5 Ways McKersin Consulting Can Empower Your Leadership Team

Imagine investing in your leaders and seeing returns that outperform even the most lucrative investment portfolios!

According to New Level Work, a leadership development platform, which surveyed 752 leadership experts from different industries across US, Canada & UK found that, Leadership development yields impressive ROI ranging from $3 to $11, or an average ROI of $7 per dollar spent. That translates to a crazy 600% ROI. In comparison, an ROI of 10% in the stock market is considered very high, and 30% is almost unheard of. 

New Level Work calculated this 600% figure by using this metric, 

1. revenue from sales directly attributed to leadership development, 

2. savings from retention as a result of leadership development, 

3. savings as a result of promotion from within.

Now that you see how important it is to invest in leadership training and development, let's explore 5 ways McKersin Consulting can help you achieve some wonderful ROI numbers of your own.

One for all

The biggest feedback I and many others have had for consultants is that, too often they will be hired to help an organization or workplace, they provide their findings and leave the organization to be in charge of implementation. Oftentimes what they leave behind are laden with good expectations but they miss the mark because the consultant team didn’t actually take the time to talk to the stakeholders. It becomes yet another top down directive that impacts everyone and becomes more work on everybody with no real follow up. 

At McKersin Consulting we will NOT be doing any of that. We don't just deliver a report and walk away, instead we will speak to the stakeholders and ask for their feedback. We will make sure that any leadership training is tailored to the organization or business. We will gather qualitative and quantitative data on the environment. This is data we will use to create a program that directly addresses specific challenges and opportunities. Our approach integrates continuous feedback from stakeholders to ensure lasting change. This is how we maximize our efforts on both ends. I have long recognized that changes in leadership and how leaders move directly impact all stakeholders and thus I believe that nobody should be left out when it comes to gathering voices that goes into our data for the programs that we create. 

We also customize the leadership development programs based on the missions and goals of the organization or business. It would be great if before starting, that the vision and goals would be spelled out and that they wouldn't be due for a change anytime soon. That way we can maximize the long term effectiveness of the program. To cap this section off...ALL VOICES ARE PART OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. 

No voices left unheard

Part of hearing from all voices includes hearing from an assortment of voices. People want to feel welcomed and heard within workplaces and organizations and no better way to do that than to have inclusion be at the forefront of stakeholder retention. As long as the people are adhering to the vision and goals you have, as a leader it is your job to ensure that the environment doesn’t feel like a high school cafeteria. Diversity breeds innovation and prevents echo chambers that often stifle progress. When individuals from varied backgrounds collaborate, they challenge each other’s assumptions, leading to more creative and well-rounded solutions.  

My favorite write up and definition of all of this comes from Ferris State University,

Right now, DEI practices are being rolled back by many corporations under the pretext of avoiding so-called “diversity hires.” The term reduces diversity to merely meeting quotas for people of color, but diversity goes far beyond just race and gender. It encompasses social class, age, physical ability and more. While I acknowledge that not all DEI practices were as effective as they could have been, I am not a fan of getting rid of them entirely. For example, had it not been for diversity, people like Joy Buolamwini wouldn’t have been in a position where she was able to expose the racial biases that exist in AI recognition software and the amount of errors within them. Her work alone launched global conversation on the readiness of AI being used as a form of facial recognition. As a Black man, I already experience something as simple as automatic soap dispensers or sinks failing to detect my hand because they weren’t designed with people like me in mind. This lack of representation in design can lead to serious consequences with AI in the picture—imagine a world where AI mistakes me for someone I’m not, with far worse outcomes. Joy’s work highlights why diversity isn’t just beneficial—it’s ESSENTIAL.

As leaders this is how we start to see those crazy numbers of return on Investment, true innovation fosters rapid growth, and diversity is at the heart of that progress.

The cost of not fostering an inclusive environment? High turnover, disengagement, and lost opportunities. Not only is it a monetary deficit but also energy. It is hard to move forward when you are constantly having to replace people. You will remain stifled and stagnant no matter how noble your mission is. Retaining talent through improved leadership can provide significant savings over time not only in energy but monetary as well. Retaining talent through improved leadership practices is not just good ethics—it’s smart business.

Self-Assessment and Awareness

Self-assessment is a much needed process for leaders. Through the process you gain a deeper sense of self-awareness, which is key for personal and professional growth. The biggest benefit of self-awareness is that it helps leaders develop emotional intelligence, thus granting the ability to manage both their own emotions and those of others. When leaders take the time to look inward they gain the ability to identify their strengths, recognize areas for improvement, and understand how their behaviors impact others. 

An important part of the process involves using the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework I mentioned a couple posts ago. Through SWOT we identify a leader's strengths and weaknesses and lay them out. We are not perfect but part of being an effective leader is recognizing our faults and actively working towards improvement. Within these conversations we will use different ways to analyze your leadership style, your current impact on the people you lead and how we can ensure the effectiveness of it all. The goal isn’t to force anybody to lead in a way that might make them feel uncomfortable. There are a bunch of concrete leadership styles out there but the most effective leaders are the ones who are willing to be adaptable and willing to try out different methods depending on the situation at hand.

