Your high performers may meet and defeat every challenge that comes their way but there’s still a strong case for investing in their personal development. Leadership training matters, even for your top talent.
As we know to our cost, the accidental manager phenomenon is rife, with people supposedly ‘promoted to the extent of their ability’ and research shows this is what sits at the root of the UK’s productivity shortfall.
The accidental manager trap
The accidental manager problem is not about the recognised capabilities of the high performer, who likely excels in their subject matter expertise. The issue arises when they’re promoted into leadership roles without any formal training in how to lead.
This oversight means their ‘time to impact’ is dramatically lengthened. It is also the fastest way to undermine their own self-belief and can lead to struggles with imposter syndrome and self-confidence issues.
Why leadership training matters, even for top talent
There are multiple reasons to invest in the leadership capabilities of your high performers:
- You’re reinforcing the investment made by promoting them and shortening the ‘time to impact’
- It’s a great way of retaining your people (perhaps surprisingly, investing in leadership training is rare in the UK)
- It’s a good way of spotting emerging leaders, or those who may go on to the more senior levels
- It reduces issues that could result in staff turnover, such as improving their ability to deal with conflict, teaching them how to provide feedback constructively and so on.
There’s simply no point in choosing a high-performing individual and pushing them into a situation where they could fail. No one wins in that scenario. And yet, this approach is rife in UK businesses.
What the data tells us
A survey by the Chartered Management Institute found that one-third of managers had never received formal leadership training, and around 82% of bosses lacked any formal management training and qualifications.
This lack of support has real consequences. When it comes to ‘time to impact’, there’s evidence that the average time to reach full performance can be reduced by a third, from six months to four. (HBR)
Effective leadership training also reduces what studies call ‘high-stakes, high-tension events’, with McKinsey reporting that between 27 and 46 percent of executive transitions are deemed a failure within the first two years. (McKinsey)
Picking up on our final bullet point from above, problems interacting with new teams meant only 27% of workers rated their manager as highly effective, and 37% said they were ‘somewhat effective’. (Business Insider)
There’s no doubt, therefore, that a lack of investment in leadership development will contribute to high employee turnover.
Internal moves versus external moves
When you promote from within, it sends a positive message to your workforce. It shows there is the opportunity for career progression, and that you are invested in helping everyone to better their outcomes.
However, it presents a unique challenge as the new leader is often still working with people who were previously in their peer group. This can make the art of good leadership difficult. The shift in dynamics can be complex and, without training, difficult to navigate.
Preparing leaders before they step up
Often, an internal transformation programme will result in multiple people moves which is why, at Transform Performance International, we design a core first-line manager programme for our clients. This means they can start the process of getting people ready for leadership to ensure they hit the ground running once the ‘to be’ business model is ready to go.
And, because we start with beliefs, we always include elements of training to help with the psychological transition from team member to manager.
All these development plans are bespoke and individually created to suit the person undertaking them to ensure the right outcomes for our client from their overall transformation programme.
The risk of skipping support for your leaders
The business case for this kind of investment is solid. Aside from the cost of additional recruitment should things go wrong, evidence shows organisations who fail to invest in helping their leaders establish themselves effectively run the risk of losing ground to competitors for anywhere up to 18 months. (McKinsey)
On the flip side, successful leadership transitions increase the chance of a team meeting their 3-year performance goals by 90%. (McKinsey)
To quote HBR, “onboarding is an apt term for the way many companies support new leaders’ transitions because not much more is involved than bringing the executive safely on deck. After that, he or she is expected to sort things out with little or no guidance.”
Plain sailing starts with preparation
Leaving new leaders to sink or swim isn’t just risky, it’s avoidable. With the right training and coaching in place, your top performers can become your best leaders.
And when that happens, everyone wins, from the individuals you’ve invested in to the teams they lead and the organisation as a whole.
Got some top performers you want to turn into outstanding leaders? We design bespoke programmes that unlock potential and accelerate impact. Whether you’re navigating change, preparing your pipeline, or looking to reduce leadership risk, we’re here to help. Get in touch via [email protected].
