leadership training

We’ve all been there: you invest in a leadership training program and hope to see the promised results. But, months later, nothing has changed. Meanwhile, your team is still struggling with communication and collaboration issues.

Did you know that only 50% of leadership training programs yield the desired results? That’s a pretty startling statistic, and one that should serve as a wake-up call to any company looking for increased productivity, better employee engagement, and reduced turnover. The reason is simple: Leadership development programs don’t always deliver the ROI they promise because they’re often designed in isolation from your organization’s specific needs. 

We all know that leadership training programs are not a one-and-done deal. They require continual reinforcement and upkeep to be effective. But why do they fail in the first place? 

It’s not just you, it’s pretty much everyone else too. Leadership training programs have traditionally failed because of a few key factors. In this blog post, we will share all that can go wrong so that you can create more effective leadership programs by focusing on what matters most to your business. This way, when it comes time for evaluation at the end of your program, you’ll know whether or not it was worth investing in.

Factors that contribute to the failure of leadership development programs

1. A system that does not support the desired behaviour

If the system does not change, it will set people up to fail. Research in the 1950s found that most supervisors regressed to their pre-training views after a while. The only exceptions were those whose bosses practised and believed in the new leadership style the program was designed to teach.

Training programs do not facilitate organizational change. Even well-trained and motivated employees are unable to apply their new knowledge and skills when they return to their units which are entrenched in established ways of doing things. In short, individuals have less power to change the system surrounding them than that system has to shape them. Organizations need “fertile soil” in place before the “seeds” of training interventions can grow.

When organizational change and development efforts are championed by senior leaders then training gains the most traction. That’s because such efforts motivate people to learn and change; create the conditions for them to apply what they’ve learned; foster immediate improvements in individual and organizational effectiveness; and put in place systems that help sustain the learning.

Organizations are systems of interacting elements: Roles, responsibilities, and relationships are defined by organizational structure, processes, leadership styles, people’s professional and cultural backgrounds, and HR policies and practices. All those elements together drive organizational behaviour and performance. If the system does not change, it will not support and sustain individual behaviour change—indeed, it will set people up to fail.

2. Lack of Clear Direction on Strategy and Values

The effectiveness of any manager depends on the clear strategic direction that they have from the top management. Many companies consistently struggle with unclear direction on strategy and values, which often leads to conflicting priorities. This creates confusion and dissipation of valuable resources. When senior executives themselves don’t work as a team and are not fully committed to a new direction or acknowledged necessary changes in their behaviour, it is quite difficult to expect the rest of the managerial team to be able to deliver effectively. The problem then is more about the incongruence between what they learn in the training program and what they see on the ground in their organisation. 

Sometimes a top-down or laissez-faire style by the leader prevents honest conversation about problems. Employees hesitate to tell the senior team about obstacles to the organization’s effectiveness. This, coupled with a lack of coordination across businesses, functions, or regions due to poor organizational design and inadequate leadership time and attention to talent issues can create an environment where performance will be hindered, no matter how good the training program is. 

Hence while developing leadership programs, it is important to start at the top, ideally through a coaching intervention. Coaching of the senior executives will help bring clarity on the strategic direction and values. This can then be cascaded down to the next few layers through group coaching and training. 

By addressing management practices and leadership behaviour that shape the system before training individual employees, leaders create a favourable context for applying the learning. The systemic changes encourage—even require—the desired behaviours.

3. Absence of Context in the Leadership Training

Too many training initiatives rest on the assumption that one size fits all and that the same group of skills or style of leadership is appropriate regardless of strategy, organizational culture, or CEO mandate. 

Context is key. One size does not fit all. Many organizations invest in off-the-shelf programs or send their managers to academic leadership courses offered by well-respected universities without considering the real impact and results they are looking for. While these can be great for the individuals in terms of their personal brand building, it does not serve the purpose for the organization. Companies need to ask themselves what the desired outcome is and how a program will relate to specific organizational goals.

4. Employing a One-and-Done Program

Often, leadership training programs are offered as a one-and-done approach. In other words, you attend a 2-day training and that is the last you hear of it. But while a one-and-done approach satisfies the need to do something, it ignores a critical fact: leadership behaviours and new habits are developed over time. Leadership development is all about creating good leadership habits. As we know habits cannot be changed just from attending a 2-day class.

Effective leadership development needs to be constructed as a learning journey that unfolds over time. But not only this—it should incorporate continuous coaching to help observe and reinforce good habits. It should also provide opportunities for skill practice and application. Nothing can replace on-the-job training and giving real-time feedback.

To ensure success for your team, combine professional development with coaching or mentoring sessions focused on practical application.

Summary

So, there you have it – some of the key reasons why your leadership training program may not be delivering the results you are hoping for. 

