Empowering leaders: evaluating strategies for leadership development
- Fern Beauchamp
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Leaders account for 70% of team engagement, and organisations with a highly engaged workforce are 23% more profitable than those with low engagement - Gallup
Every business needs strong leaders. Building them is the hard part.
The pace of change right now, technological, economic, social, is real - but leaders have always had to navigate uncertainty. What's different today is the added expectation to do it while building psychologically safe, inclusive teams, not just hitting targets.
The so-called “soft skills” of leadership are some of the hardest to learn, and the most real. Get them right and you build high-performing, motivated teams. Get them wrong and you build burnout.
So what actually works? This article breaks down the leadership development approaches worth your budget, and the ones that just look good on a training calendar.
Contents
What is leadership?
In her book Unleashed, Frances Frei says:
Leadership is about empowering other people as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact continues into your absence.
Leadership has moved beyond traditional hierarchies. It's not about holding a position of authority, it's about influencing and empowering others to reach their full potential.
Today's leaders need to be adaptable and emotionally intelligent, able to build collaboration across diverse teams, navigate uncertainty, and create environments where everyone can thrive.
Corporate leadership development
In 2024, the market for corporate leadership development programmes is projected to hit US$81.19 billion, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3% from 2024 to 2034. So how do you pick the right strategy for your organisation? There are several methods for developing leaders, each with its own advantages and challenges, and what fits best depends on your organisation's needs.
Leadership competencies: what does leadership development target?
So, what does this mean for the focus of leadership development strategies? The skills needed for effective leadership don't just pop out and cascade through the organisation. Leadership development programmes need to aim to build a range of competencies that are essential for effective leadership.
These competencies will typically include:
Strategic thinking and vision
Emotional intelligence
Communication and influence
Decision-making and problem-solving
Change management
Adaptability and resilience
Leadership style self-awareness, and self-efficacy
Ethical judgement and integrity
In fact, research by McKinsey & Company has identified four key leadership behaviours that account for 89% of leadership effectiveness:
Being supportive
Operating with a strong orientation toward results
Seeking different perspectives
Solving problems effectively
Of course, there’s no blanket approach, what works in one situation is not guaranteed to work consistently or in another. Adaptability (an important leadership skill to develop) depending on the situation, is key.
💡 Tip: Don’t pick a development method because it’s popular. Pick it because it matches the specific skill gap you’re trying to close.
Leadership development benefits
A 2024 survey conducted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in collaboration with YouGov revealed the harm managers are causing to their organisations and the broader UK economy, characterising effective management as "an insurance policy against toxic workplace cultures".
Prioritising leadership development is beneficial for both the aspiring leader and the organisation. At an individual level, developing the skills to become an effective leader is incredibly impactful and rewarding. Organisationally, when considering the bottom line, leaders have a ripple effect on their teams regarding engagement, purpose, and motivation. Investing in leadership development is crucial for several reasons.
Leadership development:
Equips leaders with the tools for success
With statistics from Gallup such as:
Only around 1 in 10 people have the talent to manage - Gallup
which suggest that 90% of managers are ill-equipped to lead.
And a CMI survey finding that:
82% of leaders entering their positions have not had any formal management and leadership training - Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
it’s clear to see there’s a need for leadership development.
These statistics suggest that leaders, particularly first-time leaders, can often feel overwhelmed and underprepared in their positions.
Setting leaders up for success from the beginning doesn’t just ease those feelings, it can be a catalyst for effective leadership, setting off a stream of benefits for everyone: the leader, their employees, and the organisation.
Creates a culture of growth and development
Effective leadership development programmes can create a supportive learning environment that encourages growth. That old adage of "lead by example" very much applies here.
Effective leadership programmes involve encouraging:
Collaboration and open communication
Taking risks and learning from failures
Knowledge and skill sharing across the organisation
A growth mindset (the belief that skills and abilities can be developed over time)
Continuous learning
Leaders who go through development programmes build on their existing experience and amplify their ability to create this type of environment for their teams, cascading the culture of learning throughout the organisation.
Improves organisational performance
Developing the right tools and an effective culture through leadership directly correlates with better business outcomes. According to DDI’s research, companies not offering effective leadership programmes at any level are linked to the poorest financial performance.
Enhances employee engagement
Good leaders inspire and motivate their teams, leading to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity. In fact, Gallup reports that leaders account for 70% of team engagement. And organisations with a highly engaged workforce are 23% more profitable than those with low engagement levels.
📊 More stats in our article - Top 10 employee engagement statistics
Increases retention
Actively engaged employees are less likely to be on the hunt for new jobs. And with such a large part to play in engagement, employees don’t just leave organisations, they leave managers.
