Tag: Development Goals

To Do or Not To Do: Learning and Development Outsourcing

To Do or Not To Do: Learning and Development Outsourcing

Learning and development teams have a lot to do. However, your bandwidth is often limited. As teams rapidly expand, evolving training needs arise due to technological advancements, and people want to see an impact before they move the budgets ahead; it’s a lot for an L&D team to handle. Given the wide range of learning and development needs, L&D strategies need to make space for external providers. Is it the right choice for your team? To answer that, let’s try to understand learning and development outsourcing in detail below.
Table of Contents

What is learning and development outsourcing?

Learning and development outsourcing means hiring an outside company to manage employee training. Instead of just using your own staff, you can use the skills and resources of special L&D providers. This teamwork lets you access more knowledge, the latest technologies, and new training ideas that you may not have on your own. By outsourcing some L&D jobs or even complete training programs, you improve training efforts and reach your strategic goals more efficiently without overwhelming the function. It becomes important when we note that about 87% companies surveyed by McKinsey were either experiencing a capability gap or expecting it pretty soon. So, the question is, how do we outsource L&D? L&D outsourcing can take many forms, such as:
  • Fully outsourced L&D ops: As the name suggests, the entire training and development program is managed by an external provider. This service is most commonly used by companies that lack the internal resources and bandwidth to conduct required training. It includes collaboration with your leadership to develop effective strategies and then complete the execution of the action plans with analytics, reporting, and feedback.
  • Project-based outsourcing for L&D: As the name suggests, this includes hiring relevant specialists, consultants, and/or vendors to meet your company’s learning and development needs in a specific area. The applications of outsourcing work like this commonly include instructional design agencies, content development houses, video production companies, eLearning development specialists, and assessment design experts.
  • Individual contractors: You can also use L&D outsourcing to complement your organization’s internal learning development initiatives. For instance, you can hire an instructional designer to turn the know-how of subject matter experts into easily understandable learning content. Similarly, individual contractors and freelancers are available for many functional areas of L&D, such as technical writing, LMS administration, and learning experience design.
Moreover, certain tasks in L&D are good for outsourcing. This is often because these tasks need special skills or extra resources, like:
  • Content Development: Creating training materials that are helpful and engaging takes a lot of time. It also needs special skills in designing instruction. By outsourcing content development to experts, you get high-quality, tailored training materials for their specific training needs.
  • Compliance Training: It is tough to keep up with changing rules and compliance standards. This task takes a lot of time and resources. Outsourcing compliance training makes sure your workforce receives the correct and current training in a fun and effective way.
  • Technology Implementation and Support: Setting up and managing systems for learning, like Learning Management Systems (LMS), needs technical skills. When you outsource these tasks to experts, you enjoy smooth integration and ongoing help. This also allows your IT team to focus on other important business systems.

Why should you consider outsourcing L&D?

One big reason why more companies are choosing to outsource L&D is the many benefits it provides. In the survey cited above, McKinsey also notes that half the people noticing skill gaps put “reskilling” as the most important combat move for their teams. But, that means an intense run for already burdened L&D teams! Thus, when you hire experts for certain training tasks, your internal teams are free to focus more on important business tasks. It keeps your operations smoother and improves overall work efficiency. Plus, reskilling ensures cost savings as compared to hiring. Outsourcing also allows you to work with top L&D professionals and new technologies without the hassle of hiring people, investing in infrastructure, or dealing with training costs for your internal staff. Whether it’s leadership development, technical skills training, or compliance programs, you can find specialized help to create effective learning experiences. It’s a great way to develop talent in new areas which are not already present in your team. This, in turn, boosts employee satisfaction and helps you curb turnover.

Things to consider before L&D outsourcing

But, there are costs to manage when your are thinking of learning and development outsourcing. First up, you have to pay the vendors and contractors you will engage. You will also need to ensure that they have an open communication channel with your team, potentially bringing up costs for managing the vendor relationship, communication, and tracking performance. Think on both the fronts: the benefits you get and the costs you pay before deciding. Primarily, consider these questions when you are thinking of outsourcing L&D ops:
  • What is the cost structure, and how are fixed versus variable costs managed?
  • What quality control processes are in place to ensure consistency?
  • Who holds IP ownership, and what are the terms around it?
  • How will this integrate with our internal teams and existing workflows?
  • Can this solution scale to meet growing demands or needs?
  • Are there any specific geographic or cultural requirements we should consider?
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When should you outsource L&D?

Before outsourcing, you should carefully look at your Learning and Development functions. You need to clearly tell apart which activities are core and which are non-core.
  • Core L&D functions are those that are closely linked to the main business processes. These tasks strongly impact the your company’s goals. Usually, it’s best to keep these core functions in-house. This helps maintain the company’s culture, values, and long-term vision.
  • Non-core L&D functions, on the other hand, often require special skills or knowledge that may not be available within the company. These could include tasks like content development, platform administration, or parts of compliance training.
By outsourcing non-core functions, you can free up their internal resources. This allows you to focus more on important initiatives while getting help from outside experts. A few scenarios where you can outsource L&D are:

#1 You have to scale L&D ops rapidly

Sudden demands are not new. They happen often when a company rapidly expands operations or the competitive environment changes quickly. As a result, you need to roll out training yesterday and implement it today already. When growth outpaces the internal L&D capacity, you need support. Outsourced L&D operations are a great saver in such situations because you can reach more areas quickly with them. It’s a good way to get through a major product launch that requires everyone to brush up on their knowledge or a new offshore team that uses a different language than yours.

#2 Your team needs specialized training

Another scenario where learning and development outsourcing can help you is when the needed expertise is not core to your business. In such cases, you would hardly have enough internal experts to create and guide training programs for highly technical or regulated areas. These L&D programs are often shaped like one-off programs outside the core business focus, have certifications requiring accredited providers, or involve complex simulations or specialized learning technology. For most L&D teams, building such capacity is a big ask; thus, outsourcing is the way to go.

#3 You need to mitigate infrastructure cost

Not all training can happen quietly in rooms with just a whiteboard. When training involves high infrastructure costs that outweigh outsourcing, you should go this route. For instance, your company ideally needs leadership coaches for people managers. But you do not have enough senior leaders who can double up as coaches. Executive coaching is expensive. What’s the way out? An AI coach like Merlin for people managers fills in. Similarly, high infrastructure cost could mean investing in high-end video production needs or VR/AR content development. Large-scale content localization projects are another area you can outsource instead of building in-house capacity.

When should you not outsource L&D?

On the flip side, some scenarios exist where learning and development outsourcing does not make sense, such as:

#1 Your core business knowledge is involved

When learning directly relates to competitive advantage, you must keep it in-house. Why? At this stage, you are likely delving into proprietary processes and methodologies. These could include company-specific employee development practices and strategic capability-building programs that are closely tied to your team’s context and challenges. As noted above, core L&D areas directly impact business outcomes and maintain the company’s culture, values, and long-term vision. Hence, they need to remain under your purview.

#2 Your sensitive information/IP is involved

Like culture and core values, your company’s sensitive information, such as IPs and internal processes, must remain confidential. In such instances, you must not outsource learning and development initiatives. It includes programs involving unannounced or unreleased products, strategy-related training, competitive intelligence, and market positioning.

#3 Your L&D plan needs continuous evaluation and updates

Training needs are often dynamic. Contacting vendors to update learning programs as your business priorities shift would create a significant burden. It is commonly observed with agile learning initiatives tied to product development and programs closely tied to employee feedback. A high degree of integration with internal processes and workflows can impede synergy with external L&D service providers. In such cases, you should stick with in-house learning and development plans.

