Leadership Training: Too Often a Bad Investment

Training often has no measurable return (especially in field of leadership) and represents a net loss of time, energy, talent and organization resources.  Issues that produce this state include:

• Non strategic approach that does not create sustainable change in trainees or in their capability to lead change processes in the organization.
• Sponsorship by chain of command authority vs. genuinely effective leaders.
• Operates in the domain of Human Resources function vs. line organization.
• Not subject to rigorous examination of cause/effect, investment/return, increase in functional excellence/business effectiveness.
• Used to reward star performers often viewed as "charm school" polishing.
• Used as rescue for poor performers, often as last chance.
• Focus on acquisition of knowledge at expense of understanding.
• Designed and delivered by external organizations who lack understanding of internal culture, needs and issues; leaving trainee out of step with the organization he/she rejoins.
• Conforms to policy, procedures, guidelines and techniques that are frozen in time.

By contrast my design and delivery of "The Leadership Development Forum" is structured to produce measurable results, utilizes thinking of internal design team, aims for a positive return on investment and has a 100% success rate in achieving sustainable, increases in leader effectiveness and contribution to performance excellence and competitive  position.  More on training contrasted with development in following entries.