The basic idea of the Leadership Pipeline is that good leadership depends on what you lead. Because the task of leadership differs across different levels of the organization, so will the success criteria for good leadership. The Leadership Pipeline is a useful tool for clarifying what each level of leadership's task and responsibility is. This creates both coherence and clarity in the different roles in the leadership chain.
The logic of 'right leadership at the right level' should permeate a wide range of organizational efforts. Here are four concrete tips on how your leadership organization can work with the Leadership Pipeline to create a common leadership language and clear expectations of what good leadership is in your organization.
#1: Build on your strategies
The first step is to lay the foundation for a common leadership language. To develop a strong, shared leadership foundation, it's crucial to start with your strategies. Reflect on the question: What do we need to succeed in order to realize our visions and strategies? If the overall strategies are not in place, it becomes a difficult task to articulate what leadership is required to realize them. In other words, it is your strategic guiding principles and visions that should set the framework for what good leadership is at your company and thus the direction for your shared leadership foundation and role descriptions.
#2: Clarify which levels you need in your management chain
The second step is to analyze the levels that make up the management chain. The purpose is to map the entire management chain, which could consist of the following levels: director, manager, department heads and unit managers. The task here is to determine whether the current organization is the organization you need in the future. Is there a need to organize the management chain in a different way, such as adding/reducing levels or perhaps aligning management levels across the organization? If the existing management organization does not support the realization of the organization's strategies and visions, you should work on redesigning the management organization.
#3: Create role descriptions with clear expectations for all levels of management
Once your strategy and leadership organization are in sync, it's time to work on the core: articulating what good leadership means in your organization and at the different levels of management. One of the main points of Leadership Pipeline thinking is that you can't settle for one common overall direction, but that good leadership must be concretized at the individual management levels. Therefore, this step involves preparing detailed descriptions of what the requirements and expectations are for each level of management in relation to the overall framework of the Leadership Pipeline. Some of the key questions to answer here are: What competencies should managers at the different levels possess? What are indicators of good (and perhaps also bad) leadership behavior at the different levels? What is the mandate and responsibility of the management level?
The leadership foundation will set a common direction for good leadership, but it's important to recognize that each level of leadership fulfills their role differently - whether you're a director, manager or department head, it calls for something different. The fact that no two levels of management are the same becomes especially clear when managers move up the management chain and try out a new role. It's far from certain that the leadership behaviors that were successful in the past will be successful in the new role. In fact, one of the main points of Leadership Pipeline thinking is that changing roles is a transition that requires both learning and unlearning. A shared leadership foundation with clear role descriptions for each level of management makes it easier to succeed as a leader - both new and old. Two relevant questions to ask yourself as an organization in this context are: How good are we at supporting managers when they change management level? And how good are we at onboarding new leaders to their task and what we expect from them?
Join our course - Create well-being and trust despite the distance
The "Managing Virtual and Hybrid Work Communities" course gives you the essential tools to increase productivity and well-being through remote management.
This is a course for those who work in management and want to know how to achieve strategic goals as an individual or organization through virtual collaboration.
#4: Make the leadership foundation live in everyday life
Rome wasn't built in a day - and neither will a common leadership language. A leadership framework only realizes its full potential when it lives in the everyday life of the organization. That is, when leaders relate to it in their day-to-day management, in their management teams and as an overall management chain. It should therefore be put on the agenda wherever managers meet and used by all managers in their daily management practice. This typically requires systematic discussions and alignment of expectations 1-1, in management teams and in the overall management chain. Are we heading in the right direction? And do we need to adjust our leadership behavior?
But this is not enough on its own. If the leadership foundation is to live in the organization, it also requires that the organizational systems and tools that support and influence leadership are synchronized with the shared leadership foundation. This includes using the leadership framework and role descriptions in everything from recruitment and onboarding to competency development, leadership metrics, etc.
Creating a strong leadership chain is a collective effort that requires both a common leadership language and synchronization of organizational practices. But the effort is worth the resources in terms of strengthened leadership and organizational coherence - and ultimately better results for the organization.
