Page 229 - The extraordinary leader

206 • The Extraordinary Leader

leadership development process. In most private-sector organizations,
development is most often viewed as someone else’s job, usually someone in
Human Resources.

Leadership Development Both Shapes
and Reflects the Culture of the Organization
Leadership Development Begins with the Policies and Values of the
Organization. For starters, does the organization believe in promoting from
within, or does it normally go outside to fill key positions? This fundamental
practice becomes the foundation for the need for leadership development
activities and affects the level of seriousness with which it is taken.
The Marines take great pride in recruiting a larger percentage of their offi-
cers from the enlisted ranks than do any of the other services. They have
adopted a “Grow Our Own” program that expresses their emphasis on pro-
motions from within.
Leadership Development Must Be Taken Seriously by the Entire
e
Organization, Not Just a Few People in a Development Function. Although
nearly every corporate leader would pronounce that people are the firm’s most
important asset, most observers do not see actions that reflect that. In many
firms, earnings come first, whereas in others customer satisfaction leads out.
We seldom encounter organizations in which people believe they come first.
Marine leaders go to great length to practice people development. They
give personal attention to every officer candidate and to every aspiring non-
commissioned officer. They consider it a failure when one drops out. They
strive to enhance people’s self-esteem. Setbacks and challenges are seen merely
as feedback and not as grounds for eliminating someone.
Leadership Development Includes Everyone, Not Just a Few Elite,
So-Called High-Pottential People. In contrast with most businesses, which
go to much expense to test and assess people in an attempt to identify future
executives, the Marines train everyone to lead. They don’t build a gulf
between followers and leaders but assume instead that everyone should be
trained to lead.
The high level of commitment to people development takes the form of
doing as much for the people in the bottom half of the bell-shaped curve as
for those in the top half of the curve. We think this practice can go a long way
toward creating commitment and loyalty in any organization. Rather than