To sum up

Making smart choices about which parts of L&D to outsource is important. It helps you use outside skills while keeping control over key learning projects. First, look at which L&D tasks take a lot of resources, need special skills, or can be done better by outside teams. You should think about some things like how complex the training materials are, whether you have the skills in-house, how urgent the training is, and the possible cost savings from outsourcing. Successfully handling the challenges of L&D outsourcing needs a well-organized plan based on industry standards. It’s not just about handing off tasks. It’s about building partnerships that match your organization’s values, goals, and focus on promoting a culture of ongoing learning.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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Think Of These 4 Trends In Your Corporate Learning Strategy

Think Of These 4 Trends In Your Corporate Learning Strategy

Think of corporate learning, and the picture in your mind brings the worst of two worlds together:
  • It’s too rigid, like workplace structures.
  • It’s too boring, like some classroom lectures.
  • It’s often outdated, like educational curricula.
But the story does not need to turn out the same way every time. In fact, it happens because of some long-standing beliefs and behaviors among the designers and providers of corporate learning experiences. As an L&D professional, making them effective is a key part of your success; that’s why you should tune into the corporate learning trends of 2025 to keep up with the new and let go of the old. In this blog, we will explore four key corporate learning trends to shape 2025.
Table of Contents

Corporate Learning Trends to Watch Out in 2025

This blog will highlight four main trends that are changing corporate learning. It will also show how you can use these trends to meet your company’s strategic objectives and reach your business goals.

#1 AI is more than a buzzword!

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how companies teach their employees. It provides new and creative ways to make learning more personal. This is improving the learning experience for workers. As AI technology becomes better, we will likely see more advanced uses in corporate training programs. In a recent conversation with Inna Horvath, a learning strategist, we understood that the scope of corporate learning strategy is frequently misunderstood. Many L&D teams assume AI is about creating content at speed and scale, but that’s where the trouble comes in. AI struggles with originality and authenticity. The effective ways to integrate AI into a corporate learning strategy are sometimes different and surprising, such as creating personalized learning experiences for your employees or scaling up initiatives that rely on human presence right now. Inna’s shared a way to best sum up the idea: “The goal is not to substitute humans but to make AI your thought partner.”
One of the biggest benefits of AI in corporate learning is how it delivers personalized learning experiences. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all style, AI can look at learner data. This includes skills, learning preferences, and career goals to make custom learning paths. The changes have been coming since a while. For instance, Air Methods, a helicopter company that trains pilots in-house ditched conventional training for a more modern cloud-based platform that leverages AI to support learners as and when they need. The program is adaptive, it stays on a topic as long as the learner needs, until they are prepared to ace it. And this was back in 2016! We keep a similar idea in mind while working on leadership development solutions at Risely. Given the number of variables that shape up a leader’s context (team size, reporting structure, years of experience, industry, learning preferences, time and financial constraints, openness, etc., to name a few), finding the right fit for a coach is a hard task. An AI coach like Merlin cuts down the struggle here by adapting to the leaders’ context and providing learning at their pace. In the same vein, AI platforms can suggest online courses, learning resources, and development opportunities based on what each employee needs. LinkedIn Learning is putting this into action quite effectively. This tailored approach makes learning more interesting. It also helps employees gain the specific skills needed to succeed in their jobs and reach your strategic objectives.

#2 Corporate learning or employee development?

It looks like a semantic difference, but the impact is bigger. Learning at work is not just another check box you can tick if you are able to. It’s doing much more for organizations in 2024. Your corporate learning strategy:
  • shapes experiences of employees
  • contributes to employer brand
  • is a factor in turnover and talent attraction
  • offers you a competitive edge
That’s too much value to leave on the table with yet another cookie-cutter program. According to a survey, the post-COVID distributed workforce believes heavily in developing their skills outside the workplace. Their career paths matter greatly and even affect whether they say yes or no to your job offers. And yet, only about one-fourth of the people surveyed by Gartner felt confident in their career progressing at their current organizations. The rest seek opportunities that promise better career growth and higher care toward their long-term development. In 2025, you cannot let your team feel unsure and insecure if you want them to remain 100% committed. Thus, a corporate learning strategy for 2025 calls for integrating business plans with the learner’s plans. Your broad L&D strategy stems from business objectives, and it needs to join hands with your team members’ personal and professional goals. When this synergy is established, conversations about mutually contributing to a learner program and seeking participant buy-in become much easier. 9 out of 10 organizations are committed to this idea, wherein they are using a corporate learning strategy as a part of their retention strategy.

#3 How’s the manager?

At least a few job tasks are set to be eliminated by AI; that’s true for managerial roles, which are assumed to be safe from technological advancements. AI in management is obviously not going to be a decision-maker. Still, it can be your team’s analyst or auditor with the capabilities it possesses today and will have shortly. Management jobs are also prone to layoffs quite heavily recently. The second point is that the new workers from the Gen Z are not keen on becoming managers. Wasn’t it the marker of success two decades ago? It surely was when my professional journey started. This disillusionment stems from the fact that people managers appear to be one of the most over-blamed and least supported parts of an organization. Did you get a layoff to announce? Call the manager. Two people argued? Call the manager. Everyone asks where the manager is, but no one asks how the manager is. It’s high time we think of that question more while planning a corporate learning strategy. This is particularly true for the people managers down in the trenches, sitting away from attention and watching yet another assigned webinar without any real-time support to overcome the emotional burden and stress that their role creates. A holistic learning approach looks at more than just technical skills. It includes emotional intelligence, social learning, and well-being. Companies are starting to see how important it is to create a learning culture. This culture helps workers grow and develop. When you focus on the whole person, they can build a more involved, strong, and flexible team. This method matches the idea of putting employee well-being first because it is key to success in an organization. Plus, training people to manage and lead others better brings twin benefits:
  • They can effectively manage teams and build further value for your organization. They are already attuned to your company’s norms and practices. They understand what good performance looks like and how it is created after experience as an IC (individual contributor). They can put themselves in the position of their team members. So you get good managers for your organization from a new generation of people known for being digital natives and curious, open minds.
  • The second is great internal mobility and career progression. When such a system is in place, your employees know they have opportunities to grow, so they focus on achieving them rather than investing time searching for better avenues. Very few organizations are leveraging this effectively (the number stood at 15% as per a LinkedIn Learning Report), so you can stand out quite easily as a great place to work with a corporate learning strategy that offers holistic avenues for professional growth.

#4 Make yourself heard.

Cut down on training. That’s not the whole idea. Cut down on training that is proving ineffective. There’s little point in keeping up with annual training retreats, or three-day workshops, or webinars with that specific expert if you cannot see ROI. As per a CIPD survey, proving ROI and working with limited resources are among the top challenges in effective L&D at work. Training budgets are tightening up. The pandemic brought bad news in terms of steep budget cuts. A lot of learning programs regressed to online, in-house, one-size-fits-all models that advertised themselves with high distribution. Impact matters more than ever, so keep one phrase in mind for your corporate learning strategy of 2025: optimization. The key to getting this right lies in aligning with the business strategy (which LinkedIn also puts at #1 among L&D priorities) and focusing on bridging gaps (which CIPD highlights among the top priorities of the L&D function.) Tying up learning opportunities to performance management then becomes the first step. It calls for effectively identifying current skill gaps in the workforce, and predicting the future ones that are yet to arise. Don’t measure the success of your corporate learning strategy the old school way. Think of a holistic picture when it comes of ROI of training.

Quantitative ROI

LinkedIn’s survey has clearly outlined that the voice of L&D is growing. The C-suite wants to hear it out. Show them what corporate learning can really do, and make your impact felt at the right level. That means:
  • investing in the measurement of outcomes, repetitively
  • collecting data along the right metrics, don’t fall into the trap of vanity metrics like completion rates
  • creating advocacy for learning from the participants themselves
  • developing your analytical and human skills to present these cases strongly
  • considering the value of risks you prevented (turnover, man-hours saved, etc.)

