Go Back Read Brief

Thousands of companies spend millions on leadership development only to get lukewarm results. Why? They rely on leadership competency models that identify generic traits (vision, direction, energy). Then they try to find and build next-generation leaders who fit the model. Result? Vanilla managers and executives who aren’t equipped to manage their firm’s unique challenges.

There’s a better way, say Ulrich and Smallwood. Build a leadership brand: a shared identity among your organization’s leaders that differentiates what they can do from what your rivals’ leaders can do.