Any organization with a comprehensive training program has a leadership development curriculum. These programs include everything from conventional classroom learning with guest speakers to high-tech simulations and lavish retreats. There also may be mentorship thrown in, as well as multiple job rotations. Despite the well-rounded curricula, many…

Innovation has been part of The Economical Insurance Group (TEIG) throughout its 140-year history--its first insurance policy was written on a barn in Berlin, Ontario. Today, the company continues to pursue innovation through its leaders, utilizing a variety of programs to develop the talent needed to guide the 2,500-employee organization through…

The revolving-door CEO is becoming a fixture of American companies, and is likely to remain so for some time. With executive tenure at a mere 2.5 years and a CEO turnover rate that increased 11 percent last year, newly hired executives must hit the ground running if they hope to be effective before moving on to their next jobs. Helping them adjust…

Discusses a system that can help organizations meet their future needs in the vital areas of staffing and leadership. Provides a step-by-step guide to succession planning, a program for creating a pool of high-potential general managers capable of assuming several key roles. (JOW)

During the past decade, leadership-style training has become part and parcel of management development programs in many organizations. Understanding the specific patterns of communication associated with leadership styles can make significant and lasting improvements in performance. (SSH)

The authors describe a six-step need-based training system for managers. It includes (1) identifying job duties, (2) describing jobs using competency statements, (3) identifying relative skill importance, (4) identifying employee strengths and weaknesses, (5) evaluating employee proficiency, and (6) preparing individual career plans. (CH)

The author discusses the need to select, assign, train, and develop people on the basis of the life stages in which they find themselves, holding that management development should take into account the psychology of leadership. (LAS)

Utilizing the terminology of the Managerial Grid (a two-dimensional model clarifying the behavioral dynamics of a manager's concern for both people and productivity), the team builder is advocated as the most effective leadership style. Presents a rebuttal to the counter belief that leadership styles should change with the situation. (EM)