Qualitative ROI

Beyond that, the corporate learning strategy should also cater to the employee’s context. You need to ask questions like this before establishing an overarching corporate learning strategy:
  • Do they have the two hours to invest in a workshop? Or would giving them microlearning modules for a month be better?
  • Is the area being taught more compatible with PowerPoint presentations or one-on-one coaching?
  • How am I going to assess the impact of this? (Only about 5% of learning initiatives reach the measurement stage)
  • How does this particular training impact our business objectives?
A positive ROI here looks like employee advocacy for learning initiatives, higher engagement rates, training satisfaction scores, and cultural changes. Corporate learning strategies in 2025 are living documents that evolve with your organization. Make them alive and attuned to the present.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, accepting the changing trends in corporate learning is key to keeping up in today’s quick world. We see more AI-focused personalized learning and ways that include emotional health. The scene is changing fast. Using short learning sessions, mobile tools, data tracking, and game-like elements can make learning more lively and effective. By adjusting to these trends, businesses can build a culture of continuous learning that supports growth and new ideas. Stay updated, stay flexible, and see your corporate learning strategy succeed in this digital age.

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Learning Experience Platforms: A Brief Introduction

Learning Experience Platforms: A Brief Introduction

When it comes to technology that supports workplace learning, our minds race to LMS. The humble learning management systems support a plethora of courses, skill databases, and administrative reports for the entire workplace. But there’s a new entrant in the market. It’s known as the learning experience platform (LXP) and focuses on the experience that learning creates for the end users. It’s not just an administrative tool for the HR and L&D heads; instead, it emphasizes making learning more user-centric with solid experiences. Let’s discover more about LXPs!
Table of Contents

What is a learning experience platform?

Learning experience platforms are software designed to support corporate learning through various stages by doubling down on creating good daily learner experiences. They help L&D and HR teams create curated learning teams that meet their teams’ unique needs, prepare a digital learning environment, and function as complete learning management systems. LXPs change this by focusing on the end-user instead through their modern features that bring about a great UI, personalization, and even gamification to keep learners engaged. This autonomy empowers learners to take charge, as they can decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how it will happen. Moreover, these systems can mostly integrate with the existing operational systems of your organization’s HR stack, thus enabling better access and usage.

Essential features of a good learning experience platform (LXP)

  • Advanced Personalization: Utilize artificial intelligence to provide personalized content recommendations based on individual learning preferences, past behaviors, and career goals.
  • Microlearning: Offer bite-sized learning modules that are easy to consume and fit into learners’ busy schedules, promoting continuous learning.
  • Discussion Forums: Provide platforms for learners to engage in discussions, share insights, and collaborate with peers, fostering a sense of community and collaborative learning.
  • Peer Reviews and Ratings: Enable learners to review and rate content, helping others identify valuable resources and enhancing the quality of learning materials.
  • Badges and Certifications: Incorporate gamification elements like badges, points, and certifications to motivate learners and recognize their achievements.
  • Integration with Existing Systems: Ensure compatibility and seamless integration with existing enterprise systems, such as HRIS, LMS, CRM, and other tools, creating a cohesive learning ecosystem.
  • Comprehensive Insights: Offer advanced analytics and reporting tools that provide insights into learner behavior, engagement levels, content effectiveness, and learning outcomes.

How can a learning experience platform help you?

Learning experience platforms bring several benefits to your team. Primarily, they can help you with:

Creating personalized learning paths

Personalized learning is the defining feature of effective learning. It’s not just about creating a list of modules that follow one after another; we are speaking of an experience where your employee is at the center of everything. The training plan is designed with their needs and challenges in mind. Learning experience platforms are solid support in this movement, as they leverage AI to integrate your company objectives and an employee’s personal goals to create personalized learning experiences.

Curate learning content

A handbook here, a webinar here, and another course module over there—scattered training material bugs the learner experience big time. Learning experience platforms allow L&D teams to collate widespread resources into one place and distribute them effectively according to the needs of the individual users. This wide range of resources ensures that employees will access the most relevant and up-to-date information.

Making learning a social initiative

Social interaction, the impact of peers and managers, and opportunities for recognition are critical to the success of learning initiatives. Learning experience platforms bring these benefits to your table with their collaborative features. These may include a shared wall of honor for high achievers, shareable certificates, discussion forums where employees learn from each other, etc.

Enhance engagement and motivation

One of the most common challenges in an L&D plan is the lack of engagement from individual employees, which is bound to happen when the courses are not designed with their needs in mind. Boring video lectures, or long workshops are a matter of the past, we are moving toward a world where learning is hyper personalized and does not steal time away from work. Instead, it integrates seamlessly into workflows, provides support at the point of need, and stimulates learning. Learning experience platforms are working on this by including gamified features such as quizzes, simulations, and real-world situations, making learning more experiential and applicable regularly.

Analyze data with ease and at scale

Learning experience platforms make the lives of HR and L&D teams easier with their impactful dashboards that collect and report valuable data points for the entire organization. LXPs provide comprehensive analytics that allows L&D and HR teams to track learner progress, engagement levels, content effectiveness, and learning outcomes. These insights help you make data-driven decisions to enhance training programs. Further, LXPs can integrate with existing HR systems, such as HR Information Systems (HRIS) and Learning Management Systems (LMS), creating a cohesive ecosystem for managing employee development.
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Learning experience platform vs LMS: What’s the difference?

Sounds similar? They are not! LXPs offer significant advantages over the conventional LMS in many ways. While a conventional LMS is designed with improved reporting and analysis as the objective, LXPs take things further by shifting the focus toward the experience your learners are dealing with and creating personalized paths where they remain engaged and satisfied. We have explored some points of difference in learning experience platforms vs LMS below:
Basis LXPLMS
FocusLXPs are user-centric with focus on content discoveryLMSs primarily manage and administer training programs
Content ManagementLXPs aggregate content from multiple sourcesLMS platforms deliver structured courses
PersonalizationLXPs leverage AI and machine learning to personalize learning experiencesLMSs offer standardized learning paths set by the admins
EngagementLXPs often incorporate gamification elementsEngagement methods on LMS are limited
AnalyticsLXPs share insights into learner behavior, engagement levels, and content effectivenessLMS analytics are focused heavily on tracking completion and compliance
IntegrationsLXPs can integrate with various tools and platforms, including LMSsLMS platforms often integrate with enterprise systems like HRIS and ERP

What are the best learning experience platforms?

Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) are a shift from the traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS), which garnered a bad reputation over the years due to their super focus on the administrative side of things. Let’s have a look at how the big players in the league are doing this with great features:

Degreed

Degreed is a learning experience platform that focuses on skills-based learning. It considers your present skills and learning gaps and creates a personalized map to guide you toward professional objectives. For L&D teams, it means results that come faster and cheaper. And for employees, it means an experience that revolves around their needs. The attached content marketplace further broadens access to resources within the platform.
Unique features: AI-powered scalable upskilling at speed for organizations G2 Rating: 4.2
Pricing: Available upon request

EdCast

Edcast is an employee experience platform that focuses on learning and building skills. In its own words, the platform facilitates the retention and attraction of high-quality talent that companies love. Edcast uses expert content to enable growth in advanced areas relevant to the employees, all shaped into a hyper-personalized learning journey that fuels mobile careers.
Unique features: Improves employee experience by embedding learning in the flow of work G2 Rating: 4.1
Pricing: Available upon request

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is an educational platform for professionals with multiple fields of work and years of experience. It uses AI to suggest courses based on your profile, including your work roles, years of experience, trending industry topics, etc. Moreover, you can see what courses your connections take and connect over learning. Eventually these certifications contribute directly to the career development of your employees as they can be easily showcased and shared with global acceptance.
Unique features: Goes into functional job skills as well as people skills G2 Rating: 4.4
Pricing: Starting from $29.99

Cornerstone

Cornerstone presents itself as the only platform you need for solid learner experiences. Its primary focus is on future readiness; as the world is changing, they want you to keep up, too. This is enabled through unique features in its learner experience platform, such as measuring the workforce readiness gap and keeping workforce agility as the #1 goal in your organization’s development journey. AI adds to this journey by building personalized learning plans for the employees and providing top-notch learning recommendations.
Unique features: Focuses on closing the workforce readiness gap for future performance G2 Rating: 4.1
Pricing: Custom quotes available upon request

Percipio

Percipio by Skillsoft is an online learning experience platform driven by AI that enables skill transformation for organizations. The core areas of focus include reskilling and upskilling the current workforce to be up-to-date with the challenges and opportunities to come in the next years and decades. The learner experience platform helps organizations measure and track skill repositories in the teams. Based on these assessments, you can find gaps and plan initiatives to create a resilient workforce in your organization with the help of blended learning modes available on the platform.
Unique features: AI-driven emphasis on skill building across the organization G2 Rating: 4.1
Pricing: Available upon request
When you are choosing a learning experience platform for your organization, keep the features and benefits we discussed above and make a solid choice!

