Page 215 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

92 THE LEADERSHIP
PIPELINE

Make clear to everyone in your organization the skills they need
to possess and the results they need to achieve if they are going
to progress to the next level. This will help them succeed in their
career, and boost your business along the way.

The idea

Many organizations only pay lip service to career planning. Yet, at a
time when there is a shortage of the right people and skills, it really
does pay to “grow your own” talent. One example of this working
well is RBS Insurance, which makes clear to all of its employees:

• The skills that are needed at each level of management.
• The skills that need to be developed before moving up to the

next level.

• The content of the role at each level and what it is that

individuals do.

In their book The Leadership Pipeline, authors Ram Charan, Stephen
Drotter and James Noel highlight six stages in the leadership journey:
self-leadership, people, manager, unit (individuals responsible for
the delivery of part of a business), business (individuals accountable
for the results of a business), and enterprise leadership (individuals
responsible for more than one business).

As individuals progress through the “leadership pipeline” they
encounter different “transition challenges”—for example, moving

208 • 100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS