The Seven Pillars of Enterprise Leadership Development

Given the turbulence we are experiencing, being an effective senior executive has never been more crucial or challenging. Top leaders today must navigate complex global markets, disruptive technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and rapid societal changes. Organizations’ success and sustainability increasingly depend on their executive leadership’s capabilities.

However, the skills and strategies that brought high-potential leaders to their current positions at senior levels often are not sufficient for success at the enterprise level. By “enterprise leaders,” I mean executives who operate at the strategic level in their organizations, typically leading business units, corporate-level functions, or regions. They are distinguished by their ability to:

• Align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision, mission, and strategy
• Think and act systemically, considering the entire enterprise
• Balance short-term performance with long-term sustainability and growth
• Make decisions in complex and ambiguous environments
• Drive innovation and change at the enterprise level
• Participate in acquiring and developing talent across the enterprise

To prepare promising leaders to move up to the enterprise level, we developed a framework—The Seven Pillars of Enterprise Leadership Development—outlined in this article. Together, the seven elements—a robust development framework, assessment, structured experience, targeted conceptual content, coaching, mentoring, and evaluation—provide a comprehensive, structured approach to developing future enterprise leaders.

Pillar 1: A Robust Framework for Enterprise Leader Development

The foundation of effective enterprise leadership development is a robust framework that identifies the fundamental shifts leaders must make as they move from functional to enterprise roles. The Seven Seismic Shifts framework shapes the entire development process and provides a roadmap for growth. This framework, which I first published in my Harvard Business Review article “How Managers Become Leaders,” is summarized in the table below.

This framework provides the context for all other development activities, ensuring that the other elements of the process contribute to the leader’s growth in the most important developmental areas.

Pillar 2: Rigorous Assessment

Assessment is the other foundation of effective enterprise leadership development (and leadership development in general). It provides a clear starting point by identifying an executive’s strengths, weaknesses, and needed areas for growth. This pillar typically involves a multi-faceted approach to understanding the executive’s current capabilities and potential, with the goal of identifying key developmental priorities.

A comprehensive assessment often begins with 360-degree feedback, gathering insights from peers, subordinates, and superiors to provide a holistic view of the executive’s performance and impact. This is complemented by psychometric assessments, which leverage validated tools to assess leader behaviors, personality traits, and cognitive abilities. In addition, competency evaluations measure the executive’s skills against a predefined set of leadership competencies relevant to their role and organization.

In the development processes I lead, we use the MRG Assessments assessments unless the client has other preferences (e.g., the Hogan assessments). This includes a two-part 360 consisting of the Impact Report that evaluates effectiveness on key performance dimensions and the Leadership Effectiveness Analysis (LEA) which focuses on observed behaviors. Together they offer a powerful combination of evaluative and descriptive information for the leaders we work with. Where possible we also your MRG’s Individual Directions Inventory (IDI), an outstanding psychometric instrument that measures motivational drivers and gives deep insight into preferences, biases, and key areas of performance such as strategic thinking and decision-making/

The assessment phase informs the subsequent development activities and serves as a baseline for measuring progress. It is distilled into a personalized development plan that addresses the specific needs of each executive, ensuring that the development journey is tailored and effective.

Pillar 3: Curated On-the-Job Experiences

Learning by doing is an essential element of enterprise leadership development. A carefully curated set of developmental experiences provides opportunities for executives to learn and apply new skills, test their abilities, and grow through challenges. These experiences are carefully selected to align with the executive’s development goals while addressing real business needs.

Stretch assignments are a valuable component of this pillar, tasking executives with projects outside their comfort zone to foster growth and new skill acquisition. Cross-functional projects, for example, expose leaders to different areas of the business, enhancing their understanding of the organization as a whole. Whether through international assignments or collaborative projects with global teams, global exposure provides invaluable insights into different markets, cultures, and business environments. In addition, crisis management simulations offer executives a safe space to develop decision-making and leadership skills under pressure.

These structured experiences allow executives to expand their capabilities in a practical context, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. The recommended mix of development experiences flows directly from the assessment process. For example, experience leading cross-functional teams, for example in developing and launching new products or overseeing the integration of an acquistion are valuable when the leader has mostly worked within a function.

