Functional Leader
The Functional Leader transition program is uniquely based on the leadership first principles for functional leaders as outlined in the Leadership Pipeline book. It is an intensive program that gives the leader insights, tools and practical training in how to fully step up and into the role as functional leader.
The senior leadership training program clarifies the specific responsibilities and performance expectations for functional leaders, and it ensures that the leader develops the right work values, time application and skills in order to be successful in the role. After the program, the leader will have a clear perspective on how they uniquely create value as a functional leader, and they will have learned to appreciate their leadership work.
Why Invest in Developing Functional Leaders?
The one thing that often prevents business managers from fully stepping into their strategic roles is that their direct reports – the functional leaders – do not fill their roles.
Often, when we are engaged in management team development, it turns out that the root cause of dysfunctional teams is that the functional leaders does not even fully fill their own roles as functional leaders. Hence, their energy is focused on getting by performing their function rather than integrating themselves with their functional peers in the management team.
The cost of not having a fully performing functional leader or ending up with an empty chair by having to let go of a functional leader is huge compared to the investment in supporting them in stepping into their role. Waiting for a new functional leader to be hired normally puts the entire functional agenda on hold and the management team is in a vacuum until the new functional leader is in place.
An investment in developing functional leaders is not just an investment in the functional leaders. It is an investment that significantly contributes to the overall performance of the management team and, in consequence, the entire business.
Target Audience
What is a functional leader? They leaders with full responsibility for a function. They may be responsible for a corporate function or responsible for a function within a business unit. They report either to an Enterprise leader, a business leader or another senior functional leader.
Some have large functions with thousand employees reporting directly and indirectly to them. Others have smaller organizations with twenty to fifty employees reporting directly or indirectly to them.
The program has a documented and validated track record of creating lasting change in terms of knowledge, attitude and behavior for both newly appointed functional leaders and for functional leaders with five or ten years of experience in the role.
Accordingly, most organizations design programs to capture the broad audience of functional leaders.
The measurable impact of the program does not differ based on the participants’ experience. This may sound surprising. However, time itself does not help leaders make their transition. Often to the contrary.
If leaders are not supported in their transition within the first 18 months after promotion, if they are not coached to find new ways of getting success, then they often end up going back to previous ways of finding success – namely, operating as if everyone in their organization reports directly to them.
Action Learning
Everything is based on the participant’s own day-to-day challenges, and in addition we will include the participant’s direct manager in the learning process.
Instead of the participants bringing the training back to the job, the participants bring their job into the training.
The integration of everyday life is so strong that participants often feel that participation in the program is like being at work rather than being on a program. Consequently, learning from the program is directly and immediately applicable when the participants return to their job.
Become a Certified Functional Leader
Upon completion of the program the participant can be registered as certified functional leader and they are eligible to enroll in the LPI alumni forum which secures continuous learning many years after the program.
In order to register as certified functional leader, the participant must have at least six months working experience as functional leader.
What Our Participants Say
“I need to invest more time in getting to truly understand the value of my peer functions.”
“Now I see how I need to be better at balancing my time between my function and the business leadership team.”
“This program changed my perspective on how I need to plan at least three years ahead on people matters.”
“The program helped me to better understand and appreciate the role of corporate functions versus business unit functions.”
“I realized that I need to take a very different approach if I want my function to have a strategic impact on the business.”
From Leader of Leaders to Functional Leader
As something unique in the market, the Functional Leader transition program will address all three key elements in the transition namely work values, time application and skills. Especially our unique ability to support functional leaders changing their work values is what creates the lasting impact of the programs.
Below we have illustrated the key transition elements for a functional leader.
Function Leader Training Program Content
Proven Learning Impact
We have a road-tested functional leaders program with a long track-record in terms of proven learning impact. We will build on our track record and tailormade the program to your organization’s specific needs and, at a minimum, include:
Your human resource tools and processes
Clear link to your business needs
Specific content or exercises of your preference
Your company values
Your leadership model
Links to other leadership initiatives
Typical Transition Issues
In the functional leader development program, we will support leaders overcoming the typical transition issues for functional leaders. As you will probably notice, these are behaviors you also see with more experienced functional leaders.
Focuses primarily on own function instead of being truly interested in peer functions
Prefers spending time with people from own function rather than with his/her peer functional leaders and the business leader
Fails to contribute actively to the business strategy
Considers primarily well-known areas of the function to be important
Primarily takes care of short-term results without preparing for long-term results
Key Topics in the Program
Below, we have illustrated some of the core content of a typical leading leaders transition program. As you will notice, the entire program ties directly into the job that needs to get done for a leader of leaders. The final content and learning flow is designed in collaboration.
Program Flow
We have a core four-day classroom program, but most organizations use a solution where they design a learning journey combining classroom days with different digitalized and on-line solutions.
Our mobile learning platform can support the program participant throughout the learning journey and thus support an immediate application of new work values, time application and skills.
As something unique, our mobile learning platform can also involve the participants’ direct manager throughout the learning journey. This will secure the full engagement of the manager in the learning process, which is one of the most important factors in imbedding learning from training programs.
Want to learn more about how we can partner to address your organization’s challenges?
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