The link between leadership training and mentor programs

In many businesses, the process of leadership development traditionally involves training sessions and perhaps a mentoring partnership before the employee is given direct management responsibilities.

The problem with this approach is that it limits the opportunities for mangers in training to get to grips with the real-world demands involved in leading a team.

It could be likened to randomly picking a musician, showing them a video of a concert, then expecting them to be able to play it back - without practicing - on a different set of instruments.

While certain individuals may be able to hit the ground running, cases where a single training session results in drastic management improvements are few and far between.

There are substantial benefits to providing trainees with access to leadership programs that integrate their previous training with on-the-job mentoring.

Leadership programs allow potential managers to make real-world business decisions in a managed environment, with mentors then able to guide their charges' understanding of the impacts of their decisions before they are implemented.

This process of gradual exposure will also allow current managers to gain more thorough insights into the potential presented by trainee candidates, allowing for better decisions to be made based on their strengths and interests and how they can be best used by a business.