Re-energize Your Leadership Development Program

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, developing the next generation of leaders is more critical than ever. As Leadership Development professionals, HRBPs, and Talent Planning leaders, you’re tasked with creating programs that not only nurture emerging talent but also prepare them for seamless succession into key roles. Often this involves bringing together a cohort of high potential leaders who will spend up to a year getting steeped in skills such as influential presentations, finance, market analysis, new product development, situational leadership, and who will have a stretch assignment. However, these traditional approaches can become stale. It’s time to re-energize your program.

Enter the Shift Positive method—a revolutionary approach that's transforming how we think about and execute leadership development. A recent case study from a Fortune 50 tech company demonstrates the power of this method, particularly when integrated into a comprehensive, year-long development program. Let's explore why the Shift Positive approach, anchored by the Shift Positive 360, is becoming an essential component of successful leadership initiatives.

The Challenge: Meaningful Leadership Development in a Diverse Landscape

The tech company in our case study faced a common challenge: how to accelerate diverse high-potential leaders through the leadership pipeline. They needed an approach that would:

• Make participants feel genuinely valued
• Foster tangible growth as both leaders and individuals
• Provide clear pathways for career advancement

Traditional feedback mechanisms and development programs often fall short in these areas, leaving participants feeling critiqued rather than supported and struggling to translate insights into actionable growth.

The Shift Positive Solution: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Development

The company partnered with Change Positive to implement a comprehensive solution centered around the Shift Positive Live—a facilitated feedback session that identified the strengths of each participant, what’s next in each one’s development and garnered allies for each participant. This approach brought several key elements to the table:

Strengths-Based Focus
Instead of dwelling on weaknesses, the Shift Positive Live begins by deeply exploring each leader's strengths and peak performance moments. This creates a foundation of confidence and self-awareness, priming participants for growth.

Solution-Focused Feedback
Rather than getting bogged down in problem-focused criticism, the Shift Positive method reframes feedback to be solution-oriented. Participants receive clear, actionable insights on specific behaviors they can adopt to become more effective leaders.

Allyship and Accountability
A unique aspect of the Shift Positive method is its emphasis on creating a network of support. Each participant in the feedback session commits to becoming an ally in the leader's development journey, fostering a culture of ongoing growth and accountability.

Personalized Development Plans
Armed with insights from the Shift Positive Live, each leader crafts a tailored development plan. This plan leverages their strengths, addresses growth areas, and outlines how they'll engage their newly-formed network of allies.

Ongoing Coaching Support
The program doesn't end with the initial feedback session. Participants engage in monthly coaching sessions, allowing for continuous reflection, adjustment, and skill development.

Measurable Outcomes
The Shift Progress Survey, administered later in the program, provides concrete data on each leader's growth and the impact of their development on the organization.

The Results: Tangible Impact and Enthusiastic Engagement

The outcomes of this Shift Positive-infused program were remarkable:

• 44% of participants were promoted within just three months of program completion
• 93% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the program significantly impacted their leadership development
• The Shift Positive Live component was rated as the most impactful element of the entire program, scoring an impressive 6.48 out of 7

Beyond the numbers, participant testimonials reveal the profound effect of this approach:

"The Shift Positive session was such a positive experience and something that I've been talking to peers about. I also love connecting with my executive coach and leaning into the feedback from my Live session. Overall, this has been a wonderful experience and I'm embracing it all."

Why Shift Positive Works: Key Advantages for Leadership Development

Creates Psychological Safety
By focusing on strengths and solutions rather than weaknesses and problems, the Shift Positive method creates a psychologically safe environment for growth. This encourages openness, vulnerability, and a willingness to take on new challenges.

Leverages the Power of Positive Psychology
Rooted in positive psychology principles, this approach taps into the motivational power of building on existing strengths. This leads to higher engagement and more sustained behavior change compared to deficit-focused models.

Builds a Culture of Continuous Development
By involving peers, supervisor, and direct reports as allies, the Shift Positive method extends the impact beyond individual leaders. It creates a ripple effect, fostering a culture where feedback and development become ongoing, collaborative processes.

Provides Actionable, Context-Specific Feedback
Unlike generic 360’s, the Shift Positive Live delivers nuanced, behavior-specific feedback. This makes it easier for leaders to understand exactly what they need to do differently and how to leverage their strengths in new ways.

Ensures Accountability and Support
The combination of ally commitments, ongoing coaching, and progress measurement creates a robust system of accountability. Leaders aren't left to interpret feedback and make changes in isolation.

Aligns with Modern Leadership Needs
In today's complex, fast-paced business environment, leaders need more than just technical skills. The Shift Positive method develops crucial soft skills like self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to build strong, supportive relationships.

Implementing Shift Positive in Your Leadership Development Program

If you are responsible for nurturing the next generation of leaders, the Shift Positive method offers a compelling framework to enhance your existing program:

Start with the Shift Positive 360 or Live
Kick off your development cohorts with this strengths-based, solution-focused feedback session. It sets a positive tone and provides rich material for individual development plans.

Integrate Ally Networks
Encourage participants to actively engage with their feedback providers as ongoing allies in their development. This extends the impact of the program beyond formal sessions.

Provide Coaching Support
Pair the initial feedback with ongoing coaching to help leaders interpret insights, overcome challenges, and continuously refine their approach.

Measure Progress
Utilize tools like the Shift Progress Survey to track development over time and demonstrate ROI to the organization.

Foster a Shift Positive Culture
Train managers and HR professionals in Shift Positive principles through the process itself, to create a broader cultural shift towards strengths-based, solution-focused development.

A New Paradigm for Leadership Development

The case study from this Fortune 50 tech company demonstrates the transformative power of the Shift Positive method when integrated into a comprehensive leadership development program. By focusing on strengths, solutions, and support networks, this approach creates engaged, confident leaders ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow.

As we continue to evolve our leadership development strategies, the Shift Positive method offers a scientifically-grounded, practically-proven approach to nurturing the next generation of organizational leaders. It's not just about developing individuals—it's about creating a culture of continuous growth, support, and excellence that can propel entire organizations forward.

Are you ready to shift your leadership development paradigm? Explore how the Shift Positive method can revolutionize your approach and deliver tangible results for your emerging leaders and your organization as a whole. At Change Positive, we can help you re-energize your leadership development program through our Shift Positive method and highly trained coaches. Let us show you how.