Sandy Torchia is vice chair of talent and culture for KPMG U.S., Maureen Davenport is head of corporate affairs, and Pete Steinberg is president of Innovative Thought.
At an age when most players have retired, LeBron James, at 40 years old, continues to amaze sports pundits by continuing his high level of performance as a perennial NBA All Star. It was recently reported that James spends $1.5 million a year to focus on his physical and mental wellness and stay in peak condition.
For top executives in the corporate world, the demands of leadership can be relentless. Similar to elite athletes, they are high performers but often don’t have the time and space to consider strategies they can use to be stronger performers — better leaders and colleagues, better strategic thinkers, better at serving clients — who can go the distance.
As talent sustainability and a tight labor market continue to be a challenge for many organizations, it’s essential for companies to help their leaders perform at their best for longer in this fast-changing business environment.
According to a recent Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning study, in order to meet current and future business needs, 70% of learning and development and HR leaders said it is important for leaders to master a wider range of effective leadership behaviors, while 58% said it’s important for leaders improve their ability to function long-term in an environment of constant change, uncertainty and stress.
In short, for organizations to thrive, their senior leaders must also be thriving.
At KPMG, we recently launched a program called Ready, Set, Grow (RSG) focused on helping our partners, the firm’s most senior leaders, flourish.
Based on lessons we’ve learned through the implementation of RSG, below are three core tenets to consider when thinking about leadership programming for top executives.
Ask your leaders what they need — and respond accordingly.
By proactively engaging with leaders and directly inquiring about their needs and challenges in maintaining high performance, employers can make sure that the programs and initiatives they develop are impactful and beneficial.
KPMG’s RSG initiative began with asking our partners what they needed to enhance their performance. They were looking for a self-reflective, experiential program to enhance capabilities around wellness, leadership and impact. The result was a program designed “by the partners, for the partners.”
To give partners the time and space to focus on their own development, RSG is hosted at KPMG Lakehouse, the firm’s cultural home and learning, development and innovation facility, for half the business week.
Keep your program design flexible to meet the needs of leaders at various stages in their career path.
Effective leaders never stop learning and growing — especially considering the fast-changing business landscape. Adapting to changing expectations, new technologies and market dynamics is critical for all leaders at every stage of their careers.
Being a high performer likely looks different depending on your skillset, where you’re at in your career journey and your personal and professional circumstances.
RSG was created to help partners at every stage of their careers, and it was designed in a way where each person is responsible for identifying the needs and challenges they want to address and the strategies they want to implement to help enhance their performance. During registration, partners take a self-assessment that guides them to one of three program themes so they can choose their six courses accordingly. As a result, each partner has their own agenda based on their personal needs/interests.
Create cohort groups to provide leaders support and accountability.
Companies can provide their executives with the support and resources they need to thrive, while also addressing potential “loneliness at the top” and burnout.
Cohort groups, consisting of other executives at similar places in their careers, can help provide support and drive accountability. As leaders reflect, share and learn more about themselves and each other, they can apply new frameworks and approaches. These groups also provide a psychologically safe environment and create a powerful network of leaders helping leaders.
As part of RSG, partners are encouraged to set intentional personal and professional goals, such as spending more time with their teams, prioritizing time with family or getting more sleep to boost their energy levels. They also are assigned a “GROW Team,” a group of approximately eight partners of similar tenure.
Teams build rapport and connection during the program and continue to meet after the program is completed. These groups provide needed support and help ensure member partners remain focused on achieving their goals. Eighty-six percent of partners participating in the RSG program responded positively when asked if they expected to meet with their GROW team in the next 30-60 days following the completion of the program.
Organizations that are able to help senior talent thrive across multiple dimensions can reduce attrition and burnout and enhance long-term performance — and the positive effects can be contagious. Eighty-two percent of partners who participated in the RSG program responded positively when asked if they would recommend the program to other partners.
Helping leaders sustain their high-performance and stay resilient will help your organization grow and win in the years to come.