Tag: Leadership Development

Building an Ultimate Leadership Development Action Plan

How to Build a Leadership Development Action Plan?

Having a strong Leadership Development Action Plan is more critical than ever in today’s evolving business world. Whether you’re looking to drive innovation, scale operations, or build a thriving team, the key to success lies in developing the right leaders. But with so many approaches and strategies available, how do you choose the right path? That’s where an effective leadership development strategy comes in – one that not only identifies talent gaps but also nurtures the skills needed to meet the future head-on. On our RiseUp Radio podcast, Katie Greenwood shared some game-changing insights on identifying talent gaps and choosing the right method for you. We’ll explore the essential elements of leadership development, the best methods to cultivate leaders, and how you can create a personalized approach that drives success at every level.

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Meet the Speaker

Katie Greenwood is an award-winning HR leader with over 20 years of experience in talent management and leadership development. She is passionate about unlocking potential and building future-ready leaders. Greenwood started working in Learning and Development in college at the Gillette company. Greenwood helps individuals grow while shaping strong, future-focused cultures that drive lasting results.

Connect with Katie: LinkedIn

Strategies for Effective Leadership Development

A leadership development strategy is key to organizational success, focusing on building strong teams and prioritizing people to ensure growth and competitiveness.
  • Talent and Skill Gap Analysis: Investing in leadership development helps reduce hiring costs and ensures smooth transitions into key roles. A talent gap analysis can help you identify where leadership strengths and weaknesses lie, while a skill gap analysis ensures you as a leader develop crucial competencies such as emotional intelligence and strategic thinking.
  • Competitive Advantage and Succession Planning: A solid leadership development action plan will provide you with a competitive edge by retaining top talent and offering growth opportunities. Succession planning ensures business continuity by preparing leaders for senior roles within 6-12 months, reducing disruptions when key positions open.
  • Data-Driven Approach: Using data from turnover, engagement, and performance metrics helps identify leadership gaps and areas for development. Struggling managers often indicate a need for stronger leadership, which can improve employee morale, productivity, and trust.
  • Alignment with Organizational Goals: Effective leadership development is aligned with organizational priorities, preparing leaders to scale operations, manage change, and drive innovation. This ensures that your leadership efforts directly support long-term business success.
  • Development Methods and Budget Allocation: A mix of coaching, mentorship, and blended learning programs supports different leadership levels. Budgeting 20-40% of L&D resources for leadership development, based on talent and succession needs, ensures that the right investments are made. Practical, hands-on learning is essential for real-world impact and long-term growth.
By focusing on leadership development, organizations can ensure they have the right leaders to navigate challenges, foster growth, and achieve success

Identifying Talent Gaps in Leadership Development

A talent gap analysis is a tool used to create a structured roadmap and leadership development action plan that shows you an organization’s current position, goals, and what is missing to achieve those goals. It helps you identify leadership gaps and determines if an organization is prepared for future challenges and has enough leaders ready for senior roles. Why Talent Gap analysis matters for your business? Talent gap analysis is all about making sure your business has the right leaders in place to keep things running smoothly. It helps you spot leadership gaps early so you can avoid costly disruptions and build a strong pipeline for the future. Think of it as a proactive approach—you’re not just reacting to problems as they come up, but actively preparing for long-term success. By identifying gaps in leadership, you can build people who are ready to step up, scale operations, manage change, and drive innovation when the time comes. Unlike a skills gap analysis, which looks at individual development, talent gap analysis gives you a big-picture, organizational view. It’s about finding and developing the right leaders with the right skills and mindsets to move your business forward. And the best part? It works for companies of any size. Whether you’re a growing startup or a large corporation, having a solid leadership development action plan in place helps future-proof your success.

What are the Methods of Leadership Development?

The usual methods of leadership development are discussed, highlighting various approaches that organizations can use to nurture and grow their leaders. These methods include:
  • On-the-Job Training: This involves you learning through experience in your roles. You handle real challenges, make decisions, and learn directly from your work environment. It allows for immediate application of leadership skills but can be inconsistent depending on the nature of the tasks they encounter.
  • Mentorship Programs: Mentorship connects less experienced leaders with seasoned professionals. The mentor provides guidance, shares experiences, and helps the mentee navigate challenges. This method fosters deep relationships, promotes knowledge transfer, and offers ongoing support in a less formal setting.
  • Coaching: Coaching focuses on personalized development, often with external coaches or senior leaders. It is goal-oriented and helps you develop self-awareness, refine leadership behaviors, and focus on specific challenges. Coaching is especially valuable for senior leaders or those transitioning to higher roles.
  • Workshops and Training Programs: These are structured programs focused on specific skills, such as conflict resolution, communication, or strategic thinking. Workshops offer a more formal, classroom-like setting and typically involve group activities and expert-led sessions to build knowledge and enhance your leadership capabilities.
  • Blended Learning: Blended learning combines online courses with in-person workshops, allowing you all leaders to gain knowledge at your own pace while participating in interactive and practical sessions. It provides flexibility and can be ideal for a diverse group of leaders with varying learning preferences.
  • 360-Degree Feedback: In this method, leaders receive Feedback from their managers, peers, and subordinates, offering a well-rounded view of their leadership effectiveness. This Feedback is essential for identifying strengths and areas for improvement and helps to guide the leader’s development process.

How to choose the right leadership development strategy for your team?

Choosing the right leadership development method depends on several factors:
  • Individual Needs: Consider your current skills and areas for growth. For example, if you as a leader need more technical skills, workshops may be appropriate, while coaching may be more effective for leaders looking to develop emotional intelligence or decision-making abilities.
  • Organizational Goals: Align leadership development methods with the organization’s goals. If the company is undergoing a transformation or scaling rapidly, a mix of mentorship and on-the-job training may work best to ensure leaders can manage change and growth effectively.
  • Learning Styles: Different leaders learn in different ways. Some may prefer structured programs like workshops, while others may excel in informal settings such as mentorship. Understanding the preferences of your leaders will ensure that the training is effective.
  • Budget and Resources: Some methods, such as external coaching or workshops, can be costly. Ensure that the chosen methods fit within the organization’s budget while still providing you with maximum impact. Blended learning or on-the-job training can be more cost-effective, especially for larger teams.
  • Time and Commitment: Certain leadership development methods require more time commitment than others. On-the-job training and coaching often take longer, while workshops or online courses can be completed in shorter timeframes. Consider the time your leaders can dedicate to development when selecting methods.
By understanding the various leadership development methods and aligning them with individual and organizational needs, you can create a leadership development action plan that ensures leaders grow effectively and can meet future challenges with confidence.

Key Takeaways

  • Leadership development is the engine behind organizational growth and success. When you invest in developing strong leaders, you create a culture of innovation, adaptability, and long-term sustainability.
  • Talent and skill gap analysis helps you spot leadership gaps before they become obstacles. By identifying areas for improvement, you can ensure your team has the right skills to take on future challenges and drive your business forward.
  • Succession planning is key to smooth transitions and business continuity. You don’t want to be caught off guard when key leaders move on. A well-thought-out plan ensures you always have the right people ready to step up.
  • Making data-driven decisions allows you to focus leadership development where it matters most. Instead of guessing what’s needed, you can use insights to design training programs that truly make an impact.
  • Aligning leadership programs with your company’s goals fuels innovation and sustainable growth. When leadership development action plans are connected to business strategy, your team is better equipped to lead change and drive success and to create a leadership development action plan.

Meet the Host

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.

Drawing on his experience in technology and organizational behavior, he’s passionate about creating scalable solutions that transform how companies develop their talent. His mission is to empower leaders to build thriving teams and sustainable organizational success.

Connect: LinkedIn

Sneha Mishra

Sneha is a management graduate with a strong passion for leadership development and workplace growth. As a writer for Risely, she brings fresh insights into leadership strategies, team dynamics, and professional development. With a keen interest in marketing, she blends analytical thinking with storytelling to create engaging and actionable content.

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Talking Internal Career Mobility with Dr. Edie Goldberg

Talking Internal Career Mobility with Dr. Edie Goldberg

What do employees want? As per the LinkedIn Learning Report, the answer seems to be professional growth. Employees are willing to undergo learning and development if the outcomes lead to career growth. The data is clear for every HR team out there. The questions then arise in carrying out this exercise. Dr. Edie Goldberg is one of the authors of The Inside Gig, along with Kelley Steven-Waiss, which produces a framework to operationalize internal career mobility in organizations. In this episode, we discuss:
  • What is an “inside gig” and how does it differ from traditional internal talent mobility?
  • Why should companies adopt the inside gig model, and how does it address current workplace challenges?
  • How can HR functions, particularly Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development, leverage the inside gig paradigm?
And more!

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Meet the Speaker!

Edie Goldberg is the Founder and President of E. L. Goldberg & Associates. She is also the Chair of the Board for the SHRM Foundation, and she is a member of the Board of Advisors for three HR Technology companies.

Connect with Edie: LinkedIn

Internal Career Mobility – The Inside Gig Model by Dr. Edie Goldberg

  • Internal talent mobility at its most basic is about a culture that supports employees applying for internal positions. The “inside gig” concept is a more sophisticated approach that allows employees to take on internal projects or side jobs across the company, leveraging their skills and exploring new areas of interest. This concept is about allowing employees to bring their whole selves to work.
  • The traditional job structure is rigid and puts people in a box, but employees are constantly learning, growing, and have diverse skills and passions that are often not utilized. The inside gig model allows companies to be more agile and adapt to changing business needs, allowing employees to move between projects and tasks as needed.
  • Companies need to move from thinking about jobs to thinking about projects. This means understanding the skills and expertise that employees have and redeploying talent based on the needs of the projects.
  • HR functions have a key role to play in the inside gig model. Talent acquisition can adopt skills-based hiring practices, and Learning and Development can leverage internal gigs as a way to learn in the flow of work. This approach allows employees to explore career options, learn new skills, and gain new experiences.
  • Internal projects should not be administrative tasks but should offer opportunities for growth and development. For example, a technical employee interested in management can take on a project leadership role to test their skills and gain experience. These projects help employees build relationships across the organization, increasing productivity by allowing them to access more knowledge.
  • The inside gig model of internal career mobility can revolutionize leadership development, moving away from structured programs to experiential learning. You can train managers to coach their teams and use AI tools to enhance their leadership skills.
  • For organizations that want to get started with the inside gig, it is crucial to understand the key skills driving the organization’s strategy and the skills that their employees have. They need to create a talent-sharing mindset among managers. Although some companies use tools like SharePoint for project posting, a technology solution is needed to enable talent sharing at scale.
  • The company, Here Technologies, saved $14 million in the first year of implementing an internal talent marketplace, due to leveraging their internal talent rather than hiring external contractors or new employees. They also saw an increase in employee engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and the development of business acumen within the company.
  • Ultimately, technology, especially AI, will empower employees to learn and develop in the flow of work. This approach will help people reach their full potential and pursue the careers they are interested in.

Meet the Host!

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.

Drawing on his experience in technology and organizational behavior, he’s passionate about creating scalable solutions that transform how companies develop their talent. His mission is to empower leaders to build thriving teams and sustainable organizational success.

Connect: LinkedIn

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Experiential Learning Approaches with Janis Cooper

Experiential Learning Approaches with Janis Cooper

Have you heard of leadership development programs that include horses? If not, you are about to! Join Ashish and Janis Cooper in an engaging discussion about building learner experiences that stick. We primarily tackle:
  • Why is corporate learning often perceived as boring, and what makes a learning program ineffective? The discussion begins by addressing the common perception that corporate learning is dull, often involving lectures, videos, and quizzes that fail to engage participants. Janis notes that traditional learning often assumes everyone learns the same way, crams too much content in, and lacks engagement. In contrast, a good learning experience is strategic, addresses pain points, is relevant to the user, and is engaging.
  • How does experiential learning, particularly equine facilitated learning (EFL), offer a unique approach to leadership development? Ashish and Janis explore the concept of experiential learning and introduces EFL as a highly engaging and effective method. Equine facilitated learning involves working with horses in ground-based activities designed to reflect workplace dynamics. The program is used to develop skills such as communication, empathy, and trust, and can be tailored to specific needs. It’s a learner experience that’s both memorable and fun, and can be highly effective in achieving a high return on investment for the organization.

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Meet the Speaker!

Janis Cooper is Director, Leadership and Staff Development at Best Friends Animal Society, the largest animal sanctuary in the U.S., including remote locations, works to create and deliver the organization’s Management Development Program and staff development needs to more than 900 employees.

Connect with Janis: LinkedIn

How can you design learning experiences to foster genuine engagement?

To create engaging learning experiences, it’s important to move away from traditional, boring methods like lectures and instead focus on strategies that actively involve the learner. As we saw in the discussion with Janis and Ashish, you should:
  • Start with a clear strategy: A good learning experience starts with understanding the goals and objectives of the training, the audience, and any barriers they might be facing. This means that you have to address the pain points and make the learning relevant to the user by using relatable examples.
  • Make it relevant and relatable: Learning should be relevant to the learner’s experiences and use examples they can relate to. You can use stories to make learning more relevant.
  • Incorporate engagement: Learning experiences should engage the audience frequently. Using technology can make learning engaging with elements like personalization.
  • Check for understanding: It’s important to check for understanding and provide opportunities to apply what’s been learned immediately, to improve retention. Research indicates that a significant amount of content taught in training classes is lost within a week if not applied.
  • Focus on experiential learning: Experiential learning engages all of a person’s senses and can be more profound and memorable. It can support change quickly and provide a good return on investment. One specific example is equine facilitated learning, which uses horses to help people learn about leadership and teamwork. In EFL, people work with horses to accomplish tasks, and how they approach these tasks often reflects how they do things in the workplace. The horses’ sensitivity to people’s body language and emotions provide immediate feedback, which can bring underlying issues to the surface.
  • Consider the environment and culture: The culture of an organization can impact the effectiveness of training. A growth mindset and a culture that values employee development are conducive to successful learning programs. In addition, the right setting, technology, resources, programs and processes to support learning are also important.
  • Be willing to take risks: Be willing to try something different, starting small, and grow it if it’s successful.
By focusing on these aspects, you will be able to create learning and development strategies with programs that are engaging, relevant, and have a lasting impact on learners

How does Janis Cooper’s experiential learning approach utilize horses?