Becoming a more effective leader often requires changing behaviour which also means adjusting underlying mindsets. Identifying some of the deepest, “below the surface” thoughts, feelings, assumptions, and beliefs is usually a precondition of behavioural change—something that’s often missing in leadership courses. 

Companies can avoid the most common mistakes in leadership training and increase the odds of success by first doing the groundwork of creating fertile soil for desired change, establishing clarity about strategic direction and values, matching specific leadership skills and traits to the context at hand; embedding leadership development in real work through coaching and mentoring interventions that investigate the mind-sets that underpin behaviour. 

For designing effective leadership development programs in Singapore and India, reach out to us at contact@soaringeagles.co.

Often leadership training is seen as a select program offered to a few, bright members of the team. There is a tendency to turn it into a reward for good performance or a filter for future leaders – maybe it’s the cost of the training session or perhaps over the years it has become an instrument for facilitating promotions.

Whatever be the case, we are here to put forth the idea that EVERYONE in the organization can benefit from leadership training and that it should be open to all – even to employees not on a managerial level.

To understand this idea, let us first look at what leadership training teaches. 

• It helps you understand your motivational drivers, emotional intelligence so that you can use this knowledge to control and guide your thoughts, actions, and behaviours. 
• It teaches you advanced communication skills so that you can influence and work well with your peers or team members.
• Leadership training teaches you to apply or adapt your leadership style to meet specific challenges. You will be taught how to manage stressful and demanding situations to drive team performance.
• You will also help people who work under you to learn and grow by coaching them or by sharing positive feedback.
• You will learn how to think logically, analyze information quickly, and come up with solutions on-the-fly. 
• And finally, you will learn to take charge of your own professional development to keep growing. 

If you take the word leadership out of the equation, it becomes evident that EVERYONE would benefit from having these skills. So, why just limit it to a select few? 

Here are some ways in which you will see the business benefit of this training

1. Enhance Productivity 

According to Gallup polls – employee investment leads to 10-19 % increase in sales and 9-15 % more self-reported engagement from employees. Giving new skills such as independent thinking, communication, and teamwork can have long term benefits across teams. When everyone in the company is communicating well and is self-driven, it will automatically drive productivity through the roof.  

2. Show employees that they are worth investing in

In a recent survey, companies with engaged employees outperformed those without by up to 202%. When you invest in training employees, they see career growth and opportunity within the organisation; this translates into making them work harder and be more engaged with the company.

3. Expanded leadership pool

Opening up leadership training develops hidden talent early on. Ultimately this will give you a larger crop of talented professionals who can step into leadership roles quickly and effectively. 

4. High retention rates and low HR costs

It’s no surprise that engaged and loyal employees tend to stay longer with their organisations – not only is this great for productivity it also makes the work of HR managers much easier and saves the cost of onboarding and training new employees.

Offering advanced leadership training also positions your organisation as an employee-centric company making it an attractive place for future employees – this naturally makes it easier to attract top talent during recruitment drives.  

Conclusion

You want your C-suite managers and team leaders to have a certain set of skills and maturity; when employees from all levels of the organisation are offered the SAME skills, it will grow the benefits exponentially and have a cascading effect on the company culture. Imagine an organisation full of self-motivated, forward-thinking individuals – how can anything stop that company from growing?

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you think widening leadership training to include more employees will have observable benefits? Do leave your point of view in the comment section below. We would love to know your opinion.

Wondering what you need to succeed as a leader? Here are some MUST-HAVE leadership competencies you need to know about.

Everyone in middle or senior management rungs of their corporate career think a LOT about how to be a good and effective leader! As you rise higher you WILL have individuals and teams reporting to you and managing them will be the MOST important part of your job!

So, no wonder leadership dilemmas keep many awake at night! How do you know if you are a good leader? What makes a good leader and what do you need to do to become one?

So, let’s start at the beginning with a list of some leadership competencies that most agree are absolutely critical for a leader.

1. Long-term Vision and the ability to reach these goals

These are two competencies rolled into one! A leader must be able to see the big picture and plan for it. It’s almost like a game of chess. You have to predict at least 7 moves ahead to cover all contingencies and get to your final goal!

But that’s not enough – all this strategy has to be executed as well. So, a good leader should also know how to get his/her hands dirty. They need to ensure that an actionable plan is created and people are put in place to carry out the whole thing. AND they need to able to step in when things go south.

2. Trustworthy, fair and consistent

The biggest job of a leader is to create an environment where his/her team feels safe and well cared for. When you, as the boss, ensure that everyone follows the same rules, you instil a sense of fairness. An employee knows what to expect, and this gives them the stability to relax and focus on performing well rather than cover their backside.

