Corporations are victims of the great training robbery according to the authors of HBR article: Why Leadership Training Fails – and What to Do About It.
The reason? Money is spent on training, not on changing leadership’s ability to develop talent in the organization according to the authors of the article.
This is also what I have observed over many years of leadership coaching in large corporations as well as small operations. Where leaders have embraced coaching for their managers, the organization has developed as has talent and potential of promotion to leadership positions.
When reverting to the leadership training only, leaders have little success in changing the way in which their teams operate. Change only comes with an integrated approach, first by defining the performance expectations based on values, then on coaching to help managers internalize the values and develop their behaviors. Only then, according to the article, will leadership be ready to benefit from training and have an impact on the day-to-day application of that training.
The authors suggest executives ask themselves and their HR teams the following questions:
- Is leadership aligned with the values of the organization and have clear strategies that inspire employees?
- Have they gathered accurate feedback about barriers to effectiveness and performance, which includes an assessment of senior management’s behaviors?
- Have the above assessments resulted in a re-design of management practices and company-wide structures and strategies?
- Is coaching and consulting being used as a way to help team members to practice the company expectations regarding behaviors at work?
- Do corporate training programs properly support these clear strategies for change in every unit of operation?
Answering “no” to any of the above questions indicates that your organization is overspending on training while not achieving the leadership outcomes anticipated.
Spend no more on training, invest in developing leaders first, hire a coach for them right now!