Janice Cooper’s experiential learning program, also called equine facilitated learning, utilizes horses to provide a direct, engaging experience that promotes learning and change. A few principles that she keeps in mind are:
  • Groundwork, not riding: Participants do not ride the horses; all activities are done on the ground. The focus is on interacting with the horses, not on equestrian skills.
  • Partnership in activities: Participants work in partnership with a horse to accomplish specifically designed activities. The activities are tailored to the learning objectives or the challenges a team or individual is facing.
  • Horses as mirrors: How participants approach and complete the tasks with the horse is often a reflection of how they approach situations in the workplace. Horses are very sensitive to people’s body language and emotions, and they react immediately and honestly. This helps participants see their behaviors and their impact in a way they may not have noticed before.
  • Immediate feedback: Horses provide immediate, unbiased feedback because they react to what people are giving off, not just to the words they use. If there’s a lack of alignment between a person’s thoughts and their physiological state, the horses will notice and react to it. This is particularly impactful for leaders who may not realize the effect they have on others.
  • Developing leadership skills: The program is used to develop leadership skills such as communication, trust, empathy, and boundary setting.
  • Unveiling underlying issues: Sometimes, the program brings to the surface underlying issues that haven’t been discussed. For example, a lack of trust or other relational challenges within a team may surface in how the team interacts with a horse.
  • Ego reduction: Horses don’t care about titles, status or other external markers of success. They respond to the person’s true self and the energy they are giving off. This helps leaders see themselves and their behaviors more authentically, which creates a level playing field for all participants.
  • Relatability: The experiences with the horses are memorable and relatable. Janis has seene that the participants will often refer back to the lessons they learned through working with a specific horse when they see similar behaviors at work.
  • Addressing fear: Some participants may be apprehensive about working with horses at the start of the program. However, these fears can be a learning opportunity for both the individuals and for the team.
  • Promoting change: The program is designed to create profound, memorable experiences that support change. It helps participants become more aware of their behaviors and how those behaviors impact others, ultimately leading to more effective interactions.
In summary, the experiential learning program that Janis runs with her team uses horses as a way to provide a direct experience that is focused on reflection, and it is designed to help people develop skills, gain insights, and understand themselves better in a way that can translate to the workplace. Further reading: Horse Leadership Training: A New Approach to Leadership Development

Meet the Host!

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.

Drawing on his experience in technology and organizational behavior, he’s passionate about creating scalable solutions that transform how companies develop their talent. His mission is to empower leaders to build thriving teams and sustainable organizational success.

Connect: LinkedIn

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Explore your capabilities in 30+ core and advanced leadership areas with Risely’s suite of assessments.

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8 Must Know Learning and Development Specialist Interview Questions

Read the blog to get practical tips on the most common Learning and Development Specialist interview questions, including sample answers. It is crafted to give you the confidence to highlight your expertise and experience with all the boldness as you walk into that interview.

8 Must Know Learning and Development Specialist Interview Questions

A Learning and Development Specialist interview is a big deal when you love helping employees grow and succeed. You will have the ability to demonstrate your skills in designing, delivering, and evaluating training programs that foster continuous learning in a company. Read further for some practical tips on the most common Learning and Development Specialist interview questions, including sample answers. It is crafted to give you the confidence to highlight your expertise and experience with all the boldness as you walk into that interview.
Table of Contents

Essential Learning and Development Specialist Interview Questions

As you prepare for your Learning and Development Specialist interview, it is relevant to think of the kinds of questions that may come your way. Interviewers are interested in learning your approach across various aspects of learning and development. They will probably ask you how you assess training needs and the effectiveness of your programs. After reading this blog, you will be able to answer them all! We have collected and compiled some of the most frequently asked Learning and Development Specialist interview questions suggested by HR professionals. Each question has been carefully drafted to help you build your answer in a way that best represents your skills and experience. This is the time to focus on your area of expertise and try to make a great impression.

Common Learning and Development Specialist Interview Questions

Read the questions carefully and try to frame answers yourself before going through the sample answers as a practice and then compare them.

1. How do you assess training needs within an organization?

This is one of the most commonly asked learning and development specialist interview questions. To tackle it, use the following sample answer: Sample Answer: Knowing the needs of training is the initial step towards making all the development programs align with the objectives of the organization. To get this right, I rely on a few key approaches. It majorly starts with the employee performance data where I dive deep and try to spot and analyze the skill gaps and areas which need improvement by reading the performance evaluation reports, doing the skills assessments, and analyzing the KPIs. Then, I focus on gathering feedback directly from employees through meetings and focus groups. Hearing from people across different teams gives me a clearer picture of how current training is working and where there may be unmet development needs. This combination ensures that I’m tackling real challenges and helping teams grow effectively.

2. Describe a successful training program you’ve developed and implemented.

Sample Answer: One training program I created helped improve the sales team’s performance with a new product line. I used a mix of online lessons, fun workshops, and role-playing exercises. This way, the team could understand the new product features and how to sell them. To see how well the training worked, I looked at key performance indicators like sales conversion rates, average deal size, and customer satisfaction scores. After the training, I checked the numbers and found a big improvement in all areas. This showed that the program had a positive impact on the sales team’s performance. This success showed me how important it is to use data analysis when developing training programs. By regularly looking at metrics, we can improve and make sure the programs continue to produce good results for the organization.

3. What strategies do you use to keep up with the latest trends in L&D?

Sample Answer: The field of learning and development is always changing. It is important to stay updated on the latest L&D trends and best practices. For me, continuous learning is key, so I look for chances to grow my knowledge. I go to industry conferences and webinars. There, I meet other professionals, learn about new technologies, and explore innovative approaches to L&D. I also subscribe to industry publications, read blogs and listen to podcasts from thought leaders. This keeps me informed about current talks and progress in the field. In addition, I join online forums and communities. This lets me share ideas and talk with my peers. It helps me understand the challenges that L&D people face today.

4. How do you measure the impact of training programs?

Sample Answer: To properly evaluate how well training programs work, I think it’s important to look beyond just course completion rates. We need to check the level at which training affects key performance indicators (KPIs) that relate to its goals. This means finding specific metrics that match what we want to achieve. For instance, we could look at higher sales figures, better customer satisfaction ratings, or fewer mistakes. I always gather data before and after the training to see any changes in these metrics. This helps me clearly connect the training to its effects on both individual and company performance. I also collect feedback from team members and their managers. This helps me see how well the training is used at work and if it leads to actual improvements in their tasks. By using this detailed method, I get a full picture of the effectiveness of the program and see where I can make it better.

5. Can you share an example of how you’ve tailored learning content for diverse learning styles?

Sample Answer: I know that people learn in different ways. Because of this, I aim to make learning experiences that include everyone and fit various learning styles. In a recent project, I focused on enhancing project management skills in the organization. I used a mix of approaches to address the varying needs and ensure that everyone benefits. For visual learners, I added visual aids like infographics, diagrams, and videos. These tools made information fun and easy to remember. For auditory learners, I included podcasts and group discussions. This gave them chances to talk about their ideas out loud. To help kinesthetic learners, I created interactive activities and role-playing exercises. This allowed them to practice what they learned. This method improved the learning experience. It also made sure everyone could learn the skills they needed in a way that suited them.

6. Tell us about an L&D program or job training you led that failed.

Sample Answer: I recall a training program we conducted to help mid-level managers improve their leadership skills. The results were not exactly what I wanted. Although participants gave good feedback during the training, I did not see much change in how they led at work. After analyzing the situation and getting feedback from those who attended, I found out that the program lacked enough opportunities for them to practice what they learned and to get follow-up help. They found the ideas useful but had trouble using them in their daily work. This experience taught me a lot. It showed me that it’s important to include on-the-job training, offer support after training, and make sure training content matches real-life needs for effective talent development. Now, I make sure to focus on these aspects in my current professional development initiatives.

7. How would you encourage a culture of learning at the organization?

Sample Answer: To create a learning culture, we can start mentorship programs and skill development workshops. It’s also essential to recognize the importance of continuous learning. We should encourage sharing knowledge and make a supportive space for growth for every single team member. An easy way to encourage learning culture is through informal learning, i.e., learning shared over informal instances, such as cross-functional teams and lunch breaks, which is a great way to collaborate and share ideas. Giving and receiving feedback is another super-easy method that is often undermined. These are some of the great ways to promote learning in our organization. Last but not least, one of the most commonly asked learning and development specialist interview questions is:

8. How do you see AI fitting into the role of L&D practitioners?

Sample Answer: Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly changing how we learn and grow. I believe AI is a strong tool that can help L&D professionals in their jobs. One of the best things about AI in the workplace is how it makes learning personal. By looking at learner data, AI can suggest tailored content, and courses, and create specific learning paths that fit individual needs and learning objectives. AI chatbots and virtual assistants offer learners help anytime, answer questions, and give personal guidance. This lets L&D professionals spend their time on bigger tasks, like designing courses and developing content. Meanwhile, AI handles simple questions and manages routine tasks. Still, we must remember to use AI responsibly. L&D workers need to ensure that AI systems are fair and that they help, instead of replacing human connections in learning and development. These Learning and Development Specialist interview questions and their sample answers are a must-read to crack your interview. Also read: Crafting Your Response: 10+ Examples to Answer ‘Why Do You Want This Job’

Best Practices for Responding to Learning and Development Specialist Interview Questions

Being well prepared for Learning and Development Specialist interview questions, capable of pointing out your experience, communicating clearly, and showing how you keep up-to-date with new trends in the L&D area, is crucial. Use the STAR method by Michael Pell for your interview to structure your answers: Situation, Task, Action, Result. This will let you describe how you handled a challenge that you faced, what needed to be done, the way you handled it, and the positive results that followed. It is a wonderful way to showcase problem-solving skills and the actual impact of what you do. Do not forget to bring your love for L&D and your desire to help employees grow across!

1. Highlighting experience with technology in L&D

It’s important to show that you can use technology for learning. The interviewer wants to see a candidate who makes learning better and more enjoyable with digital tools. When asked about your experience with technology in L&D, share everything you know about different tools and platforms:
  • Learning Management Systems (LMS): Talk about your experience with using and managing LMS platforms. This includes adding content, tracking progress, and making reports.
  • E-learning Development Tools: If you can use tools like Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate, mention that you can create interactive e-learning modules.
  • Video Conferencing and Collaboration Tools: Share how you use platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams for virtual training sessions, webinars, and group learning activities.
  • Mobile Learning: Show your knowledge in designing and sharing training content for mobile devices. This meets the need for flexible learning options.
By showing your skills in these technologies by answering learning and development specialist interview questions, you are able to prove that you are a modern L&D professional ready to meet the needs of learners and the new workplace.

2. Demonstrating adaptability and continuous learning

The L&D field is always evolving. It therefore means you must keep on with new trends, technologies, and ways of learning. When answering your learning and development specialist interview questions, show that you embrace continuous learning and that you’re not easily scared of change. Some ways of influencing this will include showing evidence in recent certifications you have or courses you’ve taken to further develop your profession. Share enthusiasm for learning new technologies and methods. Give some examples of successful adaptation in your previous jobs. For instance, perhaps you developed or implemented a new training program or adjusted an existing one according to the needs of new learning tendencies. People will start feeling confident of fresh ideas being brought and getting the job done for the future, as you articulate your ability to adapt and commitment to staying updated in the L&D field.

Conclusion

In conclusion, acing your Learning and Development Specialist interview questions means you need to think strategically, adapt easily, and be skilled with technology. Show how you can find training needs, create effective programs, and keep up with new trends like AI. This will help you succeed in interviews. You should also customize your content for different learning styles and promote a culture of continuous learning. Remember, failures can help you learn. Embrace change, show your tech skills, and focus on your commitment to continuous learning. This will help you do well in this fast-changing field. Good luck with your interview!

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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The OSKAR Coaching Model: Proven Techniques For Lasting Impact

In this blog, we’ll explore the key elements of the OSKAR model, its benefits, and how to implement it to enhance leadership development and drive success in your organization.

The OSKAR Coaching Model: Proven Techniques For Lasting Impact

When it comes to leadership development and growing your business or organization, choosing the right coaching model is crucial for success. The OSKAR Coaching Model provides a practical and cost-effective way to assist leaders leverage their team’s strengths while staying aligned with overall business goals. Focused on clear, actionable steps and real-world results, OSKAR encourages long-term growth, accountability, and continuous improvement. In this blog, we’ll explore the key elements of the OSKAR model, its benefits, and how to implement it to enhance leadership development and drive success in your organization.
Table of Contents

What is the OSKAR Coaching Model and Why is it Significant?

The OSKAR Coaching Model is a five-step framework designed to foster growth and development within teams. It was developed by coaches Mark McKergow and Paul Z. Jackson and published in their 2002 book, “The Solutions Focus: Making Coaching and Change SIMPLE.” It builds on the GROW coaching model from the 1990s by focusing on solutions and utilizing existing resources. This model is particularly effective in leadership development, providing a tailored coaching style that meets the specific needs of your teams—especially in resource-constrained environments. Its flexibility and results-driven approach create a positive coaching atmosphere that nurtures both individual and organizational growth while incorporating elements of the GROW model.

What Are the Five Components of OSKAR?

The OSKAR acronym stands for Outcome, Scaling, Know-how, Action, and Review. It emphasizes leveraging your team’s existing skills and resources to create an affordable yet effective coaching experience. This budget-friendly approach ensures that leadership development is impactful and accessible for organizations with limited resources.
The five components of the OSKAR model each play a vital role in leadership and team development:
  • Outcome: Set SMART goals to define leadership development objectives.
  • Situation: Assess your team’s current state, challenges, and resources to establish a foundation for progress.
  • Know-how: Identify the skills within your team that support leadership growth.
  • Action: Develop a detailed plan with steps to achieve leadership goals.
  • Review: Regularly assess progress and adjust strategies to ensure continuous improvement.
Each of these components is explored in detail later, providing a clear roadmap for applying the OSKAR model to foster leadership and team growth.

How Does OSKAR Stand Out Among Other Coaching Frameworks?

The OSKAR Coaching Model stands out because of its unique blend of structure and flexibility. While it offers a clear framework, it adapts to the specific needs of your team, making it a cost-effective alternative to other leadership coaching models. Its solution-focused approach encourages teams to leverage their strengths, creating a growth mindset that drives results. By focusing on practical applications and incorporating continuous reviews, the OSKAR model establishes a feedback loop that fuels sustained development and enhances employee retention by providing growth opportunities within your organization, thus highlighting the effectiveness of the OSKAR model in coaching.

A Deep Dive into the OSKAR Components

Each step of the OSKAR model is designed to offer a structured yet flexible approach to leadership development, ensuring that growth is measurable and sustainable. Let’s take a closer look at each component:

1. Outcome: Setting Clear, Measurable Goals

The Outcome stage focuses on defining specific, actionable goals using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), leading to the desired outcome. This ensures that goals are both concrete and trackable, such as setting a goal to “increase team engagement by 20% over the next quarter.” Clear goals drive motivation and provide direction, ensuring that your efforts align with organizational objectives.

2. Situation: Assessing the Current Reality

The Situation component evaluates the team’s strengths, weaknesses, and external factors that influence progress. Tools like SWOT analysis assess the current state, ensuring that your L&D strategies are relevant and realistic. For instance, a team might excel in technical skills but struggle with communication, and this assessment helps create a solid foundation for goal-setting.

3. Know-how: Leveraging Existing Skills

The Know-how phase focuses on identifying and utilizing the skills already present within the team. By mapping team strengths and conducting skill assessments, you will be able to pinpoint areas that support leadership growth. This approach ensures that existing resources are used effectively and efficiently while addressing areas that need improvement.

4. Action: Crafting Actionable Steps

The Action component translates leadership goals into manageable steps with clear deadlines. For instance, to boost leadership engagement, action steps might include organizing monthly training sessions or offering one-on-one coaching. Regular check-ins and celebrating small victories maintain focus and motivation, ensuring that your team stays on track.

