The Leadership Growth Lattice
Much like a gardening lattice, a Leadership Lattice is a structured approach (through conversation and building a developmental plan) consisting of different competency vehicles (like joining internal teams, being a part of non-profit boards or associations, or sitting in on strategic planning meetings) that grow and support the Millennials that are looking to advance in the organization.
The Leadership Lattice does three things:
1. It provides a roadmap for both the Adaptive Coach and the Millennial on specific areas of growth and development needed to build the Millennial’s competency and commitment to the organization.
2. It challenges the current beliefs of the Millennial about the timeframe and the expectation of their role (and growing roles) in the organization. Once you can build discrepancy through a tactical, tangible vision of where you plan to grow your Millennial worker, this can tamper down the romantic belief that they will be the CEO before the appropriate time.
3. It frames a commitment between the Adaptive Coach and the Millennial that is in writing, has a specific work plan and review dates, and ensures that opportunities will be created.
The Leadership Lattice starts as a conversation between the Adaptive Coach and Millennial to discuss what the Millennial needs in terms of growth and support. This conversation is all about building competency and commitment. It may be finding areas where further training is needed like in facilitation skills or decision making skills. It may be about getting the Millennial on a multi-functional internal team to explore his/her skill sets, add value to the organization and become entrenched in the mission of the organization. Sometimes, for your Rock Star Millennials, it’s about putting them through a 360-degree development feedback process where you can identify strengths and weaknesses and then find avenues to strengthen the strengths and neutralize the weaknesses.