Express Inc. is a delivery firm whose headquarters are situated in Florida, United States. The company was established in 2000, and since then, it has been doing deliveries across the United States and several other countries across the globe. Express Inc. specializes in freight services because speed is an essential aspect of its delivery services. The company delivers commercial and private packages at any location; be it in a company environment or a home setting. Express Inc. is a firm that operates on a strategy that allows the shipment of packages and parcels through a single hub using private aircraft and trucks owned by the company. Having aircrafts owned by the firm ensures that the aircrafts are not bound by schedules established by the commercial airlines and different shipping rules and regulations. Operating from a single hub allows tighter and firm control that ensures packages are delivered to their expected destinations overnight.
Express Inc. also does deliveries by road and rail to its customers. The company ships small packages and parcels by ground. It is the third-largest company that delivers packages to clients by ground in the United States. Besides delivery services, the firm also offers various services such as consulting and other services related to information and technology as it relates to delivery, such as the technology involved in the tracking of deliveries, among others. The company also provides customs brokerage services to its clients. In each working day, Express Inc. makes approximately 200,000 physical shipments across its countries of operation and more than one million electronic transactions. In order to speed up its delivery operations, the firm uses its aircraft, ground vehicles as well as technology. This helps in making sure that other firms and individuals can transport materials and other things that are sensitive to time across large distances in a very short period.
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Diagnosis
A leadership needs assessment of Express Inc. indicates that the company has been experiencing succession problems when key leaders leave as a result of different reasons. This has been causing the company losses, and major fluctuations in revenue due to the assumption of leadership positions by individuals are not adequately developed and prepared for leadership roles. Although the company has employees with the ability/potential for leadership, the development of their leadership abilities is essential if they are to effectively lead in different positions and realize the vision, mission, and goals of the firm. Many enterprises, both big and small, have fallen and ceased to exist because of poor or no succession plans. Leadership development of potential leaders in a company helps ensure that there are no gaps when the transition has to occur. Identifying how a firm’s leadership needs will unfold in the days to come, identification of potential leaders for the future, and strengthen their ability to lead through leadership development activities are of great importance in succession planning. Leadership development is necessary for the area of succession planning in Express Inc. because it provides potential leaders in the organization with the chance to attain their optimal performance and, consequently, the success of the firm. Lack of leadership development in this area could negatively affect the company’s performance both internally and externally because of leadership gaps or leaders who are not adequately equipped for leadership.
Identification
The focus of the leadership development plan will be the firm’s high potential employees who can be groomed and prepared for leadership positions in the company’s future. To ensure that the company is successful in the long term is essential to have a good leadership pipeline (Keller, 2018). High potential employees are those employees who possess the ability, motivation, and commitment needed to climb up the ladder and become successful in senior and important leadership roles in the company. The three aspects are the most important drivers of an organization’s performance. The ability possessed by high potential employees is portrayed through their functional skills, intelligence, and aptitude, among others. They show their commitment through their great interest in a company’s success and have the intention to remain aligned with the culture, values, and mission of the company (Keller, 2018). The candidates of the leadership development plan for succession can be identified using the nine-box matrix of succession planning. The 9-box matrix is an essential tool used in the management of talent and performance, which is a crucial factor in efficient succession planning. The matrix helps in leadership development of employees for senior leadership roles, identification of employees who require further development, identification of gaps, and classification of critical talent and responsibilities within the workforce (Keller, 2018). Once the box is completed, it is used in the development of each member to map out a company’s future leadership and improved focus leadership development efforts. Often, leadership qualities are placed alongside the performance and ability of each employee identified. This ensures that every employee is measured consistently and fairly instead of making a contrast of their competencies in the various roles they play. A timely identifying potential candidate for leadership development for succession allows more to develop them in a way that is customized and fits the particular needs of an organization’s mission.
The 9 –Box matrix
Values
Values are a key component of an organization’s culture. At an organizational level, they are explained as the principles that ensure leadership success in an organization. The values are categorized as terminal and instrumental values. The terminal values comprise individual or social values, while the instrumental values are the beliefs on the desired patterns of conduct (Ghazieh &Soltani, 2016). For this leadership development plan, the terminal values include collaboration which ensures that colleagues work together and help each other in the execution of duties, a motivation which is characterized by a professional life that is very rich, and satisfaction which is defined as having an emotional condition that is good as a result of satisfaction from one’s work (Ghazieh &Soltani, 2016). Autonomy is also among the terminal values of the current leadership development plan, and it is defined as the ability to identify and pick work objectives by an individual. Social recognition is also important in the leadership development plan, and it entails appreciating contribution to the corresponding just value.
