When Human Resources took over leadership training, I didn’t immediately notice a change.  In fact, I felt the leadership development department initially did a good job making the classes more specific to my job than the consultants they had hired in the past.

But over time, a shift occurred.  Leadership development became more about how not to get the company in trouble and not about developing the leader.  As a result, experienced leaders became ambivalent to training and younger leaders became HR processes experts.

Is It Training or Development?

Training Or Development

I am singling out HR controlled leadership training because that was my experience. Human Resources professionals are critical to every organization.  I am just not a fan of them controlling leadership development.  In fact, process focused leadership training can be led by operational leaders or by HR professionals.

When this happens topics like Performance Management become about mastering a process versus growing as a leader.  My experience seems to parallel a lot of other leaders’ experiences with this type of training.

Conversations in these HR led sessions often focus on:

  • Documentation Do’s and Don’ts
  • Proper use of an electronic performance review form.
  • Questions that get you in trouble in interviews.
  • Sexual Harassment and Equal Opportunity
  • Corporate Compliance

These are all topics that a leader must be able to navigate, but they have little to do with leadership development.  Perhaps this is the difference between Management Training and Leadership Development.

Training focuses on getting better at a process or a management technique while development is about changing the actual person.  Leadership Development is a proactive system for individual growth, while Management Training is a short term answer to the needs of the organization.

The Key Question

What is the purpose?  Why is the company spending time and money on developing its leaders?

If it is in response to the current needs of the company, then the company is likely focused on training versus development.

If company is looking beyond the short term challenges and preparing for the future, then the desire to actually develop people and have them grow with the company will often drive how they structure leadership workshops and who teaches them.

Where To Start

I believe the quickest way to change a team is to change the leader.  Too often process focused training is looking for a quick fix.  “Give the leaders some tools they can use to make them better.”

True leadership development begins with looking at the leader.  What needs to change or develop inside that person to make them a better leader?   Leadership Development must begin with WHO that leader is not with what management tools they should use on others.

Development of a leader is an intentional strategy that will have lasting impact on both the individual and the organization.  Training is often focused on plugging a hole in the dam.  Management Training’s focus is short term, and so is Management Training’s impact.

The Bottom Line:

In my experience, too many internally driven leadership development programs are focused on processes not people.  When HR takes over leadership development, it is often reactionary to the troubles HR deals with daily, versus proactively growing the leaders of the future.

None of us believe that reactionary companies or individuals will outperform proactive companies and individuals.  Perhaps our focus should be on Leadership Development versus Management Training for the same reasons.

Question:

What changes have you made to yourself to become a better leader?