Communication and leadership during change encompasses topics of communication (transmission of information) and leadership (influence or guidance) during change. The goal of leader development is "the expansion of the person's capacity to be effective in leadership roles and processes". The two central elements to this are leadership can be learned, people do learn, grow, and change, and that leader development helps to make a person effective in a variety of formal and informal leadership roles.
Leader development promotes personal growth by helping individuals develop their abilities to manage themselves, to work effectively with others, and to ensure that the work gets done. Leadership development promotes organizational growth, helping the group as a whole develop the leaders it needs to carry out such tasks, such as securing the commitment of members and setting direction.
Establishing connections between people who can help achieve someone's goals will increase your chances of emerging as a leader in an organizational context. A great deal of a leader's development happens internally.
The difference between inside-out versus outside-in thinking
Leadership development is referred to as an inside-out process, which means it is based on internal thinking and intuition. This process starts within the leader and then moves outward to impact others. Whereas the outside-in thinking process takes its starting point from the employee's perspective and considers what is best for them and their needs. Outside-in thinking focuses more on improving efficiency for the customer’s sake, while inside-out thinking does not put the customer at the forefront of the experience. Unlike outside-in, the inside-out process is motivated by the “belief that the inner strengths and capabilities of the organization will make the organization prevail”. An easy way to differentiate these two processes is to think about the conditions surrounding a specific situation. To do this, you may ask yourself, is the coach an expert? Can the coach effectively communicate their knowledge? Is the performer interested in what the coach has to say? Does the performer have enough awareness to act on the advice? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, the outside in method is the most effective choice. If the answer to even just one of these questions is no, the inside out approach is the best option. Inside-out thinking can have a negative impact on opportunities, because this type of thinking can cause a person to miss out on opportunities as they are not considering external factors or ideas. Outside-in thinking tends to come with more benefits for a company, included but not limited to “reduced complaints, increased satisfaction, improved ease of doing business”.
Habits and character principles
A leader's effectiveness is based on character principles like fairness, integrity, honesty, service, excellence, and growth. According to Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, habits are a combination of knowledge (what to do and why to do it), skill (how to do it), and motivation (wanting to do it). Habit 1 – to be proactive: Proactive leaders realize that they can choose how they respond to events. Habit 2 – to begin with the end in mind: Effective leaders always keep their ultimate goals in mind. Habit 3 – to put first things first. Leader's time should be organized around priorities. Habit 4 – to think win/win: Those with win/win perspectives take a mutual gains approach to communication, believing that the best solution benefits both parties. Habit 5 – to seek first to understand, and then to be understood: Effective leaders put aside their personal concerns to engage in empathetic listening. Habit 6 – is to synergize: Synergy creates a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts. Habit 7 – is to sharpen the saw: Continual renewal of the physical, social/emotional, spiritual, and mental dimensions of the self.
Spirituality or other values has played a critical role in leaders development, helping them to make and follow through on their moral choices, develop virtues and character, identify their values and purpose, completing job assignments and handle hardships. There are some common spiritual practices that promote leader effectiveness, such as Treating others fairly Expressing care and concern Listening responsively Appreciating the contributions of others Engaging in reflective practice (reflecting over ones actions as a part of continuous learning), also known as "personal mastery" and the first pathway in Kevin Cashman's book Seven Pathways to Mastery (1998).