Leadership development and leadership training
Two months after she was promoted, June attended her company’s leadership training for new managers. The training lasted ten days. Two days were devoted to supervisory skills. The night before she returned to her job, she spent a couple of hours going over her notes, figuring out what to do the next day.
There are lots of variants on this theme but it’s a common one. It doesn’t matter how “good†the training was, new managers who get training like that have it harder than necessary.
Deliver training before promotion
The longer you wait to teach supervisory skills, the more likely it is that a new boss will develop bad habits and set bad precedents. The time to learn supervisory skills is before you need them, not after you’ve messed up.
Deliver training in smaller, more frequent sessions
No one can make use of two days of training separated from reality. That might be OK for the administrivia and prophylactic PR, which are basically classes in where to look things up. People learn leadership skills better in small bites, followed by application. Try scheduling training for an hour or so at the beginning or end of the workday.
Leadership development connects a coach with the training
Coaching makes sure that the learning loop happens. Otherwise, many new leaders simply won’t take the time to review their performance and figure out how to do better. The transition to leadership is tough, don’t make it harder by expecting new managers to figure it all out on their own.
Training is a key part of leadership development. But if training separated from reality and not supported, it’s probably a waste of time and money.
