That question has been answered with Yes, after decades of research by authors Kouzes and Posner (The Leadership Challenge), and others. The single largest factor that explains highly engaged people compared to those whom are moderately or less engaged is Leadership. Gallup attributes 70% of the difference to leadership. AND—Gallup goes on to say that, “Organizations in the top decile of engagement outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share, and have 90% better growth trend than their competition.”
Individuals who are rated very low on the frequency with which they use leadership practices have only about a 4% level of engagement among employees, where as those who are scored very high on frequency, the top 20%, have a 95.8% rate of a high engagement among employees.
More frequent use of the leadership practices from The Leadership Challenge, have been proven to:
- Create higher performing teams
- Generate increased sales and customer satisfaction
- Reduce recruitment costs, as well as absenteeism and turnover
A landmark study by Crawford International a few years back showed the companies who demonstrate strong transformation leadership behaviors dramatically out performed their weaker counterparts in both net income growth and stock price growth.
Finally, the current research clearly shows, that when provided leadership, people are more trusting of management, are willing to work harder, and find a greater sense of meaning and purpose in their work, all positively correlated with exemplary performance and results.
With three decades of empirical evidence, the question is no longer “do leaders make a difference?” Rather, it is How do leaders make a difference?
And the answer to that question is by more frequently using The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® from The Leadership Challenge.
One final consideration from a survey International Leadership Associates just completed of people who have had a workshop experience with The Leadership Challenge over the past 8 years. Nearly 80% said they still remember “most or a lot” or the material and nearly 70% said they Use “most or a lot” of the lessons learned, still today.
What People Say About The Leadership Challenge
- Seven years aer our first Leadership Challenge class, we continue to frequently refer to the activities, discussions and comradery that started
with our first class, and continues today. Our leaders are intentional about leading. This commitment to leadership has had a positive result
not only on our culture, but on business results.
Brian L.— President - As a direct result of what I learned and applied from Leadership Challenge, my department’s annual budget results went from $88K to $1.12M (an increase of 1,175 percent). My department met all Key Performance Indicators (and exceeded them 75% of the time). I inherited poorly-performing programs which were $300K in the red; now $10K in the black (a quick positive turnaround of $310K).
Jodi L.— Superintendent, Nonprofit - “The simple model provides framework that’s easy to relate to with clear behaviors that enable action. Experiential elements help you immediately practivce new skills in a safe, fun yet incredibly insightful way. People thank me months later not only for the investment in them, but also for the great insight it’s given them to get to the next level in their leadership journey.”
Dave P.— Senior VP, Operations - “There’s definitely a return on the investment. Talent and intelligence are important, but I have observed the sales teams that WIN are those who work together, are extremely passionate about the business, and are focused on a shared vision. That’s why I insist that every front line sales manager goes through The Leadership Challenge® Workshop.”
Tom O. — Vice President, Corporate Sales
Call or email us at jon@tmogllc.com to find out how you can bring the Leadership Challenge to your organization.