Send to Kindle“I sent managers to leadership training, but I haven’t seen much of a result.”
“The training wasn’t very effective because it didn’t really change behaviors.”
These are common complaints about leadership training. New or prospective leaders are sent to various training events, but their bosses are often disappointed with the results. At the same time, those leaders who went to the training don’t feel it was much benefit because they were not given the opportunity to implement what they learned. The lessons fade off as an interesting, if not very useful, memory.
The root cause of these complaints is that organizations tend to approach leadership training as a square to fill instead of developing an on-going leadership development program. Senior leaders want to spend as little time and money as possible, so they expose their young protégés to a little training, hoping that will be sufficient. And, though they want those protégés to bring lessons back to the office, but they shouldn’t try to make any big changes. Things are working just fine like they are.
This approach is wasteful and counterproductive. Organizations must go beyond just training and embrace leadership development. Leadership is a skill that cannot be mastered in a half-day seminar, or even a 3-day “boot camp.” What’s required is a comprehensive program that teaches concepts and techniques, then helps new leaders learn how to implement them. This sort of comprehensive program requires a combination of training and follow-up. The leader must have someone they can turn to for advice and with whom they can discuss difficult problems. Some call this a coach, others a mentor, but the name isn’t important. What is important is that the leader has someone who can help them properly apply the principles they learned in training.
There’s another factor that’s necessary for effective leadership development: the right atmosphere and culture. There is nothing more discouraging for a young manager than to attend a training session where they learn exciting new techniques, only to have their efforts to utilize those new techniques stifled because doing so will require change. The senior leaders must encourage those they are developing to use their training and suggest new ideas. Yes, there are times when an idea cannot be implemented. In those cases, the senior leader must explain why, while encouraging continued thought and ideas.
Leadership development is an on-going process and one that should start early. First level managers are probably leading people, so why not send them to some entry level leadership training. In fact, wouldn’t entry level managers be a good place to start a leadership development program? After all, some of these people have the potential to rise to senior leadership positions and the training and development they receive now will pay big dividends later.
How are you developing the future leaders of the organization? Are you just giving them a little training, or does you organization have a genuine leadership development program?
