence” program. Working with the senior level, we then create a plan for each of their reports to close the gap in each skill area.

The planning begins with a meeting between each participant and his/her manager, in which goals and measures are set. Then, we formally launch the program with a two-hour overview for senior executives and their reports who will be attending the program. A few days later, we hold a half-day “Senior Executive Round Table,” at which “Lessons from the Top” are shared and the 360-degree assessments and feedback process that they will be going through are explained.

At the end of this round table, participants are given a case study to work on in teams before they attend the first capability development session. Also prior to the first session, participants solicit 360-degree feedback on their current skills in these key areas, and, with the help of their managers, analyze the findings.

Approximately one month after the round table, participants attend the first session, our two-day program on “Managing Conflict and Influencing Others for Results.” One month later, each participant attends a one-hour individual coaching session with a Guttman coach . This is followed soon after by the second capability development session, “Developing High-Performance Leaders.” The final capability development session, “Strategic Decision Making” is offered between one and two months later.

The program concludes one month later with a wrap-up session at which participants demonstrate their new skills in presentations to peers and managers and plan the resolution of compelling business issues using these skills.

During the five-six-month program, participants’ progress is measured in several ways:

• Between sessions: Participant/manager meetings are held to measure progress against the goals that were set.

• During each session: We assess the quality of presentations they make to one another.

• During the final session: We assess the quality of the presentations they make to senior executives.

• Six months and one year later: Focus groups are held with participants to determine whether or not they are using the skills and, if not, why not.

• Six months and one year later: Colleagues and managers are interviewed to determine whether or not participants’ behavior has changed since attending the program.

Case Study:  Leadership Excellence

Who Should Attend

Senior managers in line to become the organization’s future top leaders.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the “Leadership Excellence” program, participants will have:

• Identified their development needs in three key skill areas and created a development plan to address them

• Learned how to resolve conflict, whether in one-on-one interactions or in team settings

• Learned how to negotiate artfully to resolve core differences and solve interpersonal problems

• Improved their working relationships with colleagues throughout the organization

• Learned to use their influencing capabilities to gain the agreement, cooperation, and support of others

• Become aware of the various leadership behaviors available to them, identified their preferred behavior, and learned how to adjust their behavior to drive up the performance of individuals they supervise

• Learned the basics of the GDS strategic thinking process and developed a first-draft plan for setting and implementing strategy

Learning Format

Concept briefings, case studies, role plays, experiential exercises, and structured application to ensure the transfer of capabilities to the job. Coaching and 360-degree feedback are also integral to the program.

Program Duration

Total elapsed time: five-six months:
Two-hour program overview
Half-day “Senior Executive Round Table”
Two two-day and one one-day capability development sessions, one-two months apart
One-hour individual coaching session between the first and second modules
Half-day presentation to managers and program wrap-up