The instrumental values are related to competency and morality. The instrumental values essential for this leadership development plan include independence, which is the freedom to act and think at the workplace and being responsible, which involves meeting the requirements provided in an individual’s duties at work. Utilitarianism, which is acting in a way that maximizes the total wellbeing of all those involved inside and outside Express Inc., is also among the values reinforced in this leadership development plan. Other instrumental values reinforced in the leadership development plan include being helpful, which entails being ready to offer service to all the stakeholders at all times, intelligence, which is defined as the ability to do things in an appropriate manner in different circumstances, being ethical, and honesty. The instrumental values are reinforcement to the terminal values. All the above values need transparency and the ability to communicate inside the firm with the workers and outside the enterprise with the community in pursuit of improving the extent of control and empowerment of executives/leaders to realize the goals of the firm. These values are essential because they determine the kind of decisions made by leaders in the company, how the environment around them is interpreted, and their behavior.
Competencies (objectives)
The leadership competencies that the leadership development plan intends to develop in the identified candidates are:
Ability to communicate effectively
Emotional Intelligence
Ability to think strategically
Conflict management
Decision making
Ability to create teamwork
Ethical conduct
Ability to empower oneself and employees
Nurturing
Organizational benefits
Development of the above explained leadership competencies will offer the firm a number of benefits which include:
Financial benefits
The development of leadership competencies will enhance the company’s bottom line financial performance. Research indicates that enterprises/organizations that highly invest in human capital have stock market profits that are five times more than that of the firms that pay less attention to human capital (Owen, 2006). Leadership development has shown to create the capacity to minimize costs, creation of new avenues of revenue generation, and enhance client satisfaction. The return in investment from a program involving leadership development is positive. The competencies help potential leaders in an organization to take up leadership roles and improve productivity, which in turn leads to profitable activities and decisions.
Operational benefits
The operational benefits of the leadership competencies include effective communication by leaders in the organization and the transformation of employees into effective leaders. Communication is an essential aspect of the operations of any organization, and the development of this competency ensures that a clear and effective flow of information in an organization. When individuals are transformed through leadership development, they also transform the efficiency of the teams they oversee and the organization as a whole. A firm benefits from the leader’s change from a perspective of individual benefits and personal goals to collective benefits for the company and shared goals of the firm. In addition, the competencies will improve the culture and performance of the organization. When organizations invest in its employees and potential leaders, it shows its value for human capital and appreciation of its employees. As a result, when employees feel valued and satisfied, they are most likely to become more productive and put more effort into the realization of the organization’s goals.
Human relations benefit
The development of the proposed leadership competencies in the previous section will improve the relationship between the company leaders in the employees, which is of substantial value to the work environment. Competencies such as communication skills and the ability to solve conflicts help ensure that the needs of employees are addressed by the leaders, workplace culture is fostered, and conflicts are effectively resolved between employees and between leaders and employees in an organization. Positive human relations have a positive impact on costs, an organization’s competitiveness, and its economic sustainability in the long term. This underscores the importance of human relations.
Strategic benefits
Competencies such as the ability to think strategically will help in the use of a business’s resources in an effective way and advancement of the firm towards its objectives and goals. Other benefits include an improved focus on markets that have a high probability of succeeding, creation of a sense of direction for the company, improved efficiency in company operations, increased market share, improved revenue/profits, and increased durability of the firm. Personal benefits
The importance of leadership development to organizations
The competencies will assist the candidates in developing as leaders and developing leadership. Leader development is mainly focused on increasing the capacity of a leader. In contrast, leadership development entails the association between the leader and the social, cultural aspect of the setting in which he/she works (Reddy & Srinivasan, 2015). According to Roupnel, Rinfret & Grenier (2019), leadership is focused on the future, and its emphasis is on the ability to institute change, motivate others, create enthusiasm, and establish commitment. Leadership plays an essential role in enhancing the performance of organizations because it embodies the ability to influence and impacts how organizations conduct their work (Roupnel et al., 2019). Leader development is important, although it is not enough in leadership because leadership needs the integration of personal development into the context of other people and the mission and objectives of an organization. Leader development, therefore, revolves around intrapersonal competence while leadership development incorporates the establishment and use of interpersonal competence (Reddy & Srinivasan, 2015). Leader development, which benefits the leader, is important for the company because it helps protect and enhance the firm’s human capital.