Conclusion

Learning experience platforms can add much value to your employee learning journeys. They can be the next step toward a solid learning and development strategy that creates an amazing learning journey for your organization. The key is understanding how these features blend in with your existing learning mechanisms and building on top of them. Remember your goals and choose the right learning experience platform to keep growing.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

Explore AI-powered leadership development with Risely!

Start with a free trial today to join the leadership development revolution.

Join now

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Top 7 Leadership Development Training Courses

Top 7 Leadership Development Training Courses

It’s 2024, and being a good leader is more important than ever. Good leaders do more than just guide their teams to meet the company’s goals; they also motivate people to give their best. But not everyone starts out as a great leader. The good news is there are plenty of leadership development training courses designed to help you grow into an effective leader. This blog will take you through seven top-notch courses that aim to boost your leadership skills. These courses tackle various subjects like understanding emotions better, communicating strategically, leading high-performing groups, and thinking outside the box for solutions. They’re perfect for anyone hoping to improve their game in leadership roles—from managers all the way up to CXOs. So, let’s hop right in!
Table of Contents

Top 7 Leadership Development Training Courses You Should Try!

Growing as a leader is an ongoing journey about boosting your ability to lead and building your skills. It means getting to know and polishing your own way of leading and picking up the key skills needed to guide others well. While knowing your stuff technically can help you climb the ladder at work, having soft skills like understanding people’s feelings, working well with others, being adaptable, and solving problems is just as important for truly effective leadership. Yet, busy schedules take over and throw out learning and growth. Online courses for leadership development are a great way to bridge this gap. Let’s explore some leadership development training courses that can boost your profile and break the rut.

Leadership Development Training Course #1

Leading with Emotional Intelligence

by American Management Association

Duration: 3 days

Price: $2,995.00 for Non AMA Members

Being a good leader is about understanding and handling feelings well, both yours and those of the people you work with. The emotional intelligence course offered by American Management Association teaches important emotional smarts that every top-notch leader needs. In this course, you will explore leadership training for emotional intelligence and why it’s key to leading effectively. You will learn how being aware of your emotions, controlling them, understanding others’ feelings, and managing relationships play a big part in emotional intelligence. This can help you connect better with your team members, motivate people around you more effectively, and make choices that lead to success for everyone involved. Why should you take this course?
  • Emotional intelligence prepares you to handle difficult people management situations better, such as conflicts, broken professional relationships, or sensitive conversations.
  • It will also help you improve self-awareness as a people leader and understand your own emotions better.

Leadership Development Training Course #2

The Leadership Development Program (LDP)®

by Centre for Creative Leadership

Duration: 5 Days

Price: $7,950

The Leadership Development Program by the Center for Creative Leadership brings home innovative approaches to developing leaders. One of the program’s primary objectives is to reduce the gap between frontline staff and senior management, which is a frequent impediment to organizational effectiveness. By reducing such communication and strategic gaps, you can enhance performance for the whole set-up. That’s not all; this leadership development training course also goes into the following:
  • Leveraging identities and building resilience in the team as a leader
  • Using networks to support personal and professional development for yourself and your peers at work
  • Developing the skills you need to understand the role of DEI and build relevant skills effectively

Leadership Development Training Course #3

Leadership Training for Results: Unleash Talent in Others

by Dale Carnegie

Duration: 3 Days or 8 Weeks

Price: $ 2,195 onwards

To lead teams that perform well, you need to know some special tricks and methods. This course by Dale Carnegie Institute empowers you to enable performance in others. It teaches people leaders what they need to know so their teams can do their best work. In this course, you will first understand how to be confident in your leadership abilities. Next up, the course adopts an other-focused approach, so learn all about enabling and empowering others as a team manager or leader. You will better understand the typical problems that trouble teams, how to diagnose them, how to manage common types of teams, and the ins and outs of building a strong team on the foundation of effective communication. What You Will Learn About Team Building and Management?
  • You will learn about being and building accountability in your team. The key questions being answered are: What is accountability, and how can you develop it in yourself and others?
  • You will understand the common reasons why teams get in trouble. After learning about the causes and contexts, you will move on to resolving these challenges with your team through strategic interventions with an external focus.

Leadership Development Training Course #4

Leadership Excellence Course & Executive Coaching

by Academy Leadership

Duration: 3 Days

Price: $3,650

This leadership development training course combines many interesting elements in a concentrated yet comprehensive three-day program focusing on your growth and development. It starts with assessments and then provides support through convenient one-on-one coaching. That’s not all, though; the program enables support through peer-to-peer learning and post-program support in the form of leadership coaching for 90 days. Compared to the previous course, we saw focusing externally; this makes you focus on yourself. The journey is one of “self-discovery,” as described on the program’s website. This course teaches you the many faces of leadership, how to switch up your style based on what’s happening around you, and how to make plans for personal growth. You will discover what makes you strong as a leader and where you can improve.

Leadership Development Training Course #5

Leading Successful Change

by INSEAD

Duration: 4 Days

Price: S$ 13,600

If you were to ask one thing that marks the present era of business, the answer is likely to be simple: change. The rapid global movement needs leaders who are both ready and proactive in handling such situations. You have a big job: explaining why change is necessary, standing by their team members during the shift, and getting everyone excited about trying new ways of doing things. How will this course help you in the journey of managing change?
  • First, the course begins by building the foundations and assessing your change management skills. It helps you understand change management and how it works, including the primary processes and phases within the change management cycle.
  • Next, this course prepares you to handle the most troublesome aspect of any change, which is resistance. You will also develop a framework to propel and sustain changes in organizations.