5. Review: Reflecting and Adjusting

The Review stage involves reflecting on progress since the last coaching session and adjusting strategies as needed. Regular reviews assess what’s working and where improvements are necessary. For instance, if a leadership training program isn’t yielding the desired results, feedback may indicate the need for more interactive content. Regular reviews reinforce a growth mindset, celebrate milestones, and keep your team motivated. Download the free OSKAR Coaching Model Template here!

Situational Scenarios Illustrating the OSKAR Coaching Model

Let’s explore a real-world scenario that demonstrates how the OSKAR Coaching Model help you and your team grow—both in leadership and collaboration.

Scenario: Fostering Team Collaboration in a Marketing Department

Let’s say you lead a marketing team that’s struggling with communication across departments. The OSKAR coaching model helps you strengthen collaboration and improve your team’s overall performance.
  • Outcome: Your goal is to boost collaboration and efficiency by 30% in the next quarter, measuring progress through team feedback and how quickly projects are delivered.
  • Situation: Your team excels individually, but when it comes to coordinating with other departments, things tend to fall through the cracks, leading to delays and bottlenecks.
  • Know-how: While everyone on the team is an expert in their field, there’s room to improve how they share information, align on goals, and work together more smoothly.
  • Action: As a leader, you could introduce weekly strategy meetings where everyone shares updates and challenges. Implementing collaboration tools, like shared project management software, would help streamline communication. You could also organize team-building activities to strengthen relationships and encourage a more collaborative environment. Additionally, encouraging team members to mentor one another in areas of expertise could foster a supportive, team-oriented culture.
  • Review: At the end of the quarter, you’ll review how the team has improved in communication and project efficiency. By gathering feedback from everyone, you adjust strategies and keep refining your approach to collaboration.
This example demonstrates how OSKAR coaching model lets you tap into your team’s strengths, set clear goals, and foster a more unified approach to working together. The result? A more efficient, cohesive team that works well together and delivers better outcomes.

What Are the Benefits of OSKAR Coaching?

By applying the OSKAR coaching model, you achieve tangible results that contribute to both individual and team growth. This is how it creates measurable outcomes:

Enhanced Goal Clarity and Accountability

The OSKAR coaching model ensures that your team’s goals are clearly defined using SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). By setting clear, trackable objectives, such as “improve employee retention by 15% in the next six months” and identifying specific actions, the model eliminates ambiguity, providing a focused path forward. This clarity enables teams to remain aligned and work efficiently toward specific outcomes, improving overall performance. Regular reviews—integral to the OSKAR process and the OSKAR process framework—reinforce accountability within your team. By tracking progress, everyone remains aware of their responsibilities and milestones, maintaining focus and momentum. This ongoing evaluation drives motivation and ensures your team consistently works towards achieving shared goals, which ultimately leads to better results, including improved employee retention and performance. The OSKAR process enhances the effectiveness of these reviews, making them even more beneficial for team outcomes.

Boosting Performance and Engagement

OSKAR’s solution-focused approach shifts the team’s attention from problems to strengths. The model fosters a culture of positivity, confidence, and proactive behavior by identifying and building on what’s already working well—whether it’s individual skills or past successes. Rather than allowing setbacks to demotivate your team, OSKAR encourages a mindset focused on growth and improvement, which leads to higher engagement and productivity. Let’s say, a team member excels in communication but struggles with time management. This model helps them leverage their communication strengths to mentor others while also developing time management skills. This targeted coaching is a good idea as it drives both individual growth and team success by emphasizing strengths, fostering engagement, and increasing overall team performance. Focusing on outcomes and building on existing strengths, OSKAR creates an environment where your team members feel valued and empowered. This drives greater initiative, improved performance, and ongoing growth. Consequently, you expect measurable progress in both employee retention and leadership development.

How to Implement the OSKAR Coaching Model in Your Organization?

 Bringing the OSKAR Coaching Model into your organization leads to long-term growth and improved performance. You integrate it successfully by:
  1. Introduce the Model: Start with workshops or presentations to assist your team in understanding the benefits and practical applications of the model.
  2. Provide Training: Equip your team with the necessary tools and resources for effective implementation, ensuring the materials are relevant and actionable for real-world situations.
  3. Demonstrate Application: Use case studies, simulations, and role-playing exercises to show how each component translates into tangible results.
  4. Promote Consistent Use: Ensure uniform application across leadership initiatives by making the model a standard practice in your development programs.
  5. Offer Ongoing Support: Create a support system with peer coaching and regular feedback sessions to assist your team refine their approach and staying motivated.
Adopting these strategies enables you to create a standardized coaching framework that fosters long-term leadership growth, enhances performance, and boosts employee retention, all while optimizing results within your budget.

Conclusion

The OSKAR Coaching Model is a structured, solution-focused framework that drives growth and development in your organization, benefiting every team member involved. By setting clear outcomes, assessing the current situation, leveraging team skills, creating actionable plans, and conducting regular reviews, the model enhances goal alignment and accountability, allowing for the development of each member’s action plan. Its emphasis on performance improvement, continuous development, and employee retention makes it an invaluable tool for organizations seeking to develop leadership skills and achieve long-term success.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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Leadership Transition 101: Essential Guide to Transition New Leaders

In this blog, we’ll explore the nuances of leadership transition, why it matters, and how HR and L&D leaders take a proactive role in navigating this change. We’ll include actionable strategies, real-world examples, and tips to create a leadership transition plan that will set up a smooth transition for all.

Leadership Transition 101: Essential Guide to Transition New Leaders

Leadership transitions are defining moments for any organization. These shifts can significantly impact the organization’s trajectory, whether it’s a planned succession, restructuring, or a sudden change. As an HR or L&D professional, you need to ensure smooth onboarding for the new leader as well as support the entire organization through the change. In this blog, we’ll explore the nuances of leadership transition, why it matters, and how HR and L&D leaders take a proactive role in navigating this change. We’ll include actionable strategies, real-world examples, and tips to create a leadership transition plan that will set up a smooth transition for all.
Table of Contents

What is Leadership Transition?

The process of transferring authority, responsibilities, and relationships from one leader to another is called Leadership Transition. A well-planned leadership transition maintains stability, boosts morale, and leads to leadership development. On the other hand, a poorly managed transition leads to confusion, reduced productivity, and even a decline in trust. As HR and L&D professionals, you’re at the center of this process. Your role is to smoothen the onboarding for the new leader and to ensure the organization successfully transitions the change.

Causes of Leadership Transition

There are various reasons for leadership transitions. Knowing why a change is happening lets you prepare better and provide the right support. Some of the common causes are:
  • Retirement: When long-serving leaders step down, it opens the door for fresh talent to take their place.
  • Promotion: Leaders moving up the organizational ladder leave leadership gaps that need filling.
  • Resignation: Leaders may voluntarily leave for new opportunities, requiring the organization to find a replacement quickly.
  • Termination: Sometimes, leaders are asked to leave due to performance or alignment issues.
  • Expansion: Organizational growth creates new leadership roles that need to be filled by capable individuals.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Structural changes during these processes often lead to shifts in leadership to align with new goals.
  • Succession Planning: Thoughtful, planned transitions designed to groom and prepare future leaders.
Understanding these causes prepares you for the unique challenges of each scenario, be it ensuring a smooth succession or helping the organization adapt during a merger, your role is crucial.

What are the Phases of a Successful Leadership Transition?

Jay McDonald, a member of the Forbes Council, shared his experience of transitioning from the board of directors to the CEO position stating “the most important principles of successful leadership transition”. He believes that simply being placed in a leadership role doesn’t automatically make someone a true leader. However, when you’re brought on board to drive change, that’s when a leader is needed, not just a manager. He wrote these four phases of successfully transitioning into a leadership role:

1. Learn

Start by understanding the landscape of your organization. Have an open conversation with the previous leader, if possible, to learn what worked well and what didn’t. Extend this learning by talking to your team and clients at all levels to get their perspectives. This will give you a clear picture of what’s already in place and what might need to change.

2. Assess

Don’t rush in with immediate solutions—unless the situation demands urgent action. Take time to evaluate your team’s skills. Do you have the right talent to achieve your goals? If not, are there other employees who can step up into leadership roles? Also, analyze what changes might be needed in key areas like structure, technology, customer experience, or employee culture.

3. Communicate

People often feel nervous about change when they don’t know what’s going on. As you start to get a clearer picture, focus on effective communication. Be transparent about the organization’s current state and how it affects them. Use team meetings, emails, or even one-on-one discussions to keep everyone informed. A simple tool, like a card listing key priorities, will help everyone stay focused.

4. Act

When it’s time to make changes, be decisive and fair. If layoffs are needed, handle them respectfully and provide support to those affected. Try to bring your team back together after the layoff, if possible. For employees whose jobs are no longer relevant, try to find them new roles within the organization. Make sure everyone, including yourself, is held accountable for moving forward.

What Are Common Leadership Transition Challenges and Their Solutions?

Leadership changes are tough for any organization. If you don’t manage them well, they hurt morale, lower productivity, and slow down progress. However, with the right approach, these challenges turn into opportunities for growth, creating a culture of resilience that makes future transitions smoother.

Common Challenges During Leadership Transitions

  1. Resistance to Change
    • People often fear the unknown. Concerns about job security or lack of control leads to pushback.
    • This resistance creates roadblocks, slowing the transition process.
  2. Misalignment with Organizational Culture
    • A new leader’s vision may not match the current values and practices of the organization.
    • Rapid or forceful changes disrupt morale and lead to confusion.
  3. Loss of Continuity
    • Long-term leaders leave behind legacies that may be hard to follow.
    • Employees may struggle to adapt to new leadership styles, creating a sense of instability.

Solutions for a Smooth Leadership Transition

  1. Address Resistance with Clear Communication
    • Be transparent about the reasons for the leadership change and its impact.
    • Listen to your team’s concerns, acknowledge their feelings, and provide clarity on how the transition benefits them and the organization.
  2. Align the New Leader with Organizational Culture
    • Help the incoming leader understand the company’s values and history.
    • Facilitate open discussions to build shared goals and connect the new vision with the existing culture.
  3. Maintain Continuity and Celebrate the Past
    • Recognize and honor the outgoing leader’s contributions to create a sense of closure.
    • Involve employees in the transition process to foster a feeling of inclusion and trust.
  4. Develop a Clear Transition Plan
    • Create a roadmap outlining major tasks, timelines, and responsibilities.
    • Ensure the new leader receives thorough onboarding and support to hit the ground running.
  5. Foster Open Communication and Collaboration
    • Encourage constructive feedback and open dialogue at all levels of the organization.
    • Create opportunities for your team members to voice their concerns and provide input, reducing resistance and promoting teamwork.
By addressing these issues directly and putting strategic solutions in place, you ensure that leadership transitions not only go smoothly but also benefit the organization as a whole.

Developing a Leadership Transition Plan Template

A leadership transition plan serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the critical process of leadership change. It breaks down essential steps, tasks, and timelines to ensure a smooth transition. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The template should be flexible, allowing you to customize it based on the needs and circumstances of your team as well as organization. This adaptability ensures a seamless and successful transition.

Essential Elements of an Effective Transition Plan

A well-designed leadership transition plan ensures clarity and alignment among everyone involved. These are the essential elements you need to incorporate:
  1. Clear Timeline
    • Outline key milestones and deadlines to keep the process organized and on track.
  2. Defined Roles and Responsibilities
    • Clearly specify the duties of the outgoing leader, incoming leader, and key stakeholders to eliminate confusion and encourage accountability.
  3. Communication Strategy
    • Identify who needs to be informed, the best channels for communication, and the core messages to share. This ensures transparency and keeps everyone updated.
  4. Feedback and Adjustment Mechanism
    • Regularly gather feedback and assess the plan’s effectiveness. Be ready to make adjustments to keep everything aligned with the organization’s goals.

Tailoring Your Plan to Fit Organizational Needs

Every leadership transition is distinct, and an effective plan should take into account the organization’s specific needs. Start by assessing the scale of the transition. A CEO change that impacts the entire organization requires a more comprehensive plan than a departmental leadership change. Organizational culture also plays an important role. In a hierarchical setup, a formal and structured approach works best, while a collaborative culture benefits from open discussions and team input. Engaging your team at all levels ensures the plan addresses their concerns and builds support for the changes ahead. Customizing your plan to fit these unique needs creates a smoother path to successful leadership transition.

Examples of Successful Leadership Transitions

Real-world examples of successful leadership transitions provide helpful information on how organizations manage this important time. These leadership change examples teach useful lessons, including effective leadership development strategies, possible mistakes, and the need to adapt to changing situations. When you look at cases where leadership changes worked well, you get to learn best practices and implement them effectively.

Case Studies: Leadership Change Management

CompanyTransitionKey Success Factors
MicrosoftSteve Ballmer to Satya Nadella (2014)Nadella’s clear vision for a cloud-focused future, along with his focus on cultural change and empowering employees, helped Microsoft thrive.
General MotorsRick Wagoner to Mary Barra (2014)Barra’s strong leadership during a tough time for the automotive industry, along with her focus on innovation and customer needs, led GM to renewed growth and success.
These cases illustrate the profound impact of strong leadership during transitions. Assertive communication, a compelling vision, and a commitment to core values were the consistent themes in these successful leadership transition projects. By prioritizing these factors, you significantly increase your organization’s likelihood of navigating leadership changes efficiently and effectively.

Analyzing Leadership Change Announcement Examples

How you announce a change in leadership affects how people feel about it. Announcements that focus on being open, understanding, and having clear goals for the future tend to create trust and reduce problems. Looking at good instances of announcements shows us important ways to do this: Apple‘s way of announcing the change from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook is a great example. They announced it early, before Jobs passed away. This created a smooth transfer of power and showed that Cook was ready and capable. This clear and open communication made stakeholders feel safe and helped the transition go well. Similarly, when Mary Barra became the leader at General Motors, her announcement showed her long-time experience in the company. It highlighted her strong knowledge of the industry and GM’s operations. This announcement also shared Barra’s vision for the company’s future, focusing on new ideas and making customers happy. This built confidence among stakeholders and raised their hopes for her leadership. These real-world examples show how important a smooth leadership transition is for your organization to keep working effectively and without disruptions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, moving into a new leadership role needs careful planning and good communication. Success comes from welcoming change, learning from what has happened before, and creating a culture where everyone is open. By knowing the steps in a transition, tackling problems early, and making a special plan for the change, you help your organization work smoothly. Leadership changes bring chances for growth and new ideas. So, take on the journey with trust and strength.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

Ready to take your leadership development to the next level?

Discover how Risely’s AI-driven platform can help you empower your managers, drive growth, and create lasting impact.

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Training Delivery Simplified: Methods, Competencies, and Best Practices

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the training delivery process, the competencies you need, an example of a practical training delivery plan and 8 effective methods.

Training Delivery Simplified: Methods, Competencies, and Best Practices

Training delivery can make or break a learning program. Even the most well-crafted content won’t resonate if your delivery process lacks structure, clarity, or engagement. A complete delivery approach that includes interesting training content and strong learning management systems is essential for achieving real impact. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the training delivery process, the competencies you need, an example of a practical training delivery plan and effective methods.
Table of Contents

What is Training Delivery and Why Should it Matter to You?

