Litmos recently published an informative guide for HR leaders looking to maximize leadership development training to meet modern workforce needs. The HR Playbook For Transformative Leadership Training provides timely and actionable advice for improving employee performance and talent retention through strategic leadership training.
This blog post will explore the key insights from the HR Playbook, focusing on the transformative impact of leadership development on organizational success.
The real impact of effective leadership training
Monitoring employee engagement and well-being is a critical challenge for managing remote, hybrid, or distributed workforces. Organizations that equip leaders with essential leadership and management skills, give those leaders what they need to more effectively connect with and support their teams. The data bears this out, as a recent Gartner report found that employees who report to effective managers are 15.4x more likely to be high-performers. The same report found that effective leadership can also significantly reduce employee turnover and improve employee mental and physical wellbeing.
Three training strategies for meeting modern leadership challenges
Litmos recently surveyed 12,000 U.S.-based employed adults and found that nearly one-third of them felt underserved by their employers’ conventional leadership training. The bottom line is that leaders don’t feel prepared to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex modern workplace. Our HR Playbook advocates for a multi-modal approach to leadership development, and outlines the benefits of personalized, cohort-based, virtual, and in-person training for leadership.
To meet the needs and goals of modern leaders, consider these three leadership training strategies:
- Career-focused personalized learning. Engaging employees with diverse skillsets and varying backgrounds requires moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to training. Managers play a key role in making employee learning programs relevant and providing clear pathways for internal upward mobility. Creating a direct connection between training and career advancement can improve training engagement; however, our guide encourages HR to balance the goals and needs of learners with the overarching goals of the business.
- Virtual cohort leadership training. The rise of remote work has made virtual training an accepted reality of the modern workplace. It’s tempting to simply transfer traditional training materials to online platforms and call it a day. Our HR Playbook advocates for a more dynamic approach to virtual leadership development. Strategies like cohort learning and personalized coaching can help virtual learners feel more connected to their peers by providing opportunities for informal learning, collaboration, and community-building.
- In-person skill-building. The flexibility and cost-effectiveness of virtual learning makes it an appealing option for many workplaces. But in-person training has its place in leadership development programs, and can be beneficial for instant feedback and informal “water cooler” exchanges. Whether training is in-person, virtual, or blended, the HR Playbook encourages organizations to build opportunities for group reflection and casual conversation into its leadership training program.
Investing in leadership training isn’t just about improving individual performance; it’s about transforming the entire organization. By focusing on personalized learning experiences and fostering a supportive learning environment, companies can unlock the full potential of their workforce – starting with their current and prospective leaders.
Is your organization looking to drive performance, retention, and overall success through stronger internal leadership development? Download your HR Playbook for Transformative Leadership today!