Why Leadership Development Programs Fail

Why Leadership Development Programs Fail...and How to Know When a Program is a Success...

In this month’s The Coach Approach newsletter, we’re focusing on the pitfalls of leadership development programs and how to know when a program is a success…

7 Reasons Why Leadership Development Programs Fail…

It’s no secret that quality of leadership directly affects an organization’s success. In the book Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras showed that?companies consistently focused on building strong organizational culture over a period of several decades outperformed companies that did not by a factor of six and outperformed the general stock market by a factor of 15.

On the other hand, ineffective leadership is having just as much of an impact on business results.

According to a Gallup survey of over 195,000 US employees:

• 75% of employees say their boss is the most stressful part of their job,
• 65% of employees say they would take a new boss over a pay raise, and
• 40% of employees quit because they can’t get along with their boss.

It’s no wonder that investing in leaders and organizational culture has become a $166 billion dollar industry in the US alone.?But even with the extensive amount of quality information, resources, tools, and programs available today, most leadership development programs are failing to produce?long-term, sustainable results.

With over 30 years in the people business and the most recent focused specifically on developing leaders and building leadership dream teams, I have observed seven of the most common reasons why leadership development programs fail to produce a sustainable ROI and what companies should do to avoid them.

Click this link to download the full PDF “7 Reasons Why Leadership Development Programs Fail.”

‘Ask the Coach’ Corner

Question:?How do you know if your leadership development program is a success?

Alissa’s Answer…

You can ultimately know if your leadership development program is a success when it translates to the bottom line –?because effective leadership correlates directly to business performance.

For example, you should see:

• Increase in profitability
• Decreased quality issues and errors
• Improved productivity and efficiency
• An outstanding safety record
• Consistent goal alignment and achievement
• Improved employee engagement survey results
• Exceptional customer/client reviews
• Higher retention of the best and brightest talent

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You will also SEE and FEEL the difference in the day-to-day business environment as well.

Here are things you will experience:

• Leaders will be more self-aware and will seek regular feedback on what’s working, both in their leadership and in how the team operates.
• Peer-to-peer relationships between leaders will improve. They will become more aligned, solving problems together and communicating more effectively.
• The culture will shift to a more collaborative and supportive environment – where people feel safe to share ideas, even when others may disagree.
• You’ll see leaders actively coaching and mentoring their team, and their team members will grow in confidence and capabilities…leaders building leaders.
• Leaders will become ambassadors of what they’ve learned…sharing it with others to cascade the learning throughout the organization.
• You’ll witness sustainable behavior change. And, when leaders step out of what ‘great leadership’ looks like, they will course correct very quickly.

These may sound like high standards to have for a leadership development program, but I know that it’s possible.?We’ve seen these results with our clients, so I know from personal experience that it’s not unreasonable to expect tangible, quantifiable business results AND a transformation in the team and company culture.

This month’s leadership quote is a great reminder…

“Train people well enough so they CAN leave, then treat them well enough so they DON'T WANT TO.”

—Richard Branson,?Founder of the Virgin Group

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Please let me know if the information in this newsletter is helpful by hitting 'like' and sharing a comment below!

Also, if you have a question about leadership, teamwork, employee engagement, coaching, or workplace culture, share it below and I may answer YOUR question in next?month’s newsletter!

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Alissa DeWitt,?MCC, CPC, CERS,?is the Founder, CEO and?Executive Leadership Coach at Executive Impact, an organization dedicated to developing coach leaders and building leadership dream teams. With 30+ years in business and leadership, expertise in human behavior working with leaders from the front line to the C-Suite, and competencies as a Master Certified Coach, Alissa is the creator of the 'Coach Approach to Leadership.'