The term “training delivery” refers to how an organization presents learning initiatives to learners. At its core, training delivery refers to how you bring training programs to life for your team—whether it’s through in-person sessions, virtual platforms, or hybrid models. The catch is that good delivery goes beyond what is taught and focuses on how it’s delivered. Effective training delivery ensures:
  • Higher engagement rates
  • Better retention of information
  • Measurable improvement in employee performance
Training is an ongoing process. A successful training program engages learners and helps them understand things better. This way, they gain practical skills that they can use every day. It is essential to have a clear training approach wherein you look at learning objectives, who your audience is, how the content is shared, and what delivery methods to use.

Core Training Delivery Competencies

Effective training delivery relies on some key skills that help you create great learning experiences. The first step is to understand the subject matter well. You must turn complex information into simple content that everyone can understand. The next step is to foster these competencies within you and your team:
  • Strong Communication: Ability to convey complex ideas simply and clearly.
  • Adaptability: Adjusting delivery styles based on your team or setting.
  • Facilitation Skills: Engaging your team through interactive techniques, discussions, and activities.
  • Technical Proficiency: Bridging digital skills gap to be comfortable with tools for virtual or hybrid training delivery.
  • Empathy and Listening: Understanding team members’ challenges and addressing them effectively.
  • Time Management: Balancing content delivery without overwhelming your team.
Your role is to identify gaps in these competencies within your team and address them through upskilling or coaching. Providing constructive feedback, answering their questions, and providing ongoing support are also important for effective training delivery.

The Training Delivery Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

A clear process helps you structure your training delivery effectively, ensuring that every session runs smoothly and delivers measurable results. A detailed breakdown of a simplified yet impactful training delivery process is as follows:
  1. Needs Analysis: Start by identifying the skills gaps within your teams. Conduct surveys, interviews, or skills assessments to understand where your team members are struggling and what skills need to be developed. The clearer the learning objectives, the more targeted and effective your training delivery will be.
  2. Content Preparation: Develop or curate training material that directly addresses the identified needs. This could include creating slides, interactive activities, case studies, or leveraging existing resources like eLearning modules. Ensure the content is clear, relevant, and designed to keep your team engaged.
  3. Selecting Delivery Methods: Decide on the most suitable training delivery methods based on the content, team members, and resources available. For instance, virtual sessions may be ideal for knowledge transfer, while OJT is perfect for hands-on skills development.
  4. Creating a Delivery Plan: Map out a clear training schedule that includes timelines and learning outcomes. Outline what will be covered in each session, how long it will take, and the tools or platforms needed. A solid delivery plan ensures everyone is aligned and prepared for execution.
  5. Facilitation: Execute the training sessions with a focus on engagement, interaction, and participation. Use techniques like storytelling, Q&A, role-play, and group discussions to keep them active and invested in the process. Ensure that the content flows logically and addresses the team’s questions along the way.
  6. Feedback and Follow-Up: Training doesn’t end when the session wraps up. Collect immediate feedback to understand what worked well and what didn’t. Use surveys, quick polls, or one-on-one check-ins to gather insights. Evaluate training outcomes by assessing skill improvements or behavioral changes, and use this data to improve future delivery strategies.

Training Delivery Plan Example

Let’s use an example to make it more concrete. Suppose you are launching a training program on leadership development. Step 1: Objective – Equip team managers with coaching and feedback skills to improve team performance. Step 2: Audience – Mid-level managers in a hybrid work setup. Step 3: Delivery Method – Blended approach with virtual sessions, role-play activities, and post-training microlearning. Step 4: Schedule –
  • Week 1: Live virtual workshop (2 hours)
  • Week 2: Roleplay and feedback simulations (1 hour)
  • Week 3: Follow-up microlearning nudges
Step 5: Evaluation – Collect feedback, track engagement, and assess how team managers apply these skills post-training. This level of detail lets you stay on track, align resources, and deliver training with purpose.

Training Delivery Methods with Examples

Training delivery methods are the different ways you deliver knowledge to your team. They significantly impact the effectiveness of training and the overall learning experience. This is where your strategy takes shape. Choosing the right methods depends on your organizational goals, your team, and the available resources. A few effective training delivery methods you can rely on are as follows:

1. Instructor-led Training (ILT)

Instructor-led training (ILT) offers a structured, face-to-face learning experience led by an expert like yourself. It’s ideal for sharing complex information, as your team members ask questions and receive real-time feedback. ILT also builds a sense of community and interaction among the team. However, it can be costly and requires everyone to be present at the same time and place. Example: Training your sales team through ILT allows them to practice role-playing and receive tailored feedback on sales techniques.

2. Virtual Classroom Learning

Virtual classroom learning replicates a traditional classroom environment online. It’s cost-effective and enables your team members from different locations to join through video calls, screen sharing, and other interactive tools. While it offers flexibility, a reliable internet connection is essential for participation. Example: A global sales team learning about a new product update through live virtual sessions.

3. On-the-job Training (OJT)

On-the-job training pairs less experienced team members with skilled mentors like you, enabling them to learn practical skills in real-time. It’s highly effective for teaching specific tasks but relies on your ability to provide structured guidance. Example: A tech team learning about new tools, their usage, and safety protocols on the job.

4. Blended Learning

Blended learning combines the flexibility of online modules with the engagement of in-person sessions. Your team gets to explore topics at their own pace online and use classroom time for group discussions and activities. Example: A business management course that delivers lectures online and organizes in-person workshops for team presentations.

5. E-learning Courses

E-learning provides digital training content accessible anytime, making it suitable for busy schedules. It supports self-paced learning and is ideal for compliance training or skill refreshers. Example: Managers taking Risely’s online Masterclasses on leadership development on their own schedules.

6. Microlearning

Microlearning delivers short, focused modules that fit into your team’s busy lives. Accessible on mobile devices, it’s perfect for quick skill updates or learning on the go. Example: Customer service reps using 5-minute modules to master new product features before engaging with customers.

7. Virtual Reality (VR) and Simulation Training

VR and simulation training provides a risk-free environment for your team to practice their skills. It’s particularly effective for soft skills as well as technical or high-risk scenarios where real-world mistakes would be costly. Example: A VR employee development program that trains employees on customer service skills.

8. Coaching

Coaching focuses on personalized, one-on-one development. You assist your team in refining skills, overcoming challenges, and achieving specific goals through constructive feedback and guidance. The advancement in technology also supports AI coaches, like Merlin- AI Leadership Coach, who are available 24/7 to guide your team. Example: A sales manager coaching a struggling team member to refine their techniques and build confidence. These were some of the most effective training delivery methods that you should pick from depending on your organization’s and team’s needs.

How to Measure Training Effectiveness?

Knowing if your training programs are effective is crucial for HR and L&D leaders. Attendance is only one factor; other factors include whether the programs achieve their learning goals, provide good value, and result in observable improvements in behavior and skills. Analyzing this data lets you spot gaps and refine your programs, ensuring they align with your organizational goals.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Training Delivery

To measure success, you should track these KPIs:
  • Knowledge Retention: How well your team remembers what they’ve learned.
  • Learning Objectives Achieved: Are they meeting the goals set for the program?
  • Engagement Levels: Participation rates and interaction during sessions.
  • Course Completion Rates: The percentage of team members finishing the training.
  • Application of Skills: How effectively your team applies new skills at work.
  • Accessibility: How easily they get access to training materials.
  • Learning Experience: Feedback on the overall experience and content delivery.
Analyzing feedback assists you in addressing weaknesses and adapting your programs to stay engaging and effective. Tools like post-training surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one meetings are very useful for feedback collection.

Addressing Challenges in Training Delivery

You’ve likely faced challenges like tight budgets, limited time, or keeping your team engaged. Overcoming these obstacles requires a proactive mindset and a willingness to adapt to new strategies. Let’s look at the common challenges and how to tackle them effectively:
Adapting to these challenges strengthens your training delivery and enhances the overall learning culture in your organization. You create impactful programs that resonate with your team by addressing these challenges head-on.

Conclusion

In conclusion, good training delivery is very important in today’s workplaces. It helps your team improve their skills and performance. You should focus on the main skills and create custom training plans using real-life examples. Use different methods such as virtual classroom learning and microlearning to make learning more engaging and effective. Measuring how well training works using KPIs and feedback is also important for ongoing improvement. Using new ideas and adjusting to different learning styles is vital for building a culture of ongoing learning and growth at work.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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What are the Top 10 Good Trainer Characteristics?

In this blog, we’ll explore the top 10 good trainer characteristics that define a successful facilitator and learn some practical tips for becoming a good trainer.

What are the Top 10 Good Trainer Characteristics?

Karl A. Menninger once said, “What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” As an L&D professional, you would agree that having a good trainer is more important than ever to your team’s success. Creating a learning experience that drives skill development and empowers your team to reach their potential is as crucial as the content being delivered. The workplace is evolving rapidly, and having trainers with the right mix of skills elevates your training programs, making them both engaging and impactful. So, what makes a good trainer? Let’s explore the top 10 good trainer characteristics that define a successful facilitator and learn some practical tips for becoming a good trainer.
Table of Contents

Top 10 Qualities of a Good Trainer

Knowing your subject well is just one of the many good trainer characteristics one needs to have. What makes a good trainer in the workplace is your expertise with the right mix of skills and traits that connect with your team. These qualities help you create an environment where they feel motivated, supported, and ready to learn. Let’s look at some good trainer characteristics that a leader should possess to elevate training sessions:

1. Exceptional Communication Skills

Clear and assertive communication is the foundation of effective training. As a trainer, you should be able to articulate ideas simply and relate them to your team’s context. Whether it’s explaining a concept, addressing questions, or fostering open dialogue, good communication builds trust and keeps your team engaged. Good communication includes non-verbal cues too. This means using body language during training sessions that makes them comfortable and encourages them to get involved.

2. Adaptability in Changing Environments

Have you ever been in a session where tech glitches or last-minute changes threw off the plan? The training environment can change quickly and unexpectedly. A good trainer remains flexible, adjusting their training methods, content, and approach when faced with surprising challenges or changes. When you are able to think fast, change lesson plans and include new information, it shows your commitment to creating a good learning experience, even when there are setbacks. This flexibility keeps training relevant and interesting, matching the changing nature of learning.

3. Strong Leadership and Management Abilities

An impactful training session needs good trainer characteristics like strong and effective leadership and management skills. The ability to guide your team through the training program and create a supportive learning atmosphere is essential. You must effectively manage the group’s dynamics, motivate your team and delegate tasks well. You must also keep the learning environment structured to help everyone join in. This way, the training objectives are achieved. Strong leadership skills build confidence in team members, leading to a better training experience.

4. Deep Knowledge and Passion for the Subject

An effective trainer has a true passion for the subject matter. They also have a deep understanding of what they are teaching. This passion is catchy and helps team members connect more with the training. People are easily able to tell if someone is just reading facts or if they care about sharing knowledge. When you show both passion and knowledge, you create training sessions that are informative, engaging, and make people think.

5. Ability to Provide Constructive Feedback

Feedback is a significant part of learning. A good trainer knows how to give constructive feedback that helps their team grow. This means sharing clear and useful tips that the team can use to get better at their skills. When done with positivity and encouragement, feedback becomes a tool for motivation rather than critique. This encouragement supports them in wanting to keep getting better during their training experience.

6. Patience and Respectfulness Towards Your Team

Every team member has their own learning style, speed, and background. A good trainer sees this diversity and treats each team member with patience and respect. The team members may also face different challenges. To tackle this, create a safe space where questions are welcomed, challenges are addressed, and everyone feels valued in their learning journey. A trainer who is patient and respectful creates a positive learning atmosphere that is good for everyone.

7. Skills in Active Listening

Active listening is an important skill for any effective trainer. It’s essential for creating a productive, friendly, and respectful workplace. A good listener notices non-verbal cues, asks questions that clarify and shows a true interest in what the team thinks. This skill helps you adjust your approach to meet specific issues, share useful examples, and make sure the training connects with each team member. By creating a culture of active listening during a training session, you make the learning experience much better.

8. Proficiency in Problem-Solving

The ability to think critically and solve problems is very important for trainers. Unexpected challenges, technical issues, or off-topic questions will happen in a training session. As a good trainer, you should be capable of handling these situations well using problem-solving skills. You need to offer practical solutions or different explanations to keep training moving forward. This may mean changing training materials quickly, using real-life examples, or adjusting teaching methods to meet the training needs at that time.

9. Commitment to Continuous Learning

The workplace is constantly changing, and so are training needs. A good trainer embraces continuous learning, evolving their methods and improving their skills. They keep up with new trends in their field and take part in chances for professional development. This commitment ensures they bring fresh, relevant content to every session, keeping learners engaged and motivated.

10. Cultural Sensitivity and Inclusivity

In a workplace that is becoming more diverse and inclusive, being aware of different cultures and norms is very important to be a thoughtful trainer. This includes knowing and respecting various cultural norms, backgrounds, and views. A good trainer works hard to build a training environment where everyone feels respected, important and included. This way, the training content is understood by all. It also helps create a feeling of belonging and understanding among team members.

What Makes a Good Trainer in the Workplace?

A good trainer continuously practices and develops qualities that improve their understanding of learner and organizational needs. They embody all the good trainer characteristics mentioned above and implement them effectively. They inspire growth and collaboration and create a learning environment where creativity flourishes, knowledge is shared, and teams thrive. As a good trainer, you should help your team grow and improve in the organization and assist them in learning new skills. Creating a positive learning atmosphere is another factor that makes you a good trainer. Making it easy for your team to participate, be creative, and share knowledge is important for boosting employee engagement and delivering training with accuracy.

4 Tips to Be a Good Trainer

We have gone through some good trainer characteristics and learnt what makes a good trainer in the workplace. However, good trainers are made, not born. You need to keep learning and developing skills to be able to train your team successfully. Following are some tips for becoming a good trainer:

1. Stay Present in the Moment

Being fully present during training sessions is crucial for creating meaningful connections with your audience. Practicing mindfulness helps you stay aware of your thoughts, emotions, communication, and actions in the present. One effective way to achieve this is by taking mindful pauses or incorporating a simple daily breathing exercise to train yourself in mindfulness and awareness.

2. Maintain Your Energy Levels

Training sessions are sometimes demanding, and relying solely on your willpower isn’t sustainable. Prioritize self-care to stay energetic and perform at your best. Schedule time for hobbies, relaxation, and physical activity, and ensure you set boundaries to recharge yourself effectively.

3. Infuse Humor Into Your Sessions

Humor is a game-changer in training—it makes sessions enjoyable, breaks the ice, and helps your team connect with the material. Fun and engaging sessions increase attention and make learning stick longer. However, it’s important to use humor thoughtfully, ensuring it’s inclusive and never at someone’s expense.

4. Sharpen Your Presentation Skills

Presentation skills remain vital even in the age of eLearning. A trainer is better able to capture and hold their team’s attention and elevate the learning experience using their presentation skills. Delivering impactful presentations is key to keeping learners engaged and focused whether online or in person. By developing these skills, you’ll not only enhance your effectiveness as a trainer but also create a more engaging and impactful learning experience for your team.