The identified leadership competencies will help the candidates realize their full potential, make successful choices, enhance their productivity, improve their relations with others, and lead effectively. The competencies will assist them in the cultivation of positive relationships with employees. Positive relationships between leaders and employees are critical, enhancing the productivity of a business (Owen, 2006). They will also help the leaders in ensuring that employees are satisfied with the workplace. Effective leadership is among the key factors for employee satisfaction, and it is ranked second among the influential aspects that make the professional environment attractive.
Every leader is determined to realize success in his/her area of leadership. Development of the leadership competencies will help the candidates become successful once they assume leadership hence the company’s success. The better and effective the leader, the more successful a company is. Success is derived from several factors that include a strong and effective leader who is growth-oriented (Owen, 2006). The competencies give the candidates the ability skills and ability needed to motivate employees to achieve goals and perform better. Instead of looking for the external application to fill leadership positions in the company, leadership development is important to the firm because it will help identify employees already working in the company. They have the potential and ability to become leaders. Promoting growth in the company and putting emphasis on the importance of solid and strong leadership is important for the company because it helps increase loyalty to the company, efficiency, and ability to function. The competencies provided by the leadership development plan enable candidates to improve their methods and improve on their current skills, which is essential for the success of the company.
The nature, purpose and benefits of the leadership competencies.
The ability to communicate effectively enables leaders to be open and often share with others, ensure that information shared is clear, and create teams by establishing a feeling of connection and a sense of belonging (Hawkins, 2013). The ability of a leader to communicate openly with team members ensures that trust and honesty are developed. Teams that can communicate effectively and collaborate tend to be more productive. Leaders who are effective in their communication motivate employees and miscommunication, which in most cases, leads to conflicts is avoided.
Emotional intelligence is an essential competence that the leadership development plan will develop in the identified candidates. Emotionally intelligent leaders can perceive, understand, and manage their emotions (Hawkins, 2013). This competence is critical because it has a heavy impact on the way a leader associates with employees. A leader who can identify the emotions of employees, he/she can respond promptly and avoid conflicts or offer assistance. Such leaders can make employees feel comfortable and make them see him/her as a reliable person.
Strategic thinking is a crucial influence behind the growth and development of any organization. It comprises skills such as being analytical about a situation, alignment of roles with the organization's goals in an attempt to realize the expected outcomes, managing resources, time, and budgets, among other skills. It is a must for every leader to possess this competency because it focuses on the future of a company (Hawkins, 2013). Leaders who are not strategic thinkers and planners do not bring any value to an organization. Strategic thinking is the competency that differentiates a leader from an ordinary employee. An employee will execute his/her duties without moving beyond the defined duties while a leader has to look at things from a long term perspective and think of the company's future.
The ability to solve conflicts is a valuable competency for leaders. Conflicts are not evitable among employees because of the different factors that exist and contribute to them. A good and effective leader should be able to manage and deal with conflicts efficiently and effectively without affecting work processes, the organization, and workers (Owen, 2006). The leader should be able to listen, assess the whole situation, communicate effectively, and refrain from making a judgment before making a hearing from the parties involved in the conflict. A leader's decision in conflict resolution has an impact on the organization as well as the employees involved. He/she should be able to create a win-win circumstance for the individuals involved to reduce the impact of the conflict.
Express Inc. expects its leaders at different levels and positions to make decisions that are rational and not biased. Such decisions are valuable to an organization. Decision making includes multiple skills such as the ability to gather and analyze information, being a good listener as well as effective communicator, and ability to think strategically, among other skills (Hawkins, 2013). Leaders are expected to be free from bias, should always act calmly, be rational, and put into consideration all related factors when making a decision. A leader's ability to make intelligent and wise decisions is critical for the company.
Teamwork does not only involve collaborating with others but also the will to show initiative and bring new and effective practices and strategies with the aim of optimizing the processes involved in work. It also entails being able to organize and manage roles as well as the available resources. A leader should have the ability to accept responsibility, acknowledge the effort made by others, and inspire/motivate the employees (Reddy & Srinivasan, 2015). Ability to maintain moral standards, make ethical decisions, and maintain empathy are critical skills in a leader. Strong ethical codes ensure that leaders are compliant as well as respectful towards others. Such leaders create a workplace environment that is safe and fair for all employees regardless of one's position in the company.
