How do you sustain and reinforce the learning outcomes of leadership development programs?

The Kirkpatrick Model is my favorite for outlining specifically what learner reactions, knowledge and skills acquisition, behavior changes, and organizational changes you want to effect with your leadership development program and how you will measure those. This gives you a big picture snapshot to keep coming back to when thinking about sustaining the impact you hope to achieve.

It needs to align to the strategic objectives of the annual fiscal year or strategic plan. This helps to keep everyone engaged and aligned. From there, you can develop learning and development to help achieve those goals.

I respectfully disagree. This is too "cookie cutter" and all about the numbers. To me, after a leadership development effort, the most important thing is to assign mentors and help new leaders learn, fail and grow. Leadership development occurs with experience and support, not by simply measuring.

Ways to assess and sustain results of leadership development programs are pluralistic in nature. We could create some pre and post self-assessments of leaders to observe the new knowledge and also accommodate for subjective improvement in one’s own as well in organisational pivot/improvement in approach/experience of work. This can be assessed using a likert scale, man-hour savings, Manager assessed multi-tasking, productivity, reactivity, proactivity in work, etc. Kirkpatrick model suggests that all new training sessions need to be good-learning experience first, and to effect a change in business, need to result in substantial learning throughput, change of behaviour, impact on culture and evident business results. This is also helpful.

While not a quantitative measure, I think it is important to survey participants to understand whether they feel empowered to actually apply the content in their current position. This is where many leadership development programs seem to fall short. Even when the participants are energized by the material, it is often unclear on how they start to internalize or practice incorporating the content as leaders.

I would also ask learners to identify what they want from the program so they are invested in the outcomes. This way they are also looking for opportunities throughout the program to build that skill or knowledge and it makes it more meaningful for them.

I would say don't be afraid to use 'control groups' to evaluate and more importantly isolate the impact of the learning. The easiest way to do this is to select a cohort that will be the very last to attend the learning, however you continue to assess them for the desired performance improvements even before they've attended the learning. If the learning programme is successful those that attended in the months/weeks before your control group should see positive improvements, whilst the control group remains fairly static from a performance perspective.

While it seems simple - define key terms with clarity and agreement from the community of leaders. “Leadership” may be needed to focus on driving to consensus the redefining of the overall strategic plan or it may be quickly identifying and implementing new go-to-market plans for industry disruption - very different foundations and support are needed to lead and being able to get clarity on basic terms will be rewarded as the process unfolds if agreement is reached early on key terms and how they are to be used.

I like the approach of "collecting data". The goals rely strongly on how well and broad you can assess the personalities and real needs of the participants and organization. Glad that the article also mentions observations or (in depth) psychological interviewing. So you can make sure to deliver the training program the participants really need to rule their impact and make a difference.

I have experienced that if we continuously analyze data on participant progress, engagement, and behavior changes. Use this data to identify patterns, assess the effectiveness of training, and tailor follow-up activities. Regular feedback loops and post-program assessments ensure that insights are applied, allowing for adjustments that align with evolving needs and reinforce key learnings over time.

Data can guide you. But people must interpret the data. I highly encourage you to assign a data analyst who doesn't have skin in the game. For example, if the person who designed or led the program is analyzing the data, it will be hard to separate personal bias from truth. We are all human. It would be painful to tell someone that your baby is ugly....

I spoke too soon. Yes the trends identified should enable reassignment or alignment of technical human resources. The realignment will ensure people thrive in the areas if their expertise

Tools of measure should be as simple as possible to ensure they last. Too many or too complicated are doomed to fail in the long run. When programs are lengthy, I suggest collecting evaluations throughout the program to allow changes to accommodate the actual needs as they arise to support the participants best.

Too often we only track data on how participants feel. I would push us to evaluate how managers, peers and direct reports note the change in participants' leadership and soft skills. At the end of the day, leaders have to lead so evaluating this is key. 360 Degree surveys can be incredibly helpful here.

I'd recommend leaning into the learning pyramid: for example, lecture ( 1 way talking at/down to ) is least impactful/effective v. facilitated dialogue/discussion , which is a LOT stickier and sustainable. Leadership is a malleable, agile skill that should be treated like a muscle, keep exercising it via lifelong learning.

To sustain and reinforce learning outcomes from leadership development programs, implement a continuous learning approach. Follow up with participants through regular check-ins, coaching, or mentoring to support the application of new skills. Encourage peer learning by creating forums or groups for participants to share experiences and challenges. Provide ongoing resources, such as articles, webinars, or workshops, to deepen knowledge and reinforce key concepts. Recognize and celebrate progress to maintain motivation. Additionally, integrate learned skills into daily tasks and long-term goals to ensure they become part of the organizational culture. Regularly assess the impact and adjust strategies as needed.

I agree! And this has to be foundational to the set up of your learning exploration. You have to approach the effort like a science experiment. It requires you to know clearly what metrics you are working to transform and think about how the actions you are taking are intended to shift things. What do you expect to happen? what does that look like? And how will you know if it’s working? When you set up this framework, it makes analyzing data and integrating reflection a natural component of your development model and experience.

