Leadership Development- Challenges & Solutions
By: Capt Ved Singh
Tags: Ashu Khanna, Raghunandan Sv, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Skills, Leadership Development

Leadership development is a critical task for any organisation or leader. Here are excerpts from a Twitter chat (#Leaders Chat 6) interaction among Ashu Khanna, Raghunandan SV and Capt Ved Singh on leadership development:-

Capt Ved Singh- Q 1 Do we need a different approach to leadership development of Generation Z?

Ashu Khanna : Yes, we do… — authentic, — open to listening to ideas, — space for experimentation, — acknowledgment for what they know and who they are, — direct communication

Gen Z is so fast on their feet and the pandemic has made them more restless. Its a dichotomy, on the one hand they want instant gratification and answers, on the other, they want to explore.

Raghunandan SV : In my view we need to have a agile approach to the Leadership Development engaging Gen Z. Global survey says Corporates spend 3.5 lac annually for 39 hours of training of Gen Z Leaders comprising of 64% of global workforce.

Q 2 How Indian B Schools can do better leadership development?

Ashu Khanna : B Schools need to add courses on — Self-awareness and self-leadership; Learning how to trust your gut instinct to cope with the dynamism; Growing into an entrepreneur; Self branding; Listening and Direct Communication.

There is a new ideology gaining momentum amongst the youth that B-schools are an overrated concept and working at startups is the way to go.

Raghunandan SV : Today B Schools offer experiential learning, Capstone Projects, company internships, industry projects, mock situations, team exercises and simulation games that are a reflection of real-life situations. Introduce Innovative and creative curriculam to provide realistic goal to strive for, and mentor them to be successful.

Q 3 What challenges are faced in developing millennials as leaders? What are their unique strengths?

Ashu Khanna : Millennials are not just about completing a task. They thrive on challenges, sense of purpose. They are highly sensitive and fearless. Because of technology, their attention span is low, everything needs to be bite sized and sharp.

Their zeal to explore is high and they are more about experience rather than stability.

Raghunandan SV : Today Gen Z is so fast paced , sorry to see that they maintain Poor Work Ethic which is a cause of concern for the millenial leader , we see face to face communication vanishing , its mostly through social media and more over career stability

Q 4 Developing CXOs to CEO requires what type of formal & informal leadership development techniques in your view?

Ashu Khanna : Some possible formal and informal techniques are Formal — coaching, mentoring Informal — feedback, shadowing, Courses and peer/ buddy support system

Raghunandan SV : There is a saying in Leadership Coaching that CEOs must learn on the job, and they must learn while every stakeholder is watching.

Q 5 What are your views on gamification of leadership development tools?

Ashu Khanna : Gamification is the way forward. With so many Apps on our fingertips, Millennials are all about simplification, intrigue, mental gym. Games is a unique way to develop focus, fuel the competitive spirit and above all, channelise creativity.

Life is a sport and leadership is a role we play in that game.

Raghunandan SV : Gamification is required for professionals to learn about the culture of the Organisation, if hired from the market. Gamification app would reflect the culture, process , brand values of the Organisation which would otherwise take time for new comer in the Organisation to learn

Q 6 Do you feel Indian companies & foreign MNCs have different approaches to leadership development?

Ashu Khanna : Often, MNC’s are more structured in their training programs and support a growth mindset. Indian companies can be hierarchical and mentoring oriented, but there has been a huge change over the last decade, especially in the new age start ups

Raghunandan SV: Today the approach is narrowing down, however it depends largely with family driven Vs Professionals at the helm taking strategic approaches towards

Q 7 What is the role of mentoring & coaching in leadership development?

Ashu Khanna — Coaching develops self awareness and expands the observer. It helps to change behaviour & deepens relationship with self Mentoring helps a person learn the ropes of the role, industry, organization culture… There is more handholding and advise

Raghunandan SV: Coach is required to help leaders to transform their behvior / attitude when managing diverse team and managing global matrix organisation, who can hand hold through bonding/ relation and be a critic in their transformation journey.

Q 8 Leaders and the primary role of leaders is to develop leaders & not build followers. What is your take?

Ashu Khanna- Self empowerment is the essence of leadership. Leadership calls for giving space, nurturing and challenging the team to unleash their potential.

Capt Ved: Thank you Ashu and Raghunandan for sharing deep insights on leadership development.

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Brief Profiles

Ashu Khanna

Ashu is Founder & CEO, Arka Leadership, Leadership Coach, Author & Motivational Speaker. She is Founder President ICF Mumbai Chapter and is based in Mumbai, India.

Raghunandan SV

Raghunandan is Top 50 HR Influencer, Strategic Advisor to MSMEs, Coach, Leadership Development expert | and Change Enabler. He is based in Bangalore India.

Capt Ved Singh

Amongst Top 40 HR Influencers in India, Capt Ved Singh is a Director at Darwinbox. A cloud-based HRMS platform, Darwinbox enjoys status of being the fastest growing HRMS Platform in India & SE Asia consistently during ast 3 years & is backed by Sequoia Capital.

He began his career with a rigorous stint at Indian Army, transitioning to a CHRO’s role in Corporate. Ved is an avid speaker at various forums. Earning scholastic accolades at University of Delhi and IIM Lucknow, he also had an opportunity to learn M & A at London Business School.