Leadership development programs: 5 common mistakes to avoid

Mistake 1: Leadership development programs that are too generic

If everyone had the same idea of a perfect leader, one development plan could work for all. But the reality is much more complex: the success of leaders depends on the organizational context in which they evolve, their behavioral preferences, their experiences…among other things. For example, an excellent leader in a financial institution might not be as successful in a design agency and vice versa.

Thus, as a starting point, it is essential that the company defines its vision of leadership by identifying the characteristics considered necessary to perform well in its context. This foundation allows for development programs that are truly aligned to the organization’s strategic objectives, and built around its unique standards.

The program must be adapted to the company but also to the participants. To achieve this, the early use of a psychometric assessment can be useful to take stock of the situation, acquire better insights into employees and identify the key skills to be prioritized in line with the company’s goals.

The SuccessFinder assessment is the most comprehensive assessment on the market, identifying behavioral traits with a precise approach and analyzing employees against competencies the company considers most essential.

However, it is important to keep in mind that it is not a question of shaping each leader according to an identical profile, but rather of looking for complementary talents and leadership styles. A diverse range of behavioral traits is crucial to adapt to the varying needs of the business, which can shift depending on the project and the team. More than just a fit to a static job description, organizations need to look for talents who will allow them to be agile, flexible, and innovative.

Mistake 2: Lack of follow-up in leadership development plans

Leadership development is not a sprint, but a marathon that requires constant support. According to a study, 60% of leadership skills come to fruition over time⁣ : the process of developing your leaders must therefore be viewed as a long-term commitment and require ongoing prioritization.

Efforts must be constant to identify, cultivate and retain your pool of leaders. A good psychometric assessment should allow you to identify high-potential talents (HiPo) by providing a precise understanding of each individual. It enables you to adapt the development programs and support each person appropriately over time according to their needs.

Adapted support tools

While supporting your leaders means providing them with the resources and environment, they require for their continuous development, it is necessary to think of the tools in terms of added value. As the number of tools increases, it gets harder to create a seamless synergy between them while keeping things simple to use. Complexity can be counterproductive because if the tools do not easily integrate into their already busy schedule, leaders will likely lose interest in their development over time.

SuccessFinder Talent Growth is a solution designed to provide a simple and engaging experience for your employees: they can access their behavioral data to gain deeper self-awareness and then transform these insights into a concrete action plan, with goals that they can track autonomously over time.

Finally, because a few training sessions will obviously not be enough to transform an individual into an accomplished leader, here are some examples of initiatives to consider for your organization:

• Setting up a mentoring or coaching system, peer-to-peer learning groups, regular follow-ups as part of the leadership development program, etc.

• Encouraging leaders to set personal development goals and provide them with the tools to track their progress.

• Providing continuous learning resources (workshops, seminars, LMS, etc.).

• Supporting leaders in the application of their learning through regular follow-ups to ensure tracking down their progress.

Mistake 3: Lack of engagement from senior executives

30% of companies report having difficulty building effective leadership development programs due to a lack of investment from their senior leaders.

Indeed, senior executives are key players in leadership development: their involvement is essential, not only to give legitimacy to the program, but also to foster an environment conducive to learning and development. Their investment sends a strong message to aspiring leaders: “Your development is important to us, and we are here to support you”.

While getting senior management on board is important, it also means engaging and empowering them to take part in the leadership development agenda at different levels:

• Defining objectives, the choice of content and the methods of evaluation of the program.

• Sharing experiences and knowledge, encouraging leaders to participate as mentors, speakers, or workshop facilitators.

• Establishing a culture of continuous learning within the company, to make it a truly integrated approach in the life of the organization.

Mistake 4: Lack of practice in leadership programs

In leadership, as elsewhere, learning is most effective when it is interactive and collaborative. To design an effective leadership development program, it is necessary to use several methods and tools, depending on what you are trying to develop first (see mistake 1), and the type of leaders who make up the program.

There are numerous methods and tools to take your program beyond theory and make it more interactive: coaching, mentoring, hands-on training, participatory peer-to-peer workshops, each with their advantages and limitations.

The method you choose to develop leadership within your company will therefore depend on the in-depth assessment of your leaders’ skills, their needs and those of your organization.

It is also important to give leaders the chance to put their learning into practice through engaging projects and opportunities to tackle new challenges.

In general, creating spaces for your participants to exchange ideas, to allow them to share their experiences and compare their points of view, will always be a win. It is not only an opportunity for them to find collective solutions to the challenges they face, but also to support each other and create a network of supportive leaders.

Mistake 5: Lack of agility in the development process

Leadership programs must be flexible on multiple levels to evolve in the face of changing realities, and allow leaders to adapt when necessary.

Talent flexibility

To remain flexible in the face of an unpredictable future, the company must focus on creating a pool of leaders with skills that will allow it to remain successful in the long term, regardless of technological, economic and social developments.

SuccessFinder Ladder of Leadership is a particularly interesting ally for succession planning by targeting the strengths and gaps of key players at all levels.

Flexibility of development tools

The company needs to offer accessible, adaptable and flexible learning methods. The tool must adapt to its user and not the other way around. As mentioned above, participants in leadership development programs are most of the time already busy with the missions of their role. For them to be truly involved and for the program to be beneficial to them, it is essential to provide simple and flexible tools that stimulate their autonomy.

Development Program Flexibility

And finally, it is always a question of evaluating and adjusting the program, based on the comments received, to guarantee its relevance.

Ask participants to rate the program and provide feedback to improve its effectiveness and impact on the business over time. Also ask managers for their observations to help with the continuous improvement of the program.

Investing in leadership development is essential for any organization, but too often, the programs put in place fail to achieve their goals. By avoiding the five mistakes mentioned in this article, you will maximize your chances of creating an effective program that allows your leaders to flourish and lead your company to success.

Remember, leadership development is an ongoing process that requires long-term commitment. By investing in your leaders today, you’re investing in the future of your organization.