Is Leadership Development a Failed Cause?

Is Leadership Development A Failed Cause?

Is it a billion dollar industry that produces no real results? It's a question I'm starting to see in articles and even books. That these questions are being asked is not bad – we should always ask if what we do has positive results. What concerns me is that those asking the question conclude a negative answer based on study of a small sample of senior executives. My experience paints a very different picture.

My first leadership development experience was in the military. The military and leadership are commonly considered synonymous which is reasonable as the military takes leadership, and leadership development, very seriously. My initial leadership responsibility came after about two weeks of service and the first formal leadership training occurred after a little more than a year. In my military career I attended 10 different formal leadership training courses, and received numerous coaching and mentoring with more experienced leaders.

Yes, just like any large organization, there are a few bad and even unethical leaders in the military. However, they are a notable exception to the progress made in developing effective, high quality leaders as the result of an institutionalized program of leadership development that starts early and continues throughout a career. I've seen overwhelmingly positive results, and it's that experience I bring to my civilian leadership development business where I've also seen positive results. So naturally, I bristle at the idea that what I do is ineffective.

Much of the "proof" behind this indictment of leadership development concentrates on high-profile, c-level executives who have become well known for ethical lapses and bad human relations. But, fixing those people isn't what I or many of my colleagues do and unfortunately, concentrating on those few cases completely ignores the vast number of supervisors and managers who have become very effective leaders, thanks to good leadership development programs.

I believe a large part of the problem is a massive chasm that exists between academic study of leadership and practical application. I completed an emphasis on leadership during my MBA studies and was fortunate to have professors with actual real-world experience, but that seems to be an exception which seems odd. If you want to become a doctor, you will attend courses taught by doctors. If you wish to become an engineer, you will attend courses taught by people who have engineered something. Conversely, some business schools seem perfectly comfortable offering leadership training taught by people who have little or no experience in actually leading.

It also strikes me as interesting that these same people are the ones suggesting there should be a certification for those of us who provide real leadership development. While I'm not necessarily in favor of that, there are some definite qualifications both the program and the practitioner should possess.

1. Creation of any leadership development program should at least be supervised by someone who has extensive, demonstrable experience leading teams at the level the program is designed to affect.

2. Leadership Development programs must be presented by someone with extensive, demonstrable experience leading teams at the level the program will affect.

3. Leadership development programs that attempt to cover a large number of concepts in a very short time would not be qualified.

4. In order to qualify, programs would need to include both classroom or workshop type instruction and follow-on coaching.

There are a number of very good leadership development programs available that would easily meet these simple criteria. While it is admittedly difficult to quantify, these programs do make a difference. They result in more effective teams, lower turnover, fewer HR issues, and more.

Companies which have invested in high quality leadership development, provided by experienced leaders, find measurable benefits. I won't deny that there are some bad leaders in senior positions. But, that doesn't mean leadership development is failing.