So you have invested in leadership training, but how do you know if the investment has been worthwhile?

So you went on an offsite, or put your Managers through a leadership program. However, did you support the change by reviewing KPI's, discussing culture and how the program relates to the organisation culture? Have you rewarded (positive reinforcement) those Managers who implemented the techniques they learned in training?

If you are investing in your leaders but haven't wrapped the training program up in a change program, then you are investing in individuals not the organisation. Success can't be measured simply through attendance and satisfaction with the training itself.

Every individual learns differently

There will always be some individuals who can connect training with their real world practices but many (and through no fault of their own) slip back into old habits as they are simply easier when it comes to different leadership techniques. After all, that comfort zone is SO MUCH EASIER.  An ideal scenario would be if 7 out of 10 leaders who attend training implement new techniques and get better results. That however will only be achieved with post training reinforcement and coaching.

So what can you do to improve leadership learning?

Create a change program that supports implementation of newly acquired skills, set up colleague support, and take a systemic approach to integrating the new skills into the organisation. Attach the training to organisation culture development practices and agree with the leaders themselves as to what leadership indicators should improve as a result of the training and by how much.

Measuring Return on Investment is critical

When organisations are looking to 'lean' down, the training budget is one which often gets slashed. If measuring return on investment when it comes to leadership or any learning for that matter. This may present some resistance to those budget cuts.

Online leadership learning without support - a bust! If you are considering organisation wide online leadership learning - I say forget it. Unless it is part of a blended approach for your organisation go back to face to face. Investment can be made into online leadership programs, only if there is also a large face to face component. It is difficult to learn online while sitting in an office (if you are lucky to have one) and being interrupted by urgent staff matters in an organisation context.

Online learning skill sessions only work if you have a personal interest in the topic and are out of your work environment when you are learning. Think about a blended approach to learning if online is the only way to rollout training.