Leadership Development Training Course #6

Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability

by Harvard Business School Online

Duration: 6 weeks, self-paced

Price: $1,850

Ethics are super important when it comes to being a good leader. Resultantly, it’s one of the most important leadership development training topics. When leaders make choices that are right and fair, they not only get the trust and respect of their team members but also help create a really positive place to work. Being ethical in leadership means sticking to what’s morally right, keeping honest, and making decisions based on what’s ethically sound. Leaders who stick by their ethics set a great example for everyone on their team, encouraging an atmosphere where everyone trusts and treats each other fairly. In this course you will learn how to:
  • Develop a framework for understanding the responsibilities leaders have
  • Determine and deliver on your economic, legal, and ethical responsibilities
  • Formulate a plan to address conflicts and communicate the “why” behind your decisions
  • Establish a toolkit for making tough leadership decisions now and in the future

Leadership Development Training Course #7

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving For Organizational Leaders

by CEED Academy

Duration: 5 Days

Price: Available upon enquiry

During the course, you will dive into the concept of creative thinking in problem solving and work around ways to enable it with your team. You will learn ways to make your teams more open to new ideas, encourage everyone to think creatively and tackle any hurdles that might stop innovation. Key Takeaways from This Course on Fostering Innovation In this course, you will gather:
  • An understanding of how creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making work in tandem in real-life scenarios
  • Multiple proven decision-making and problem-solving techniques that you can apply to your challenges
  • The ability to understand, expect and minimize risk and uncertainty effectively as a team leader to ensure that your team moves on a safe footing
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Wrapping Up

To weave leadership development programs into the fabric of an organization, you need a well-thought-out plan and a holistic approach. Here’s a simple framework to use leadership development training courses with your team:
  • Start by figuring out what your team needs in terms of leadership skills and what would be the essential leadership development training topics in your context. Look closely at where you are strong and where you need help. You can seek feedback, take skill assessments from Risely, or conduct a personal SWOT analysis.
  • Then, put together tailored leadership development training courses that match your organization’s goals and tackle specific areas that need improvement.
  • Coaching and mentoring give leaders extra support to grow their abilities while guiding them along their development journey. So be open to accepting those offers from potential coaches at work. If not, you can look for coaches outside.
  • Promoting an environment that values learning encourages everyone in charge to keep getting better through various activities designed for growth. Thus, start discussing your ideas and get going.
  • Lastly, remember to check regularly to see if these efforts are making a difference for you and the whole group. Adjust as needed based on what you find.
When leaders start acting differently in good ways—like talking better with their teams or solving problems more effectively—it shows the training did its job. By keeping track of improvements in how a team gets along and does its work overall, you can be sure that you are getting real value from investing in leadership development training courses.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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What Does A Learning And Development Team (L&D) Do?

What Does A Learning And Development Team (L&D) Do?

The role of Learning and Development (L&D) teams is critical in fostering growth within organizations. Understanding the essence of L&D in today’s workplace is key to driving talent management and achieving business goals. By understanding the core functions and processes of L&D, you can address skills gaps efficiently. Tune in to explore the anatomy of an effective L&D team, essential processes, key performance indicators, emerging trends, and challenges faced in learning and development.
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What is the Role of the L&D Team?

Learning and Development (L&D) teams drive organizational success through talent development and training initiatives. They focus on bridging skills gaps, enhancing employee engagement, and aligning learning solutions with business goals. L&D professionals utilize learning management systems, instructional design, and performance analytics to tailor training programs that cater to employee needs. By taking a strategic approach to learning, L&D teams contribute significantly to enhancing organizational performance and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Key Objectives of L&D Teams Across Industries

  • Identify and bridge skills gaps
  • Enhance employee training programs
  • Align development initiatives with business goals
  • Focus on talent development
  • Foster a culture of continuous learning
  • Improve organizational performance through strategic learning solutions
  • Enhance the overall employee experience
  • Drive professional growth within organizations

Critical Skills for Success in the L&D Function

To excel in learning and development, professionals need a diverse skill set that includes: 
  • Strong Communication Skills: The ability to clearly convey information, ideas, and instructions to various stakeholders, ensuring understanding and engagement, is essential for your success as an L&D professional.
  • Project Management Abilities: Second, you need skills in planning, executing, and closing projects efficiently, including managing resources, timelines, and budgets to achieve specific goals. All of this becomes important while managing multiple development initiatives. For instance, analytical skills are listed by more than half of L&D professionals as per LinkedIn!
  • Deep Understanding of Instructional Design Principles: Training is best when it meets the needs of your team; that’s why you need knowledge of how to create effective and engaging educational experiences based on learning theories and best practices.
  • Talent Management Proficiency: The capability to attract, develop, and retain skilled employees, aligning their development with organizational goals, is also a vital component of the L&D function. 
  • Change Management Proficiency: Skills in guiding and managing organizational change, helping employees adapt to new methods, technologies, or shifts in strategy help you overcome resistance and ensure smooth transitions.
  • Insights into Emerging Trends in L&D: Staying informed about the latest developments and innovations in the learning and development field to keep programs relevant and effective is critical. Knowledge of new tools and technologies to enhance learning experiences, such as e-learning platforms, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.
Read more: 4 Top skills for the role of an L&D Manager

The Anatomy of an Effective L&D Team

Typical roles in L&D teams include: 
  • Development Managers overseeing training programs
  • Instructional Designers crafting learning solutions  
  • Development Specialists are focusing on skills gaps
  • Training Facilitators and Coordinators execute these programs 
Larger teams can also have administrators for Learning Management Systems, External Consultants, and Specialists for specific areas like change management.  Each role fosters a culture of continuous learning and achieves organizational performance. Structuring your team for impact involves combining project management, communication skills, and talent development expertise. By aligning with business goals, an effective L&D team ensures employee training meets organizational needs, enhancing performance and engagement. 
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Essential Learning and Development Processes

Let’s understand the primary learning and development processes that would make up your work primarily:

From Needs Analysis to Evaluation: The L&D Workflow

Navigating from needs analysis to evaluation involves a structured approach in the L&D workflow. You need to design tailored training programs by beginning with thorough needs assessment utilizing tools like skills gap analysis. Implementing these programs and measuring their effectiveness through KPIs and feedback loops ensures continuous improvement. The evaluation further refines future strategies for enhanced learning outcomes and aligning L&D initiatives with evolving business needs. This iterative process forms the backbone of an effective learning and development framework. Check out how Risely tailors leadership development for every unique manager in your team: Leadership Training

Leveraging Technology in L&D Processes

Incorporating innovative technologies like learning management systems and online courses optimizes training delivery in L&D processes. These tools enable you to track employee progress, customization of learning paths, and immediate feedback mechanisms. Using technology, you can provide on-demand learning solutions, ensuring continuous skill development aligned with organizational goals. Additionally, digital platforms facilitate the analysis of key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of training initiatives, enabling data-driven decision-making for enhanced employee development strategies.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for L&D Teams

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurable goals that organizations use to evaluate the success of their learning and development (L&D) initiatives. LinkedIn Workplace Learning Research has repeatedly highlighted the need for selecting the right metrics, and avoiding the pitfall of “vanity” metrics. The KPIs of your team can vary depending on the specific goals and objectives of the organization, but some common metrics for L&D teams include:
  • Business Results: L&D programs should align with the organization’s overall business goals and contribute to improved performance, productivity, and profitability.
  • Employee Development: KPIs such as employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention help you measure the impact of L&D programs on individual growth and development.
  • Training Effectiveness: Training KPIs like program completion rates, knowledge retention, and skills improvement can assess the effectiveness of L&D initiatives in enhancing capabilities of employees on your team.
  • ROI: Measuring the return on investment for L&D investments is crucial to determine if the resources allocated to training and development are generating tangible benefits for the organization.
  • Continuous Learning: Tracking the participation and engagement levels in ongoing learning activities can indicate the success of L&D programs in fostering a culture of continuous learning within the organization.

How Can You Align L&D Outcomes with Business Goals?

Aligning learning and development (L&D) outcomes with business goals is crucial for organizations to achieve optimal performance and success. You strategically ensure that training and development initiatives directly contribute to the organization’s overall objectives. To align L&D outcomes with business goals, you must clearly understand their strategic priorities and identify the skills and knowledge required to achieve them. L&D teams can then design and implement training programs that target those specific areas of development. Furthermore, aligning L&D outcomes with business goals helps you create a culture of continuous learning within the organization. Employees understand the relevance and importance of their development to the organization’s overall success, leading to increased collaboration, innovation, and overall organizational performance.

