Coaching vs Training for Leadership Development

Written By Jodie Craig

Why coaching outperforms training for leadership development

Imagine two climbers attempting to summit a mountain, equipped with similar experience and gear.

But they take two different paths to the same peak.

One opts for a well-trodden path, marked by signs and crowded with fellow climbers.

The other chooses a guide who knows the mountain intimately, offering a customised route based on strengths, weaknesses, and personal aspirations.

While both reach the summit, the guided climber not only gets there faster but also gathers more insights, sees better views and learns new skills, transforming them in ways the marked path never could.

What’s the problem with Leadership Development today?

The corporate landscape is awash with off-the-shelf leadership training programs. Whilst some of the content is truly fantastic, the delivery format (large groups, lots of content to cram into a “lunch & learn”, a lack of 121 follow-up) often fails to address the individual needs and goals of those leaders. Leadership is an incredibly personal skill. It's a direct reflection of who you are and who you want to be. It exposes all your strengths and weaknesses as well as any personal barriers such as beliefs, confidence, and resilience, that, when unaddressed, can significantly hinder a leader's effectiveness.

What does that mean for us?

Leaders are the architects of both business results and team development. Without the right investment in leaders, the fallout is not just poor results but a ripple effect that can demoralise teams and stakeholders alike. This often forces more senior management or HR to intervene, patching over gaps in ability or issues with ego that are easily developed through coaching.

Why coaching delivers:  

Of course, we already know that coaching is one-on-one, it's confidential, and each session is tailored and adaptable. But it's not just about the process, through coaching, the leader/client develops a leadership style that is fully aligned with their own strengths, values and aspirations. They tackle, head-on, any personal barriers that were probably impacting them outside of work as much as in the workplace. This deep internal work is quickly seen in business results, engagement and retention levels. This approach is personalised, flexible and time-efficient. 

As you navigate the challenges of leadership development within your organisation, remember the climbers.

While training has a place to build specific skills and knowledge for climbing that mountain, coaching equips them with the insights, skills, and confidence to forge their own path to the summit and beyond.

Take the Next Step

Jodie Craig
Previous

The True Cost of Ineffective Leaders