Leadership comes in many forms: executive, management, and those unofficial leaders who inspire others every day with their expertise and mentorship. ESL Federal Credit Union’s new Leadership Development Series is about creating and strengthening the behaviors required for leadership in the organization, and ensuring a strong succession of future leaders. The Leadership Development Series is a progressive development track with three distinct but interrelated levels:
- Emerging Leader
- Developed Leader
- Advanced Leader
Program Details
The most basic curriculum in the series, Emerging Leader, is designed for managers who are new to ESL, those who are new to a management position, and individual contributors who need to lead and influence others. This curriculum focuses on building competency around reflective listening, creative problem solving, giving feedback, holding others accountable, and embracing change. Launched in June 2015, Emerging Leader features a 16-week core learning experience that blends instructor-facilitated workshops with peer-to-peer collaboration using social media. In addition, participants create an individual development plan in which they identify their short-, medium-, and long-range professional goals and select several elective learning experiences to meet their individual goals and leadership needs. Participants continue work on their elective learning experiences at their own pace beyond the conclusion of the initial 16 weeks. Highlights of Emerging Leader include a panel discussion with C-suite executives, during which participants may ask questions, exchange ideas, and engage in thoughtful dialogue with senior leadership, and a formal reception during which they each present their key takeaways to senior leaders.
Developed Leader is designed for experienced managers who already demonstrate proficiency in the fundamentals of management at ESL and the competencies listed above. Using a combination of off-site leadership and teambuilding activities, instructor-led workshops, and case study analysis, Developed Leader cultivates individual skill in the challenging concepts of Emotional Intelligence, leading change, decision rights, confronting thoughtfully and professionally, and inspiring vision. Participants work through the curriculum as a cohort over a 12-month period.
Seasoned managers who aspire to a position in executive leadership at ESL may enter the Advanced Leader curriculum. Participants in Advanced Leader begin by attending an off-site executive leadership program, which they choose with guidance from Learning and Development, according to their individual leadership needs. Upon completion of their external work, participants are placed on teams of four and work together, mentored by an executive leader, to solve a real business problem. This learning discovery experience inspires leaders to overcome obstacles and collaborate on potential solutions with an emphasis on external awareness, partnering and building coalitions, entrepreneurship, and business acumen.
Results
Initial evaluation data from participants indicates that the Leadership Development Series is achieving the desired results. A hybrid survey incorporating Kirkpatrick Levels 1, 2, and 3 indicates that:
- 100 percent of participants are immediately able to apply what they have learned.
- 92.2 percent of participants feel the concepts learned are essential to their success.
- 100 percent of participants can describe how they are using the skills.
In addition, a series of management-related metrics in the 2015 Great Place to Work Institute survey found a favorable view of ESL leadership. For example, 94 percent of employees agree that management is competent at running the business, while 92 percent concur that management has a clear view of where the organization is going and how to get there.