Emerging Trends in Learning and Development

Learning and development (L&D) is continuously evolving to meet the changing needs of organizations and employees. Several emerging trends are shaping the future of L&D:
  • Digital Learning Platforms: The rise of digital learning platforms has transformed how organizations deliver training and development programs. These platforms provide online access to various learning resources, including e-learning modules, videos, and interactive courses that could be a hit among your employees.
  • E-Learning: E-learning, or electronic learning, refers to delivering educational content through digital devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. E-learning offers flexibility, accessibility, and self-paced learning opportunities for employees.
  • Soft Skills Training: While technical skills are essential, organizations recognize the value of soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and leadership. L&D programs increasingly incorporate soft skills training to help employees develop the interpersonal skills needed to succeed in today’s workplace.

What are the Challenges Facing L&D Teams Today?

Like any other organizational function, learning and development (L&D) teams face challenges in empowering employee growth and development. Some common challenges include:
  • Change Management: L&D initiatives often require employees to embrace change, which can be met with resistance. To ensure successful implementation, L&D teams must effectively manage the change process and address any resistance.
  • Resistance to Change: Employees may resist participating in L&D programs for various reasons, such as fear of the unknown, lack of perceived value, or time constraints. You must overcome this resistance and communicate the benefits of development initiatives.
  • Return on Investment (ROI): Demonstrating the ROI for L&D initiatives can be challenging. You need to measure the impact of training programs on business outcomes and articulate the value they bring to the organization.
Read more: Finding The Missing Pieces: What Makes Leadership Training Successful

Conclusion

In summary, a Learning and Development (L&D) team plays a pivotal role in shaping employee growth and organizational success. By identifying skills gaps, designing effective training programs, and leveraging technology, L&D teams drive learning initiatives that align with business objectives. The evolving landscape of digital learning platforms and soft skills training underscores the importance of staying abreast of emerging trends. Establishing a practical L&D function benefits large corporations and holds value for small businesses looking to foster continuous learning and development.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

Grab your free copy of Risely’s skills gap analysis framework now!

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7 Underrated Ted Talks For Managers You Must Watch

7 Underrated Ted Talks For Managers You Must Watch

Becoming a manager is a significant milestone in one’s career. It often comes with new challenges and responsibilities that require a different set of skills. While there are many resources available for managers to enhance their management skills, one underrated source of inspiration and knowledge is TED Talks.

TED Talks are powerful presentations by experts in various fields that cover a wide range of topics, including leadership, management, and personal development. In this blog, we will explore seven underrated TED Talks that every manager should watch to gain valuable insights and enhance their leadership abilities.

Table of Contents

7 Must-Watch TED Talks for Every Manager

TED Talks offer a unique platform for experts to share their ideas and experiences, making them a valuable resource for managers seeking to enhance their leadership skills. Here are seven must-watch TED Talks that cover a range of insights for people managers like you:

#1 Can I be myself at work?

Speaker: Linden Vazey Key Concept for Managers: Authenticity
Beyond the talk: Read more about 5 Ways Self Awareness At Work Helps You Shine

The TED Talk titled Can I Be Myself at Work? by Linden Vazey, presented at TEDxUOA, explores the importance of authenticity in the workplace. Vazey discusses her personal journey transitioning from a tech consulting role to a career in leadership coaching. She focuses on something that is a frequent conflict for each of us – being our true selves in a professional setting. 

While speaking of authenticity in workplaces, Vazey talks about a feeling familiar to us: the fear of not fitting in, feeling like an imposter, and being judged by others around us. She shares insights on how embracing authenticity can lead to greater job satisfaction, better performance, and stronger workplace relationships. The talk also provides practical advice on creating an inclusive environment where employees feel safe to express their true identities with you.

#2 Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe

Speaker: Simon Sinek Key Concept for Managers: Psychological safety
Beyond the talk: Read more about How Lack Of Trust In The Workplace Can Destroy The Work Culture

In the TED Talk Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe, Simon Sinek discusses the critical role of leaders in creating a sense of security and trust within an organization. Sinek explains that good leaders foster a safe environment by prioritizing the well-being of their team members, which in turn inspires certain critical elements in your team, namely – loyalty, cooperation, and exceptional performance.

He uses examples from the military and corporate world to illustrate how effective leaders put others before themselves, creating a “circle of safety.” This concept means that when your employees feel protected from external threats and internal politics, they can focus on collaborating and innovating, leading your team to greater organizational success.

Sinek emphasizes that leadership is not about being in charge but about taking care of those in your charge. By building trust and demonstrating empathy, you can cultivate a supportive culture where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.

#3 How to Deal with Difficult People

Speaker: Jay Johnson Key Concept for Managers: Psychological safety
Beyond the talk: Read more about The Top 10 Strategies For Dealing With Difficult People At Work

In the TEDx talk How to Deal with Difficult People, Jay Johnson offers practical advice on managing challenging relationships both professionally and personally. Johnson emphasizes understanding the root causes of difficult behavior, which often stems from stress, insecurity, or unmet needs.

He suggests strategies such as active listening, maintaining composure, and setting clear boundaries. The core message is that by empathizing with the difficult person’s perspective and communicating assertively yet respectfully, you can navigate conflicts more effectively and foster more positive interactions.

#4 Using 5 minutes of Self-Care to Survive Burnout

Speaker: Racquel Armstrong Key Concept for Managers: Burnout
Beyond the talk: Read more about Feeling Overwhelmed at Work? 5 Things To Do Before Quitting

In the TEDx talk Using 5 Minutes of Self-Care to Survive Burnout, Racquel Armstrong shares practical strategies for managing and preventing burnout through simple self-care routines. Armstrong highlights the importance of taking brief, intentional breaks throughout the day to recharge mentally and physically. She explains that dedicating just five minutes to activities like deep breathing, stretching, or mindfulness can significantly help you reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Armstrong’s approach is especially geared toward busy professionals who often feel they don’t have time for self-care. You can enhance resilience and maintain a healthier work-life balance by integrating these short practices into daily routines.

#5 Leaders who coach are creating better workplaces, and so can you.

Speaker: Saba Imru-Mathieu Key Concept for Managers: Coaching managers
Beyond the talk: Read more about The Manager’s Guide To Coaching Employees In The Workplace

In the TEDx talk Leaders Who Coach Are Creating Better Workplaces, and So Can You, Saba Imru-Mathieu discusses how adopting a coaching approach can significantly improve workplace dynamics. She emphasizes that leaders who act as coaches help to empower their employees, fostering a more supportive and productive environment.

Imru-Mathieu explains that coaching involves listening actively, asking powerful questions, and providing constructive feedback, which helps team members to develop their skills and confidence. This approach not only enhances individual performance but also contributes to a more engaged and motivated workforce.

She highlights that by prioritizing personal development and creating a culture of continuous improvement, leaders can cultivate a sense of trust and collaboration. This, in turn, leads to better overall outcomes for the organization.

#6 The Power of Purpose in Business

Speaker: Ashley M. Grice Key Concept for Managers: Power of purpose
Beyond the talk: Read more about How To Create Purpose At Work For Your Employees?

In the TEDx talk The Power of Purpose in Business, Ashley M. Grice discusses how a well-defined purpose can significantly enhance business performance and employee satisfaction. Grice explains that a company’s purpose goes beyond its mission or vision statements; it represents the core reason for its existence and guides all strategic decisions.

She highlights that having a clear and compelling purpose can drive innovation, improve customer loyalty, and attract top talent. Grice emphasizes that purpose should be deeply embedded in the company culture and reflected in everyday actions and policies. By aligning organizational goals with a strong sense of purpose, you can positively impact both your employees and society.

#7 Feelings: Handle them before they handle you

Speaker: Mandy Saligari Key Concept for Managers: Managing emotions
Beyond the talk: Read more about 5 Ways To Master Emotional Management At Work For Managers

In the TEDx talk “Feelings: Handle Them Before They Handle You,” Mandy Saligari delves into the importance of managing emotions to maintain mental health and well-being. Saligari, an addiction therapist, underscores that unprocessed feelings can lead to negative behaviors and severe mental health issues. She explains that understanding and addressing emotions proactively can prevent them from overwhelming individuals and leading to destructive patterns, a fact that should raise our concern and awareness about the importance of emotional management.

