Why Leadership Development Programs Fail
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Leadership development programs often fail because they take a one-size-fits-all approach, occur outside the real world, do not understand why certain behaviors exist, and lack proper measurement. Specifically, these programs assume the same skills apply to all strategies and cultures, focus too much on classroom training rather than learning by doing, fail to understand the reasons behind current behaviors, and do not quantify the value through metrics. To be effective, leadership programs need to be tailored, combine on-site and real-world learning, prioritize understanding the motivations for behaviors, and track outcomes through tools like 360 feedback and promotions.
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Why Leadership Development Programs Fail
- 1. 1 Why Leadership Development Programs Fail Summary of McKinsey & Company article
- 2. 2 rds 2/3 THE DISCONNECT of executives ranked Leadership Development # 1 Priority ONLY 7% said Leadership Development was effective
- 3. THE FOUR MISTAKES • One Size Fits All Approach • Outside The Real World • Inability to Understand the Why • Lack of Measurement
- 4. 4 ONE SIZE FITS ALL - Assuming the same skills & leadership style works for all strategies, cultures, and mandates - Leadership initiative planning should always start with asking what is the program for? - Focus on a few competencies that are targeted specifically for projects
- 5. OUTSIDE THE REAL WORLD • too large a share of Leadership is done in a classroom • adults retain 10% of classroom training • 2/3rds when learning by doing • combine off-site training & learning by doing • make every major project a leadership development opportunity
- 6. 6INABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE WHY • Leadership development requires changes in behavior • Must understand the WHY behind current behaviors in order to affect change • Make understanding the why a priority • Tools like the Leadership Skills Profile (LSP) provide unique perspective on the why
- 7. 7LACK OF MEASUREMENT • Impossible to demonstrate value without numbers • Need to quantify value to be valued • Use 360 feedback tool to measure change • Track career development, promotions, retention • Tie metrics into real world impact – team productivity, impact on projects
- 8. Glen Harrison 8 gharrison@SigmaLeader.com 800-265-1285 ext. 233 SigmaLeader.com Glen-Harrison.com @SigmaLeader
Editor's Notes
- According to the McKinsey and Company article there is more than 14 billion dollars annually spent on Leadership Development. So, it should come as no surprise that 2/3 of executives they surveyed ranked Leadership Development as their number 1 Human Capital priority. The surprise – maybe not much of a surprise – comes from a different study where only 7% of leaders viewed Leadership Development as effective. Clearly there is a huge disconnect between intent and outcomes. The article focuses on 4 mistakes companies make that are likely to blame for this.
- While certainly not exhaustive, the four mistakes can be grouped into 4 broad categories:One Size Fits All Approach Outside The Real WorldInability to Understand the WhyLack of Measurement
- I’ve commented before on companies employing a one size fits all approach to Leadership Development. This approach relies on the premise that the same leadership skills and leadership styles work for every situation, which is clearly not the case. Leadership Development programs should recognize that leadership needs depend on specific strategic initiatives, unique corporate cultures, and senior leadership mandates.Every Leadership Development plan should start with a specific organizational need in mind. Asking yourself what is the program for will deliver more targeted leadership development programs and allow participants to focus on a few competencies with the maximum impact.
- The McKinsey article highlights a huge challenge for Learning & Development professionals. Adult learners retain only 10% of classroom learning compared with retaining more than 2/3 when they learn by doing. While the numbers should come as little surprise, we still deliver to much of our Leadership Development in a classroom setting.There is absolutely value in traditional Leadership Development training. However, the classroom should complement more opportunities for Leaders to learn from doing. Looking at every new project as a Leadership Development opportunity is one of the many ways to include more ‘on-the-job’ Leadership Development.
- A significant component of growing as a leader depends on changes in behavior. Too often, we focus on effecting change without first trying to understand the why of current behavior. Tools like the Leadership Skills Profile provide a unique perspective on why leaders do what they do and how they do it. Leadership Development should incorporate a self-awareness component to give leaders insight behind specific behaviors. That insight is invaluable when developing strategies for changing behaviors.
- Leadership Development professionals always have to fight for resources and budget for their programs because they struggle to quantify value. Like any other area of the company, we need to demonstrate value with numbers.A few ideas for measuring the impact of Leadership Development include:using a 360 feedback tool before a program and following up with one six or twelve month following tracking the career development of former participants that includes promotions and retention measure the impact of participants on projects in terms of productivity