The programme is only the beginning
How many leadership models and theories do you remember from the last leadership programme you attended?
I'd guess not that many. At least in my case, looking back over my career, there are very few I still remember today.
What I do remember, however, are the moments that changed how I thought—both during and, perhaps even more importantly, after the programme. Those moments happened through conversations, reflection, sharing experiences with others and learning from one another—not from another lecture or leadership framework.
Many leadership programmes are sold on the promise that they will transform leaders and, ultimately, organisations. What I've come to realise over the past few years, through countless conversations with leaders and HR professionals, is that the real work only begins once the programme ends.
We return to the same routines, run the same meetings, ask the same questions and quickly slip back into our operational reality. Yet this is also where the real opportunity lies. It's where we begin testing new behaviours, adapting ideas to our own context and gradually turning insight into action.
And perhaps that's also the hardest part.
Maybe we've been investing our energy in the wrong part of the journey
What I've noticed is that, in HR and L&D, we often stop once the course evaluations are completed and the programme has received great reviews.
Looking back at my own experience, I would have appreciated someone creating space outside my busy working day to reflect, learn from others, ask challenging questions and continue building on what had started during the programme.
Every year, organisations invest significant time and money in leadership development with the objective of creating better leaders—and ultimately, better organisations.
But how often do we stop to think about the environment people return to afterwards? The very environment that shaped many of the behaviours we were hoping to change in the first place.
Maybe we've been investing most of our energy in the wrong part of the journey.
What if we invested just as much energy into supporting leaders after the programme as we do into designing the programme itself? What if HR and L&D became active partners in the transformation rather than handing it over once the final workshop is complete?
I genuinely believe this represents one of the greatest opportunities for our profession. Not only because it increases the likelihood of lasting behavioural change, but because it allows us to become much closer to the business, better understand the realities leaders face and play a more active role in organisational development.
From knowledge transfer to behavioural change
So what could this look like?
There are countless possibilities: facilitating learning circles, creating mentoring and peer coaching opportunities, organising practice exchanges, creating spaces for reflection and, perhaps most importantly, taking the time to listen and understand what has actually changed after the programme.
Those conversations don't just support leaders. They also help us design better learning experiences and better organisations.
I often see leadership programmes promising to transfer knowledge and create transformation. However, I increasingly believe that we already have far more of the answers than we realise—if we're given the time and space to reflect, exchange experiences with others and bring to light the knowledge, wisdom and capabilities we already possess.
What often makes the difference isn't another leadership model. It's continuing to build the confidence to believe in our own ability to apply what we've learned in our everyday work. Psychologists refer to this as self-efficacy—our belief that we can successfully overcome challenges and create positive change.
To me, this principle sits at the heart of great coaching and, I believe, deserves a much more central role in leadership development and the design choices we make.
A different role for HR and L&D
Ultimately, I don't believe leadership programmes create transformation.
They create the opportunity for transformation.
A programme can inspire us, challenge our assumptions and provide new perspectives. But lasting behavioural change happens afterwards—through practice, reflection, experimentation and the support we receive when we're back in the reality of everyday work.
Perhaps that's where the greatest opportunity for HR and L&D lies.
Not simply in designing exceptional learning experiences, but in creating the conditions where those experiences can become lasting change.