This day and age, flexibility and adaptability is all the rage!

I am rather proud of that impromptu rhyme.

Jokes aside, leadership models have steered away from command and control and are now about influence, empathy, and adaptability.

As a society we have analyzed all the greatest leaders in our past and realized what they had in common was their ability to inspire others and think in a WE sense of thought vs I. One of my favorite quotes of leadership comes from, Lao Tzu, regarded as the founder of Taoism,

oof, the amount of ego checking you would have to do to let this happen is enormous.

My leadership style was to lead from the background and focus on empowerment but when I had started my dance theatre company, Lakaï years back I had learned that not everybody works well with that and that they needed me front and center. I had created an environment where there were too many chefs in the kitchen and they needed a unifying voice to step up. What worked for me for years, being the invisible leader was finally challenged and I had to learn how to step outside my comfort zone. You can't lead everyone the same way, just like you can't parent every child the same. 

Effective leaders are receptive to feedback and opportunities for growth.

Well Being and mindfulness

Part of our curriculum involves the prioritization of empathy, well-being and mindfulness. In order to retain people within your business or organization, you MUST understand your people. Even a few minutes of mindfulness each morning can help clear the mind and set a positive tone for the day, leading to more focused and deliberate decision-making. It can be something as simple as morning check ins, writing down your intention and personal goal for the day, moments of morning reflection, and more. Keep in mind though, if you try this as a leader without actually taking the time to understand the environment and any issues at hand, you will be viewed as someone trying to cover the underlying issues up with a band-aid and it will NOT be received well. 

Prioritizing well being and mindfulness is no longer a luxury in workplaces anymore, it is mandatory for success. You have to be willing to sit with the people you lead. Understand them, and connect with them. This way you are more willing to find the root of the problem when you see productivity is down vs trying to only treat the symptom. This is how you prevent burnout and retain people within your organization or business.

That self-awareness we spoke about comes into play because with that self-awareness you can maintain the emotional competence to realize when things are off. You are better equipped to handle stress and the patience that comes with it all.

Patience and having a schedule that allows for contingencies plays a big part in it, life is unpredictable and unpredictable things happen to people you work with. It is unlikely that things will always happen when you want them to. Proper scheduling is how you create a less stressful environment. A healthy team is more engaged and more willing to stand by their work.

I will be doing a series on our instagram called Wholesome Wednesdays that speaks on best practices to promote a better working environment for leaders everywhere starting the second week of September. Tune-in every Wednesday for the weekly tip and practice in leading a wholesome environment! 

Mentorship programs

I have seen glimpses of mentorship happening all around different organizations and programs but what I don’t see often is the intentionality behind it. It shouldn’t be up to the individuals within an organization or program to be spearheading their own mini mentorship programs. An organization that wants to grow should instead have leaders who are intentionally creating that culture through possible partnering of people or creating a board of exemplary folk who can help and guide others. When I was a school teacher I served on a board as such and we were assigned teams of fellow educators within our subject in order to help them with curriculum, class management, etc. 

Within my own time and in my classroom, I created a mentorship program for my middle schoolers that allowed them to take charge of their own productions. Students held various roles, from audio engineering and lighting to choreography and stage management.

The mentorship program worked like this:

Towards the end of the year, the 6th graders would onboard the 5th graders as they completed their first year in the production program and the 8th graders before moving on to high school would spend half the year getting the 7th graders ready to take on their responsibilities as the new leaders...It was great not only because it lightened my workload, but also because I got to witness them support and uplift each other as they developed their skills.

As a leader it is your job to inspire other leaders around you. A good organization and workplace will have mentorship available because it not only lessens the work of promoting others but it creates a system where there is always a proper contingency in place in case something happens where someone is no longer at their position. By engaging in mentorship, leaders refine their own skills, gain fresh perspectives from the next generation, and develop stronger emotional intelligence through their interactions. It’s a two-way street. When well-designed, mentorship programs create an environment of trust, openness, and collaboration, strengthening the entire organizational culture. Mentors become role models who help nurture future leaders, guiding them through challenges and encouraging them to take risks, innovate, and develop their own leadership styles. 

In the world of today, being a leader isn’t just about guiding people and giving directions, it is about fostering growth, innovation, motivation, inspiration and well-being. At McKersin Consulting we want to help cultivate leaders who are adaptable and self-aware. Leaders who are able to shift with the world and environment. This is but a few actionable steps within our curriculum and even with just that I hope you were able to see how important leadership development is and how much it can save and make you. Let’s create an environment that people are actually proud of returning to!

With love and respect,

McKersin

As always, here is the question for the day, 

Is there a mentorship program within your organization? If so, how has it impacted your growth? If not, how could mentorship help you reach your career goals?

For leaders, 

When was the last time you engaged in self-assessment as a leader? How might taking time for reflection help you grow both personally and professionally?