According to Gallup, teams with low engagement usually experience 18% to 43% higher turnover rates than those with high engagement.
On top of this, providing leadership development opportunities will also help keep leaders. Research by McKinsey & Company found that the top reason for quitting previous jobs, cited by 41% of respondents, was a lack of career development and advancement.
Research by ATD shows that 69% of talent development professionals report leaders participating in leadership development are less likely to leave their companies.
🤔 Reflective question: Which of your current leaders would benefit most from formal development, and what’s stopped that happening so far?
Evaluating leadership development and training methods
There are various methods to develop leaders. Each has its own set of benefits and challenges and may be more or less suited to an organisation and its individual needs.
Structured leadership education and training programmes
Formal training programmes involve structured sessions or workshops to enhance specific leadership skills and competencies.
These may include:
Classroom-based learning
Online courses
Certificate programmes
Blended learning approaches
These programmes provide a systematic way to gain theoretical knowledge and practical tools on topics like strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution.
🧐 Evaluation
While formal, traditional, structured leadership education and training programmes:
Provide structured, comprehensive curriculums
Enable networking with other leaders
Allow for focused "learning time" away from the demands of work
And often incorporate the latest leadership research and "best practices"
They can often fall short of their anticipated behaviour change.
75% of leadership development professionals estimate that less than half of what they train gets applied on the job. - Forbes
In addition to a low-likelihood of what’s being trained landing effectively, leadership training programmes:
Can be expensive and time-consuming
May not translate well to real-world application
Their one-size-fits-all approach often don’t meet individual and nuanced needs
And the skills taught may atrophy without ongoing reinforcement
Leadership development camps
As an immersive, intensive multi-day face-to-face programme, a leadership development camp is designed to sharpen leadership skills through experiential learning. Leaders engage in team-building activities, workshops, and challenges that promote communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. These camps empower leaders to develop confidence, resilience, and a collaborative spirit, preparing them for current and future leadership roles.
🧐 Evaluation
While leadership development camps:
Provide an immersive environment for developing essential skills
Build connections and lasting peer relationships
Create opportunities for accelerated and hands-on learning
They can also:
Be resource-intensive, often requiring significant financial investment
Time-consuming, taking leaders away from work or other commitments
Vary significantly in programme quality and effectiveness between providers, curriculums and instructors
Be short-term - benefits may diminish without continued reinforcement
Action learning
This approach is an experiential approach. It combines real work challenges with reflective learning, allowing leaders to solve actual organisational problems while developing their skills.
🧐 Evaluation
While action learning:
Combines learning with real organisational challenges
Promotes teamwork and collaboration
Develops problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Provides tangible value to the organisation during the process
It may also:
Require a significant time commitment
Only succeed depending on careful project selection
Not cover a full range of leadership competencies
Be challenging to facilitate effectively
On-the-job experience
One leadership development method may involve no formalised method at all. Instead, a simple learn while on-the-job approach is taken.
🧐 Evaluation
While this approach:
Provides practical, hands-on learning
Allows leaders to learn in their actual work context
Is typically more cost-effective than formal programmes
And the skills developed are immediately applicable
It can also mean:
That learning may be haphazard without any structure
Bad habits could be reinforced without guidance
A limited exposure to different leadership styles and approaches
Progress may be slow without dedicated learning time
Self-directed learning
In this approach, leaders take the initiative to identify their learning needs, set goals, and seek out resources to enhance their leadership skills independently. This approach encourages leaders to reflect, pursue relevant experiences, and use various tools such as leadership books, online courses, leadership podcasts and peer networks to facilitate their growth.
🧐 Evaluation
While this approach:
Allows leaders to tailor development to their specific needs
Promotes a lifelong learning mindset
Is flexible and adaptable to individual schedules
Is often more cost-effective than formal programmes
It also:
Requires high degree of self-motivation
Can lack structure and accountability
Provides limited opportunity for feedback and different perspectives
Is difficult to assess effectiveness and progress
Leadership development coaching
Leadership development coaching is a personalised development process designed to help leaders enhance their leadership skills, improve team dynamics, and achieve personal and organisational goals. The process may involve only leadership 1:1 coaching, leadership group coaching or a blend of both, like Kinkajou's EMPOWER Programme.
