18 Months To Solve Your Biggest Business Challenge

When I ask CEOs, Founders, or Family Business Leaders about their biggest growth blockers, the answer almost always circles back to talent.

Just the other day, a founder of a successful, now listed company, ready to 5x their growth, confessed they were stuck. Why? They couldn't find the right leaders for key business lines.

This isn't just an HR problem; it's a fundamental business constraint. And I've seen it derail ambitious plans time and again. 

The good news is that it's absolutely possible to do something about it. The catch? It requires foresight – planning at least 18 months out – and disciplined execution.

Now, I am not another consultant who has never actually done the work but only “consulted”. Having led Talent, Leadership Development, and Learning for large organisations, I've been in the trenches, creating and implementing the long-term talent strategies that do build the leadership bandwidth needed for sustained success. 

Based on years of hands-on experience, here is the step by step plan that you can follow to bridge the leadership gap.

1. Nail Your Leadership DNA

Forget generic competencies. Define what truly drives success for leaders in your specific organisational context and culture.

2. Assess Realistically & Start At The Top

Use robust assessments (psychometrics, 360s) with your current leadership team first. It sets the tone, builds self-awareness, and uncovers critical blind spots at the top.

3. Embed 70:20:10 Development

Even for VPs and CXOs. Real development comes from challenging assignments (70%), supported by coaching/mentoring (20%), and targeted formal learning (10%). Structure 12-18 month plans around this.

4. Strategic Cohorts

Implement focused development programs for key groups – the senior team, their direct reports (the next layer), and identified high-potentials.

5. Mine Your Assessment Data

Analyse assessment results collectively for these cohorts. Where are your organisational capability gaps? This insight is invaluable for targeted, high-impact development initiatives.

6. Track Talent Like Revenue

Make leadership development progress a standard agenda item in management meetings. Discuss it with the same rigor you apply to financial metrics.

7. Own Talent Reviews

The senior team must own the annual talent review process. Use a framework (like the 9-box) to facilitate robust discussion about high-potential identification, progress, and readiness. This cannot be delegated to HR.

8. Don't Neglect the Core

While HiPos are crucial, ensure development plans exist for your solid performers who keep things running. Empower business units and HR to collaborate on this.

Building a strong leadership pipeline isn't a quick fix, but it's the most reliable way to ensure long-term, sustainable growth. 

Contact me if you would like support to do this for your organisation.