In one way or another, all organizations are responsible for talent development. But when your job description is largely dedicated to the social and emotional well-being of rising leaders entrusted with the success of your business, the expectations — and stakes — are higher.
As a self-starter, it’s tempting to consider the hero’s path, where you rely on initiative, experience, and sheer will to champion homegrown personnel development strategies. The allure of saving corporate resources, engaging your creativity, and earning accolades for innovation is almost intoxicating. But it’s a lofty aspiration, particularly given the long roster of other responsibilities that consume your time, making it difficult to achieve and even more difficult to sustain.
You’re not alone. And while you may be responsible for talent development, there are a number of resources you can enlist to share the burden. You could outsource leadership training through one-on-one coaches, AI-enabled eLearning modules, periodic lectures, and manager- or HR-led internal mentorship programs — to name a few. But each of these alternatives poses new challenges, ranging from unsustainable costs and inconsistencies to trainee disengagement and isolation.
Fortunately, The Grand has developed a better way. Designed with a focus on social and emotional well-being, The Grand offers group leadership coaching centered on people — acknowledging the fact that leadership development can only thrive when it’s grounded in connection and emotional wellbeing.
By design, The Grand’s group coaching model tackles the pain points inherent in other talent development alternatives. Training is flexible and scalable, taking place in dedicated peer cohorts that focus on reflection and practice to encourage deeper understanding of leadership principles and application. Learning takes place over several sessions, reducing per-person costs and ensuring consistency and continuity. Cohort participants build connections throughout their journey, providing both shared insights and mutual support. In many cases, relationships built in cohorts continue well beyond the duration of the training, helping to build peer communities and reduce isolation.
Let’s dive deeper into these challenges — and learn how to put your leadership training pain points to rest.
Striking the Leadership Training Balance: Affordability and Engagement
Challenge: The High Cost of Engaging Training
It’s tough to find engaging, affordable training resources for your emerging leaders. Of the two, affordability is likely the easier box to check. But all too often, “low-cost training” is a gentle euphemism for subject-specific, self-guided training modules that put the onus of training squarely back on the trainees. As you can probably imagine, any “savings” often come at the expense of quality and connection, leaving your emerging leaders disengaged, misinformed, and disillusioned.
Still, the desire to find affordable, engaging training seems like a reasonably low bar. So why is it so difficult to find affordable, engaging, highly effective training?
- High demand (and low supply). Given the costs and challenges of finding talent and the importance of retaining good staff, the demand for leadership training has never been higher. Unfortunately, few organizations offer talent development training that’s both effective and affordable.
- The price — and value — of expertise. Good leadership trainers and training materials are hard to find (see above), and their costs reflect their scarcity.
- Creating engaging, current content isn’t easy. Put simply: it’s difficult to translate theory to application. While many leadership concepts are transferable from one organization to another, it’s very difficult to capture the level of nuance and detail in broad-application training necessary to engage and inform emerging leaders.
- The importance of personalization. Leadership candidates are likely to ask the kinds of questions generic answers simply can’t address. And while content personalization can boost impact, it also tends to drive training costs up.
- Scalability limitations. Training works best when it’s intimate and hands-on. But one-on-one training is costly — and simply doesn’t scale.
- The engagement gap. Emerging leaders want to learn from proven leaders — preferably peers with whom they can identify. Absent that kind of connection, engagement tends to drop, compromising outcomes from the outset.
Despite these challenges, the availability and use of generic, one-off, self-guided training modules has proliferated. And while we’re not fans of generalization, research and experience suggest that these kinds of training often fall short of their promise due to:
- Low participation. Having been subjected to countless “check-the-box” learning modules, workers tend to regard them with a (somewhat justified) sense of cynicism. Absent enforced accountability, savvy workers will frequently sidestep “required” learning modules to put the time toward pursuits they see as more beneficial.
- Low engagement. When workers do complete self-guided training, they do so with an eye toward finishing as quickly as possible. This tendency toward speed often means that quick completion translates to low engagement — and limited functional learning.
- Low quality. The content in canned training modules often falls short on quality. While they may satisfy the desire to provide some kind of training, they tend to be too general to provide meaningful guidance on how to translate learning into practice.
…none of which make “low cost” a particularly good value.
