Leadership Failures need Addressing: Proposed Solutions to Improve Leadership Effectiveness
In today's fast-paced business world, the importance of leadership development has never been greater. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to cultivate leadership skills, with leadership development programmes (LDPs) becoming a common feature in modern companies. However, the leadership development industry has faced criticism for its lack of accountability, with visually appealing programmes and charismatic facilitators often overshadowing rigorous evaluation.
To address this issue, organizations such as the Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberatungen (BDU) have set quality guidelines for personnel consulting, ensuring that leadership and key positions in companies are filled with competent individuals. Institutions like Steinbeis Augsburg Business School offer practical leadership training, such as the Agile Leader certification, which equips leaders with agile tools and knowledge for organizational development and project management. KDZ – Zentrum für Verwaltungsforschung also provides certified training programs to empower public administration leaders for quality and innovation-driven organizational changes.
However, to improve the quality of LDPs, organizations must shift their focus from superficial to substantive questions before selecting a programme. Effective LDPs should be built on three interconnected elements: Vision, Method, and Impact.
The Vision refers to the programme's purpose and what it aims to develop in participants. It should be clearly defined and linked to real business objectives. Designing for transfer, not attendance, is essential to ensure programmes address real needs and can be applied on the job. Instead of asking if the programme is easy, organizations should ask if it is appropriately challenging.
The Method refers to the curriculum and learning approach that supports the vision. It should be engaging, interactive, and practical, encouraging participants to apply what they learn in their roles. Instead of asking if the programme is comfortable, organizations should ask if participants will grow, even if uncomfortable.
The Impact refers to the desired change in participants' behaviour and how that change will be measured. New behaviours within the organization should be recognized and reinforced. Instead of asking if they can change hearts and minds, organizations should ask if they will see behaviour change. Learning outcomes should be linked to real business objectives, ensuring that the programme contributes to the organization's success.
Fixing leadership development requires genuine partnership between sponsors (senior executives) and delivery stakeholders (HR and facilitators). Such partnerships require a shared understanding of goals and evaluation metrics. Programme providers must share accountability and offer performance-linked pricing. Resistance to superficial changes that compromise integrity is necessary.
By prioritizing behaviour over beliefs, leadership development can move from cosmetic interventions to powerful drivers of organizational change. With collaboration between organizations, LDP providers, and senior executives, LDPs can become a powerful tool for fostering meaningful behavioural change and producing measurable results.