Conclusion

In conclusion, good trainer characteristics are qualities that go beyond knowledge and skills. A trainer must be good at communicating, adapting, leading, and respecting their team, creating a positive learning space by using active listening, solving problems, and being aware of different cultures. Lifelong learning and inclusivity help trainers be more effective at work. To be a great trainer, develop these traits to empower and inspire your team in various settings.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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Do you need authority to be an effective leader?

Do you need authority to be an effective leader?

Are you a strong leader? Or do you sometimes wonder if people are willing to walk all over you?

Honestly, many of us are not loud and out there to prove that we are the best in the game. But at times, it makes one wonder – are we doing enough?

Are “strong” leaders the only successful ones?

I talked about this with someone recently.

In a podcast episode recorded last month, I connected with John Horn, SHRM-SCP, MPA. With hundreds of employees to manage, he has a big task at hand, which he solves with an interesting leadership approach: servant leadership.

Now, when it comes to servant leadership, there’s this very simple myth:

  • You are not being assertive.
  • You agree with whatever the other person says.
  • You are not holding anyone accountable.

But John disagreed.

He shared that servant leadership is about creating an environment that allows for team and organization’s accountability and growth while honoring the working people rather than treating them like cogs in a machine.

In defining servant leadership, he shared a new perspective on what leadership could mean.

Leadership does not need to be about power and influence. It can be about serving others and making a positive impact. The formula is putting service first in every act and authority in the background.

But would your team still get things done?

Absolutely yes.

Here’s why:

Money is not the sole incentive that brings people to their desks daily. It could be growth opportunities, a matter of identity, or the feeling of accomplishment that they get regularly at work.

For instance, flexibility is important to many employees today; it’s one of the top five considerations when weighing a role. Does a strict leadership approach permit that? Are your employees satisfied with the resultant work environment?

It’s a no-brainer. They won’t be.

Your solution is adopting a leadership approach that won’t garner old-school approval.

A leader who actively displays care and trust adds immense value to the workplace. And that’s what servant leaders focus on, as per John!

Research agrees with this sentiment, as positive workplace behavior from leaders is shown to

help employee engagement and relationships.

The key is to meet the employee where they are and fulfill their needs instead of pushing yourself and your team into a paradigm of deadlines and OKRs.

Your approach might seem too weak to many, but it’s meant for your team’s context and challenges. Leadership and people management are evolving arenas; you need someone who gets you as you are in the present to support you.

Putting ideas into action

Now the question is, how does this tie up with you? Do you also feel that your leadership style is timid?

John suggests journaling as one of the finest methods to develop an understanding of your leadership style. Thinking about some critical questions like these below can help you introspect:

  • What helps me feel valued as a leader?
  • What motivates me as a leader?

As you reflect more, your clarity increases over time.

To cultivate a more servant-focused leadership style, try actively soliciting feedback from your team members on how you can better support their growth and development.

John’s podcast, which you can catch here, offers more insights about servant leadership. Let me know your thoughts – I’m excited to hear how you plan to lead with greater empathy and service.

Ashish

Ashish is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in strategy, coaching and product. In the present avatar, he is building Risely, an AI-enabled leadership development platform in between breaks from treks and baking.

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How Retail Leadership Development Needs to Change

How Retail Leadership Development Needs to Change

The retail organizations around us are changing. Technological developments promise faster deliveries than ever, and retail employment is not the same exciting prospect anymore for college students. Before looking at how the leaders are responding to these changes, let’s answer something critical: Are retail leaders prepared to take on the future?
Table of Contents

Retail Leadership Development – The Story So Far

The retail sector is facing the heat not just from the economic downturn alone but also from troubled global matters and stemmed revival after the pandemic. That’s one side. The other is managing the employees and the store. The first is challenging because of the typical high attrition of working frontline in retail. The financial benefits are no help, so the matters relate to the experiences. The second area is posing challenges because there are better options on the internet. Retail needs to focus on building great customer experiences to survive the drought brought upon by e-commerce, which again boils down to how loyal and good your employees are. There’s one thread tying all of these together: The store manager. These often assertive but usually tough people are the heart and soul of retail chains. A lot rests on their shoulders—right from managing the employee register to ensuring that the customer exits with a smile on their face. Historically, long-term employment with a retail chain would mean a series of promotions into managerial and leadership roles. But times are changing, and so are demands. The managerial role in retail is now about managing stakeholders, supply chains, tech, people, and so on. Managers and leaders at every level in retail businesses need more training and support to achieve remarkable results that are becoming synonymous with survival. While historically, we have witnessed a drought of leadership development opportunities in retail, there are voices demanding change quite openly now. For instance, in research by Spencer Stuart across retail organizations globally, it was found that leading and empowering people was one of the most important abilities a retail leader needed! That’s not all. There’s more context to highlight why retail leadership development is the need of the hour. HR leaders from these retail organizations shared that the biggest risk in succession planning for retail right now was the inability to address development gaps – which directly hints at the need for better leadership development initiatives for retail organizations. But, is it really worth the fuss?

How do leadership development initiatives impact the retention of leaders?

Research cited above points to 25 to 48% of CEOs and direct reports being expected to leave their organizations within a year from the survey date. What’s next, then? Unfortunately, not many teams are sure, owing to the lack of leadership development practices. They are grappling with gaps in the talent pipeline, and most of the next generation does not seem fit to bear the load. The leaders and managers are bound to search for exits when the traditional career progression route is no longer feasible, and there are no alternate avenues on offer. The growth promised through these programs is a great benefit on top of competitive aspects like pay and benefits. When similar offerings populate the industry, differentiation is made of L&D initiatives that boost employee loyalty by supporting them right where they need it. Leadership development opportunities can help curb the turnover of leaders and managers in retail. This is because investment in leadership development offers a sense of professional security. That’s not all. There’s more that retail leadership development can change.

What is the impact of retail leadership development?

We can sum up the major impact of retail leadership development as follows:
  • Make your people stay: First, retail leadership development is important to fight up-and-coming challenges with the right workforce. External hiring, training for your industrial relevance, and then fighting the battle would prove costly. Instead, if you invest in bringing out the leadership potential of your people, you will have a more loyal workforce who values you as much as you do them. Building loyalty among your team members in a high-turnover industry is one of the best ways to secure competitive advantages.
  • Bring your people together: Leadership and management development programs will help you emphasize your organization’s core values and mission. In turn, the receivers of these messages, the leaders and managers who are learning, double up as culture agents with the frontline staff and ensure they have a sense of purpose at work.
  • Propagate the right behaviors to the frontline: Training managers in your core values and the right mix of management skills will help you create a trickle-down effect. As a result, the ideas and behaviors you want to emphasize are built with the managers as role models for the frontline staff, leading to the ultimate success, which is a great customer experience.
  • Tailor leadership programs to meet your needs: There’s a lot available in the open market when it comes to developing leaders and managers, but the question is—does that match what you need? Most likely, it will not. Most leadership development programs are cookie-cutter and not made to fit. As a result, the impact remains half-hearted. Investing in leadership development yourself will allow you to control the content and application.
  • Be future-ready: It’s no secret that the world is changing. The retail industry now needs to negotiate terms with consumers who are conscious of the level of comfort e-commerce can offer. There are also tech disruptions to keep in mind, like AI. All of these changes require leadership that is willing to take on challenges.
The old image of a rigid store manager is no longer the face of the retail industry, so let’s replace that archetype from the leadership development programs too?
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What does retail leadership training need to do?

Regarding retail leadership development, the most common forms include screaming ideas into an audience, which, although traditional, does not appear very effective. Since we are talking of preparing for a modern world, leadership development practices in a retail environment also need to modernize and get in tune with the present. For instance, AI-powered leadership development fits neatly into the retail leadership development paradigm because it can meet the needs of distributed teams at scale even when the contextual needs are heavily varied. What does that mean? Let’s break it down into five key features of retail leadership development for the future.

#1 Not pull away people from work

One of leadership development’s biggest troubles lies in taking time for it. Most managers and leaders don’t have the hours (or sometimes days) that the conventional leadership workshops, seminars and getaways demand. They do have unique challenges that these programs don’t help with because they are made with an Ideal Customer Persona in mind. Retail leadership development must embrace microlearning to meet managers where they are, most likely on the store floor. It means offering learning in bite-sized bits that are actionable and not just offering a checklist of best practices to follow. For example, Risely’s daily nudges for people managers share a small actionable idea that they can practice right then. This nudge is aligned to their job role and level of proficiency in particular leadership skills, and it even identifies which team members would be best to work in that area. All of this takes about 15 minutes at best, including getting the idea, trying it out, and maybe even talking about what happened with the AI coach Merlin right then!

#2 Train a lot of people similarly even at different locations

The most basic part of training a retail organization is understanding that it is distributed. For example, one company that we work with, Fosters, has people spread over six to seven separate locations. Pulling them all into a single leadership development program would mean pulling key people from each place and potentially jeopardizing operations for at least a day or two. That’s why retail leadership development solutions need to account for a centralized set-up that scales down into your context. For instance, Risely’s AI-led co-pilot for leadership development is accessible anywhere at any time. The managers do not need to seek permission to take a coaching session or wait until the company organizes the next one. All of them have access to an AI coach who is personalized to their job role, level of leadership skills, and professional goals. Also, Merlin offers voice mode in over 40 languages, so don’t worry about typing out long paragraphs about what’s bothering you. It’s as simple as sending that voice note to a friend describing your annoying day at work. Simplification in accessing coaching and support through interventions like these is critical for retail leaders since they are in a high-stress and emotionally draining job that leaves little bandwidth to “learn” at the end of the day.

#3 Train people at different levels in the organization

Every organization has people working at several different levels. This leads to an obvious complexity: Who to train and who not to? What if we told you that every leader on your team deserves support? Broadly, the numbers in corporate organizations suggest that only about 10% of leaders are able to access training. It leaves out most of the people who work day in and day out with the frontline staff. AI coaching and leadership development drastically reduce costs and barriers. As a result, you can train all the people in your organization at a fraction of the cost, time, and effort. AI coaching is adaptable to job roles, so it can help anyone from the CXO club to frontline managers who battle it out every day.

#4 Meet the unique contextual needs of retail leadership

Retail leadership is not for the faint-hearted. A number of factors are involved, from building customer experiences to managing supply chain networks. The trouble is that a leadership coach would not know about this unless they come from a retail background. This makes coaching and development services for retail leaders a niche and expensive area. But that’s not all. Not all retail leaders are cut from the same cloth. Some have to handle people by giving speeches; others do so in closed rooms where big deals are discussed. Both of these people need different skills. AI supports this differentiation in the support being provided to leaders across a retail organization with personalized learning pathways. Risely, for instance, starts by asking you to configure challenges and assesses you on leadership skills to create a roadmap that would suit you. It further pulls insights from company policies and ties into individual professional goals to create a well-rounded learning experience. It is an entirely different paradigm from the leadership development best practices offered so far to retail leaders.

#5 Reinforce organizational objectives and values

In a business that’s known for high turnover, loyalty is chased. So why are we leaving it on the table when effective leadership development and shake things up? Investing in leadership development creates a positive employee brand that ensures your people stick with you. But that’s just one part. Leadership coaching that is outsourced or conducted through external providers is more often than not likely to suffer from a disconnect from your values. It’s not because of inability but simply because of design. Embedding your mission and ideas is possible only when you train people with in-house experts, which is a costly affair on its own. So, what’s the way out? An AI coach helps with this, too! Risely’s AI coach, Merlin, learns your company’s policies and values and offer them along with suggestions whenever your team is taking a coaching session. This is a great way to reinforce your core ideas rather than letting them catch dust in some lengthy documents that barely get read. Retail leadership development is surely in for some amazing changes as the world progresses. Come 2025 and bid adieu to one-size-fits-all learning programs plaguing your people. Instead, gift them learning that meets their needs. Read more: How To Make Leadership Development Programs Succeed In Your Organization?

To Sum Up

Retail leadership development is the need of the hour as we navigate more complex relationships and changing dynamics with the increasing popularity of e-commerce. Manager and leadership development promises a lot to retail organizations. There are many benefits to be sought in improved customer experiences, better frontline performance, and increased employee loyalty. But the last bit of trouble lies in the prevalent old-school modes of leadership development in the retail industry. They are often not optimized for the right context where your learner is. AI bridges this gap by offering personalized learning paths to managers and learners for unique challenges.

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 Improve Healthcare Leadership Development?

How to Develop Leadership Skills in Healthcare?

Healthcare systems are critical to any society. How are we training the people who run them? Learn how leadership development is evolving in the healthcare space with the introduction of AI.
Table of Contents
When it comes to the healthcare sector, we often interact with the front end. At the back, another parallel system keeps the show running—the administrative function. They are hidden, yet their presence can be felt in every small or big action, from disoriented teams to misplaced documents. In this healthcare administrative setup, the leaders and managers are like the backbone. They are crucial in ensuring that the show not just runs but does so effectively to support millions of people every day. The sad part of this story is that it’s not an easy job at all. When it comes to being a manager in the healthcare sector, we are not just asking for solid leadership abilities; there’s a higher need for empathy and caution. It’s not only fast-paced and dynamic but also emotionally taxing. As a result, we witness high burnout among managers in the healthcare sector. There’s no single cause for this challenge. Healthcare leaders are constantly facing the heat due to:
  • long work hours that hurt the work-life balance
  • staff shortages causing overworking
  • emotional investment in work
  • high-pressure work environment
While talking of managers here, it’s not uncommon for employees in this sector to handle empathy fatigue while continuing to strain themselves. This went overboard during the COVID-19 pandemic when demands from the healthcare sector hit the sky on quick notice. Since returning from that wave, the sector has coped with distress. Inherent support systems at work can be one of the most effective solutions for increasing access to support for healthcare workers. This puts managers and leaders at the frontline as coaches and mentors for their teams. Yet, even this is mired with problems due to a lack of investment in healthcare leadership development. So, what’s the way out? Let’s begin by appropriately contextualizing the role of leadership development in healthcare.

Why is Leadership Important in Healthcare?

Developing leaders in the healthcare space is vital for success because it directly improves employee experiences. Great leaders provide the valuable support, coaching, and motivation that healthcare workers need to sustain themselves in a physically and emotionally straining environment. They are also the key to creating a talent pipeline for succession and effectively building career paths. To sum up, healthcare leadership development helps you:
  • Enhance customer experiences: Leadership development programs in healthcare are focused on developing skills that enable seamless experiences for service seekers. This ensures that your employees are focused and dedicated to the task, thus leading to better performance even in high-stress scenarios that are common for healthcare workers.
  • Enhance people’s experiences: Customers are one side of the equation; your employees are the other. As we noted earlier, too, well-trained leaders better support their teams and carry them forward through challenges. It is also a motivational factor for the employees to see that their growth matters to the organization and aligns with wider business plans.
  • Manage your people better: Focusing on developing the leaders in your healthcare organization ensures that you have a ready pipeline of talent who can take up bigger roles in the future as the current generation moves on. Leadership development can also help you solve high turnover and absenteeism because it helps employees find the right skills, purpose, and plans for their careers.

What’s the Status Quo of Healthcare Leadership Development?