Saligari outlines practical steps for emotional management, including recognizing triggers, practicing self-awareness, and developing healthy coping mechanisms. You can improve your mental resilience and lead more balanced lives by handling emotions effectively.

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How to make the most of Ted Talks for Managers?

TED Talks offer you a unique opportunity to enhance leadership skills. By watching these talks and gaining insights from experienced professionals and thought leaders, you can gain valuable knowledge, perspectives, and practical strategies that can be applied to their own management style. Here’s a simple framework that you can follow to extract the maximum value from ted talks as a manager: 

  • Reflect on your current management style and identify areas for improvement.
  • Take notes on the key insights and strategies shared in the TED Talks that resonate with you.
  • Develop an action plan for implementing these strategies into your daily management practices.
  • Seek feedback from your team members on how the changes you’ve made have positively impacted their experience.
  •  Continuously evaluate and adjust your approach based on feedback and the evolving needs of your team.

Wrapping Up

TED Talks offer valuable insights for managers looking to enhance their leadership skills. By delving into topics like team potential, change management, and emotional intelligence, these talks equip you with practical strategies to drive team performance and foster a culture of innovation. Applying the lessons from these talks to daily practices can transform challenges into opportunities and inspire exceptional leadership in any environment. Continuous learning through TED Talks not only enriches managerial skills but also cultivates a mindset of growth and adaptability essential for navigating today’s dynamic business landscape. Start watching these underrated TED Talks today and elevate your leadership game!

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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How To Train Leaders? Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

How To Train Leaders? Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Leadership training plays a vital role in shaping the success of organizations. Great leaders can influence others, drive positive culture changes, and motivate teams to achieve exceptional results. The question of whether leadership can be learned or if existing leaders need ongoing training is a topic of debate. While some individuals may possess natural leadership qualities, training and development are essential to enhance their skills and ensure they are equipped to handle the challenges of the modern workplace. In today’s business environment, leadership styles and requirements are constantly evolving. Therefore, you must invest in leadership development programs to stay ahead and cultivate a pool of capable leaders who can drive their organizations toward success.
Table of Contents

Let’s Understand Leadership in the Future of Work

Leadership development is a multidimensional process encompassing various aspects such as communication skills, leadership style, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.  Effective leadership in the modern workplace goes beyond traditional hierarchical structures. It involves creating an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. Leaders must possess strong communication skills to effectively convey their vision and goals to the team. They should be able to listen actively, understand their team members’ needs and concerns, and provide clear and constructive feedback. Leadership style is another critical aspect of leadership training. Different situations may require different leadership styles. For example, a transformational leadership style may effectively drive change and inspire creativity. In contrast, a situational leadership style may be more appropriate when dealing with different individuals and tasks. Developing a versatile leadership style involves:
  • Self-awareness.
  • Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
  • Adapting to the specific needs of the situation.

The Impact of Effective Leadership on Organizational Success

Leadership has a profound impact on organizational success. As Harvard Business Review found, effective leadership is one of the key factors contributing to high-performing organizations. Good leadership positively affects organizational performance, employee engagement, and productivity. Leaders who communicate the organization’s vision and goals effectively inspire their team members to perform at their best. They create a positive work culture that fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Additionally, effective leaders are skilled at developing and nurturing talent within their organizations, which contributes to a sustainable pipeline of future leaders. Moreover, leaders who prioritize the development and growth of their team members create a sense of loyalty and commitment, leading to increased employee retention. This, in turn, reduces turnover costs and fosters a stable and motivated workforce. Therefore, investing in leadership training is not only important for the individual growth of leaders but also crucial for the long-term success and sustainability of organizations.
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How to train leaders, effectively?

Training leaders requires a strategic approach that involves identifying leadership potential, assessing gaps in leadership ability, tying in succession plans and career development, creating a roadmap, and providing opportunities to apply learnings. By investing in leadership development programs and training, you can cultivate a pool of capable leaders who can drive their teams toward success.

Identify leadership potential

Identifying leadership potential is the first step in developing leaders. This involves assessing individuals for their capability to lead effectively. Some strategies to identify leadership potential include:
  • Talent development programs that provide opportunities for employees to showcase their leadership skills and potential.
  • Succession planning is when high-potential employees are identified early on and provided with the necessary training and development opportunities.
  • Assessing employees’ performance and potential through performance appraisals and talent reviews.
  • Observing employees’ behavior and performance in various situations to determine their ability to handle challenges and inspire others.

Where do teams mess up while identifying leadership potential? 

Identifying the right people to nurture into leaders ensures your organization has a robust talent pipeline. Yet, at times, the best of intentions fall short in actions.  One common mistake is focusing too much on outwardly charismatic or outspoken individuals while overlooking quieter team members who may possess strong leadership qualities, such as empathy, problem-solving skills, or strategic thinking. Another mistake is solely relying on performance metrics, such as sales numbers or project outcomes, to identify leadership potential. While performance is important, it doesn’t always correlate with leadership ability, and other factors like teamwork, mentorship, and communication skills should also be considered. Moreover, it’s essential to recognize that effective leadership can take many forms and that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Mistakes can occur when you only look for individuals who exhibit a particular style or personality traits rather than embracing the diversity of leadership styles within a team. Read more: High potentials vs high performers: 10 steps for managers to make them reach heights

How can Risely help you avoid this?

First, Risely works with a comprehensive leadership skill assessment. So, you will not work solely on the five skills that are easy to track; Risely enables evaluation of close to 20 core people management skills with self and team assessments for all your managers at scale – so that you catch all the perspectives you need to groom your managers into effective people leaders. Moreover, Risely ensures that you see insights at the sub-skill level and, thus, create interventions that match the needs of your team. Plus, Risely is entirely customizable, so your managers do not need to worry about matching up a particular style of leadership training or management quirks. Instead, it suits their context and challenges in real time, leaving behind the era of one-size-fits-all leadership training. 

Assess gaps in leadership ability 

Assessing the gaps in their leadership ability is important to understand where you need to help potential leaders. This involves identifying the skills and competencies that must be developed to enhance their capabilities through training leaders. Some ways to assess gaps in leadership ability include:
  • Conducting leadership assessments and 360-degree feedback to gather insights from peers, subordinates, and superiors.
  • Reviewing performance reviews and identifying areas where leaders may need additional support or training.
  • Analyzing the results of talent development programs and identifying areas where leaders may need further development.
  • Identifying gaps in soft skills such as communication, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and hard skills such as strategic thinking and decision-making.

Where do assessments of leadership ability go wrong?

First, think of leadership assessments in your organization. How are they conducted? Do the managers self-report, or do their seniors share feedback? Many times, organizations lack the capacity to build 360-degree assessments of leadership skills and miss out on insights.  Similarly, the assessments could miss out on core leadership areas like managers’ guidance and coaching abilities. Hard skills are easier to track and take over the spotlight in assessment season. Leaders’ effectiveness can vary depending on the context and environment in which they operate. Neglecting contextual factors such as organizational culture, team dynamics, and industry trends can lead to inaccurate assessments of leadership gaps.

How does Risely improve leadership skill assessments for L&D teams?

Risely’s leadership assessments incorporate self-scores and anonymous feedback from a manager’s team members. As the admin, you can get insights at the sub-skill level for every manager in your organization and help them in a way that suits their context. With Risely, administering leadership skill assessments is the easiest thing ever.  Moreover, the all-in-one skill center shares a leader’s growth in a particular area over time as well as against all the other leaders in your company. Check them out here today for free: Leadership Skills Assessments

Tie in your succession plans and their career plans

Tying in succession plans and career plans is crucial for training leaders. By aligning succession plans with career development, you can create a clear pathway for employees to progress in their leadership roles. Some strategies for tying in succession plans and career plans include:
  • Providing opportunities for employees to take on stretch assignments and projects that align with their career goals and help them develop new skills.
  • Offering mentoring and coaching programs where experienced leaders can guide and support emerging leaders in their career development.
  • Creating individual development plans that outline the steps and resources needed for employees to achieve their career goals.
  • Identify potential career paths within the organization and provide employees with the necessary training and development opportunities to progress along those paths.

