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Standard : Leaders develop capability in others, not just themselves

Purpose and Strategic Importance

This standard ensures that leadership investment extends beyond individual development into systemic capability building. Leaders who focus only on their own growth create single points of failure; leaders who build depth create resilience, succession, and organisational adaptability.

It supports the policy "Build Leadership Depth" by making the development of others a core leadership obligation, not an optional act of generosity.

Strategic Impact

  • Reduces key-person dependency and delivery risk
  • Creates a pipeline of capable, ready leaders at every level
  • Enables bolder delegation and faster decision-making at the edge
  • Strengthens culture through shared leadership norms and expectations
  • Improves retention by giving people visible growth pathways

Risks of Not Having This Standard

  • Leadership gaps emerge suddenly when key individuals leave or are unavailable
  • Organisational knowledge concentrates in too few people
  • Teams become disempowered, waiting for direction rather than exercising judgement
  • Growth stalls because the organisation cannot scale faster than its current leaders

CMMI Maturity Model

Level 1 – Initial

Category Description
People & Culture - Leadership development is ad hoc or driven entirely by personal ambition.
- Developing others seen as a distraction from delivery.
Process & Governance - No structured succession planning or leadership pipeline visibility.
- Promotions reactive rather than planned.
Technology & Tools - No platforms or tools supporting structured learning or mentoring.
- Development conversations informal and undocumented.
Measurement & Metrics - No tracking of leadership readiness or bench strength.
- Capability gaps identified only when crises occur.

Level 2 – Managed

Category Description
People & Culture - Some leaders invest in developing direct reports but inconsistently.
- Development framed as performance management rather than growth.
Process & Governance - Individual development plans exist but are rarely actioned.
- Succession planning discussed annually without follow-through.
Technology & Tools - Basic learning platforms available but underutilised.
- Coaching and mentoring available on request.
Measurement & Metrics - Talent reviews occur but data rarely drives action.
- Leadership readiness tracked in some teams.

Level 3 – Defined

Category Description
People & Culture - Leaders actively coach, mentor, and create stretch opportunities for others.
- Development of others considered a core part of leadership role.
Process & Governance - Structured succession plans exist for critical roles.
- Leadership development embedded in team rhythms (1:1s, reviews, assignments).
Technology & Tools - Shared platforms for learning, mentoring, and feedback in regular use.
- Leadership frameworks guide development conversations.
Measurement & Metrics - Leadership pipeline visibility maintained and reviewed quarterly.
- Development milestones tracked and acted on.

Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed

Category Description
People & Culture - Leaders measure their own effectiveness by the growth of those they develop.
- High-potential individuals identified early and actively developed.
Process & Governance - Leadership depth a standing agenda item at senior level.
- Clear criteria and progression paths for each leadership level.
Technology & Tools - Data on leadership capability feeds talent and succession planning tools.
- Feedback loops between performance and development investment.
Measurement & Metrics - Internal promotion rate, retention of high-potentials, and bench strength tracked.
- Correlation between development investment and organisational performance visible.

Level 5 – Optimising

Category Description
People & Culture - Building others is the primary lens through which leadership effectiveness is judged.
- Organisational capability growth is a shared leadership responsibility.
Process & Governance - Leadership development continuously refined based on outcomes and changing needs.
- Succession plans reviewed and updated as contexts shift.
Technology & Tools - Continuous learning embedded in daily work, not separated from delivery.
- Development data used to shape organisational design decisions.
Measurement & Metrics - Leadership depth metrics used to inform investment, hiring, and structure decisions.
- Capability growth tracked as a leading indicator of organisational resilience.

Key Measures

  • Percentage of critical roles with an identified, ready successor
  • Internal promotion rate at leadership levels
  • Retention rate of high-potential individuals
  • Number of active coaching and mentoring relationships per leader
  • Employee survey scores on growth opportunity and manager investment
Associated Policies
Associated Practices
  • Leadership Pathway Conversations
  • Strength-Based Development Planning
  • Coaching Conversations in 1:1s
  • Stretch Assignments and Sponsorship
  • Structured Feedback Conversations

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