"I need a leadership program. I'll leave that with you, thanks."
As HR/Talent Management practitioners, how often have you heard this?! I'm guessing many, many times. We could react and say "Sure, no problem", and then panic, and start creating PowerPoint slides, drawing in anything we know about leadership.
Or we could respond with "great, let's explore your requirements."
One time I was asked this by a senior engineer and I responded with (tongue in cheek) "I need a bridge. I'll leave that with you, thanks. Oh, you need to know what kind of bridge, where the bridge will be built, what's my timeline, what are the milestones, what resources do I need, it is a pedestrian bridge or a vehicle bridge, it is a flat bridge or a suspension bridge...?" Message received, loud and clear.
To develop a relevant and impactful leadership program, we need to understand our client's needs - what is the aim of the program, who is our target audience, what are we already doing that we can leverage, where are the obstacles, where are the opportunities...? So many questions!!
Next time you're asked to develop 'a leadership program', don't be afraid to ask for clarity. This approach will help to deliver a much more valuable program for your client.
