Internal educational institutions and programs can also instill organizational values, convey strategic direction, and cement networks, thereby building a cohesive approach to change. Benchmark organizations place far greater responsibility upon individuals to develop themselves to achieve leadership competencies. Such a daunting challenge looms like a towering mountain, an apt metaphor for major change. Both may arrive at the same point, but the latter's chance of success is greater and certainly less dangerous. Change management expert Douglas Smith contends that 80 percent of headlong assaults to transform organizations fall short of the mountaintop because the sequence is out of order.
Managers usually seek a major decision, then implement, then manage results.
Especially in government organizations, most energy goes toward gaining the secretary's or administrator's decision to adopt a new approach to identify and develop leaders. The ultimate, agency-wide decision then becomes a matter of demonstrable, productive momentum, not merely another good idea, in a shrinking budget world. Growing leaders is one of the highest priorities in terms of time and effort of private sector CEOs. Executives of benchmark organizations typically devote 20 percent of their time to identifying and developing leaders. It would make sense that PBOs establish similar accountability.