ILA 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner David Day joins ILA Fellow Scott Allen to discuss the foundational principles of leader development behind his book, Developing Leaders and Leadership.

They emphasize that:

• You cannot be forced to develop.
• Development requires dedicated, long-term effort.
• Leadership is learned through experience.
• Effective development requires assessment, challenge, and support.
• Evidence-based practices, like reflection and feedback, are crucial.

The conclude with a discussion of how to move beyond traditional programs and empower individuals to become their own developers, utilizing readily available resources and everyday experiences.

Quotes From This Episode

“Just because an activity is fun or enjoyable does not mean it is developmental. It perpetuates the predominant mindset that leadership development is a like a pass to an amusement park. You go on a bunch of rides, maybe play some games, have a laugh or two, and write it off as your developmental investment in leadership for the year.”

“Attending a few workshops or programs spread out over time is not going to do much in terms of developing expert-level leadership. There needs to be an ongoing commitment to practicing one’s leadership to get the time and amount of deliberate practice to become that expert leader.”

“The lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of leadership development in for-profit organizations and corporations is unsettling, to say the least.”

“Sending a changed person back into an unchanged system tends to be an exercise in futility. A systems perspective incorporates environmental influence into the design and delivery of leader development interventions.”