Bridging the leadership expectations gap

Your leaders finished the training, got their certificates and... not a lot changed. It’s a super common story, but it can end differently. When you fix the disconnection between what you ask of your leaders and what you equip them to do - that’s when you see leadership really level up.

In this conversation, our Senior People Partner Bodene Jean examines the leadership expectations gap and how to integrate training to build strong leaders throughout your business.

Question 1: Why is there often a gap between leadership training and sustained change?

A one-off leadership training or program will only get you so far. Leadership is really a journey; it’s about all the different things you learn along the way from experiences and interactions with different people. 

Training is very important, but as a leader you'll typically go through many different types of leadership training throughout your career. It’s rare you’ll have a one-off training and then significant change off the back of that. That being said, if you have it at the exact right time and the content is really aligned to what you need then and there, then you will notice a pretty big difference.

What often happens is that people go on training but they’re busy and really only half-listening while juggling work, forgetting the content as soon as they’ve left the room. Or it can be seen as a tick-box exercise to get a promotion. But that’s not the case. It’s really about demonstrating the capabilities and how you show up for your team and for the business. So it’s important your leaders are given the proper space and time to commit to the training, with strategic follow-ups. 

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“Leadership is a journey; it’s about all the different things you learn along the way.”

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Question 2: How do businesses close that gap so leaders meet higher expectations?

It's rare that you'll get training off the shelf that instantly aligns with everybody's needs. So step one is to make sure you really understand the needs of your leaders and shape the content around that.

You might have a leadership program with multiple training sessions but they're ultimately aligned to topics that are relevant for that particular team. For example, you might have how to deal with change or build team resilience, which is topical during periods of high growth or big change in a business.

It’s also important to move what’s been learnt beyond the training room. Start by setting expectations beforehand, getting those involved to do some pre-reading so they walk in with context and ideas already in their mind. Afterwards, ensure there’s follow up discussions and set expectations. Mentoring circles work well to help build a safe environment for sharing leadership struggles and keeping each other accountable. 

Another option is to have monthly sessions for six months, which will be more impactful than one-off training because you can come back together and talk about the things you’ve practised, see what’s working and what’s not. 

If people are sent for off-site training external to the business, it’s important they have someone to share their learnings with when they get back and a commitment on how they’re going to apply them. 

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Question 3: What role do P&C leaders play here?

People and Culture need to really understand what the business is asking of its leaders and make sure training reflects that. If the training tells leaders that coaching and clear communication matter but performance reviews focus on something else, it sends a mixed message.

Our role is to keep everything aligned. The expectations in the training, the conversations leaders have with their teams and the way we assess performance should all point in the same direction.

We also need to keep the training flexible. Ask for feedback - see what’s landing and what’s not and adjust the content so it stays relevant for the team and the environment they are working in.

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“Alignment between training content and performance expectations is really important.”

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Question 4: How do you build a leadership ecosystem?

Start by ensuring there is a good support/peer network. Leadership can be lonely and it’s important people feel they have someone they can talk to when challenges arise. Leaders aren’t going to know everything, regardless of seniority, so have resources and guidance readily available. 

Leadership development starts before promotions. Give emerging leaders exposure through mentoring others, have senior leaders share their wisdom and provide coaching and support early on.

Tailor your approach for different leadership levels using a mix of classroom learning and practical exercises, as the needs of senior leaders will be different from that of emerging leaders. 

Remember that everyone is a leader in their own right, regardless of whether or not we’re officially people leaders. Leadership is an ongoing journey and one everyone has something to learn from, regardless of where they may be on that journey.

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We hope you enjoyed this conversation. Want to hear more from the WRC team? Head to our Articles page where the crew covers more of the most common and difficult People & HR challenges we see every month.

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‍Need a people and culture partner who gets it? Reach out to start a conversation of your own around how WRC can support your team with an upcoming project or ongoing support. 

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