An organization’s leadership is its backbone. If the leaders are inefficient, the team can hardly pull in the same direction since there is no clear path. This means that even with the best talent, the organization can’t fully tap into its potential. That’s the main reason leadership development programs are in place. Today, remote working is becoming the standard. The trend has seen a rise in virtual leadership programs. The best virtual leadership development activities can deliver the same impact as traditional face-to-face programs and more. It is a sustainable model considering the unique contributions, including:
Cost-effectiveness
How much does your organization spend on corporate travel? Flying the leadership team across the country, perhaps even continents are costly. You could spend millions on trips, accommodations, and other necessary resources. Even worse, the traveling team may not be as invested in the program. This is since some could take the opportunity as a chance to mark a box on their travel bucket list. This means you spend more money but don’t get the best results.
Virtual leadership development activities cut such costs since no travel is involved. Instead, you could walk straight from your kitchen, join the activity, and connect with the team on a more practical level. This frees a significant budget that can be invested in people productively and more profitably. Moreover, such cost-effectiveness makes the virtual programs sustainable in the long run, a contribution that’ll continue to propel their popularity.
Spread the activities
After spending millions, you want to fix as much learning in one session as possible. Unfortunately, the approach is not as productive since the team can hardly stay engaged throughout the event. Traditionally, it is an event lasting a few days, typically two, to make it worth the investment. With the virtual approach, you can make the program more of a process than an event, since you can do it more often and within short bursts. Spreading the activities makes the program more productive, helping an organization develop better leaders over time.
No limits
Have you had to cut some leaders from the activities? Traditional programs have limits, such as a class of up to 20 individuals. This means you may be forced to schedule more events to ensure every leader is involved, which means more costs and downtime. Virtual leadership development activities cut such limits. This makes it easier to achieve more within a short time frame. Zoom activities, for example, can accommodate upwards of 40 people. This is while keeping the sessions productive. Eliminating constraints makes virtual activities sustainable. This is especially true as the organization scales up its operations and adds more leaders to its teams.
More productive activities
Due to the hefty price tag of the traditional leadership development activities, the teams hardly have the time to reflect and take action. It is an event that doesn’t give the team much time, an aspect the virtual approach addresses. The virtual programs offer a learning process, allowing the leaders to reflect, establish pain points, and leverage the available tools to address them. The activities are no longer a “why not” aspect but a chance to dive deep into the primary pain points, work on them, and develop better leaders. The sessions can span a snackable period, typically 90 minutes or less. After the session, the team will have the chance to reflect on what they’ve learned. They can then take action, use the tools available, and prepare for the next session. This facilitates more productive progress.
An organization is only as productive as its team’s capability. Often, an organization can attract and recruit the top talent in the market but fail to help them explore their potential. This emphasizes the need to nurture more leaders. They help build a dream team, hence the prevalence of leadership development activities. The activities aren’t as affordable, especially since you need to create the right environment. This usually includes traveling.
As technology continues to revolutionize various aspects, organizations can leverage virtual leadership development activities and realize many benefits, as highlighted above. Freeing up more funds, saving more time, working with every remote member, and leaving enough space for reflection and action continue to showcase what the virtual approach can offer and that it is a sustainable solution.