Let’s break this down with an example. HealthRight 360, one of the major healthcare providers for vulnerable people, emphasizes the role of leaders in its mission. As an organization committed to making a difference in the lives of people without access to insurance, it is at the frontiers with numerous service providers working every day. It calls for leaders who can unite teams around the mission and translate its core values of empathy. As part of the healthcare industry with an extensive volunteer network, HealthRight 360 faces some of the most common challenges prevalent in both of these areas, namely, a shortage of resources, people, and time. Thus, prioritization and making the right choices to positively impact people become super important.
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What Challenges Do Leadership Development Programs in Healthcare Face?

Healthcare leadership development programs face myriad challenges due to the sheer number of complexities built into the environment itself. First, there is the resource crunch that we discussed earlier. It is not just about funds but also about the availability of people and bandwidth. As a result, we witness these challenges in healthcare leadership development programs:

Lack of resources to run programs for leaders

Healthcare leaders do not have the hours to invest in leadership development training programs that could take them out of work. In fact, one of the biggest challenges for L&D teams in healthcare is ensuring that people grow while not missing out on work. As a result, even the smaller and shorter alternatives suggested to leaders, like eLearning, are hard to implement, let alone extensive methods like one-on-one coaching. At times, seeking investment for leadership development and making this case in front of the stakeholders makes things difficult since it is not viewed as an area that can directly bring in revenue. For nascent L&D teams, getting the ROI numbers is a challenge.

Meeting niche expertise needs

A healthcare leader operates in a specific context that happens to be pretty niche. It involves a high level of clinical expertise and a similarly high level of people expertise. The learning and development methods for healthcare leaders need to equip them with a holistic understanding of this environment. Sadly, a majority of leadership development programs available out there are cookie-cutter and do not provide the exact value needed here.

Creating a pipeline for succession

Healthcare institutions often lack the structured infrastructure for preparing leaders for senior roles. Without the strategic approach to identifying and nurturing future leaders, healthcare organizations end up with leadership gaps and succession risks. It is also vital to consider that talent with niche healthcare leadership competencies leaving the organization is a major loss.

Matching competency levels in functional and people skills

Healthcare leadership requires a complex mix of skills. While functional knowledge is critical to success, leaders also need to demonstrate emotional competence and great people skills. In the absence of adequate leadership development programs, leaders are left to grapple with people management challenges without the right toolkit. This poses constant challenges since healthcare employees are prone to burnout and need consistent support. So, what’s the way out?

Picturing the Ideal Healthcare Leadership Development Program

Healthcare leadership development programs are thus stuck in an impasse because moving further in any direction can break the delicate balance of their environment. As a result, most L&D managers in healthcare remain on the lookout for leadership development solutions to reach out to distributed teams. Their major objective is to tie people around shared values, systems, and leadership approaches even when they are spread across different teams and offices. To create this ideal solution for healthcare leadership development, we need to think along three pillars:

#1 Meet healthcare managers where they are, literally and metaphorically

There are layers to this challenge.
  • First, leadership development needs to meet the managers where they work. Healthcare managers often double up as field staff, so they cannot spare days to invest in leadership training. They also do not have the same range of allowances that permit corporate employees to take up the usual leadership development programs. Thus, learning needs to be where they are.
  • Second, leadership development for healthcare managers needs to align with their skill levels. This is frequently overlooked in the sector, and there’s a gap that any training program would have to bridge. It begins by emphasizing the people management aspect of the job and then further supporting them on the challenges as they show up. Implementing high-level training programs with bullet points on how to do things is not going to prove useful.
Thus, leadership development programs for healthcare managers need to embed themselves in the sector’s flow of work and people management routines.

#2 Define a consistent leadership style for the organization and spread it evenly

Corporates have their vision and mission documents. The culture teams further populate this area with documents describing the values at the core of their mission, leadership styles, and so on. These are often very low on the list of priorities in the healthcare sector. One of the challenges for healthcare L&D is then defining this common leadership culture and propagating it across the organization. We must also consider that not all teams work in a shared space with the same bandwidth. With this in mind, we need a leadership development method that balances a central focus on organizational philosophy with individualized attention to professional challenges. Directives and documents for coaches seem like the most obvious route to achieve this. However, the questions of diverse interpretations, multiple coaching styles, and lack of constant support soon rise.

#3 Reach out to more healthcare leaders and support them effectively

The third pillar where leadership development programs in the healthcare industry need support is the coverage they offer. Thus far, even traditional corporates have been limited in terms of how many leaders they can effectively train and support. For the healthcare sector, the challenges are made more complex by low prioritization of development initiatives and resource crunch. Leadership development programs for healthcare thus need to take a turn toward accessibility and scalability, wherein more people managers can seek help easily without hesitation or losing out on precious work hours. Moreover, scalability will allow L&D teams to show ROI much more easily. It happens as outreach to more employees translates into a bigger impact at the organizational level compared to investing in the development of a select few. Since we have these actions in mind, we should also consider latching to the latest technological developments and using them to reach our goals. AI is one such factor that has shown many use cases in healthcare leadership development. Let’s explore a few of them in the next section.

How is AI altering Healthcare Leadership Development Programs?

AI for leadership development is one of the hottest areas discussed globally by the L&D industry. Does it have some applications in improving healthcare leadership development programs?

Use microlearning to push growth every day

We have noted that one of the most common challenges for healthcare leaders is that they cannot devote the time needed for leadership development programs. Getting away from work for a few hours every week adds more strain to an already overwhelming schedule, as do programs that span multiple days. Microlearning is the savior here. Microlearning is not just about reading a bit of information about people management here and there. Ai is putting an interesting twist on this to make it more impactful. At Risely, it unfolds in twin moves:
  • Nudges: First up, managers on Risely get daily nudges focused on improving their people skills. It focuses on the skills they need (which are assessed first thing), the team members this manager is working with, and the context in which they work. So, a healthcare leader struggling to be assertive at their new job with a team member named Alex will receive an actionable tip to do precisely that, not just anything from a random box of tips & tricks.
  • Activities: Leadership is not just about learning things; it’s more about doing them in real life. Risely takes this message to the core, which is why most daily lessons are equipped with short activities like watching a video lesson, taking a quiz, or practicing a role-play. These are again personalized to the leader’s context—their skill levels, challenges, job context, and so on.
The fun part? All of this takes about 15 minutes a day at best.

Use AI coaching to meet contextual needs

Another challenging aspect that we noted earlier is the lack of contextual support. Being a leader in a healthcare setting puts one in a unique spot. The job demands are physically and emotionally straining. Few people, either seniors or coaches, are available to support one in these roles since the experience being demanded becomes very niche. Scaling healthcare leadership development via coaching thus proves to be expensive and time-consuming for the L&D team itself. (At the moment, we are not even going into aligning the coaches with company values and building relationships with the learners, which would be more complex issues for L&D teams that get into this.) So, who can solve this? An AI coach like Merlin understands every manager’s unique context and offers support solely based on what’s needed. The great thing about AI leadership coaches is that they are always available, even when the work hours are over, and the manager is sitting alone, pondering how to confront someone. That’s where an AI coach shows up and saves the day! With Merlin, people leaders can access multiple ways of learning. They can simply talk about situations and seek advice. But there are more interesting ways to engage an AI co-pilot in your leadership journey:
  • Role-play a situation: Is there something weighing heavy on your heart? It’s probably a difficult conversation that you need to have soon but are not sure how to approach it. Role-plays with Merlin help you practice these (as often as you want) by setting up the scenario and defining your partner’s expected behaviors.
  • Develop specific skills and set goals: You can chat with Merlin about everything related to skill development, from diagnosing what’s missing from your arsenal to creating strategies and roadmaps for growth.
  • Turn it into a culture agent: An AI coach must be generic, right? Except that it’s not. Setting up Merlin involves researching your company policies and values to ensure that they are reflected in the coaching conversations. While asking for guidance, team members can quickly glance at what the official documentation says, which is great because we both know that they will never open the PDFs otherwise.
Want to see how it works? Catch Merlin in action here:

Focus on scalable solutions for healthcare leaders

Last but not least, we need to reach out to many more healthcare leaders and deliver support. As an L&D team, our mission is to support organizational growth as well as personal goals, but a resource crunch can get in the way. As we noted in the point above, AI can solve this. Picture this: Your team gets an AI coach supporting managers even while you are asleep. Not just one manager, but as many as you have. You no longer need to worry about scheduling meetings with the right coaches, the costs of accessing them, and regularly hiring for new ones since the previous set leaves. That’s precisely what Merlin does. That’s not the end of the story. Risely offers people management skill assessments that you can run for the entire team with one click, as opposed to designing them from scratch, getting them printed and distributed, putting reminders to get them filled and returned, and then evaluating them. Leave the whole cycle aside in favor of people skill assessments that you can run as the administrator, with both self- and team ratings and evaluations at the sub-skill levels. Did we tell you it ties into a learning journey personalized to the manager and offers them bite-sized lessons daily? It does! Give it a spin here; it’s free: Risely’s Leadership Skill Assessments. There’s no doubt that AI is reinventing healthcare leadership development programs. The question is, are you and your team in the loop? Or, are you missing out by holding conventional methods dear?

Looking Forward

To sum things up, we have the most common challenges of healthcare leadership development programs:
  • Lack of resources to run programs and multiple stakeholders who are hard to convince
  • Need for niche expertise that understands both functional and people aspects of the job
  • Tying into the broader strategic HR goals like succession planning and career pathing
  • Creating a better understanding of the healthcare leader’s role and where they need support
  • Developing low-cost, scalable solutions that balance organizational objectives with personal needs
While the traditional methods of leadership development cover some or all of the bases, there’s a large gap to be filled. This is a more challenging case to tackle than corporate leadership development because it demands niche talent to run the initiatives amid a more straining environment. The latest tech solutions based on AI, like Risely, are enabling new approaches to solve these long-held challenges. Innovative ways to personalize and scale leadership development solutions for healthcare leaders are on the way to make a difference.

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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Horse Leadership Training: A New Approach to Leadership Development

This blog post will discuss the case study of horse leadership training. We will also reveal how HR and L&D heads like you could benefit by incorporating this seemingly unconventional yet highly effective training into your leadership pipeline.

Horse Leadership Training: A New Approach to Leadership Development

Leadership development and training is suffering heavy stress under today’s business environments. HR and L&D professionals like you are constantly pursuing new, efficient, and innovative ways of emotionally intelligent and authentic leadership. Here is one such very effective transformative approach gaining popularity under the name of Horse Leadership Training. It is a hands-on, experiential method, based on the natural wisdom of horses, that helps leaders sharpen their communication, emotional intelligence, and teamwork skills in an absolutely unique way. In this blog, we will dive deep into Horse Leadership Training with insights from Janis Cooper, the director of Leadership and Staff training at Best Friends Animal Society.
Table of Contents

Understanding Horse Leadership Training

In the 14th episode of Risely’s podcast- RiseUp Radio, Janis explains how to craft effective learning experiences through Horse Leadership Training or what she calls, Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL). EFL has become increasingly popular for training as it engages all of a person’s senses. It is a profound and memorable method that supports immediate change.
Horse Leadership Training, or Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL), offers a new and experiential approach to learning leadership, the type that never happens in the classroom. Because horses are very sensitive and social animals, they can read human body language and emotions a great deal of which people ignore. The idea behind this method, as Janis mentions, is the way people or teams complete the task provided to them with the horse reflects how they’re actually doing things in the workplace. As an HR or L&D leader, you know how important it is that your team members really experience leadership and not just learn about it. EAL makes this happen by allowing participants to work directly with horses, where they immediately see how their behavior influences others. Through some carefully designed trust-building exercises, your team will learn how to communicate with the horses without using any words. This very unique experience makes you a very clear communicator nonverbally, helps you calibrate your emotional responses appropriately, and understand how your actions affect others. It is a journey that builds trust and self-awareness while providing an increase in respect and, along with these, strengthening core leadership skills.

What is The Science Behind Equine Leadership Development?

Dogs are known for their loyalty and friendliness and monkeys are the closest living relatives to humans. So, why horses? The success of equine-assisted experiential learning on leadership development isn’t built on experience alone but is supported by sound science in both animal behavior and human psychology. As an HR or L&D leader, you understand the importance of blending practical learning with evidence-based insights. Horses are social animals that naturally herd together for survival. This characteristic makes them highly sensitive to minute changes in their surroundings, and to the feelings of their acquaintances, making them an excellent partner for leadership training. An Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) session provides participants with immediate, unfiltered truthful feedback from the horses. The way a horse responds to them reflects their own emotions, intentions, and leadership style—like looking in a mirror. The raw feedback provided reveals blind spots, biases, or behaviors that most likely are holding them back from being totally effective leaders. Observing how horses interact within their herd provides powerful lessons on teamwork, conflict resolution, and the importance of setting clear boundaries and expectations. These can easily be applied to the workplace to help your team improve their communication, collaboration, and overall performance.

The Core Principles of Horse Leadership Training

At the center of Horse Leadership Training are a few key principles that help develop important leadership skills:
  • Authenticity & Congruence: Horses can easily notice when a person’s words and actions do not match. This helps people show their true selves and align their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
  • Clear Communication & Boundaries: Horses are prey animals. They need clear communication and set boundaries to feel safe. During EAL sessions, participants learn how to communicate their goals clearly and set healthy boundaries to build trust and respect.
  • Emotional Intelligence & Regulation: Horses excel at reading human emotions. This means participants need to have emotional intelligence and know how to regulate their feelings. They learn to develop self-awareness, empathy, and manage their emotions well, especially in tough times.

What Makes Horse Leadership Training Effective for HR/L&D Professionals?

For HR and L&D professionals like you, Horse Leadership Training is a powerful way to create real, lasting change in your organization’s leaders. Unlike traditional methods that often focus on theories and simulations, this training puts your team in real, hands-on situations where they must lead, communicate, and adapt—right in the moment. Working with horses requires leaders to step out of their comfort zones and sharpen their emotional intelligence, decision-making, and communication skills. What makes this especially valuable for you is how deeply it engages participants. They aren’t just sitting through another lecture—they’re immersed in an experience they’ll remember long after the training ends. The immediate feedback from horses shows leaders exactly how their behavior impacts others, which helps them understand and adjust in real time.

Janis shared a story of someone seeking help with leadership skills. This person was paired with a horse named Andrew, with the task of leading him from point A to B without touching or bribing him—she had to rely solely on influence. Initially, Andrew followed her, but midway, he stopped. When asked why, she admitted that she’d begun doubting herself at that moment. She realized that the same thing happens at her workplace; people don’t follow her because she lacks confidence.

This kind of direct, memorable learning experience leads to real behavioral change that sticks, making your leadership development efforts much more impactful when your team faces tough situations back in the workplace.

Implementing Equine Leadership Development in Your Organization

Incorporation of Horse Leadership Training in your company’s human resources and learning and development strategy can be a game-changer, and it’s more flexible than you might think. You begin by taking your employees to a one-day workshop and introducing them to the core principles of horse leadership training. That way, they are able to experience this unique interpersonal link between leadership and working with horses, which will come in very handy for them in their respective roles.
Participants working with horses during an Equine-assisted learning program. Image by Forbes
For an even more comprehensive experience, you may integrate horse leadership training into your existing leadership programs. Single multiple-day retreats or even continuing coaching sessions offer the best chance for traditional leadership training and the application of equine activities through a very potent combination that appeals to most learning styles. Such programs deepen the learning experience through a more engaging and impactful method for the team. It doesn’t matter what you choose, but it would be advisable to ensure that the sessions are conducted by a certified expert or professional who has a strong background in leadership development and working with horses, the idea is that your team receives a well-rounded, professionally guided experience truly delivering results.

