Some people are born leaders. For others, effective training is the perfect resource to help them realize their full leadership potential.
Leaders are the backbone of an organization. Without skilled leaders, it becomes difficult to make meaningful progress. But what makes leadership training effective? We’ve got several practical tips to help your leadership training produce competent, confident, and impactful leaders. Let’s dig in.
IDENTIFY THEIR WHY:
Help the learner identify why they want to be a leader, or what they see as their potential impact as a leader. Did they have someone impactful in their life who demonstrated great leadership qualities? How did that feel? Getting them to make a personal connection with the purpose of the training creates invaluable emotional buy in.
GIVE THEM A FRAMEWORK:
Most people in leadership positions have never had a leadership role before, or never intended to have a leadership role but have progressed through the ranks. Without a concept of what leadership is and how they can get there, the idea of becoming a leader can seem distant and unattainable. You must give them some structure or framework to help define how to get from where they are now to their future state. This should align with your organization’s unique leadership needs.
CREATE REALISTIC SITUATIONS:
Once they can see the path they need to take and conceptualize the transformation they need to make to become an effective leader, they need to practice acting like that leader in realistic situations. These situations should be specifically tailored to your organization, and be really reflective of scenarios the learner will encounter on the job. By experiencing realistic situations in a training setting, they’ll be more comfortable with and prepared for their future leadership roles.
ROLEPLAY FOR REALISM:
In addition to exposing them to realistic situations, have them practice being a part of those situations with roleplay. Roleplay is one of the greatest ways to drive professional development, especially when it comes to leadership. If you’re holding an instructor-led training, make sure to give them plenty of time and opportunity to roleplay scenarios with a partner or group. If you’re tackling a web-based training, offer lots of practice questions and interactions with the scenarios to try their hand at reacting and responding appropriately.
