The big buzz in the Learning and Development community is about Leadership development. “If only we could make good leaders,” the argument goes, “we could beat the world.”

This belief is so ingrained that hardly anyone stops to question it. But when you step back for a second, there are a number of important questions. For example:

1. If leaders need training, who trained Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin?

2. If leaders can be easily trained, why are there followers (which begs the question:)

3. What’s so good about being a leader anyway?

4. If everyone understands how to lead, doesn’t that cause a problem when poorly leading followers?

We all know good leaders. We met them when we were on the playground; and when they conceived a mischief, we followed them. We probably tried our first underground cigarette at the behest of a leader and pursued our childhood interests at his beck and call as well. So it is clear that leadership qualities are not only evident from a young age, but are an important part of our development.

So why do we think we need to train leaders? Well, for various reasons. First, while leadership can be an innate talent, like all natural gifts, if not channeled correctly, bad habits develop and flourishing potential can go untapped. Second, there is more need for leadership than candidates. Playground leaders may pursue military careers or become high-level individuals in the world of big business, but they are unlikely to end up running a small social services unit in a remote provincial town.

Ultimately, leaders must be part of a team, and for the team to function efficiently, leaders must know the ground rules so they can serve effectively. So, having concluded that leadership training is both necessary and desirable, how can it be organized?

The starting point for any training course is, and should be, formal instruction in leadership theory and principles. There are only three ways to do this.

1. Books. There are literally hundreds of texts on leadership. Most business schools also offer free podcasts and webinars. The eager student can absorb any number of treatises on various leadership systems and processes, but beware.

Some of the best writing is out of date and does not meet modern management ideas. Many of the academic pieces are helpful, but are based on case studies at the pinnacle of leadership experience and thus divorced from practical reality. While books are an essential resource, they are only satisfactory for reference and as part of more focused study.

2. Racing. There may not be as many courses as there are books, but it feels like it. Regardless of your discipline, geographic academic background, or vocational sector, there will be a leadership course tailored to your needs and packaged to meet your requirements. Although many of these courses will be tailored to your industry by an experienced professional; In the end, the leadership system, process, or methodology taught will be as much a matter of the trainer’s personal preference as it is a reflection of any best practice. There are actually hundreds of leadership models.

It will all be based on observation and research and will have some applicability, but there is no “right” or “wrong” system. All a course does is highlight a particular focus and provide the basis for consistency among attendees.

3. Practical experience. The sure way to develop leadership skills is to practice. If under the leader’s leadership, the outcome is “success,” then he or she needs to capture the behaviors that led to that success. And if it was a failure, then the behaviors should be modified and tried again. This is why coaching and mentoring are so effective.

But of course, while hands-on experience can be highly desirable, it can also be costly and risky. So how can organizations that want to instill leadership qualities provide the opportunity to practice in a safe environment that allows emerging leaders to make their mistakes and learn from them?

Although I get tired of hearing customers say that their business is “different”, the truth is that no business is identical to another. Just as each person is an individual, each organization reflects individuals in terms of history, culture, systems, processes, and resources. There may be common characteristics that mark a leader in a company, but there is no absolute answer.

Organizations have to develop training regimens that serve their own purpose. Regardless of how this is achieved, the starting point will almost always be a process, model, or philosophy that expresses the culture of “how ‘leadership’ is done around here.”

While there is no doubt that formal courses have an important role to play in defining a common understanding and approach to leadership, in the final analysis, the practical element of developing leadership skills must be an internal process. Although not necessarily universally recognized or accepted, many leadership approaches are based on a six-stage model:

1. History: How did we get to where we are?

2. Situation: What is happening right now?

3. Forecast: What will happen if we do not change?

4. Vision: Where do we want to go?

5. Strategy: How do we use our resources to achieve our goals?

6. Implementation: schedule, actions and responsibilities

This model suggests that to be successful, the leader has to ask six basic questions:

A. Where do we want to be?

B. Where do we come from?

C. Where are we headed if we continue as before?

D. Where are we now?

E. By when do we want to be there?

F. How will we get there and what do we need?

By following this approach, the leader can structure his team, deploy his resources, and provide support, guidance, and information that will get the team there.

Although the model itself is fairly simple, fitting it into a course is a bit more problematic. The content is simple, direct and easy to understand. With a group of older people, a competent trainer can usually comfortably complete the theory in one morning. The problem is with the practical sessions. Most courses have ten to fifteen delegates, although six or seven is not uncommon.

To practice leadership skills effectively, the team must consist of at least four members. So, with every delegate getting a chance to lead and assuming multiple teams can practice in parallel, this is a full day, especially when consolidation and quality feedback is allowed. To provide the hands-on experience, I use tools like Super Tanker, Westrek, Viking Attack. and Newfoundland. These are stand-alone packages that contain everything you need to run a session. For extra “spicing”, activities can be done competitively between groups with a prize for the winning team. This puts additional pressure on the leader and can be a useful device for creating tension within teams.

The following structure is very strict, but by limiting practice sessions to 45 minutes with 15 minutes for feedback, you could get 16 delegates through the program in one (very full) day. The ideal would of course be to spread the course over two days and allow much more time for exercises and feedback. This would also allow more time for consolidation and action planning after delegates return to the workplace.

Time (mins) – Topic

10 -Introduction and domestic

35 -Course objectives, experiences of delegates

15 – General description of leadership (Group / Group discussion on the characteristics and qualities of outstanding national, political, religious leaders, etc.)

15 – Plenary of Leadership

15 -Introduction to the Leadership Model

15 -Coffee

105 -Continuation of the Leadership Model (breakout sessions and handouts on how to ask questions, vision, strategy, goal setting, provide feedback)

60 -Lunch (Leaders delivered with the brief of the exercise they are going to carry out in the afternoon)

30 -Summary: What does leadership mean? (Breakouts & Group sessions)

45 -Exercise Super Tanker (3 or 4 groups in parallel)

15 -Super Tanker feedback to leaders (followers give feedback)

45 -Exercise West Trek (3 or 4 groups in parallel)

15 – West Trek Feedback to Leaders (Followers Give Feedback)

45 -Murphy exercise (3 or 4 groups in parallel)

15 -Murphy Feedback to Leaders (Followers Give Feedback)

45 -Terra Nova exercise (3 or 4 groups in parallel)

15 – Terra Nova feedback to leaders (followers give feedback)

45 – Action and evaluation plans

An alternative structure would be to break the sessions into logical components and then run them in a series of 2-3 hour development classes over a three to four week period. For a truly successful session, it is important that the leadership lessons learned are aligned with the needs of the organization and that delegates leave the course with a clear plan of action to improve their own performance.

The importance of feedback sessions cannot be overstated. A confidentiality agreement must be obtained from all participants, and followers must report to the leader how they felt during the exercise. This can be a brutal lesson, but it is vital for delegates to get the most value out of the session.

In short, every company needs leaders at all levels of the organization. With careful planning, a clear learning outcome, and the right tools, almost anyone can put together a highly successful program that will have dramatic and long-lasting results.