I like to collect data at different points after the program is complete. Immediately after shows the ability of the program to inspire and motivate, 3 months after can show the practical nature of the content and what was most important to them that they wanted to take forward and 6 months following can tell you what most aligned with their values and created meaning.

While analyzing the collected data, make sure you consider and investigate assumptions made by the stakeholders. Once it is done, make sure you document everything in valuable formats and design your program based on those.

Utilizing a coaching contract at the start of a leadership development program can play a pivotal role in securing participant buy-in and sustaining the learning outcomes over the long term. This contract, an agreement between the coach and the participant, outlines the specific objectives, expectations, and responsibilities of both parties, creating a clear roadmap for the developmental journey ahead. By explicitly stating the commitments required, the contract fosters a sense of accountability and ownership in participants, encouraging them to actively engage with the program and apply the learned strategies in their daily leadership practices.

I have experienced that by regularly sharing success stories, measurable outcomes, and personal growth examples from participants, organizations can reinforce the value of the program. Celebrating milestones, whether small wins or significant achievements, keeps the momentum going and creates a culture of accountability.

In my experience communicating and celebrating evaluation results are essential to leadership. Evaluation results can provide critical information about the organization's performance, identify areas for improvement, and inform decision-making. Celebrating successes can create a sense of accountability, motivate staff, create a positive organizational culture, and improve communication and collaboration. By communicating and celebrating evaluation results, leadership can help create a culture of excellence that can help the organization continue to achieve its goals, this was especially true in the US Navy and I have adapted that to my work today.

Yes, communities that celebrate successes and highlight learning from mistakes (like the aviation industry) really have booming development cultures. It becomes woven into the fabric of the way of working and people naturally recreate the learning and development journeys of their own accord.

It's said that what gets celebrated gets repeated. Leaders are no different. Leaders like to win. They love it when their team wins. If you celebrate genuinely (I'm not thinking pizza party), you can expect continuous effort.

It could be awesome to create a Discord channel or other collaboration space and encourage the participants to stay in touch. Specifically, I would ask them to do two things. 1. Share stories with each other about how they are implementing or using what they've learned. This can help others to better understand the value of the content as well as to find ways to use it that they may not otherwise. 2. Share additional content that reinforces the goals of the program. This could consist of articles, podcast episodes, books etc that are in line with the content of the program.

I agree that planning a leadership development programme alongside coaching ( and follow on coaching) is a winning combination. It allows the participants to process feedback during the programme, identify and implement a development plan going forward. The theory and practices during the programme are a good foundation but alumni need support when they have to practice in the real, messy VUCA world of work enmeshed with their own life.

Share the progress and the bumps along the road. Make success everyone's business. Most of us don't know how to truly celebrate, so it would be important to make 'more of' the successes than the participants do. Baked into the leadership development is the ability to acknowledge, and celebrate progress. This ability to celebrate my own success, enables me to model that to my team-members who I lead.

The third step is to communicate and celebrate the evaluation results effectively. Sharing insights with stakeholders—participants, managers, sponsors, and senior leaders—builds credibility, fosters acceptance, and strengthens the change management process. Highlight successes, acknowledge areas for improvement, and celebrate achievements to reinforce the program’s impact. Regular communication through newsletters, meetings, presentations, and recognition events not only recognizes participants’ contributions but also supports continuous engagement and buy-in from all levels. #LeadershipInAction #ChangeManagement #Collaboration

The highest-leverage, lowest-cost follow-up is a system of personalized nudges. Great nudges should take into account each learner's: - personality - personality of their direct reports - employee engagement results - emotional intelligence - resilience level - growth mindset - leadership level - manager effectiveness scores - 3rd party training programs (e.g., SLII(R), StrengthsFinder, LCP360) - organization's competency model - organization's values - day of the week - time & more.

All training and workshops achieve greater results when they encourage interaction and contribution throughout - to make it inclusive, real, and relevant to what's going on outside of the classroom environment - and continually question the participants to think and consider the changes they are going to make when it's over. Partnering up individuals or building a working group to check in on the learning and embedding it afterwards at regular times, and offering coaching for individuals to continue their development, will support achieving ROI and positive change.

Our Leadership Academy starts with a 360 review for all participants; at the 6-month post-program mark, they have a follow-up 360 and we compare results. Graduates are then invited to assume leadership roles in the next cohort as mentors, 360 coaches, or peer trainers, where they have opportunities to revisit and apply the learning content. To foster continued application, we hold quarterly Cohort Connections, in which all alumni come together for peer learning sessions that reinforce program content and give alumni a chance to lead and teach. These sessions also provide graduates with continued feedback, support, practice, and accountability (along with the space to grow their professional connections, ideate and collaborate together).

