Let Me Entertain You
Lately, I’ve been thinking about a common myth in the world of leadership: the idea that Training equals Development.
It goes like this: send someone to a training event, and voilà—they magically become a better leader. But as many of us have experienced, it’s not that simple.
I was sent off to a two-day management training program in my early days as a leader. It was full of good information, but when it was over, I was left to figure things out on my own. The company checked the box, thinking I was “developed” because I attended a program. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.
The problem is that we assume that if we cram our heads full of knowledge, our behaviour will automatically change. But, as we all know, just because you read the manual doesn’t mean you can fix the engine.
Development is different to training. It's when you don’t just know; you also do. It’s embodied.
Here are five reasons why training doesn’t lead to actual development:
1. It’s Out of Context
Peter Cheese once said, “Content is King, but Context is the Kingdom.” Leadership happens in specific situations, and training often misses the mark by not addressing leaders' unique challenges in real-world environments.
2. It’s Too Clean
Training often happens in a nice, neat setting—far removed from the messy, complex world that leaders actually work in. It’s like learning to swim in a pool and then getting tossed into a stormy ocean. The real world is different, and programs need to reflect that.
3. It’s All on You
Too often, we put the responsibility for development solely on the leader. But leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The culture, the systems, and the people around us influence it. Real growth comes when we look at the bigger picture.
4. It’s a Secret
When leaders keep their development goals to themselves, avoiding the hard stuff is easy, like how you might skip leg day if no one’s watching. But when you make your goals public, you’re likelier to stick to them.
5. It's too Short
Exciting and entertaining training events often have massive benefits. It's fantastic to see a great speaker who pumps you up. The challenge is that they create a moment, yet to develop and get fundamental shifts, you have to keep at it. Development needs more time and more focus. It's not TikTok.
So, if you’re picking up what I am putting down and wondering how to change this, you can start by getting real. Focus on the real challenges your leaders are dealing with. Make them the focus of your development programs and build the skills by solving the problems that matter. Make the shifts visible. Play the long game. Use the mess because leaders learn leadership best by doing it.
Lead well, H.
