Big brands' leadership lessons revealed

Some of the world's biggest brands have shared their leadership lessons, relayed by Hay Group as part of its 'World's Most Admired Companies' (WMACs) project.

The WMACs include big brands like IBM, Caterpillar, FedEx, McDonald's, Apple and Starbucks, according to Haygroup.com. Filtering down their lessons, Hay Group revealed that the first is a keen interesting in leadership development investment.

Cited by Greatleadershipbydan.com, Hay Group spokesman Mel Stark explained: "They invest in planned career assignments and individual or one-on-one coaching, rather than formal, in-house training programs.

"Secondly, the WMACs believe 'social and emotional' skill development is twice as important as 'technical' skill development. So, they use 'competency models'... more frequently than their peers to help them identify and develop leadership talent."

What's more, WMACs seem to place particular importance on being socially aware, make leaders able to self-manage themselves (leaving them able to focus on managing others) and being fully self-aware of their own abilities. However although Stark did admit these are all great tips for those hoping to develop strong leaders, he suggested that most of it is up to the individual.

"Leaders must develop self-awareness, and be mindful of how they engage others and the outcomes they produce," he said, potentially implying organisations must work in tandem with their future leaders to help aid progression.