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One common critique of leadership training programs is that the leader attends some training, but then isn’t able to utilize what they’ve learned at work because there is no support mechanism within the organization. A comprehensive leadership training program will include a support structure for developing leaders. This support takes several forms.

Every leader should have someone they can turn to for advice and counsel. Normally, this is their immediate supervisor. No matter how much training a leader receives, they will encounter problems that weren’t covered and will benefit from this coaching. While the coach must always be supportive, this isn’t a relationship to stroke egos. In fact, the coach must be willing to point out where their charge went wrong or what might have worked better. A leader must develop a “thick skin” and be able to take constructive criticism.

Some organizations assign potential leaders to a coach or mentor several levels above them. This is fine and can be beneficial if the new leader will move between parts of the organization. But beware of the “golden boy” perception that the junior person in the relationship is protected and can do no wrong. Even if a more senior coach is assigned, the immediate supervisor should still be the primary source of help for a new leader.

Here are some things a coach should consider when working with a more junior leader.

Encourage your trainee to take risks. This is very hard to do because their risk is most likely your risk as well, and their failure becomes entirely your responsibility. A good leader has to be able to assess risks and decide which are worth taking and which are not. Again, that means close supervision, but a willingness to let them try. A good way to approach this is to sit down and discuss the idea you feel might be risky. Have the trainee explain all the pros and cons and why they think one outweighs the other. You will probably need to fill in some blanks learned from your own experience. On the other hand, there might be something you think would benefit the organization, but that your trainee has rejected as too risky. Young leaders will often err on the side of caution, which is not all bad, but they need to learn when a risk might be worth taking.

It may seem that leadership training and development just results in all bad news but don’t let them be discouraged. Celebrate their success. That doesn’t mean constant cheering for every little thing. Instead, when they have done something well, tell them. If you gave them a project to complete and they did a good job, make sure they get the credit. It’s very easy to only criticize, but positive reinforcement is a much better motivator and teacher.

There is a natural tendency to want to hang on to your protégé. Don’t be afraid to loan or even reassign them to other parts of the organization. They will be better overall leaders for the organization if they have a broader range of experience. Also, younger people in the workplace tend to want these broader experiences more than previous generations.

Be willing to give your trainee a peek under the tent. That means let them see the inner workings of the organization. Doing so will really help them understand why you want things a certain way as well as help them see the interrelationships and cause and effect of decisions and actions taken by leaders in the organization. It always baffles me when leaders won’t let their trainees see the whole picture. If you don’t trust them, don’t train them to be a leader!

Leadership development is a long-term process. Make sure someone is always there to coach new leaders along the way.

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When did you first begin to learn the concepts of good leadership? Did you receive formal training? Did someone help you along, or were you just thrown to the wolves to fend for yourself? Unfortunately, too many beginning leaders find themselves to be wolf-bait. If they survive, they might receive some type of “leadership development,” which often emphasizes management principles more than actual leadership. The smart, successful organization will design a leadership development program that develops leaders incrementally, beginning with first level managers.

The first step in a good leadership development program is to decide it’s important. By that I mean determine just how important leadership development is to your organization. The return on investment can be quite substantial, but it’s often difficult to measure. Surveys of people who quit their jobs reveal that a majority quit because of things leaders, often at the manager level, could have changed. Think about what bad leadership may be costing in employee turnover. How about customer service? What sort of image do employees who are unhappy with their leadership present to the customer? Another consideration is the overall efficiency of your operation. Employees who suffer under poor leadership are much less likely to be work to better the organization.

Next, determine what it is you want to develop. While leadership development may be included in an overall program designed to develop a worker to become a senior leader or executive, it’s important to be clear that leadership is about leading people and therefore should be one of the first parts of any overall program. What’s often missed is that it’s the lower- and mid-level managers who actually do the day-to-day leading in most organizations.

Finally, budget for a development program. The program doesn’t have to be a great expense, but does require a commitment, in time and manpower as well as money. You must be willing to dedicate the time for potential leaders to attend training courses, workshops, seminars, and coaching and that dedication must start with first-level managers. You may decide to hire an outside contractor to help develop and run the program, but I strongly recommend someone within the organization be assigned to at least provide oversight. Also, more senior leaders must be able to make time available to adopt and coach protégés.

I’ve seen two problems that really baffle me. The first is people who complain that leadership within their organization is either bad, or apparently non-existent. Those organizations appear to suffer because of this lack of leadership. Because their people don’t excel, the organization never realizes its real potential.

The other is organizations which appoint people to positions that require them to lead people, but give them no training, and often little support. When those leaders fail, the common refrain is, “I guess they just weren’t leadership material.”

As a leader, you can prevent these things from happening, and avoid the associated costs, by designing a good leadership program.

Look for the next installment in this series on Thursday – Where to look for potential leaders!

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“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?