Horse Leadership Training: A Strategic Development Tool

Organizations like yours are increasingly recognizing the strategic value of incorporating equine leadership programs into their talent development initiatives. These L&D strategies offer much more than individual growth—they create stronger teams, improve communication, and foster a more positive, productive work environment. Here’s a concise comparison of traditional leadership development approaches and equine-assisted learning:
Working with horses encourages authenticity and emotional intelligence in a manner that traditional methods often miss. Exercises for building trust carry through to equine partners but come directly into how those members then interact with their colleagues. Doing so helps foster a culture in which your team feels supported and connected—that’s an essential ingredient for long-term success in any organization.

Conclusion

Horse Leadership Training offers a refreshing approach to leadership development, utilizing horse-related principles to enhance your team’s skills. As an HR or L&D professional, you can leverage the Equine Leadership Program to foster genuine change and elevate teamwork within your organization. Safety during training sessions is crucial, so implementing solid measures will ensure a positive experience for everyone involved. By embracing this innovative method, you’ll cultivate strong leaders and a culture of collaboration and growth—transforming your organization for the better!

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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5 Training Design Models You Need to Know in 2025

In this blog post, we dig deep into five different training design models, exploring how each one works with real-life examples and showing you how they can work for you in your organization toward increased learning and development.

5 Training Design Models You Need to Know in 2025

Effective training is no longer a luxury in this fast-paced business environment but a necessity for being successful. More and more companies have realized how well-formed training design models can transform the learning experience to be enjoyable and impactful. In this blog post, we dig deep into five different training design models, exploring how each one works with real-life examples and showing you how they can work for you in your organization toward increased learning and development.
Table of Contents

What is Training Design?

The goal of designing training and development plan is to create a learning environment that directly addresses the specific needs and difficulties faced by your team. It involves outlining every component—content, delivery, and assessments—so that they are not only efficient but also interesting and relevant to your employees. Clear learning objectives, coherent content flows, and engaging elements which make learning stick are all part of training design. As an L&D leader, your strategic vision is realized through training design. This process converts high-level organizational goals into tangible, meaningful learning experiences that develop the competencies your team need. In addition to filling skill gaps, a well-designed program fosters an attitude of constant learning, enabling employees to advance in ways that complement their professional goals and the organization’s objectives.

Discover the 5 Essential Training Design Models

Training design models are like roadmaps that guide you in helping to craft an effective learner experience. They give direction for designing the training programs that engage the learners and ensure that they have acquired and applied the knowledge they learned. Using these models, you create clear, practical, and impactful training.

1. ADDIE Model: A Staple in Training Development

The ADDIE training design model makes planning training programs feel straightforward and manageable, taking you through five steps: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. It’s a great way to ensure your training hits the mark.
  • Analysis: This is where you identify what learners need to know and what gaps exist. It’s about digging deep into your team’s current skills and the challenges they face.
  • Design: Based on that analysis, you map out the structure of the program—what content to include, how it will be delivered, and what activities will engage your learners.
  • Development: Here, all the training materials, modules, and resources are created. This is where your content comes to life, shaped by your earlier design.
  • Implementation: This is the exciting part where the actual training takes place—whether through in-person workshops, e-learning, or other formats. It’s where your employees get hands-on with the training.
  • Evaluation: Finally, after the training is delivered, you measure how effective it was. Did it achieve the learning objectives? Were the learners engaged? What can be improved for next time?
For instance, let’s say your company introduces a new software system. During Analysis, you’d figure out who needs to learn what and how deep their understanding needs to be. In Design, you’d plan an interactive workshop plus some hands-on practice. Then, in Development, you create the content—tutorials, exercises, and tips. Once you roll out the training (Implementation), you gather feedback in the Evaluation phase to see how well it worked and make improvements where needed.
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2. SAM (Successive Approximation Model): Agile Response to Design Needs

SAM, or the Successive Approximation Model, is a dynamic training design model idealized for its flexibility and responsiveness in today’s working scenario. It focuses on feedback loops and continuous improvement to ensure that the programs you develop are always relevant and effective. With SAM, you’re not just using a training design model—you’re building a flexible, responsive learning experience that adapts to your organization’s specific goals and ever-changing needs.

How does SAM make a difference?

  • Iterative Process: Unlike traditional models that follow a strict linear approach, SAM allows you to revisit and refine steps as training needs evolve, ensuring the final product is always aligned with current demands.
  • Collaborative Design: SAM thrives on teamwork, encouraging input from various stakeholders to create well-rounded and tailored training solutions.
  • Rapid Prototyping: Instead of waiting until the end to test, SAM encourages quick builds and frequent testing, so you can identify what works (and what doesn’t) early on.
  • Adaptability: As training needs change, so does the design—making SAM perfect for organizations facing fast-paced industry shifts or unexpected challenges.
Imagine a tech company launching a new software tool. After the first training session, employees struggle with key features. Using SAM, the L&D team gathers feedback, quickly revises the materials, and tests improvements in real time. This flexible approach ensures the training adapts to employees’ needs, speeding up software adoption and boosting productivity.

3. Bloom’s Taxonomy: Structuring Educational Goals

Bloom’s Taxonomy, developed by Benjamin Bloom, is a training design model essential for organizing learning objectives. It outlines six progressive levels of thinking that help learners deepen their understanding over time. These levels are:
  • Knowledge: Recalling facts and basic concepts.
  • Comprehension: Understanding and explaining ideas.
  • Application: Using information in new situations.
  • Analysis: Breaking down information and finding relationships.
  • Synthesis: Combining elements to create something new.
  • Evaluation: Making judgments and decisions based on criteria.
By structuring training content to cover each level, learners gradually build from simple knowledge to more complex, critical thinking skills. By following Bloom’s Taxonomy, you ensure that your team members not only grasp the basics but also develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for success. Say, you’re designing a leadership training program. At the Knowledge level, participants might learn about leadership theories. In the Comprehension phase, they explain these theories in their own words. When they reach Application, they start using leadership techniques in real-world scenarios. As they move to Analysis, they evaluate the outcomes of different leadership styles. In the Synthesis stage, they develop their own leadership framework. Finally, in the Evaluation phase, they assess the effectiveness of their leadership style and decide how to improve.

4. Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation

The need to determine effectiveness in training is essential because this determines whether your learning objectives are being translated into real-life actions. Kirkpatrick’s Model has emerged as one of the more popular training design models because it breaks down the evaluation of training into four levels. Analyzing these helps your organization determine how well a training program is working and gives you opportunities to make data-driven improvements to future sessions, thus maximizing their return on training investment.
  • Reaction: Measures learner satisfaction and engagement with the training. Did participants find the training relevant, enjoyable, and engaging?
  • Learning: Assesses how well learners have absorbed the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Did they actually learn what was taught?
  • Behavior: Examines if learners are applying their new skills and knowledge in the workplace. Are they changing the way they work based on the training?
  • Results: Evaluates the training’s impact on broader organizational goals and KPIs. Is the training leading to measurable improvements in performance, productivity, or other key areas?
Consider a company implementing a customer service training program. At the Reaction level, employees report high satisfaction with the interactive format. At the Learning level, tests show they have successfully absorbed new techniques for handling difficult customers. After a few months, at the Behavior level, managers observe employees using these techniques on the job. Finally, at the Results level, the company sees a measurable improvement in customer satisfaction scores and a reduction in complaints, showing the program’s direct impact on key performance indicators.

5. Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction

Robert M. Gagné‘s Nine Events of Instruction is a systemic, learner-centered approach toward designing interactive and effective learning experiences. Based on how humans process information, these nine steps help guide learners through each phase of the learning journey toward better understanding and retention. By following this training design model, you create a well-rounded, interactive, and personalized learning experience that helps learners effectively absorb and apply new skills.
  • Gain Attention: Start with a question or story that grabs their interest.
  • Inform Learners of Objectives: Let them know what they’ll achieve by the end.
  • Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning: Connect the new material to what they already know.
  • Present the Content: Share the material in a way that resonates, whether through visuals or hands-on activities.
  • Provide Learning Guidance: Offer tips and examples to make it easier to understand.
  • Elicit Performance (Practice): Let them practice through exercises.
  • Provide Feedback: Give immediate, helpful feedback.
  • Assess Performance: Measure how well they understood and applied the content.
  • Enhance Retention and Transfer: Encourage them to use what they learned in real situations.
Imagine you’re designing a leadership development workshop. You begin by gaining attention with a powerful story about a leader who overcame significant challenges. Next, you inform learners of the objectives, say, they’ll be able to handle difficult conversations by the end of the session. You then stimulate recall by asking them to reflect on past experiences with tough conversations. After presenting the content with effective communication models, you guide by breaking down the steps. Learners then practice these techniques in role-play exercises, and you provide feedback on their performance. You assess their progress through a quick simulation and finally, enhance retention by offering follow-up materials they can use on the job.

How to Enhance Learning Outcomes with Effective Training Development Models?

Being an L&D leader, you know you need to provide training programs with real business outcomes. The value of training design models is to work as a roadmap that will help you align the content around specific learning objectives; in this manner, your programs would both be engaging and effective. With the use of the right model, following the needs of your organization, you could make learning experiences impact performance and business outcomes.

Leveraging Technology in Modern Training Design Models

Technology is revolutionizing training delivery, making it more economical, flexible, and customized. You are able to connect with your team members wherever they are thanks to technologies like Learning Management Systems (LMS), immersive VR/AR for lifelike simulations, and mobile platforms for short, bite-sized learning. This is particularly helpful in the modern remote and mobile workforce, where learning takes place anywhere, at any time. Why is technology so effective in L&D? Initially, it enables you to scale your training initiatives, reaching your team wherever they are. Because tech-enabled training design is so flexible, it is possible to instantly modify the content to meet the changing needs of your team. Additionally, it provides a consistent learning experience for everyone, whether your team is local or spread across the globe, while often bringing down costs by minimizing the need for in-person training resources. At the forefront of this tech-led shift, Risely- an AI-powered copilot for leadership development combines all these benefits in one holistic solution providing personalized and scalable coaching for your leaders.

Integrating Soft Skills into Training Programs

Beyond technical skills, one needs to develop soft skills in a way that the leaders you are developing within the organization are well-rounded, effective, and ready to face any situation. As an L&D leader, you understand that without good communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, effectiveness in any role cannot be guaranteed; hence, adding a soft skills training component to your programs through role-play training, case studies, and interactive discussion enables your employees to develop such skills in a relaxed atmosphere, prepare them to deliver in their roles, and contribute to the success of your organization as a whole. With effective training models, the usage of technology, and a keen interest in soft skills, you will develop training programs for your organization that not only match but well surpass your learning goals.

Future Trends in Training Design Models

As an L&D professional, you would realize that the ways of training are continuously changing with the pace of technology, evolving expectations from learners, and increasing requirements for more personalized learning. The future trends of microlearning, personalized learning paths, adaptive learning technologies, and bringing in AI will form new patterns for planning impactful L&D strategies. Success demands embracing these trends so that your strategies in workforce development will be future-proof.

The Rise of AI and Machine Learning in Training Design Models

AI and machine learning are changing the scenario of training and making it highly personalized. It analyzes the associated data of your team members, such as their preferences and performance, and adjusts accordingly. The platform suggests tailored content to its users, gives real-time feedback to them and adjusts the paths of learning to avoid your team being bored or stuck. Incorporating AI in the workplace and into your training programs can make learning more personalized and data-driven, boosting overall effectiveness.

Personalization and Adaptive Learning Pathways

No two learners are alike, and organizations have long abandoned one-size-fits-all training. Using adaptive learning platforms, such as Risely’s personalized Leadership Learning Journeys, adapt content and pace to every learner’s performance and style. This means your team will stay engaged, and what they learn will stick. With adaptive pathways, you meet your team’s individual learning needs, leading to more skilled and adaptable employees.

Conclusion

To succeed in the changing world of training, it is important to know and use the right training design models. The five essential training development models for 2025 give a range of tools to improve learning and meet your ever evolving needs effectively. It’s also important to include technology and the development of soft skills in today’s training programs. When picking a training design model, make sure it aligns with your business goals and consider the learners’ needs. Embracing trends like AI, machine learning, and personalized learning will influence the future of training and development. Stay ahead by using these models to create engaging and effective learning experiences.

Avantika Anand

Avantika holds an undergrad degree in Political Science and Psychology, bringing a unique blend of analytical and psychological insight to her writing. With extensive experience in content creation and research, she crafts engaging and well-informed content that resonates with readers and drives meaningful conversations.

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Top 5 Leadership Training Software for Your Team

Top 5 Leadership Training Software For Your Team

Classrooms and lecture halls have been the traditional custodians of leadership development. But it’s 2024, and the world has changed. Have your manager and leader development ideas evolved, too? Start your adventure in leadership development with the latest tech. Check out these five top-notch leadership training software picks that are all about smartly boosting your leadership skills. If you’re working in HR or L&D, dive into effective leadership using tools that fit just right with what you need. Tap into everything you’ve got and discover the world of leadership training software made to get you.
Table of Contents

Why should you invest in leadership training software?

After all, isn’t it just another headache to handle? Before heading into leadership development software solutions, let’s look at how software can improve your processes. When we talk about software for leadership training, a few important features really help people learn better.
  • Interactive and immersive learning experiences: the leadership training software with hands-on modules and simulations makes it easier for learners to get into it and really understand what being a leader is all about.
  • Personalized learning paths: With this, everyone can work on their own strengths and needs, which makes improving skills more effective. If you are a part of HR and L&D teams, you’ll know that leadership profiles across different teams need different skills and support.
  • Real-time progress tracking: Keeping an eye on how someone is doing allows for quick feedback so they can keep improving without missing a beat. Thus reducing the burden on the immediate managers.
  • Assessment tools: They help figure out where someone shines or might need some extra attention. This way, you can focus on building up those specific areas becomes simpler. It is a huge help because assessments often don’t get enough attention in conventional seminars or workshops for leadership development.
  • Smoother learner experiences: When the software works well with other HR or teaching systems already in place, everything feels connected, making the whole process of growing as a leader smoother.
Putting these elements together, along with what’s known best about teaching leadership, can really push your organization forward by creating strong leaders tailored to your team’s needs.

Top 5 Leadership Training Software Options for HR and L&D Professionals

Let’s look at the top leadership training software solutions you can try. All these different kinds of software bring something unique to the table when it comes to enhancing a leadership development program by focusing on various parts of leadership training for your team.

#1 Risely – An AI Co-pilot For Leadership Development

One thing can make all the difference between your typical leadership training and a learning experience that creates a long-lasting impact—it understands who you are training. A number of leadership development software solutions work by simply creating match-ups with human coaches. Risely, with its hyper-personalized approach to leadership development and AI-powered leadership coaching with Merlin, embraces these ideas wholeheartedly.
  • Workplace becomes the classroom: First, embedding them in the workflow creates learning experiences that stick. As a result, managers don’t need to step out or go to a different platform to avail of services. Their workplace is a learning space, too.
  • Tailor made journeys to fit your needs: Second, Risely creates learning journeys tailored to the needs of the learner by understanding their challenges with specific team members and tying up with company culture policies. Risely’s AI coach is available at the point of need every time.
  • Comprehensive admin dashboard: Third, it has excellent features for administration purposes, including a skill center that tracks every individual’s skill progress, reportage on team challenges, and much more cultivated through in-built leadership skill assessments.

