Given the clarity of the theory, why does so much leadership development fail to “hit the spot”?

From parenting, via education to leadership, it’s rare for people and organisations to dig beneath the surface and identify a fundamental and integrated set of beliefs, values, thoughts and behaviours to which they make an ongoing commitment. Many efforts to develop leaders are not rooted in a clear understanding of research findings and may even be rooted in beliefs and behaviours which are in some way internally inconsistent. No wonder then, that many attempts to support leaders in their development fail to hit the spot! This is about the foundations which underpin leadership development programmes and other interventions.

Why isn’t this gap obvious to those who commission leadership development programmes or participate in them? One reason is that many programmes are limited in their scope so that participants never identify the inconsistencies within a programme. As well as the failure to identify a fundamental and coherent leadership philosophy, limitations also include training at a behavioural level only and failing to provide sustained support to leaders’ development over time.

Perhaps the most significant reason why so much of leadership development fails to hit the spot is because the parties involved – from commissioning clients, their partners in leadership development and the leaders themselves – fail to voice and acknowledge one of the fundamental truths of leadership development: that developing as a leader is deeply personal and involves exploring personal values, beliefs and behaviours. This can mean that development programmes are designed without taking into account the nature of the journey and what it takes to support participants as they learn.