3. Delegate with confidence

With seniority, workload increases and becomes more complex, and at this point, it becomes obvious that the most successful leaders are the ones who can empower others around them to do their work. Delegation can be difficult for managers stepping into new leadership roles  – but finding the right person and then giving them the freedom and the power to do their work is one the key competencies of a leader.

4. Courage

Leaders are role models and its vital that their team sees them sticking up for what’s right! To succeed as a leader, you cannot be someone who doesn’t stand up for what you believe in. Not standing by your principals, is a sure-fire way of losing the respect of your team.

5. Promote growth

A confident leader nurtures his/her team. They have a growth mindset which allows team members to develop both personally and professionally. Listening to what they say, letting them take ownership of projects and providing them with valuable L&D training opportunities are some of the things a leader should promote.

6. Self-Awareness

A leader may not have all the answers all the time, and yet they are expected to lead others towards the corporate goals. This requires being able to understand themselves better and manage their own emotions. Understanding what drives them, how they react in various situations and how to keep themselves motivated in all situations are some of the key things leaders need to know about themselves. Unless they are able to do this with themselves, how can they be expected to manage others?

7. Influencing Skills

At its core, leadership is about influencing others, so a good leader needs to be a master of social influence. Especially in this age, throwing your weight around or being bossy will not get you the desired results. Seeing things from another’s perspective can help you understand what they want and allows you to focus on win-win situations and present your points in a way that it is well accepted.

Naturally, there are many more qualities that a leader needs to have – highly developed social skills is one – but the ones listed above are some of the most essential. As you can see, they are connected to developing a mindset, not a skill so, if you are wondering if these competencies can be developed then yes it’s possible.

Coaching and training are ways to ensure that individuals become successful leaders. The most successful training interventions are the ones that give the manager/leader actual opportunities to implement what they have learned and to get regular feedback on how they are doing.

A failure to invest in this training and development means that most companies will struggle with leadership issues, as they continue to place unprepared managers into leadership roles.

Interested? Want to know more? Click on the Request Consultation button above.

Congratulations! You are off to a great start. The first and the biggest step towards improving your team’s performance is to recognize that it needs help. So, if you are already thinking of offering a leadership training programme to some of your employees, then you are in a good spot – you have promising employees who might benefit from a leadership programme, AND you are willing to help them.

The next step is equally crucial – selecting a leadership programme that works for you and your employees. There is no one-size-fits-all PERFECT training session for leadership; this training is personal and must factor in the unique needs of your organization and your team.

Here are a few pointers to help you find the right programme –

1. Map your Goals

It is vital to have complete clarity regarding who, why and what of your leadership training –

• who are the people participating
• what skills do they need
• what do you hope the organization and the participants will gain from the training
• why do you feel the need to organize this training for your organization

You also need to know how you will assess the programme and most importantly how you will keep the momentum going after the programme is over!

Clarity on these points will help you while shortlisting a programme and a trainer.

2. Due Diligence of the Facilitator or the Executive Coach

In a leadership programme, everything rests on the shoulders of the facilitator/coach leading the sessions. You will naturally meet with several before finalizing your pick. It’s important to check the references of the people involved in the training.

You need to check –

• The facilitator’s / coach’s understanding of your unique requirements
• Their prior experience of conducting similar sessions
• References provided
• Online presence, blogs or reviews
• Their educational qualifications, certifications, etc.

The most important thing is to interact with the facilitator/coach and assess how they would approach the leadership programme and how they would make the learning stick.

Be careful not to get swayed by just someone’s big name – they may be great at marketing themselves but may not be great facilitators. After all, you want results – not a one-off motivational talk by someone high profile.

3. Trust and Rapport

Take the time to get to know the facilitator or the coach; you need to discuss your expectations in detail and understand how they plan to personalize and approach your specific requirements.

During your conversations, you will also build a rapport with the coach, and this is a crucial deciding factor – a facilitator-led training rests largely on the likability and social skills of the person conducting these sessions.

4. Session details

A good way to judge whether a particular programme will work for your team or not is to study the details of the various modules. It pays to get an understanding of how the sessions plan to tackle your goals.

5. Follow through

One of the biggest limitations of a leadership programme is that people tend to lose steam once the programme is over. Most participants come away enthused and full of energy to implement the learnings of the training but most never get around to doing it. A programme that leaves participants with a roadmap for implementing new skills and has a follow-up plan to keep them motivated in the long run is definitely worth considering.

Building and maintaining a leadership pipeline is absolutely vital for the continued growth of any business – it makes complete business sense to invest in future leaders. But you have to do it wisely – the goals of your organization has to align with the personal needs of the participants. Ultimately you need a programme that doesn’t just inspire but also imparts critical skills that leaders need!

Don’t guess your way to a leadership training program; it’s just too important for that! Bring in the experts to get your team the best. Request a free consultation by clicking the button above.