As this year winds down, you’re probably starting to think about what 2023 will bring and how you can help your team meet the challenges ahead. As a leader, you play an important role in ensuring that your team is ready to tackle current and future challenges. You may also have heard from your team members that they want more training and development opportunities. But with so many options available, how can you identify the right leadership development solutions? Today I’m kicking off a series of articles about how to do just that.

This week, we’ll focus on understanding what your team needs. With so many fires to put out every day, it may have been a while since you holistically assessed how your team is doing. By pausing to do so now you, you can make a more informed choice when it comes time to select leadership development training. Give yourself some time to think through these seven questions.

1. What has your team been through in the past year? What are they going through right now? Changes and challenges have been coming so rapidly that you may have lost track of everything that has happened. How have economic changes, technological disruptions and societal disruptions affected your organization and your team?

2. Are you seeing signs of stress and burnout? If you notice that your team members are making more mistakes or missing deadlines, you may assume that some are underperformers or that they’re “quiet quitting.” But such behaviors can also be a sign that they’re overwhelmed with stress and fatigue. Burnout rates just keep rising, so it’s essential for all leaders to recognize the signs and symptoms of burnout on their team.

3. How are your team members showing up? Observe your team members in different situations. Every interaction either elevates or diminishes their individual leadership brands. Are they sending messages that align with who they want to be?

4. How are your team’s relationships? To succeed, your team members need strong networks. But, for many people, relationship building suffers when they get busy or when they work remotely. Is everyone just keeping their head down to get things done? Or are they cultivating relationships with each other, with colleagues in other departments and with leaders at different levels?

5. How are your team members communicating? One of the most important leadership skills for your team members to develop is the ability to communicate with influence and impact. How would you describe each person’s communication style and approach? Do you see any common themes? Pay special attention to whether your team members become less-effective communicators when they are stressed out.

6. Are your team members focused on the right work? With everyone so busy, knowing how to manage your energy and capacity is an essential skill. Do your team members prioritize the work that will have the most impact? Or do they seem distracted and scattered?

7. Beyond what we have already covered, what other themes do you notice?

What’s Ahead in This Series

I hope that this exercise has given you a clearer picture of what’s going on with your team now and the biggest needs a leadership program should address. In upcoming articles, I’ll talk more about defining the outcomes you want from leadership training and what effective leadership training looks like. In the meantime, explore one of our newest leadership development solutions, the award-winning app New Lens. It focuses on areas where people get stuck and strategies that drive high performance, and is designed to fit into tight schedules and build relationships in the process. Schedule a demo now.