Motivating and empowering others assists in enhancing performance at work, which has direct benefits and advantages to the company. Regardless of how skilled a leader is from a technical perspective, it is a waste of resources if employees attempt to do all things on their own (Owen, 2006). A team that is aware of the fact that they will be provided with the required resources feel motivated is more productive, performs better, and is more satisfied with work. Such leaders give employees room to organize themselves, give insights, and guide them whenever there is a need to do so. An effective and valuable leader should be able and be willing to nurture others. Express Inc. requires leaders who can commit themselves towards helping other employees perform and become the best they can be. This is important for the firm because it adds value by enhancing employees' abilities and skills. Such leaders are also able to develop and mentor other leaders for the future of the company.
The strategies and implementation (action plans) intended to be used in the LDP.
Coaching and mentoring. Assign appropriate coaches and mentors to the candidates who will coach and mentor them on leadership.
Leadership training workshops. Organize training workshops where candidates will be equipped with knowledge on how to apply and skills needed in the leadership competencies identified.
Hands on experience. Candidates will be assigned real life situations for them to practice the competencies learned.
Strategies
Coaching and Mentoring
Mentoring offers a number of significant benefits for potential leaders. These benefits include socialization into leadership roles, improvement of leadership skills and capacity and professional development (Garvey et.al, 2014). It is a model based strategy that helps in creation of a learning environment and it is one of the preferred strategies in this leadership development plan because it addresses specific individuals. The mentor acts as a role model to the mentee. Coaching involves collaboration between a coach and the coached. The focus is on working systematically towards identified goals in order to improve professional performance, enhance ongoing learning, and ensure personal growth (Garvey et.al, 2014). The two strategies are essential in leadership development for the identified candidates.
Training.
Leadership workshops facilitate acquisition and adoption of leadership skills and empowerment of major leadership positions in an organization. They are certain skills that a very leader needs to have knowledge of and develop in order to be effective (Ryan, 2008). The competencies/skills can be taught through workshops.
Hands on experience
Proving the candidates with challenging situations is an important way of leadership development. The candidates are assigned real life situations at the work place that require them to apply the knowledge and competencies gained through training workshops, coaching, and mentoring. They are assessed on how effective they manage the situations and the areas that need reinforcement are identified for improvement.
Implementation
The following action steps will be applied to implement the above described strategies:
Identification of high potential performers. As previously explained in the identification section, the candidates for the leadership development plan will be identified using the 9-box matrix.
Identification of mentors. Mentors will be leaders in the organization who have shown exemplary leadership that aligns with the company’s goals, objectives, vision, mission, and values. They will be approached and requested to mentor the candidates on the different competencies identified in this leadership development plan.
Pairing of mentors and mentees for mentorship and coaching. The identified mentors will be allocated mentees. The mentors and mentees will schedule their mentorship and coaching activities as well as the meetings. They will also decide on the where to meet, time to meet, and frequency of meeting among other issues. They will also develop goals to be achieved throughout the mentorship/coaching period and how to achieve them. The goals are related to the competencies to be developed.
Leadership development training workshops scheduling. A training manual on the nine identified competencies will be developed and trainers identified for training purposes during workshops. Training workshops will be planned and scheduled. An interactive and innovative training style for the workshops will be adopted to ensure that the most effective method is used.
Financial
| Item Category | Item Description | Period | Cost |
| Space and Utilities | Training center rent | 12 months | $1,400 |
| Utilities | 12 months | $800 | |
| Supplies and Equipment | Office supplies | $500 | |
| Computers and related accessories | $2,000 | ||
| Communications | Internet | $1, 200 | |
| Travel | Travel to the training center | $800 | |
| Consultant Services | Training consultants (3) | $4,500 | |
| Workshop organizer (1) | $1,500 | ||
| Other Direct Costs | Workshop meals and refreshments (Lunch and coffee breaks) | $1,620 | |
| Printing guides and manuals | $500 |
Human resources and legal issues
There are no legal issues that may present in the implementation of this leadership development plan. The main human resource issue that might present revolves around training schedules so that they do not interfere with working days. All the candidates cannot go for training on the same day because this may affect company operations due to gaps created by their absence. To manage this situation, the candidates will be organized into small groups such that each training session is attended by a small number. This will minimize the impact of their absenteeism from work during training days on the company’s operations.
