Chapter 17. HELPING LEADERS UNCOVER HIDDEN ASSETS

Sally Colella

Leadership development programs present the perfect opportunity for strengthening an organization's networks. Network analysis and network-building activities can be incorporated into existing leadership development programs in ways that will give participants insight into their own personal webs of relationships and forge ties that strengthen the connectivity of the leadership cohort and the organization at large.

Because participants in such a workshop may come from different geographic locations and divisions, and represent a wide range of expertise and professional experience, any ties that develop among them can help bridge disconnected parts of an organization. And as participants share business challenges and support one another in their development activities, they often form the kind of enduring relationships that result in ongoing knowledge sharing, which also benefits not just the individuals involved but the entire organization.

My colleagues and I have found that the formation of relationships in most leadership development programs is left to chance. Participants naturally get to know one another in the course of the program on both a personal and professional level, but they won't necessarily be thinking about how to leverage those ties after the program is over or how to use the program as an opportunity for the kind of network building that can yield valuable returns.

Hidden Assets is a simple activity that, when incorporated into the network component of a leadership development curriculum, can help transform the program into a network incubator. By articulating both what kind of information and assistance they need and what they can offer to others, participants engage in targeted network building that can help them meet business challenges and advance their professional development goals.