Issues with Leadership Development Programs – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1057

Issues with Leadership Development Programs – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1057

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1057 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here.

Credit: Alax Matias

Credit: Chu Chup Hinh

Credit: Mustapha Damilola

This blog post in based on a McKinsey article published ten years ago in January 2014 but is still very relevant. Link at the end. I have added my own point of view based on Pakistan experience. 

Preamble

Every organization of substance and character spends money on leadership development programs. US companies alone spend almost $14 billion annually on leadership development. Most universities offer degrees and courses in leadership development even in Pakistan. Elitist institutions in Pakistan may charge 1.5 million for a two-week management development program while a top business schools in the US may cost $150,000.

Leadership development is also desperately needed because as the businesses expand, the need for more leaders is more and more acute. 

In this post, we shall look at the challenges associated with leadership development programs.

Dearth of Appropriate Trainers

Most of the leadership and management trainers have no background of working in the corporate sector. They are basically teachers who expand their portfolio to include training. Their programs are based on bookish knowledge, and photocopies of foreign case studies, and they are unable to understand and appreciate corporate landscape issues. 

Executive development centers established by larger organizations like Jaffer Brothers have closed, and some people are offering training in their individual capacity.

Another huge problem with trainers is that they do not update themselves. The power point deck of 200 slides which they made once shall be forced down to every batch. 

Yet another problem is that the trainers are hostage to their own slide deck. They cannot think out of it and if forced out, become completely lost.

The world has done away with power point already. The new norm is interactive sessions where issues are taken up individually and personally. 

Another interesting (not really) dimension is the inclusion of certain games in training and development programs. Since these are copied from elsewhere, the trainers do not understand the real logic and significance of these activities. These are done anyway but the impact is not there because the trainees and trainers both are not sure why it was done.

One Size Fits All

Some years ago, a brilliant article titled ‘Are Leaders Portable?’ was published in Harvard Business Review. A brilliant leaders in one situation and corporate does not necessarily perform the same way in another situation and corporate. I have seen numerous examples where high-performing managers were brought in with high hopes which ended in disastrous results. 

Most, if not all, training plans are designed on the assumption that one size fits all, and that the same skill set, or style of leadership is appropriate regardless of strategy and organizational culture. To accommodate everyone, training plans are filled with many topics and skills so that everyone may be able to take something out of it. This is counterintuitive and counterproductive. The training should be focused on equipping managers with few relevant competencies rather than trying to load them with multiple but irrelevant competencies.

Turning Training into Practice

Statistics show that the retention of what was learnt in a classroom style training session is merely ten percent. The trainees struggle with translating even that ten percent into practice. On the other hand, learning on the job has much higher retention.

So, there are two issues here. One is the real value of off-site training programs where everyone leaves the office and goes to a secluded place and spends a few days away from the usual environment and refreshes and learns. In Pakistan, these meets are high stress in the sense that everyone remains awake late due to social pressures and is tired in the morning and unable to focus on learning. Two is to establish connect with their existing job. The usual pace of training (aka power point) is such that it does not give time to think. When the trainees do not get time to reflect during off-site session, they will hardly be able to do it during regular work. 

The solution is that power point should be abandoned or at least minimized, and more time be devoted to connecting real time work with the learning from session.

Influencing Mindsets

A fundamental issue with managers in Pakistan is that as they go up the ladder, they become more rigid in their ideas, philosophies and strategies. It is like developing faith in that what they do is the best and ultimate. This misplaced conviction stops them from learning further. As for their established views, it would be blasphemous to challenge these.

For long-term leadership change and development, it is critical to understand the mindset of people and then trying to change it. At the end of so many training programs, I have heard in routine that there was nothing new, or the ideas presented were not practical. Some would even tell the trainers, “Sir! What you are saying is good, but I wish you would understand the conditions in which we work”.

Assessing and influencing the mindset is a key component in the success of any training and development initiatives.

Measuring Results

Mostly, the measure of evaluation of leadership development plan is the feedback from participants which is almost always positive. The managers find dual benefit in continuing with these programs: they get relief from usual stress for couple of days; and they add another certificate to their CV. The real results in terms of behavior change or performance improvement is not measured. To sales/marketing people who did MBA while on the job, I have always asked the following two questions.

1. How do you compare your job performance before and after doing MBA? The answer is usually a blank look.

2. In what ways, doing MBA has helped you in improving your performance? The blank look turns into a blank stare.

I am sure if I ask them if they had ever built further upon their learning in MBA program, they will walk out of the interview. 

Sum Up

Training and development are essential components of leadership development in any organization. And all organizations need to build leaders because existing leaders shall have to be replaced sooner or later. In Pakistan, majority of managers have strong desire to go up the ladder but are unable to upgrade themselves to match the higher job requirements. It is necessary for organizations to arrange leadership development programs in the right way and to ensure these deliver the desired benefits.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, however, it happens unintentionally, I offer my sincere regrets.

Reference:

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/why-leadership-development-programs-fail?cid=other-eml-cls-mip-mck&hlkid=476a5c51a9ca445399a74a14e948dcc9&hctky=15999472&hdpid=60d1d1d2-ae08-4e53-aecb-cfe7a2e181ff#/