Many organisations are currently going through their planning and budgeting processes for 2013.  A key question therefore is – will leadership training and development be a priority for your organisation in 2013?

In the current economic climate there is often pressure to cut, postpone or delay spend that might be seen as non essential such as on marketing or training activities. However as with marketing, training is an investment in the future. Training managers to give them the skills to manage the business not just now but also in the future.

Investing in a manager’s personal development is surely a win – win.  It is a win for the individual as it will equip them with new skills and make them more effective, for example better able to manage their time.

Being a better manager will enable them to motivate their staff more which will have a positive effect on their morale, work satisfaction, effectiveness and personal performance, and ultimately it will feed through to the financial performance of the organisation. Which of course is a win for the business.

However there are other factors to consider too before launching a new leadership training and development programme, some of which are as follows:

  • Firstly it is important to consider the content and focus of any training and development interventions – what is the business need that that must be addressed?Is the business trying to grow, diversify or enter new markets and territories?What are the skills and behaviours that are needed by all levels of leader across the business?
  • The organisation’s executives will need to model the required behaviours from the top.Do they currently do this are do they need development support too?
  • How will the programme address the mix of skills and experiences of the managers. Are a range of different interventions needed, perhaps including group workshops, 1:1 coaching and individual project work?
  • The timing of any development programme is key too. If the organisation tries to push development into a manager’s schedule at a particularly busy time of year then it is likely to be resisted at best or rejected at worst.
  • Finally it is important to ensure that all development interventions are followed through and that the organisation evaluates the benefits and value of them.

So if you are wish to invest in your managers in 2013 consider what skills they need to drive the business forward and invest in a high impact leadership training and development programme to develop them.