The basic idea of the Leadership Pipeline is that good leadership depends on what you lead. Because the task of leadership differs across different levels of the organization, so will the success criteria for good leadership. The Leadership Pipeline is a useful tool for clarifying what each level of leadership's task and responsibility is. This creates both coherence and clarity in the different roles in the leadership chain.
The logic of 'right leadership at the right level' should permeate a wide range of organizational efforts. Here are four concrete tips on how your leadership organization can work with the Leadership Pipeline to create a common leadership language and clear expectations of what good leadership is in your organization.
#1: Build on your strategies
The first step is to lay the foundation for a common leadership language. To develop a strong, shared leadership foundation, it's crucial to start with your strategies. Reflect on the question: What do we need to succeed in order to realize our visions and strategies? If the overall strategies are not in place, it becomes a difficult task to articulate what leadership is required to realize them. In other words, it is your strategic guiding principles and visions that should set the framework for what good leadership is at your company and thus the direction for your shared leadership foundation and role descriptions.
#2: Clarify which levels you need in your management chain
The second step is to analyze the levels that make up the management chain. The purpose is to map the entire management chain, which could consist of the following levels: director, manager, department heads and unit managers. The task here is to determine whether the current organization is the organization you need in the future. Is there a need to organize the management chain in a different way, such as adding/reducing levels or perhaps aligning management levels across the organization? If the existing management organization does not support the realization of the organization's strategies and visions, you should work on redesigning the management organization.
#3: Create role descriptions with clear expectations for all levels of management
Once your strategy and leadership organization are in sync, it's time to work on the core: articulating what good leadership means in your organization and at the different levels of management. One of the main points of Leadership Pipeline thinking is that you can't settle for one common overall direction, but that good leadership must be concretized at the individual management levels. Therefore, this step involves preparing detailed descriptions of what the requirements and expectations are for each level of management in relation to the overall framework of the Leadership Pipeline. Some of the key questions to answer here are: What competencies should managers at the different levels possess? What are indicators of good (and perhaps also bad) leadership behavior at the different levels? What is the mandate and responsibility of the management level?
The leadership foundation will set a common direction for good leadership, but it's important to recognize that each level of leadership fulfills their role differently - whether you're a director, manager or department head, it calls for something different. The fact that no two levels of management are the same becomes especially clear when managers move up the management chain and try out a new role. It's far from certain that the leadership behaviors that were successful in the past will be successful in the new role. In fact, one of the main points of Leadership Pipeline thinking is that changing roles is a transition that requires both learning and unlearning. A shared leadership foundation with clear role descriptions for each level of management makes it easier to succeed as a leader - both new and old. Two relevant questions to ask yourself as an organization in this context are: How good are we at supporting managers when they change management level? And how good are we at onboarding new leaders to their task and what we expect from them?
Join our course - Create well-being and trust despite the distance
The "Managing Virtual and Hybrid Work Communities" course gives you the essential tools to increase productivity and well-being through remote management.
This is a course for those who work in management and want to know how to achieve strategic goals as an individual or organization through virtual collaboration.
#4: Make the leadership foundation live in everyday life
Rome wasn't built in a day - and neither will a common leadership language. A leadership framework only realizes its full potential when it lives in the everyday life of the organization. That is, when leaders relate to it in their day-to-day management, in their management teams and as an overall management chain. It should therefore be put on the agenda wherever managers meet and used by all managers in their daily management practice. This typically requires systematic discussions and alignment of expectations 1-1, in management teams and in the overall management chain. Are we heading in the right direction? And do we need to adjust our leadership behavior?
But this is not enough on its own. If the leadership foundation is to live in the organization, it also requires that the organizational systems and tools that support and influence leadership are synchronized with the shared leadership foundation. This includes using the leadership framework and role descriptions in everything from recruitment and onboarding to competency development, leadership metrics, etc.
Creating a strong leadership chain is a collective effort that requires both a common leadership language and synchronization of organizational practices. But the effort is worth the resources in terms of strengthened leadership and organizational coherence - and ultimately better results for the organization.
