L&D practitioners: What works in Silicon Valley

Startups needs strong leadership. That means that developing these qualities in junior employees is often high priority. How do they do it? Is leadership development somehow different in Silicon Valley? What are the best methods and tools?

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The Center for Creative Leadership examined that.

It's what is consumed and how it's integrated that's crucial

Silicon Valley is different in the sense that any learning must be truly accelerated and continuous. The leaders of tech companies regularly reach senior roles much faster than in other industries. In order to develop your employees quickly, you should:

  • Encourage leaders to go through heat experiences.
  • Foster peer-to-peer learning.
  • Design development for leaders who are very busy.
  • Offer solutions that allow for deepdive.
  • Create a culture of low stress but high energy (so that the people you develop won't leave you).
  • You can find more on this topic in a paper published on the Center’s website.

Learning anywhere

Leaders might be watching a TED Talk while traveling, reading best practice tips on social media or from podcasts. The context is not important. The models of development from the past are becoming less relevant today.

The people who prepare and design leadership development programs don’t plan when and where learning should take place anymore. Nowadays, no one cares how much time is spent in a lecture and how much time is spent on on-the-job learning. Workers can consume learning and develop in any time, and in any context – it doesn’t have to be in a classroom.

-jk-

Article source Center for Creative Leadership - CCL® website
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