Strategy-Driven Leadership: The Playbook for Developing Your Next Generation of Leaders

It’s estimated that U.S. companies spend over $14 billion annually on leadership development --Match that number to the abundant and growing research that finds most leadership development to be ineffective, and the conclusion is a phenomenal amount of waste. The remedy for this situation is to have business strategy drive leadership development instead of creating programs that match a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. This book's approach, called Strategy-Driven Leadership Development (SDLD), puts business strategy first. It maintains an emphasis on building leadership programs around what it will take to make the business successful as opposed to implementing a program in the hopes that it will benefit the strategy.

The result is a differentiated and targeted approach called Intentional Leadership Development, which provides the structure for transforming how leadership development is undertaken. At the heart of this book, however, is the explanation of how small, incremental changes in action and perspective create meaningful changes in the way leadership is developed. The focus is on the leadership behaviors associated with success for any company. Some companies may need leaders with better financial acumen while others may require better teamwork for success. These skills are learnable and when the energy of an organization is behind it, then leadership development can be transformational.

The authors method "retools" prior leadership efforts – the emphasis is not on previous failures and restarting with new programs. There are many effective ideas and actions that are currently embedded in leadership programs, but they miss the critical element of tying their efforts to the business strategy.

Strategy-Driven Leadership changes the way organizations think about and drive their leadership talent initiatives among their current and upcoming leaders. The book is filled with research, science-based information, case studies, and practical hands-on tools on why and how this Strategy-Driven Leadership Development model will transform company leadership approaches.

Michael Couch has made a career out of improving the effectiveness of organizations, as an internal consultant, a business executive, and now in his own consulting practice. Starting from a graduate degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, he has over 30 years experience working on a wide range of organization challenges at the team, facility, division and corporate levels.

In additional to his talent management and organization effectiveness background, Michael has the unique experience of being the Managing Director for a Strategic Business Unit as well as heading up Manufacturing, including Customer Service, Materials Management, Production Planning, Inventory Management and Logistics. He has over 25 years experience with continuous improvement initiatives, from Quality Circles to Lean Six Sigma, and has led company-wide Lean Manufacturing implementations. He is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt and Champion.

His expert facilitation skills have been applied to strategic planning, change management, team development, process improvement, project planning and problem solving situations. Michael is certified in Compression Planning® by The Compression Planning Institute. He has designed and facilitated sessions of all types – from small teams to groups over 200, from short 1- 2 hour sessions to multi-day events – in a wide variety of industries.

Since its founding in 2007, Michael Couch & Associates Inc. has served over 50 clients in a wide variety of industries, both domestic and global, and for-profit and non-profit.

Michael is a certified Human Capital Strategist by the Human Capital Institute and a Senior Professional in HR by the Society for Human Resources Management.

You can learn more about Michael at his website: www.mcassociatesinc.com.

Richard Citrin bridges the gap between business and psychology. He draws on his deep experience as a health care entrepreneur, clinician, corporate executive and leadership coach to present his insights and ideas in a practical and powerful manner that creates dramatic change and success for his clients.

His unique perspective on leadership, talent development, and how we learn and grow from challenges is based on the idea that by using our strengths, talents and skills, and by aligning them in a purposeful and powerful manner, real change occurs.

Richard has published over 30 professional and popular articles, is a frequent speaker and his ideas have appeared on the pages of Forbes, Fortune and the New York Times. Richard’s 2 prior books, The Resilience Advantage and How to Get a Job in Dallas/Fort Worth provided his readers with information that helped them transform their professional and personal lives.

Richard began Citrin Consulting in 2010 and has worked with companies as large a Goodyear Tire and Rubber and PNC Bank and as small as his local community Food Bank and regional United Way.