How do you ensure your Leadership Training stays relevant?

It's so easy to determine what today's needs are and base your training ideas around those. But what do the leaders of tomorrow need? By answering that question for your industry and company, you highlight the main skillsets that will make your leaders valuable in the future. Those are skills that will make your company relevant and valuable in the market place for some time to come

What is relevant today, may not be tomorrow. But leadership skills are always needed, and for those of us who do training we need to constantly review out methods to be absolutely positive the message we bring is up to date and needed. What are the needs of the organization, and its leadership team? A review of their needs is important prior to training. One thing I suggest to clients is a regular self-assessment tool that lets the team know where they need to improve.

Trust the learners to generate questions in dialog with trainer and allow the context and concerns to emerge naturally. Use the questions to develop objectives and outcome rather than imposing goals onto the learners.

Defining what leadership skills mean to your organization is ideally the first step. For some, it might be position-based, for others, it might be across the organization. A best practice is to realize that leadership is not defined as a specific position or set of skills. Leadership in essence is a way of presenting yourself and will ideally be a blend of unique skillsets for each individual.

Assessing the needs involves regularly evaluating your organisation's current and future leadership requirements. Conduct surveys, interviews, and performance reviews to identify skills gaps and emerging challenges. Analyse industry trends and organisational changes to ensure the training aligns with evolving goals and demands.

This is an important point. Before we deliver any training, we need a complete understanding of the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organization, and make sure we align the training program to help them maximize potential.

While alignment with vision, mission and values are all important and should be a blend of individual employees and the organization itself. Most importantly is to align with corporate strategy and direction. In order to be successful in today's VUCAH world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity, and Hyperconnectivity) organizations need to be adaptable and willing to constantly assess for alignment and re-adjustment as needed.

I agree that some content should be custom, and developed specifically for the organization we serve. But there are some things that I consistently, and will always use, for training. Some of the great things I took from my early training that linger with me and made an impact. Quotes, for example, from well know leaders are important. Zig Ziglar had a specific quote related to training. When confronted by those who say motivation doesn't last long, he replied that neither does bathing. And so, we recommend it daily! Customized training is important. I am doing a session this week, and I tailored it to the specific audience. I don't suggest we repeat things forever, that's lazy. But like beautiful music, some things are forever.

One of the most effective methods of customizing the training content and making it relevant for your organization is Co-Creation. The leadership knowledge and skills live on all levels of a company (and not only at the level of senior leadership). So why don't we involve the future learners in the content design and development? I don't think that creating impactful leadership development content should be solely responsibility of learning and development professionals. Everyone should be involved.

While out-of-the-box programs can be a great starting point they often miss the mark when it comes to Leadership Development and can quickly become outdated. Programs should be customized to the individual as well as organizational needs. Building a foundation with a focus group for input can be the difference between creating a one off program vs. an experience.

To keep leadership training relevant, it's all about customizing the content. Think about who you're working with and what they really need. In my experience with trauma-informed leadership and DEI, it's important to get to know your audience. I make sure to use real-world examples that hit home for them. For example, trauma-informed practices ensure that the training is sensitive to participants' backgrounds, creating a safer and more inclusive space. Listening to the diverse stories of participants helps me tailor the training even more. By focusing on personalization and truly understanding the needs of the group, the training stays impactful and meaningful.

Customising the content involves tailoring the leadership training programme to address the specific needs and goals of your organisation. Incorporate real-life scenarios and challenges relevant to your industry and team. Adapt the curriculum based on feedback from participants and ongoing assessments.

I have been involved with public speaking for a number of years. I usually can get a feeling from the audience as to how my message was received, or at least I used to think so! Faculty members, who are reviewed each class have a seemingly good sense about the class performance. But sometimes, our Spidey-sense may not be accurate. You may not really know until you allow for anonymous review if you get the message across as effectively as you thought. Those among us who are wise, will review that feedback, each and every time, and use it to improve!

Regularly conduct a needs assessment to identify evolving challenges and skill requirements. Establish feedback mechanisms involving participants, trainers, and stakeholders. Solicit feedback from participants after each training session. Use this input to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in the training methods. Customize leadership training programs to address the specific needs of diverse audiences. Incorporate diverse perspectives and leadership models into the training curriculum. Ensure that the content resonates with a multicultural and inclusive workforce.

Nothing is worse than death by Power Point! I saw recently a presentation by a well-known professional. Read every single like, as though the audience was illiterate! Same slides I saw this same presenter use a couple of years ago, with nothing updated! I am not necessarily a "gamer", but I do like to use some videos, etc. Use available tech, and methods to present the best possible message you can!

Updating the methods involves incorporating the latest training techniques and technologies to enhance engagement and learning. Integrate interactive elements such as simulations, role-playing, and digital tools to keep the content dynamic. Stay informed about emerging trends in leadership development and adapt your methods accordingly. Regularly review and refine your approach based on feedback and effectiveness to ensure the training remains impactful and relevant

Training must be reinforced somehow. Training that is one-and-done just doesn't stick. Much like hearing a motivational speaker, we all feel good in the moment but then struggle to implement the lessons later on. Ensure you not only reinforce the lessons during the training session but follow up with some sort of group accountability afterward. I prefer group coaching sessions where I can find my champion who will continue to uphold the lessons for the organization long after my work is done.

Effective leadership training takes the form of a cycle of acquiring new knowledge (passive learning), and then turning that knowledge into skill through action (active learning.) When we initially learn something new, is when the slope of our natural forgetting curve is the steepest, but we can flatten the curve and retain our leadership knowledge and skills longer by engaging in spaced repetition, or learning reinforcement. The initial repetition or practice should take place relatively quickly after the initial training to be sure that learners retained the knowledge that they'll need to be successful, then from there, learning reinforcement may gradually become less frequent as learners become more comfortable with the content.

A learning event is simply an event. Bringing people together for a few hours, days or weeks will have little to no impact. 1. Establish goal setting - Have learners identify at the beginning what is in it for them. 2. Create participation - Engage learners in the development and execution of the program on an ongoing basis. Give them skin in the game and tie it to something that is meaningful to them. 3. Ongoing Support - Encourage a community for ongoing learning and development support. Provide additional resources such as coaching and follow-up activities.

I think we underestimate the need and power of engaging staff in their planned training. Listening Led leaders are able to speak to their teans and plan training input and output together. This drives far higher levels of engagement and consistent motivation.

When considering leadership training, it’s essential to focus on emotional intelligence and resilience. Leaders must navigate complex interpersonal dynamics and maintain composure under pressure. Encourage self-awareness through reflection and feedback, and foster adaptability by simulating real-world challenges. Cultivate a growth mindset to inspire innovation and continuous learning. Lastly, ensure the training is inclusive, addressing diverse leadership styles and cultural competencies.

When ensuring your leadership training stays relevant, also consider: Continuous Feedback: Collect and act on feedback from participants to make timely adjustments. Expert Involvement: Engage industry experts or consultants to provide insights and validate content relevance. Diverse Learning Formats: Incorporate a mix of in-person, virtual, and self-paced learning to accommodate different preferences and schedules. Real-World Application: Ensure training includes practical, actionable strategies that can be applied immediately in the workplace. Evaluation and Metrics: Regularly assess the effectiveness of the training using relevant metrics to measure its impact and adjust as needed.