In my perspective, tailoring a personalized learning journey is crucial for effective development. It's about aligning the experience with each leader's distinctive style and the urgency/importance of change. This approach ensures dynamic learning that matches the individual pace of each leader. Think of it as a personalized roadmap for growth, flexible enough to adapt as leaders make progress.

We’ve found that to sustain learning from leadership development programs is to have timely follow up group coaching sessions to check on how participants are using the learning tools and techniques, to share what works with one another and to ask questions if they’re not getting the results they were expecting after the training. We send out post monthly email energisers to remind participants of the learning which are sent from senior leaders and program sponsors. And to further embed skills, we design bespoke AI chatbots for organisations to scale learning using content from the program for participants to deepen skills, ask questions, practise relevant scenarios and use as their own personalised & confidential mentors to get advice.

Only 11% of leaders are in the Peak Performer or Learning zone at the moment. Ensuring you have other initiatives that increased mental fitness and moves leaders into the learning zone increases ROI on all leadership programs

As with most successes in life, rarely are they successful right out of the gate, but this is something our society is missing. An iterative approach is something that is used more often but very rarely attributed to the success of a leader or product. One element that is essential is to close the feedback loop and this goes for everyday actions and decisions in the workplace and is essential to the improvement and development of leaders in any industry!

Model the leadership behavior I expect from others after a training and make a point of having fun developing new habits and skills.

We must first define what our goals are and to define it both quantitatively and qualitatively. This will require in depth and open communication between you as the leader and your team. What does the goal 'look like' and 'feel like'. Once this is define it will be you and the teams job the properly track this through milestones events and by general timeline to ensure sufficient progress is being made. Consistent progress tracking meetings will be required and resources to mitigate risks and to move hindrances.

The future of leadership will be met by how well the leader is able to bring the best out of their people. This squarely rests on their ability to apply rock-solid psychological practices and principles. Can’t imagine a better investment (especially in our current climate).

Make sure the incentive structures in your organization line up with the qualities you want your leaders to demonstrate. For example, if you'd like them to be innovative, your performance management and career progression decisions should reward risk taking and innovation. And on the flip side - do not condone behaviors that run counter to the skills and competencies you expect. If you want to promote inclusive behavior, do not excuse a pattern of not embodying diversity, inclusion , or belonging , even if they are otherwise high performers

One other way is developing a transition program for leadership development candidates. It's great to have a coach but even better to have a specific goal the coach must achieve during a certain time period.

Wherever you can, follow the science on how adult learners brains work which will suggest key strategies will be continuous learning and practice, purposeful feedback and reflection, SEL (social and emotional learning), organizational support and culture, and leveraging technology and innovation

Engage the manager and skip level early on as part of the program so that they can partner with you on support and opportunities to leverage and deploy the developed skills. Setup regular checkpoints to review progress.

The biggest untapped opportunity for sustaining & reinforcing leader dev lies in the use of thoughtful technology. Specifically: 1️⃣ Virtual Group Coaching: - A scalable, affordable way to give more leaders access to coaching. - Peers learn from each other’s insights, challenges, and perspectives. 2️⃣ Nudges: - A simple way to double, triple, or quadruple the value of an existing assessment or training program. - You can take a one-and-done program/assessment and add a year-long tail of strategic exercises and key insights. 3️⃣ On-Demand Coaching (”Text with a coach”): - Expands the number of employees that you can offer coaching to. - Meets employees at the exact moment they need help with a challenge.

Build good habits for self-reflection. Even if it's just asking yourself the same question every day, such as, did I try something new? How did I feel exercising my new skill today? Just make yourself more aware of *your own* experience can help make any changes stick.

Another effective approach to sustaining and reinforcing the learning outcomes of leadership development programs is through the use of coaching. After leaders have completed a formal leadership development program, they often benefit immensely from ongoing support and guidance. Coaches work with leaders to set clear objectives, identify areas for improvement, and develop action plans. Through regular coaching sessions, leaders receive feedback, track their progress, and refine their leadership skills over time.

The best way to sustain and reinforce any new skill is to deploy it as soon as practical. It takes between 2-3 months to form a new habit, so the sooner you can work the leadership tactic(s) you learned into your daily routine, the sooner it will become part of your standard operating procedure (SOP). The assumption is, if you attended a development program sponsored by your employer, then these are skills, tactics and approaches they believe to be beneficial to your department, team, or the company. Another approach to increase the retention and use would be to give a mini workshop on what you have learned to your department. Assuming you are confident with your grasp of the information. This is another way to use what you've learned.

When I first set up NoLimits Leadership Development 18 years ago in Singapore one of the questions and challenges a CFO asked me was “How to sustain learning?” From my experiences one of the best ways to sustain learning is to design leadership development programs in bite-size modules over an extended period giving the participants the time to apply the newly learned skills with follow up group coaching for each module to check in on and adapt skills to get the outcomes they want. Supplementing the training with AI learning tools tailored to the modules we find is now a great opportunity to further support & embed skills which sustains learning even more.