15 Metrics that Matter About Your Frontline

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15 Metrics that Matter
About Your Frontline
©Development Dimensions International, Inc., 2017. All rights reserved.

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Pressure Points
Competition and complexity have made frontline
leaders’ jobs more challenging than ever before.
Leaders face increasing pressure to deliver results,
reduce costs, innovate, and motivate a diverse workforce
that crosses organizational and geographic boundaries.
Accomplishing these objectives means today’s frontline
leaders need a complex combination of skills,
knowledge, and experience.

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We’ve curated data from multiple sources
on the state of frontline leaders: who they
are today and what’s required of them in
the future, their strengths and gaps, and
their impact on your organization.

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What's unique about
first-level leaders?
• Higher proportion of women:
34% at the first level compared to 25% at
mid and higher levels and 21% at senior level
• Average 40 years-old
• Crossing over to younger generations:
14% of first-level leaders are Millennials
and 77% are Gen X (91% total for these roles)

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More than 87% of first‐time leaders feel frustrated, anxious, and
uncertain about their new role. Without a formal transition
program, most first‐time managers are left to sink or swim.
Are Your New Leaders Sinking or
Swimming?
Source: Your First Leadership Job, DDI, 2015

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Just more than a quarter of organizations have effective development in
place for first‐time leaders and 17% have no development at all for first‐
time leaders.
The Dismal State of 1st-Time Leadership Development
Source: State of Leadership Development 2015, Brandon Hall Group
Executives and
other
senior leaders
First-time
leaders/supervisors
Mid-
level/emerging
leaders
Individual
contributor leaders

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Just 38% of organizations have identified first‐time leaders as critical for
development over the next 12 to 24 months.
No Plans for Development?
53% 51%
38%
32%
22% 21% 20%
16% 16% 13%
Leader segments most critical for accelerated development (Next 1‐2 years).
Source: Brandon Hall Group, State of Leadership Development 2015: The Time to Act is Now

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50% of first time
leaders were not given
the opportunity to complete
leadership or interpersonal
skills training.
Of the 50% who had
training, less than 7% had
follow-up coaching and
application opportunities.
Source: Leaders in Transition: Progressing Along a Precarious Path (DDI, 2014)

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25% of first‐level leaders are less than effective at inviting ideas
from others. Gaining buy‐in from the people you work with is an essential
part of your job as a new leader.
Gaining Buy-In From Co-Workers is Crucial
Source: Your First Leadership Job, DDI, 2015

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When we asked the most common reason that frontline leaders fail, the
number one reason (selected by more than half of respondents) is a lack
of interpersonal skills.
Why Frontline
Leaders Fail
Source: Be Better Than Average, DDI, 2013

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Gaps in interpersonal skills are the
#1 reason frontline leaders fail!
Source: High-Resolution Leadership, DDI, 2016
Effectiveness of Interaction Skills
Percentage of People Who Demonstrate
Effectiveness in These Skills

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The 5 critical skills that first‐level leaders need to develop most (based on
at least 30% of HR rating the skills as critical. Only about half or less of
frontline leaders are rated as effective).
% Frontline leaders
rated as effective
1. Identifying and developing future talent 53%
2. Managing and successfully introducing change 53%
3. Fostering employee creativity and innovation 52%
4. Inspiring others toward a challenging future vision 51%
5. Leading across countries and cultures 27%
Source: DDI and The Conference Board: Global Leadership Forecast 2014|2015
Critical Skills
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Frontline Leaders
Need More Support!
• Only 1/3 (33%) of first-level leaders have
a written and up-to-date development
plan (at least 10% fewer than other levels)
• Only 57% think their manager is
effective at developing them
• Less than half (49%) think their senior
executives are committed to developing the
organization's leaders

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Top 5 Transitions First-Time
Leaders Struggle With
Source: Leaders in Transition: Progressing Along a Precarious Path (DDI, 2014)
• Getting work done through others (42%)
• Dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty (42%)
• Engaging and inspiring employees (39%)
• Creating a new network (33%)
• Navigating organizational politics (30%)

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Plant the Seeds Early: Learn Before You Lead
Source: PROOF: That DDI’s Leadership Development Pays Off, 2017

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Overwhelmingly, empathy tops the list as the most critical driver for
overall performance in frontline leaders. Only 40% of the frontline leaders
we assessed were proficient or strong in empathy.
Empathy is
Boss
Source: High-Resolution Leadership, DDI, 2016

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Successful Development Can Make Up for Experience

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Development Builds Confidence to Build Leadership Diversity

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Keys to Developing Exceptional
Frontline Leaders
Frontline leaders play an incredibly important role in your organization. They are often
the largest leader population, and they impact areas such as team productivity, employee
engagement, and customer satisfaction. So how can you take your leaders from average
to exceptional?
1. Prepare Your First Line of Defense
Use the data you have at hand, and then get more. Have a clear picture of the gaps that exist.
Help your frontline leaders understand their blind spots and development areas—as well as
their strengths—to engage them in their own development experience.
2. Get Personal
Interpersonal skills are the biggest difference‐maker between average and exceptional leaders.
Ensure your leaders have a solid foundation in these skills and hold leaders at all levels
accountable
for using them.
3. Rethink Development
Blended learning has taken on a new meaning. When organizations understand all of the tools
and technologies available to them, and then build them into development initiatives in a
meaningful way, then your leadership development will be above average—delivering way‐
above‐average leaders!

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Develop essential skills in first-time
managers and frontline leaders.

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Sources
Be Better Than Average: A study on the state of frontline leadership
291 human resources executives in the United States and Canada. DDI and HR.com, 2013.
Brandon Hall Group, 2015 State of Employment Value Proposition Study
State of Leadership Development 2015: The Time to Act is Now
242 responses from organizations, ranging in size from less than 25 employees to more than 100,000 and with
revenues from $50 million
or less to $5 billion or more. Brandon Hall Group, 2015.
DDI and The Conference Board: Global Leadership Forecast 2014|2015
13,124 leaders; 1,528 global human resource executives; and 2,031 participating organizations in 48 countries
across all global regions.
DDI, 2014‐2015.
PROOF: That DDI’s Leadership Development Pays Off
186 unique studies from 1970 to 2015; 18,338 leaders and 12,200 observers; 44 countries in 8 major industries.
DDI, 2017.
Leaders in Transition: Progressing Along a Precarious Path
618 respondents who had experienced a transition at work in the past three years, DDI, 2014.
Your First Leadership Job: How Catalyst Leaders Bring Out the Best in Others, Byham and Wellins,
Wiley, 2015.
High‐Resolution Leadership
A synthesis of 15,000 assessments into how leaders shape the business landscape, DDI, 2016

15 Metrics that Matter About Your Frontline

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