Where do succession planning and leadership development diverge?

Succession planning and leadership development are two distinct areas that hardly meet for many organizations. Yet, success lies in ensuring that you are preparing leaders for the roles that your organization needs in the future.  One common mistake is not aligning the organization’s succession planning efforts with individual leaders’ career goals and aspirations. When succession plans do not consider leaders’ career aspirations, it can result in disengagement and talent retention issues. Plus, leadership development must align well with the organizational values and ethos. Moreover, successful integration of succession and career plans often requires mentorship and sponsorship from senior leaders. Failing to provide mentorship and sponsorship opportunities can limit leaders’ access to guidance, support, and advocacy for career advancement. But, it’s a hard truth that, at times, mentorship is just not possible: the senior leadership may not have the time, interest, or guidance ability, and there could be a mismatch of personalities and challenges in rapport building – all leading toward failure of a potential leader. 

How does Risely help you bridge the gap between succession plans and leadership development? 

First, Risely works with the policies and values central to your team. Risely’s AI coach, Merlin, who offers real-time personalized assistance to people managers, is trained to tie up your ideas with its management expertise while sharing guidance with your managers. Second, it removes the trouble of finding and setting up mentors in an already overwhelmed organization. Every manager on your team has a coach suited to their context and challenges, and they resolve them as and when they arise, leaving hesitation and delays outside the room.

Create a roadmap 

Creating a roadmap is essential for the training leaders well. A roadmap outlines the steps and milestones leaders need to achieve to reach their full potential. It provides a clear path for leadership training and ensures leaders receive the necessary training and support. 

Where do leadership development roadmaps go wrong?

Most commonly, roadmaps take a one-size-fits-all approach, overlooking the diverse needs, strengths, and aspirations of individual leaders.  Another common mistake is creating a roadmap that lacks clarity regarding goals, milestones, and timelines. Without clear direction, leaders may feel lost or uncertain about progressing along their development journey. Plus, effective roadmaps include mechanisms for monitoring leaders’ progress and adjusting development plans as needed. Failing to monitor progress results in missed opportunities for course correction and improvement.

How can Risely fine-tune your leadership development roadmap?

Individual development plans for every leader on your team can seem like a daunting task, but Risely gets you sorted super quickly. Risely offers customized learn journeys that engage with the leader at their level. Challenges, context, and development needs come together to build a path that suits their journey at a pace that does not hinder their workflow.  Plus, heavy leadership training initiatives often annoy managers who already have big task lists to handle. Risely offers support in the flow of work; whatever workspace your organization uses becomes the home of learning, and any language your managers feel comfortable using becomes the mode of coaching.

Give opportunities to apply learnings 

Giving opportunities to apply learnings is crucial for the development of leaders. It allows them to practice and refine their skills in real-world situations. Some strategies for giving opportunities to apply learnings include:
  • Providing stretch assignments and projects that challenge leaders to apply their skills and knowledge in new and complex situations.
  • Offering training programs with practical exercises and simulations to simulate real-world leadership scenarios.
  • Assign mentors or coaches who can provide guidance and feedback on leaders’ performance and help them apply what they have learned in their day-to-day work.
  • Encouraging leaders to take on leadership roles in cross-functional teams or industry associations to gain exposure and experience in different settings.

What are the common challenges managers face when creating learning opportunities?

Providing opportunities for leaders to apply what they have learned reinforces development efforts and fosters growth. However, there are common things that could be improved at this stage. Most commonly, it offers limited or narrowly focused opportunities for leaders to apply what they have learned. As every manager is at a different stage of growth, size exercises just don’t cut it, no matter how well-designed they are. Opportunities for applying learnings should be closely aligned with leaders’ development goals and areas of focus. Moreover, opportunities to apply learning must be accompanied by mechanisms for gathering feedback and encouraging reflection. Without feedback and reflection, leaders struggle to identify areas for improvement and miss out on valuable learning opportunities.

How does Risely create meaningful learning experiences for your managers? 

As Risely’s leadership training journey is customized to suit the context and challenges of your manager, the nuggets provided at each step follow the same pattern. Each day comes with something new—a quiz, short informative videos, team exercises, case studies—that is relevant to the manager’s present skills in focus. The story does not end here; managers can always turn to Merlin and discuss what happened, how they could have performed better, and what behaviors they should continue for success. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, training leaders is crucial for organizational growth and success in today’s dynamic business landscape. You can effectively nurture future leaders by identifying leadership potential, assessing gaps, and providing growth opportunities. Cultivating core leadership qualities and implementing mentorship programs are key strategies for developing managerial skills. Overcoming challenges like resistance to change and ensuring ongoing engagement are vital in this process. Continuous learning and development initiatives play a significant role in creating a pipeline of skilled leaders. Organizations can secure a strong foundation for long-term success by investing in leadership training the right way.

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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You Only Need To Improve By 1% Today

You Only Need To Improve By 1% Today

Let’s start today’s edition with a reflecting question. Which one of these statements do you resonate the most with?

1. “I’m all in for shaking things up and making big moves to turn my life around! 💪”

2. “Let’s take it one step at a time; it will add to something big in the long run. 🚶♂️”

If you fall into the latter category, you might already know a thing or two about the 1% rule. And if that’s not the case, you will figure it out soon. Let’s get started.

What’s the 1% rule?

This concept finds home in James Clear’s famous book, Atomic Habits. The 1% rule emphasizes the power of marginal gains and incremental progress in achieving meaningful long-term results.

The idea is that by making minor, consistent improvements or changes, even just 1% better each day, you can compound those gains over time to achieve significant improvements in the long run. After all, progress is not an all-nothing game. Instead, it builds upon what you did yesterday.

How can managers apply the 1% rule at work?

The key to the 1% rule lies in what is known as the “accumulative advantage.” A slight enhancement keeps growing as more and more is added, albeit in small installments. So before moving forward, remember that we are going for the delayed results, not the dramatic ones.

Let’s take the example of a manager, Sarah. She has noticed that meetings often run long and wants to reduce the time spent here. Her team would be surprised if she set things straight and made the meeting a no-nonsense matter on day 1. They might struggle to adjust, too.

So, what can she do? Here are a few things –

  • Day 1: Sarah starts implementing a slight change to the meeting structure. She sets a clear agenda for each meeting and shares it with team members in advance, highlighting the topics to be discussed and the expected duration of each agenda item.
  • Day 2: Sarah encourages team members to arrive on time for the meeting by starting promptly at the scheduled time, even if only some are present.
  • Day 3: Sarah implements a time limit for each agenda item to ensure that discussions stay focused and don’t drag on unnecessarily.

In this manner, Sarah can incorporate three healthy habits she wants her team meetings to hold. Over a few days, when these habits have found a home, Sarah can solicit feedback and make changes as needed. In the end, Sarah gets efficient meetings, built one step at a time.

How do we incorporate the 1% rule in your growth journey at Risely?

Incremental growth toward long-term goals is also a pivotal idea behind Risely. We start with the smallest of steps, daily nudges (we talked about them in last week’s newsletter), and then move ahead with regular reinforcement through activities and assessments.

Development efforts phased over a period are crucial for you as a manager because one-shot solutions often don’t stick and disrupt schedules badly. On the other hand, daily steps offer a much more convenient route for busy leaders like you.

Check out how Risely works with a free 14-day trial today. 🌱

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