Solution: Group Coaching That’s Affordable — and Engaging
Faced with the troubling shortage of engaging, cost-effective talent development alternatives, the team at The Grand was motivated to do something about it. Recognizing the unique dynamics inherent in group coaching, they embarked on a journey to create leadership training capable of captivating audiences with tailored content over the course of multiple meetings — taking full advantage of the level of cost-effective engagement, connection, and accountability group settings can provide. The Grand’s approach achieves those objectives by:
- Leveraging and amplifying the talents of exceptional instructors and facilitators. The cost to vet, train, and consistently evaluate high-quality talent development instructors and facilitators for 1:1 and even single-session group training makes it impractical as a long-term solution for ongoing leadership development initiatives. But through The Grand, those instructors and facilitators are engaged to help cohorts of peers to participate in their own training — collaborating both in and out of training to provide experience-based support, insight, and instruction that’s truly engaging — and immediately relevant.
- Providing consistent, structured learning. The Grand’s programs follow a dedicated schedule, with in-person (live or remote) training taking place regularly over a period of weeks or months. Sessions follow client-customized, pre-established agendas to ensure content is relevant — and that essential instruction benefits from thorough coverage.
- Introducing true training scalability. The Grand’s group training can be scaled via workshops or small groups to speak to one or more multi-member group cohorts, reducing per-person costs and ensuring that instruction is available to all emerging leaders.
- Making worthwhile training affordable. By providing expert, peer-supported leadership training in a group setting over a period of time, the per-person cost of The Grand’s programming is competitive both with one-on-one development and more generic self-guided training modules.
Battling Inconsistency: Building Leadership Foundations for the Long Haul
Challenge: Inconsistent Training Breeds Rudderless Leaders
Due in large part to the challenges highlighted above, and despite the vitally important role new leaders play in any organization’s success, new leaders are often left to find their way with inconsistent training — or no training at all. This phenomenon is exacerbated by the likelihood that the leaders overseeing new leaders are unlikely to have received meaningful leadership training — perpetuating a cycle that hinders both growth performance. Over time, these perils pose enormous risks to the organization, new leaders, and affected staff alike, potentially resulting in:
- Disengagement. Hiring strong leaders is a resource- and time-intensive process. When those leaders are introduced to their new roles without thorough, effective training, they can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. And while some candidates may possess the skills to muddle through, continued frustrations often lead to resentment, disenchantment, low morale, and disengagement. This trajectory can then lead to the damaging impacts of poor performance and high turnover.
- Self-doubt. Self-confidence is an essential element in any successful leader’s success. When new leaders lack the training necessary to inform good decisions — and the support to see those decisions through and learn — those who don’t seek other opportunities can continue in their roles, where self-doubt can hinder their performance and negatively influence the experience of those around them.
- Bad management habits. When new leaders lack clear instruction and good training, organizations risk that they’ll embrace the wrong habits, making them poor managers, decision-makers, and role models.
- Poor progress measurement. Effective leadership establishes a clear sense of baseline expectations for emerging talent. Absent those foundational benchmarks, it’s difficult to measure the growth and performance of new leaders. This limits the organization’s ability to identify those areas where these leaders are meeting expectations, and those that need improvement.
Solution: Group Coaching
In stark contrast to the “sink or swim” experience faced by poorly trained (often untrained) leadership candidates, The Grand offers an approach to talent development that leverages the talents of expert coaches. New leaders who complete The Grand’s programs experience training — and demonstrate performance — that is :
- Relevant. The Grand’s expert coaches continually modify programming to ensure its applicability to each cohort, working closely with emerging leaders to provide guidance that considers their circumstances — and gives them the practical skills necessary to excel in their roles.
- Consistent. The Grand’s group training programs take place on a clear timeline, relying on customized materials that engage each cohort’s participants in collaborative, mutually supportive learning. Because all participants benefit from the carefully designed programming, their learning and work are consistent, comprehensive, and actionable, positioning them to thrive as emerging leaders in your organization.
- Structured. Guided by expert facilitators, The Grand’s programming is carefully structured to cover designated material thoroughly, efficiently, and effectively — ensuring all participants gain the background and skills necessary to execute their roles effectively from day one.
- Engaging. The Grand’s collaborative learning methodologies ensure participant engagement and accountability, ensuring their investment in the process and its outcomes. Unlike self-guided learning modules, participants have the opportunity to demonstrate their progress and remain engaged throughout the process.
