You never forget that terrible boss you worked for who was always angry, stressed out, and absent – that is when he wasn’t always looking over your shoulder. But the good news is you never forget the great ones either. And with a little intentionality, you can make sure the leaders in your organization are remembered for all the right reasons.
Great leaders inspire. They set clear expectations and create a culture of trust and creativity. They care about the team members every bit as much as they do the outcome. The right leadership training program offers simple shifts in thinking. It can literally transform average managers into memorable leaders and prepare your top performers for future key roles.
What is Leadership Training?
Leadership training, also known as leadership development, is a type of program aimed at helping leaders become better leaders through activities that improve their skills, abilities, and confidence. The success of leadership development is influenced by three factors – the coach or program, upper management, and the team member. Obviously, the program needs to be led by a quality practitioner and coach who understands how to get the message across. It’s also crucial to have support and agreement from the leadership of the organization who has brought the training in, and finally, the learning style and willingness of the person going through the leadership training will play a large part.
What are the Types of Leadership Training?
Certain leadership programs can be custom-designed to fit your organization’s processes. This can be more expensive but yield even better results over time. There are also off-the-shelf programs that address the common issues all leaders confront on a daily basis – which is a great place to start if training is new to your organization.
Here are a few types of leadership training that are available.
In-Person Training
In this era of online and on-demand learning. 39% of leaders said they preferred in-person training. Why? Sitting together in a room is more engaging and interactive and helps promote the exchanging of ideas. In-person is always a good option, if available and scalable.
Virtual Training
There are many leadership training options available digitally, like webinars, videos, and more. This might be a good option when training a large group at once.
Live Seminars and Workshops
These training programs are typically from one to three days long and are essentially presentations on a topic, with the possibility of breakout groups.
Consultations
A consultant is a combination of in-house training with a live seminar. In these in-person or online meetings, a consultant can address every level of your business. The sessions can be customized, and the training should be thorough.
The training you choose will obviously depend on your need and the size of your organization. All of these methods should deliver varying degrees of success.
The Benefits of Leadership Training for Your Team
Investing in leadership training isn’t just a way to refresh and reset the mindset of your leaders, it lays out a clear path for what it takes to advance in your organization. The right leadership training will show your team that even the weakest of abilities can be polished and sharpened into incredible talent. You want to create an environment of cohesion across all departments, making sure all team members have the opportunity to grow and better themselves as people and as leaders.
Here are a few of the most significant benefits that leadership training offers.
An Increase in Productivity
As your team learns how to lead more effectively, their productivity will naturally increase. They will also help those they lead, and helping team members perform at higher levels. They’ll work smarter, faster, and more easily resolve conflicts to help maintain an enjoyable environment.
Engaged, Confident Employees
One of the primary objectives of any leadership training course is to increase engagement and independence. When a team member is excited and inspired, they’re more productive. They don’t let the details of projects bog them down. They see the bigger picture. They’ll learn how to give and receive meaningful feedback and improve their relationships throughout the organization. Leadership training also promotes independence. A 2016 Grovo study revealed that 87% of managers wish they had received more training before stepping into a leadership position. Training will help your leaders become more connected to your mission and interested in seeing the overall business goals reached.
Reduced Turnover
Team members are far less likely to leave if they feel you care about them and their development. Providing them with the chance to learn and grow does just that. And by learning what makes a leader a great leader will inspire them to plug in and produce like never before.
By keeping your employee retention levels high, you won’t be spending as much money interviewing and onboarding new employees. Invest in your team and equip them to grow into senior roles. That’s money well spent!
As a side benefit, knowing you offer leadership training is also an attractive benefit to job seekers. Top talent understands the importance of ongoing learning and investment.
Better Communication
Leadership development programs introduce the skills needed to persuade and influence people. There are keys to motivating others. They also show the difference between delivering vision and giving orders and abusing power. Your team will also learn how to resolve conflict.
Avoiding Mistakes
Leadership comes with plenty of opportunity to mess up. There are common traps and pitfalls your aspiring leaders can learn to avoid with the right training. Topics like good communication, time management, handling conflict, having productive meetings, goal-setting and more can all be addressed in a good leadership training program.
What to Look for in the Best Leadership Training
In general, the best leadership programs share a few common elements.
They’re motivating and memorable. You should expect leadership training to create powerful and memorable experiences. It should renew your team’s passion, develop skills, and increase confidence. When leaders learn by doing, they get to experience real challenge firsthand. The coach will offer feedback and practice in a safe environment. This kind of learning is invaluable. People want to feel the emotional connection and consequences of their actions. Tapping into the heart and well as their thoughts will make leadership development more authentic and meaningful.
They’re practical. You should expect training to be relevant to the daily struggles your managers actually experience. That way the tools and techniques they learn can be used immediately – in everyday leadership moments for years to come.
Good leadership training can incorporate many powerful concepts but should definitely include the following additional topics/elements as well.
• Management vs. Leadership
Understanding this concept is the starting point. You manage things. You lead people. It’s a shift in the typical mindset. But as professional Sales and Leadership Coach Emmie Brown of Southwestern Consulting says, you need both. “You can’t be a great leader without being a good manager.” They go hand in hand. Listen to Brown explain more on the difference between leadership and management here.
• Setting Vision:
Learning how to show your team where you’re headed as a company and the crucial role they play to help you get there is one of the most important skills a leader can develop.
• How to Lead by Example
The most effective leaders understand that respect is earned in the trenches. As we say at Southwestern Consulting, “You can’t teach what you don’t know, and you can’t lead where you won’t go.”
• Time Management
To produce more and get more work done as a leader, you actually have to slow down first and think about your schedule and priorities. What can be delegated? What must be done today? What areas of your schedule are the “golden hours” you need to protect? The best leadership courses will help you learn how to balance your time and make the most of it.
• How to Delegate
Learning to trust others with important responsibilities is a big deal. It doesn’t come naturally for some leaders who are used to doing everything themselves. Good leadership training will explain how to give up control and empower your team.
• Problem-Solving Techniques
There are things you can control and things you can’t. Great leaders learn how to stay calm and perform at the highest level regardless of the outside circumstances. At Southwestern Consulting, we call this “controlling the controllables.”
• How to Hold People Accountable (without micromanaging):
Micromanagement is the death of any good leader, but accountability and knowing your team’s “Critical Success Factors” (CFSs) is not micromanaging. Leadership training can teach you how to motivate your team and how to hold them accountable in a way that leads to success.
• Emotional Intelligence
Comprehensive leadership training should also include training on how to relate, empathize and communicate with the human side of your team members. Great leaders learn how to be smart with their teams and handle emergencies like a pro.
Want World-Class Leadership Training for Your Team?
There are a ton of companies and individuals out there offering leadership training programs. How do you know who’s legit and who’s not? For more information on leadership training, check out Southwestern Consulting. As one of the largest direct-selling organizations in the U.S., our sales and leadership training is based on time-tested, 165-year-old principles. As coaches and trainers, we work to change lives by investing in people, inspiring growth and creating meaningful impact.
Check us out to see if one of our leadership coaching programs or customizable leadership trainings is right for your team.
We offer a free consultation to discuss the program so you can see if it would be a good fit for you.

Dave spoke to our executive networking forum and hit a home run! His energy, passion and expertise as a salesperson was evident to anyone there. He provided us with concrete takeaways that we can use and help propel each of us to the next level. I highly recommend Dave and wish we could have him speak each month!
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