What makes Risely stand apart?

Most typical leadership development software will stop at either coaching or assessments. Risely covers both the grounds and extends further by developing learning journeys for specific needs that are comprehensive learning paths. When you seek support from Merlin, the in-built AI coach for leaders, you get responses curated to your particular role and needs. That’s not all! While most coaches struggle to align with organizational and personal values, Merlin can adapt to both and embed them within the flow of the coaching experience.
Our users include people managers from leading companies, along with names in the non-profit and healthcare industries.

I have been on a trial of Risely and I am very impressed. As someone who designs and delivers Leadership Development Programs, Risely was on point with its journeys maps and coaching content. It was responsive and reinforced concepts in a variety of ways. I feel Risely will be a valuable tool for managers to utilize as they build their muscle in leading others effectively.

Janis Cooper

Best Friends Animal Society

Explore Risely Pricing

With its two-tier pricing model, Risely is much more accessible and affordable than conventional leadership development solutions.
  • Ascend package for individual managers – $59/month.
  • Accelerate package for up to five users – $299/month; add more users at $49 each
You can also contact the team to create a custom package on info@risely.me that meets your organization’s needs. Or, start with a free sign up today.

#2 BetterUp – The Most Comprehensive Coaching Platform

Dive into the world of leadership coaching that’s alive and kicking right when you need it. With training software designed to enable business outcomes, BetterUp guides you step by step as you sharpen those all-important leadership skills while moving along the professional ladder. It offers services in multiple modes for individuals and businesses, and within that, it caters to varying needs through BetterUp Manage, BetterUp Care, and BetterUp Lead.

What makes BetterUp stand out?

Although we are putting BetterUp as a leadership training software, that’s not all that it can do. This leadership development software provides life coaching and support from human coaches for all-round development.
Leading organizations globally employ BetterUp to enhance employee performance and supplement growth.

Explore BetterUp Pricing

BetterUp starts with these plans for coaching for individuals:
  • Intro Plan: Includes one 30-minute coaching session a month with your personal coach, Speciality Coaches, and access to their learning library and assessments.
  • Plus Plan: Includes two – 30-minute coaching sessions a month with your personal coach or Speciality Coaches as well as access to their learning library and assessments
  • Premium Plan: Includes four 30-minute sessions a month with a personal coach, or Speciality Coaches

#3 CoachHub – The Digital Coaching Platform

Leadership coaching is one of the most effective ways to facilitate career development. But let’s be real: not every organization can set up coaching relationships internally. You might not have the time, or the leaders might not be interested in coaching. Or worse, coaching abilities could be sub-par for your needs. That’s where CoachHub comes in with personalized coaching solutions. This leadership training software offers access to coaches across key areas, including organizational transformation, DEI, and executive development.

What makes CoachHub stand out as a leadership training software?

This platform doubles up as a leadership coach marketplace where you can find certified coaches for all your organizational needs.
CoachHub is used globally by many multi national organizations to add on to their training and development programs.

Explore CoachHub Pricing

Pricing on CoachHub varies as per feature requirements. You can contact the team for a demo and get started.

#4 LEADx – Scale and Sustain Leadership Development

You might have missed something surprising: as per the Training Magazine, most training budgets are spent on just 38% of people in a company. It happens simply because training everyone is hard and expensive. The question of scale remains hanging on the heads of HR and L&D teams. LEADx solves for this. With AI, this leadership training software incorporates personalization, regular nudges, and many more microlearning formats to train more people across your organization. What’s more, it reduces the common points of friction that stop training prevailing across the team, such as lack of time or sufficient information to create an effective learning program.

What makes LEADx stand out?

As a leadership training software, it offers complete control over designing a manager development system that suits your needs and would garner appreciation from your team.
Many leading names in the consulting and business development industry are actively building with this tool.

Explore LEADx Pricing

LEADx offers affordable annual plans that allow access to all resources for your team. You can contact them to get started.

#5 Torch.io – Stronger leaders, stronger organizations

Think of Apple, and you will be reminded of Steve Jobs quickly. Strong leaders define strong teams and organizations. That’s the motto followed by Torch as well. They focus on empowering leaders to create impactful teams. The idea is to combine human coaching with your company’s existing patterns and build custom solutions. Coaching at the point of need helps eradicate specific challenges that impede performance.

What makes Torch stand out?

Torch tailors coaching to meet the skill development needs of the people on your team, ultimately improving business performance.  
Global brands like Reddit, Twitch, and Amgen are enhancing manager performance with Torch and winning big.

Explore Torch Pricing

Plans for Torch start at $200 per year. You can connect with the team to explore more options.

Let’s Compare: Leadership Development Software at a Glance

Leadership Training SoftwareBetterUpRiselyCoachHubLEADxTorch
Microlearning✔️✔️✔️
In-build Assessments✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
AI Coaching✔️✔️
Human Coaching✔️✔️✔️✔️
Personalized Learning Journeys✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Toolkits and Activities✔️
Company Customizations✔️✔️✔️
Integrations✔️ ✔️✔️✔️

Evaluating Leadership Training Software: What to Look For?

When you’re checking out software for leadership training, there are a few important things to remember. First, find something that makes learning interactive and immersive; this helps keep your team engaged and build skills. The program should also be able to adjust the learning experience based on what each person needs and is good at. When a program looks good and feels simple to use, people can access their lessons without any fuss. Everything from buttons to pages should be clear, nice-looking, and straightforward. For your team members to really soak up what they’re learning, the software needs fun bits like videos, little tests you can take as you go along, and even pretend scenarios. These things help keep everyone interested and ensure they’re not just passively looking at information but actually using what they learn. Plus, seeing your progress helps a lot; setting goals or getting advice tailored just for you makes a big difference. On top of all that, it’s got to be easy to use – nobody likes struggling with complicated software. And lastly, make sure it can grow with your needs and play nicely with any other systems you might be using across the team.
Read how Risely offers all this (and much more) Becoming The Best Manager: Why AI Co-Pilot Overtakes Manual Solutions?

How to Use Leadership Training Software: A Step-by-Step Guide

You have found the leadership training software that matches your needs. What’s next? Putting in place leadership training software can go smoothly if you stick to a clear set of steps, as we have noted below:

Start by figuring out what your organization needs and aims for

Before picking any software, you need to understand the specific areas and goals related to leadership development that your organization is targeting. You might want to focus on building certain leadership skills, boosting employees’ engagement, or helping your organization succeed. Look at your company’s current leadership capabilities to see where there might be gaps in skills or areas that could use some improvement.

Weigh your options

With those needs in mind, look around for the best fit. Do some digging to find leadership training programs that match your organization’s needs. Think about how the leadership training software is going to help you, how it fits in with the existing practices, whether the cost-benefit ratio is good, whether it would cause a lot of resistance, and so on.
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Getting leadership training software in action

Once you’ve picked one, prepare it for use. Install the chosen software, making sure it works well with the systems you already have and that people can easily access it. Adjust the training materials to perfectly suit what your team or company wants from its leaders. Put together a timeline showing when each part of your leadership program will happen. It includes setting key milestones and deadlines.

Building the right environment with your team

Tell everyone about these new opportunities and why they are there. Spread the word about these leadership training options, highlighting their benefits, which should help get more of your team involved. Lastly, don’t forget to celebrate their journey! Recognizing achievements along the way boosts motivation and shows appreciation for their efforts toward personal growth within your organization. As leadership training software picks pace, use analytics tools and gather feedback regularly to determine whether these efforts are paying off as hoped to foster better leaders within your ranks. Be prepared to tweak things here and there based on the feedback received; this ensures continuous improvement toward achieving effective leader development. Check out how setting up a leadership training software works with a free trial of Risely today. It will take just a few minutes! Start here.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, putting money into top-notch leadership training software can totally change how companies shape their leaders. Through tailored learning paths, instant coaching feedback, and fun game-like activities, these platforms provide a well-rounded way to boost leadership skills. You can use tech smartly to fill in missing skill sets efficiently, track improvements, and build training programs that grow with them. When you start using leadership training software, make sure you have clear goals, get your leaders involved, and tap into everything the software offers. Think carefully about what you pick, adjust it as necessary, and check if the investment pays off by seeing if it meets your company’s needs for growing its leaders

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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Top Leadership Training Companies for US 2024

Top Leadership Training Companies for US 2024

Leadership is a critical aspect of any organization’s success. The ability to effectively lead and inspire a team is essential for achieving business objectives and driving growth. However, leadership is not an innate skill that everyone possesses. You must continuously develop and refine your team members to make them effective and impactful leaders. That’s where leadership training companies come in. These companies provide comprehensive training and coaching programs that help leaders enhance their skills, improve their leadership effectiveness, and achieve better results.
Table of Contents

Top Leadership Training Companies to Watch

Several leadership training companies stand out for their expertise and track record in delivering high-quality leadership development programs. These companies deeply understand leadership effectiveness and offer valuable insights and solutions to help business leaders like you achieve their full potential. Here are the top leadership training companies to watch:

Innovative Leadership Institute

Focus areas: Differented learning processes The Innovative Leadership Institute is a leading provider of professional development programs and coaching services. They offer customized leadership development solutions for leaders at all levels, from emerging leaders to senior executives. Their programs focus on developing essential leadership skills, enhancing communication and collaboration, and fostering a culture of innovation. 

What puts them among the top leadership training companies?

The Innovative Leadership Institute recognizes that different leaders have different needs and styles, and they tailor their solutions accordingly, so you will find multiple engaging learning methods on their site to pick from. 

Global Leadership Foundation

Focus areas: Emotional intelligence The Global Leadership Foundation specializes in developing emotional intelligence in leaders. They believe that emotional intelligence is critical to leadership effectiveness and organizational success. Their coaching and training programs help you develop self-awareness, empathy, and practical communication skills. The Global Leadership Foundation provides valuable insights into the role of emotional intelligence in leadership and offers practical strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence in the workplace. 

What puts them among the top leadership training companies?

By empowering leaders with emotional intelligence, the Global Leadership Foundation equips you with the tools needed to build strong relationships, inspire your teams, and drive positive change.

Risely 

Focus areas: AI-powered personalized coaching Risely is known for creating leadership development experiences that fit you like a glove, combining AI and human expertise. It brings together insights from a wide range of data and curation to create learning journeys that suit the unique needs of every manager. It helps you break free from the rut of typical leadership training that is made for everyone and every circumstance. Instead, focus on the skills that matter to solve your people management challenges. What puts them among the top leadership training companies? Risely offers the value that every manager’s precious journey deserves with hyper-personalized solutions and in-depth progress tracking throughout. It brings learning into the work flow with workspace integrations, an AI coach, and regular nudges.

The Center for Creative Leadership

Focus areas: Innovating leadership The Center for Creative Leadership is renowned for its research-driven approach to leadership development. They offer a wide range of programs and services designed to help you develop the skills and capabilities needed to drive organizational change and achieve better results. The Center for Creative Leadership’s programs are based on the latest research and best practices in leadership development. They provide leaders with new skills, insights, and strategies to navigate the complexities of today’s business environment. 

What puts them among the top leadership training companies?

Whether you are looking to enhance your leadership abilities, lead through organizational change, or develop new skills, the Center for Creative Leadership has a program that can meet your needs.
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FranklinCovey

Focus areas: Building healthy habits FranklinCovey is a well-known name in the leadership training industry. It is known for its focus on developing effective habits for success. FranklinCovey’s programs help leaders develop the skills and mindset needed to achieve better results and drive success in their organizations. Their approach is based on the principles of leadership effectiveness and personal accountability. By focusing on developing effective habits, FranklinCovey equips you with the tools to lead teams to success. 

What puts them among the top leadership training companies?

FranklinCovey’s focus on building effective habits that translate into solid management and leadership practices enables sustainable development for leaders and managers like you. 

Blanchard

Focus areas: Leadership team development Blanchard is known for its expertise in building engaging leadership experiences. They offer a wide range of programs and services that focus on team building, coaching, and meeting the unique needs of organizations. Blanchard’s programs are designed to create engaging and interactive learning experiences that foster leadership development and drive organizational success. 

What puts them among the top leadership training companies?

Whether you are looking for team-building activities, coaching services, or customized solutions for your organization’s specific needs, Blanchard has the expertise and resources to help you build a strong and effective leadership culture. From tailoring solutions for every leadership level to empowering emotional intelligence and bridging theory and practice, these companies offer a range of specialized programs and services that cater to the specific needs of leaders and organizations. Their research-driven approach, focus on habits for success, and expertise in leadership development for the digital age are just a few examples of the unique offerings that make these companies must-see in the leadership training industry.

How can you pick from the top leadership training companies for your team?

Leadership training companies employ various methods to measure the improvement in leadership skills and effectiveness of their clients. These methods provide valuable insights into the impact of the training programs and help you gauge the return on investment in leadership training. Navigating the selection process for leadership training companies can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it’s important to carefully consider your organization’s needs and goals before deciding. Here’s a short introduction to the three steps you must take:
  • Identify needs: Identifying your organization’s needs is the first step in the selection process. Consider your strategic planning objectives, the specific leadership skills you want to develop, and the challenges your organization is facing. This will help you determine the leadership training program that best meets your needs.
  • Identify limits: Budget considerations are also important when selecting a leadership training company. Determine your budget for leadership development and consider the value that different programs offer in terms of cost.
  • Evaluate the alternatives: Finally, research the reputation and track record of potential training companies. Look for success stories, testimonials, and case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs. Consider the expertise and experience of their coaches, the content and structure of their programs, and the level of support and resources they provide.

How do we measure the impact of leadership training companies?

One common approach is the use of pre and post-assessment tools. These tools assess the leadership skills and competencies of your team members before and after participating in the training programs. By comparing the results, you can track your leader’s progress. Continuous feedback mechanisms are another method these leadership training companies use to measure leadership improvement. Through regular feedback sessions, you can collect insights from the participants, enabling your team to make necessary adjustments and monitor growth. Success stories from renowned clients highlight the transformative impact of leadership training programs offered by these companies. These success stories often showcase the development of specific leadership skills, such as executive presence, emotional intelligence, and effective communication. They also highlight the tangible results achieved, such as improved business performance, increased employee engagement, and enhanced organizational culture, which you can use while choosing for your team.

Conclusion

In conclusion, investing in leadership training is crucial for organizational growth and success. The top companies listed provide tailored solutions, emphasize emotional intelligence, bridge theory with practice, and focus on research-driven programs and habits for success. Their unique offerings include customized learning journeys, virtual coaching sessions, peer networks, and proprietary models. By measuring leadership improvement through assessments, feedback mechanisms, and impact studies, these companies have proven success stories with Fortune 500 companies and beyond. Your team can be the next one, start a free trial today.

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.

Tune in to leadership development designed just for you.

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