Leadership Development: It’s time to get specific
Leadership development is back at the top of HR’s priority list in 2025. According to a recent Raconteur study, HR leaders are doubling down on learning and development (L&D) for leaders and leadership. Research from Precisely and Drexel University further reinforces the importance and value of leadership development in today’s business world. And let’s be honest—who would argue against investing in leadership? It’s a no-brainer. Great leadership is one of the key resources of any successful organisation.
However, there’s a problem, in my opinion. Too much leadership development is still very general. It’s often packed with great experiences, engaging content and inspiring moments—but does it truly move the needle for the business? Can leaders take away key learnings, and more importantly, can leaders translate these into real impact?
HR teams are under pressure to ensure leadership development isn't just a feel-good exercise. It needs to be focused on the organisation’s specific needs, solving real problems and driving measurable change that they need. So, how can HR leaders sharpen their approach and make leadership development a true game-changer?
Unearthing the Specifics That Matter
Many leadership programmes miss the mark because they focus on – often very good and well founded - generic leadership principles rather than the specific capabilities a business needs to succeed. But how do you pinpoint what really matters? Should HR leaders take a more forensic approach to leadership development, asking the tough questions:
What are the critical business challenges right now and in the next few years? Is the organisation struggling with scaling, digital transformation, cultural change, or market disruption? Leadership development should be built around these realities and requirements.
What leadership behaviours are essential to overcoming these challenges? It’s not enough to develop ‘good leaders’—I believe we need to develop the right leaders with the right mindset, skills, and behaviours.
Where are the leadership gaps? HR should gather data through assessments, 360-degree feedback, employee engagement surveys, conversations, performance insights, customers and business analysis to determine what’s missing and the gaps that need closing. Don’t shy away from the simple or uncomfortable areas that are ‘too close to home’, as these can be where the big wins - and losses - may occur.
How do teams and cross-functional groups need to evolve? Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. The way leaders collaborate, align and drive change across the organisation is critical. How often do you see potentially good leaders in a poor leadership team?
By tackling these questions, HR leaders can better craft development programmes that are not just informative but transformative. To support this, and perhaps ask the more uncomfortable but valuable questions, hire an external facilitator or consultant. Externals have the luxury of being able to ask the obvious questions, are usually seen as a safe(r) place to talk into. And lets not forget HR leaders are leaders too, and may benefit from not only having support but by being part of the audience.
Pitfalls that can make Leadership Development ineffective
Even when HR teams identify the right leadership focus, there are several common roadblocks that stop (slow) programmes from being truly effective. Here's a few:
1. Lack of business integration
We often see Leadership development happen in a bubble. Leaders attend a course, engage in stimulating discussions, and then return to their roles with little accountability – or support - to apply what they’ve learned. And lets not forget that staff can be resistant to a leader who comes back from a course and tries new ways of behaving or doing things.
Suggestion: Leadership development must be embedded into daily work. Such as linking learning to live business projects, ongoing coaching and real-time problem-solving. Leaders should be applying what they learn immediately, not waiting for the ‘right time’ – feedback we hear far too often post courses - to use their skills.
2. Measuring activity, not impact
Many organisations measure leadership development by work shop attendance, completion rates, or satisfaction scores rather than business impact. If the only takeaway is that ‘everyone enjoyed the session,’ then the programme has probably failed.
Suggestion: Leadership development should be measured against clear business outcomes. Is decision-making or giving and receiving feedback improving for example? Are key strategic initiatives moving forward faster? Is engagement in the right things and in the right way increasing? If there’s no measurable impact, it’s probably time to rethink the programme.
3. Focusing on individuals instead of Collective Leadership
Too many leadership programmes focus solely on individual skills rather than developing leadership as a collective force for good. The best organisations thrive on strong leadership teams, not just a few high potential individuals who might be great in isolation.
Suggestion: Development should extend beyond individuals to teams, cross-functional groups, and leadership networks. This is far more likely to give rise to alignment, collaboration and sustained impact across the business.
4. Lack of accountability or reinforcement
Without reinforcement, peer coaching and support, leadership lessons fade fast. A one-off course or workshop, no matter how inspiring, won’t change behaviour if leaders aren’t held accountable and staff aren’t included in the ‘why’.
Suggestion: HR can build follow-ups into the process—ongoing coaching (such as 1-1 or ALS), peer accountability, and check-ins to ensure leaders are applying what they’ve learned.
5. Failure to adapt to changing business needs
Leadership development cannot be a static programme that gets dusted off every few years. The business landscape evolves rapidly, and leadership must evolve with it. For example omni-working requires different skills, understanding, relationships and leadership than office working did pre-covid. Some leaders were caught out by the change, some still haven’t recovered! Think about AI - the opportunities and fear this brings - and the notion of leading change itself, whatever it is.
Suggestion: Leadership development should be agile, continuously assessed and refined to meet emerging business challenges to lead the change(s). It should be a living, breathing strategy, not a fixed curriculum.
Making leadership development work for the business
Leadership development should be a strategic enabler of business success. HR must move away from ‘off-the-shelf’ leadership training (even if they are cheap and/or meet the budget) and create programmes that are deeply relevant, outcome-driven and continuously evolving.
To do this:
· Align leadership development with the company’s long-term vision and immediate priorities.
· Measure success based on real business impact, not just participant feedback.
· Ensure leadership development is embedded in the way work gets done, not an isolated event.
· Focus on leadership as a system (environment), not just individuals.
· Build in accountability, follow-ups and real application.
In 2025, HR leaders have a truly fabulous opportunity, they can continue with leadership development as a tick-box exercise, or they can facilitate real, lasting change by making it specific, business-focused and results driven. The organisations that get this right, who support and listen to HR and sponsor them this opportunity will be the ones more likely to thrive.
So, what’s your approach to leadership development this year?
Is it truly driving business impact—or is it just another well-intended programme that doesn’t really deliver? Now’s the time to get specific and make leadership development count.
On a final note, in my experience, the great successes are found in the margins, when businesses have been more courageous, have asked those difficult questions and have genuinely paid attention to the 'all too close to home' truths.
Lets build leaders and leadership for good. Good leaders and leadership makes great business sense. And great businesses make great sense to us all, from stakeholders and investors to staff and the wider community.
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