Feedback
The feedback provided by the mentors and trainers on progress to the leadership development plan leaders will be shared with the candidates to determine the next course of action. This will be given through scheduled, face-to-face meetings with the candidates. Progress forms filled by the mentors, trainers, and candidates will be used to evaluate progress. The same forms will also be used to provide feedback by the candidates on the progress of the training. Mentors and mentees will be expected to determine progress and identify any challenges at the beginning of every session for the necessary steps to be taken. Evaluation
What will be measured or observed.
The following will be measured/observed:
Understanding of the plan’s competencies
Impact of the LDP on candidates leadership
Perceived benefits of the LDP by the candidates
Mentors and trainers perceptions on the impact of the LDP
How it will be measured or observed.
Questionnaires will be administered to the candidates in order to measure the perceived benefits and impact of the LDP on their leadership at the end of the program. Feedback provided by mentors and trainers on each of the candidates will be used to measure the outcomes. Furthermore, observations on their hands on experience situations will be made to assess application of the learned competencies.
How the findings will be reported and used.
Findings will be compiled and shared with the leadership plan leaders through in a meeting. The findings will be used to determine if the plan was effective and the expected outcomes were achieved. In addition, the feedback will also be used to determine if there is need for continued training and mentorship and the improvements that need to be done. The findings will be used to inform subsequent leadership development plans to make improvements for better execution and planning.
Biblical worldview integration
The early church was formed during a period when there was a lot of changes and pressure. To navigate through the situation and the prevailing circumstances, Jesus and his disciples appointed, trained, and prepared individuals who would become the successors in the facilitation of spreading the gospel and make sure that the church stood and survived. This model applied by Jesus, and his disciples is the one that has been applied in this leadership development plan meant for succession planning. The succession model presented in the Bible played a vital role in ensuring development and continuity as well (Hollinger, 2013). In his letters. Paul, writing to Timothy and Titus, shows specific attributes related to selecting and development plans and processes applied by the early church to establish and perpetuate a competent leadership that was founded on values. The scriptures show a process that was deliberate and incorporated core values, frameworks on competency, and the right qualities of a leader. Attributes such as character and ability were some of the qualities required for leadership. Jesus began the succession planning process for the early church by choosing and developing apostles. The apostles later on chose and developed other believers. This planning demonstrated by Jesus in His work is important for the sustainability of the company. Even though there are major differences between the present-day organizations and the church that existed during the times of Jesus on earth, the approach provided in the Bible provides essential lessons on the importance of leadership development in succession planning (Hollinger, 2013). Failure to plan for succession through leadership development affects the sustainability and continuity of an organization. As previously noted, many successful organizations in the past have failed due to a lack of leadership development as part of succession planning.
In 1 Timothy chapter three, Paul provides instructions to Timothy on the requirements needed for bishops and deacons in the church. He offered the instructions to make sure that the expectations of individuals who were to assume leadership of the church were clear. In the same way, Paul also gave instructions to Titus in Titus 1:5 to appoint leaders in each town. The people to be appointed were supposed to have blame, married to one wife, and their children were to be believers and have no accusations of debauchery. Paul, in these epistles, provided a framework that was to be used in selecting and developing future leaders for the church. He presented an example for the core Christian values and character expectations of the leaders expected to lead the church, thus made a succession plan for the church. The kind of leadership presented by Jesus and passed on to his followers is that of servant leadership. In servant leadership, the main aim of the leader is to serve. This is emphasized in this leadership development plan through the competencies that candidates are expected to develop in their leadership development journey.
References
Garvey, B., Stokes, P., & Megginson, D. (2014). Coaching and Mentoring: Theory and practice . SAGE.
Hawkins, M. (2013). Leadership Competencies that Enable Results: A Guide to Coaching Leaders to Lead as Coaches . SCOPE of Leadership Book.
Hollinger, T. (2013). Leadership Development and Succession Planning: A biblical Perspective for an Ethical response. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/vol5no1/9hollinger.pdf
Keller, J. (2018). Succession Planning Management. Succession Planning , 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72532-1_4
Owen, J. (2006). The Leadership Skills Handbook: 50 Key Skills from 1,000 Leaders . Kogan Page Publishers.
Reddy, C. M., & Srinivasan, V. (2015). Dialogue on Leadership Development. IIMB Management Review , 27 (1), 44-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2015.02.001
Ryan, R. (2008). Leadership Development: A Guide for HR and Training Professionals . Routledge.