Pillar 4: Targeted Conceptual Frameworks and Tools

While experiential learning is crucial, it must be complemented by targeted conceptual content that addresses specific knowledge gaps and skill requirements. This pillar focuses on curating and delivering relevant conceptual frameworks and tools tailored to the unique needs of leaders being developed.

Custom workshops developed in-house can address organization-specific challenges. Digital learning platforms offer flexible, on-demand learning on topics like digital transformation, innovation, or emerging industry trends. Thought leadership exposure, through seminars or discussions with industry experts, keeps executives abreast of cutting-edge ideas and practices.

Self-directed learning programs provide curated resources and guidance for executives to pursue specific areas of interest or need. Action learning projects combine learning with real-world problem-solving, allowing executives to address organizational challenges while developing their skills.

Relevance and applicability are key to success in this pillar. Content should be carefully selected to address the specific developmental needs identified in the assessment phase and should be immediately applicable to the executive’s current role and future aspirations. For example, if strategic thinking is assessed to be a weakness, we engage the leader with relevant content from my recent book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking (a separate paper back edition is available outside the US). We also some times do additional targeted assessment to identify specific dimensions of strategic thinking, for example systems analysis or mental agility or visioning, that need to be strengthened. Based on this we develop “workouts” that focus on strengthening the relevant mental muscles.

Pillar 5: Coaching

One-on-one coaching provides focused, personalized engagements that can significantly accelerate an executive’s development. A skilled executive coach catalyzes growth, helping interpret and apply insights from assessments, experiences, and exposure to new concepts. They challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and provide a confidential space for exploring challenges and opportunities.

Effective coaches offer tools and techniques for enhancing leadership effectiveness while holding the executive accountable for their development goals. Coaching sessions should be regular and structured, with clear objectives and measurable outcomes. The coach-executive relationship should be one of trust and open communication, allowing for honest feedback and accelerated personal growth.

Critically coaches should be able to the mine the assessments for insight and draw upon the best tools for coaching. This include approaches drawn from relevant school of pyschotherapy, for example cognitive-behavioral techniques and schema therapy methods, as well as the latest findings from research on the neuroscience of coaching.

Pillar 6: Mentoring

While coaching focuses on specific skills and short-term objectives, mentoring provides longer-term career guidance and wisdom. Pairing executives with more experienced leaders creates developmental relationships that extend beyond immediate skill development.

Mentors offer insights into important areas such as organizational dynamics and navigating complex political landscapes. They share personal experiences and lessons learned, offering a broader perspective on career progression and work-life balance. Mentors can also open doors to new opportunities and networks, facilitating the executive’s growth within and beyond the organization.

Effective mentoring relationships are often less formal than coaching arrangements but should still have clear expectations and regular check-ins. Impactful mentors serve as trusted advisors, helping the executive see the bigger picture of their career and personal development.

Pillar 7. Evaluation and Adaptation

Finally, integrated evaluation and adaptation are essential for ensuring the effectiveness of the development process. This starts with establishing clear, measurable objectives at the outset and regularly assessing progress against these objectives. Feedback should be gathered from multiple sources on observed changes in the executive’s performance, and the impact of the executive’s development on organizational outcomes should be measured.

It is essential to adapt leaders’ development processes based on ongoing evaluation. An adaptive approach enables real-time customization of individual development plans to address emerging needs or challenges. It ensures the efficient allocation of resources to the most effective development activities and helps identify and address barriers to learning or application.

By regularly reviewing progress and outcomes, organizations can ensure that their enterprise leadership development efforts align with individual and organizational goals. This iterative process of measurement, evaluation, and adjustment creates a dynamic and responsive development system that can evolve with changing business needs and individual progress.

In Summary

The Seven Pillars framework provides a comprehensive approach to enterprise leadership development. This integrated model encompasses a robust development framework, rigorous assessment, structured developmental experiences, targeted conceptual content, coaching, mentoring, and integrated evaluation and adaptation.

By implementing this holistic approach, organizations can catalyze leadership growth with greater impact than traditional development programs. This investment yields returns beyond the implications for individual leaders in enhanced organizational agility, improved decision-making in complex environments, and a strong pipeline of capable leaders ready to navigate future challenges.