- Supportive. The Grand’s training programs acknowledge and leverage the power of peer support, where learners are encouraged to turn to one another for support, insights, and guidance. Expert facilitators support this unique approach, which ensures that emerging leaders can grow and thrive together, building relationships that serve them during training and beyond.
- Measurable. The Grand’s programming exposes all participants to carefully designed curricula designed to establish strong, measurable foundations of common leadership practices. By identifying critical areas of performance early on, progress against goals and standards is easy to measure over time. These baselines pave the way for feedback loops, where organizations can acknowledge both progress and opportunities for ongoing improvement.
Learning to Lean: The Challenge of Leading Alone
Challenge: New Leader Isolation
While self-guided learning modules and one-on-one leadership training tend to focus on leadership tactics, strategies, and principles, few available options acknowledge the essential roles peer connection, camaraderie, reflection, and practice can play in effective leadership development. All too often, new leaders experience a sense of isolation — and in many cases, imposter syndrome — compounded by self-doubt and the tendency toward self-reliance.
The upshot? When you’re hired to lead, it can be difficult to acknowledge those situations where you don’t have all the answers — and you’d be well served by other perspectives. Some of the risks of functional (and even self-imposed) isolation include:
- Disengagement. Learning leadership in isolation is inherently counterintuitive. Absent input from trainers and peers, instruction gleaned through self-guided modules — and even one-on-one instruction—lacks the sort of give-and-take necessary to truly understand and apply new concepts.
- Burnout. Without access to peers, new leaders must rely exclusively on their own judgment and experience. Given the responsibilities of their new roles, this is a recipe for stress, overwork, fatigue, and burnout — long before learners can gain the wisdom and experience necessary to identify and focus on essential priorities.
- Poor performance. Lack of peer connection deprives new leaders of perspective — leading them to make poor decisions that might otherwise be avoided. This Peer access helps new leaders to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses — and to embrace more effective leadership practices.
Solution: Group Coaching Builds Connection and Camaraderie
The deeply experienced team at The Grand was well aware of the sense of isolation many emerging leaders can feel in their new roles. To combat that challenge, our approach is designed to encourage a culture of mutual support and connection — where each training cohort learns that participation and collaboration are evidence of strength and wisdom — not weakness. The benefits of this approach include:
- Trusted connection. By assembling cohorts of industry peers, The Grand allows participants to form lasting networks marked by open, honest communication. Rising leaders reluctant to share their concerns and questions with supervisors can then turn to trusted colleagues, boosting camaraderie and reducing isolation.
- Increased confidence. When rising leaders share experiences with peers, they quickly learn that their challenges aren’t isolated — freeing them to seek solutions and make informed decisions.
- Higher performance. The Grand’s expert-facilitated group training is comprehensive and collaborative. This approach ensures that participants gain the knowledge they need to lead effectively and empathetically.
- Space to practice. Training cohorts are deliberately designed as safe spaces where new leaders can practice leadership skills development, make mistakes, share feedback — and acknowledge the fact that they’re still learning.
- Greater job satisfaction. Well-trained leaders are positioned for success — boosting both performance and job satisfaction.
- Stronger workplace culture. Group-trained leaders understand the importance of collaboration and support and are more likely to create workplace cultures that reflect those values.
- Better business outcomes. The skills learned through The Grand’s programming are designed to help leaders pursue long-term growth and business objectives. Investments in group training consistently demonstrate exceptional ROI.
The Grand and Group Coaching: Affordable Leadership Training that Works
As most organizations will attest, there are very few “born leaders”. Fortunately, high-quality leadership training can yield transformative impact, giving rising leaders the knowledge and skills they need to grow into high performers. But like good leaders, leadership training that’s both effective and affordable is a rare commodity. Skilled trainers are expensive. Self-guided modules offer low cost — but often risk low engagement. Simply expecting — hoping — that fresh leader recruits will learn on the fly is a recipe for failure.
With group leadership programs like The Grand, however, leadership training checks boxes for both affordability and impact. Through the introduction of expert facilitators, structured learning materials and timelines, and collaborative peer engagement, The Grand helps new leaders to understand expectations — and to learn the strategies and tactics necessary to guide employees toward corporate objectives.