4 of the Most Common Leadership Development Mistakes Companies Make

By Thuy Sindell

Only 35 percent of managers are engaged at work, a recent Gallup report suggests. That means just a handful of managers are really leading employees like they should—and that has serious consequences. The study also found that managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement scores across business units. In other words, when managers are disengaged, so are the employees they lead.

So, what’s going wrong?

A few factors contribute to engagement, but leadership development has a big impact. Without the right development, leaders at all levels can’t be effective. Although many employers have development programs in place, they’re not always successful. The problem can be traced back to a few, simple mistakes.

Here are a few of the most common leadership development mistakes and how to fix them:

1. Program focuses on strengths or weaknesses only

Leadership development programs tend to take one of two approaches: improving weaknesses or developing natural strengths. So, which one is the best strategy? The truth is both are not optimum.

Focusing on weaknesses demotivates employees. Weaknesses are weaknesses for a reason—employees aren’t good at certain skills and they may never be, so focusing on them becomes a frustrating waste of time.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found when study participants had high expectations of success and rewards, and lower perceptions of difficulties, they were more interested in the activity. However, the more difficult they found an activity to be, the more they thought they would fail, and the less motivated they were to participate.

That doesn’t mean leadership development should focus on employee strengths, either. This creates the opposite problem—focusing on strengths is easy and doesn’t challenge employees. If development focuses on what employees already know, what’s the point? They won’t actually improve.

So, if focusing development efforts on strengths and weaknesses is not the best approach, what should leadership development actually focus on? It should focus on those skills that fall right between strengths and weaknesses: We call them hidden strengths.

Hidden strengths are skills that employees aren’t naturally good or bad at. With training, they can be developed into learned strengths. Before development begins, have your employees take aptitude tests to determine what their hidden strengths are. Then focus development programs to build those abilities and make development worthwhile.

2. Development is only offered to those at the top

Leadership development and coaching is typically reserved for C-suite level leaders, but that leaves middle and lower level leaders in the dark. And if you think new managers will figure it out as they go along, think again. According to Gallup, only one in 10 individuals have the natural talent to lead, and just 18 percent of current managers have a high-level of talent required for the role. However, those with some (not all) leadership traits can function at a high level if their employer invests in coaching and development.

Leaders at all levels should participate in development programs to be effective. Start training employees to be great leaders before they move to management positions so they are prepared once they get there.

3. Development is a one-time deal

Once employees do get leadership development support, they’re not done—they need continuous development opportunities to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, many employers take an ongoing approach when it comes to leadership development; employees only take certain programs or classes, and that’s it—their leadership development is over.

In fact, only 40 percent of managers surveyed by Gallup strongly agreed that they had opportunities to learn and grow at work in the previous year. However, even seasoned leaders need continual development to stay engaged and to continue growing. Leadership development isn’t a one-time thing; employees at every level need continuous development to improve their skills and become better leaders.

4. Leadership development is too generic

Cookie-cutter leadership development programs don’t work—they need to target and fit specific organizational goals. At the same time, a program needs to help employees reach their individual professional goals. That’s where programs often miss the mark.

Employees are more likely to say they contribute to their organization’s goals rather than the organization helping them with their goals, according to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management. But aligning employee and organizational goals is the key to successful, engaging development programs. A 2016 Deloitte survey found that 82 percent of Millennials who stayed with the same company for more than five years felt their values aligned with those of the organization.

When building leadership development programs, think about what employees need to reach the next level of their careers while also furthering the goals of the business. Then find a program that can meet those unique needs.

Leadership development should not be an afterthought—your program should reflect your organization and your employees. With the right development, both your leaders and your business will be more successful.