Page 264 - The extraordinary leader

The Organization’s Role in Developing Leaders • 241

Decide Who Will Receive Leadership
Development

Our focus has been entirely on how any organization can better use the
people currently in its employ. We strongly echo the conclusions of Peter
Drucker, who argues that “the task [of management] is to multiply the per-
formance capacity of the whole by putting to use whatever strength, whatever
health, whatever aspiration there is in individuals.” 2
The main decision appears to be the choice between an elitist approach
and a more egalitarian posture. Many organizations in the past have focused
all their leadership development efforts on a small handful of people who
were currently in senior positions or who were perceived as being “high poten-
tial” because of some psychological testing and interviewing or assessment
center procedures.
In marked contrast are the organizations such as the U.S. Marine Corps
and Southwest Airlines, which have concluded that the organization will be
stronger if everyone is a candidate for development. This approach is espe-
cially appealing to those who believe that leadership is necessary at all levels
of the organization—not just at the top. It also appeals to those who believe
that many people, not just those who occupy positions of authority or who
have multiple subordinates, can practice leadership.
David Garvin, in Learning in Action, states, “the best simulations combine
realism, variety and low risk.” He goes on to state: “Pilots, for example, have
long been selected for their technical proficiency and self-reliance—the
elusive ‘right stuff.’” Yet over the past 20 years, air carrier accidents and inci-
dents have consistently been traced “to inadequacies in leadership qualities,
communication skills, crew coordination, or decision making. Today’s Line-
Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) presents pilots and crews with complex,
simulated problems that demand precisely these talents. LOFT also provides
the opportunity to experience, in advance, such rare but important events as
equipment failures.” 3
We strongly contend that most organizations are tapping only a fraction of
the potential of the people currently in its employ. We believe that people in
general have the capacity to rise to much higher levels of performance if the
organization creates the proper climate.
This decision stems largely from the belief systems of the executives. If they
believe that people have fixed abilities from birth and there is little likelihood
of people growing or expanding through their lifetimes, then there is less