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Leadership Turn

One Off Leadership Development Programmes Rarely Provide A Proper Return On Investment

by Jonathan Farrington on May 28th, 2007

In my opinion, hundreds of millions of pounds world-wide are wasted every year on irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate leadership skills development and there are four obvious reasons:

To begin with, the one off programme may supply a short term motivational buzz and provide the delegate with a number of thought provoking ideas. However, in reality, once they are back at the “front-line” the day to day pressures take over again and the reactive mindset returns. It is rather like the Chinese meal effect; when you leave the restaurant you feel full but by the time you arrive home you want to eat again.

Secondly, most, not all, but a very high percentage of courses on offer today, deliver what I term “generalised” skills development.

For example, an MD operating within the aerospace sector, negotiating multi-million pound contracts can find himself sitting next to a young manager who markets insurance policies and is based in a call centre. On her right is a CEO who is developing a successful manufacturing company, selling hydraulic components and next to him…..I think you will appreciate my point. To achieve sustained success in all of these disparate industries requires specific leadership skills sets and the “generalised” workshops simply cannot deliver them.

Thirdly, most and again I would estimate it is at least 80% of training organisations today, make the assumption that all delegates are at the same level in terms of experience, expertise and have the same “commercial bandwidth”. This is of course, totally unrealistic.

Whilst it is not possible to equate age and experience with success, the reality is that although some leaders do have ten years experience, most have one year’s experience ten times.

So what is the answer? Join me tomorrow to find out….

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