🧐 Evaluation
While leadership development coaching:
Requires a time commitment
May be challenging to those resistant to change
Can be perceived as difficult to measure the impact
Outcomes can be context-dependent
The approach:
Is personalised, development is tailored to the needs and goals of both the leader and the organisation
Allows for ongoing leadership development over time
Builds strong relationships and support networks, particularly through leadership group coaching
Increases accountability through goal setting and assessing progress in regular sessions
Creates confidential spaces for reflection, promoting self-awareness
Is designed to unleash leaders' potential to drive meaningful change within their organisations
CoachHub's research found that:
85% of managers who receive coaching from CoachHub outperform their peers in critical skills such as resilience and agility - CoachHub
➡️ Dig deeper into the statistics around coaching in The top coaching statistics 2026.
1:1 leadership development coaching
One-on-one leadership coaching is a powerful tool for leadership development. As a personalised approach, coaching allows targeted skill development, increased self-awareness, and tailored feedback.
Effective coaching relationships are built on trust, confidentiality, and a focus on the leader's specific goals and challenges. Coaches use various techniques, including assessments, feedback tools, and reflective practices, to help leaders gain insights and develop new skills.
Leadership development group coaching
Group leadership coaching offers another innovative approach to leadership development, promoting collaboration and shared learning among participants. In a group setting, leaders can benefit from diverse perspectives, collective problem-solving, and peer support. This format encourages open dialogue and respectful exchanges in a confidential, learning-centred forum, and enhances accountability.
Research, as well as our experience, tells us that group coaching can lead to improved interpersonal skills and team dynamics.
Group coaching has a multiplier effect that creates breakthroughs that would take years to happen if each person participated in one-on-one coaching - Forbes
At Kinkajou, we agree. Group coaching is a valuable option for organisations looking to enhance their leadership pipeline. This approach strengthens peer relationships and creates peer support through building a community of leaders for learning and accountability. The sense of camaraderie built through leadership group coaching can lead to stronger networks and relationships among leaders, which can benefit the organisation as a whole. Group coaching can augment the learning experience beyond traditional leadership training.
🤔 Reflective question: Would your leaders open up more with one trusted coach, or alongside peers facing the same problems?
Tailoring leadership development goals
One of the most critical drivers of organisational success in adapting to change is effective leadership at all levels, not just at the top - Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)
We agree. However, the needs and challenges faced by a first-time manager differ significantly from those of a senior executive. Leadership development goals may be tailored to different levels within the organisation. For example:
First-time leaders: Leadership development programmes for new managers could focus on foundational skills like communication, developing soft skills, awareness and use of their strengths, building relationships, confidence and competence, delegation, team dynamics and improving listening and feedback skills.
Mid-level leaders: This group benefits from development in strategic thinking, conflict resolution, and change management.
Senior executives: For top leaders, topics can include enhancing strategic thinking and decision-making abilities, self-awareness and communication strategies, and building high-performing teams and inclusive workplaces.
Tailoring leadership development programmes to these levels ensures that leaders grow the relevant skills and insights needed to succeed in their specific roles. Utilising a coaching approach that matches the person, the context and their goals is required across all levels.
Leadership development challenges and best practices
Despite the importance of leadership development, organisations often face challenges. For example:
Measuring impact
It's a frequent question, requirement and challenge when considering which strategy to adopt. At Kinkajou, we have risen to the challenge and honed our efforts to measure the effectiveness of our leadership coaching programmes.
Transferring learning to the workplace
Ensuring that newly acquired skills are applied in real-world situations is critical. Incorporating on-the-job projects and coaching can help bridge this gap.
Keeping pace with change
Leadership competencies must evolve with changing business needs. Regular review and updating of goals and needs is important and can be accommodated during a leadership coaching journey.
Sustainability of development
With Forbes reporting studies that have found learners in a lecture setting forget almost 50% of what they've learnt within two weeks, it's easy to see why there's doubt around leadership development programmes' long-term effectiveness. Leadership development programmes that provide opportunities to sustain learning over six to twelve months through resources, peer circles and other post-programme plans, like our EMPOWER leadership coaching programme, can be beneficial.
Conclusion
Leadership development is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Tailored approaches are essential for organisations that want their leaders to keep up as the ground shifts beneath them. By understanding the organisation's needs and the nature of leadership, targeting key competencies, and implementing tailored development strategies, organisations can support leaders in driving sustainable performance, increasing engagement, and inspiring diverse teams.
Whether through individualised coaching or group learning experiences, the emphasis on continuous development is key. By investing in leadership development, organisations create a ripple effect that builds a culture of continuous learning, open communication, and growth throughout the entire company. This culture of development becomes self-reinforcing as leaders model and encourage these behaviours at all levels.
Ultimately, investing in leadership development equips individuals with those hard "soft" skills and strengthens the organisation’s capacity to navigate the future successfully.
➡️ Want a head start?
