Outdated or Evolving? Reshaping leadership development for the modern era.
- Renate Matroos
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Leadership development has long been synonymous with theoretical models, competency checklists, assessments, and training sessions that often feel disconnected from the realities of leading a team. While the traditional approach has its benefits, organizations today face more complex and fast-paced challenges that require a different set of skills.
The Traditional Approach
Traditional leadership development follows a structured and standardized model that emphasizes theoretical knowledge. These programs outline predefined leadership competencies and frameworks they expect leaders to master, but these often feel disconnected from real-world challenges.
Most traditional programs are delivered in a formal, lecture-style setting that emphasizes passive learning, with little to no room to explore, experiment, or be messy and color outside the lines.
While these standardized curricula might be applied across various industries and organizations, they rarely consider the unique needs of an organization, cultural differences, or individual leadership challenges. Leaving no opportunity for co-creation or customization.
Theoretical models offer valuable insights, but without practical application, they become difficult to implement in dynamic or unpredictable situations. Long-standing leadership traits or skills (think: communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution) usually remain the main focus of these programs. Meanwhile, the critical non-traditional skills like adaptability, creativity, focus/prioritization, innovative thinking, and emotional intelligence, which leaders really need, are overlooked.
A case for change
The limitations of traditional leadership development highlight the need for a fresh perspective. One that embraces a holistic or dynamic approach and promotes growth in leadership, business acumen, and personal transformation.
Employees need leaders who drive transformation
The workforce is evolving, and employees value leaders who can inspire teams, lead innovation and change, and drive transformation. And you guessed it, these skills aren’t ones that are covered in traditional programs.
A modern leadership approach must be holistic, recognizing that all aspects of leadership are interconnected. A leader’s ability to adapt, think creatively, and foster meaningful relationships directly impacts their team’s performance and the organization’s success.
ho·lis·tic - characterized by the belief that the parts of something are interconnected (having all constituent parts linked or connected) and can be explained only by reference to the whole.
A non-traditional approach to leadership development
Many organizations gravitate toward pre-developed leadership programs as they offer a structured curriculum and a fake sense of predictability. One-size-fits-all curricula don’t help you as much as you think they will. Yes, it does provide you with a clear outline of what to expect, making it easier to justify the investment to your leadership team. However, a standardized curriculum does not account for the unique challenges leaders face or the specific outcomes an organization hopes to achieve.
As a leader, your reputation is on the line when suggesting new solutions to your leadership team. You’re the one bringing in a vendor, so being able to show an outline feels like a safe bet. But it’s not.
Instead of focusing on what a program will cover, organizations should focus on the tangible results it will deliver. Each leader must have a clear understanding of the challenges they are currently facing and the outcomes they want to achieve. Often, leaders do not yet have the right skills to solve these challenges, and identifying what is needed is the most important step in program development.
These prepackaged programs struggle to address the rapidly evolving challenges leaders face today and rarely prepare leaders to foster innovation, navigate uncertainty, and drive cultural transformation.
Beyond small talk
Most leaders have never truly experienced the impact of deep, meaningful conversations. How am I so sure about this? Because they say so themselves. While facilitating the monthly conversations in my Forums, leaders often admit that the kind of discussions they have with their forum members rarely happen with their CEO, direct reports or peers. Most people underestimate the value of meaningful conversations, yet these are some of the things that have the potential to spark real change.
Intentional discussions are not about performance reviews, feedback loops, or structured assessments. It is about taking the time to sit down, remove distractions, and engage in honest and real dialogues.
A critical part in this process, one that should not be overlooked nor be held lightly, is trust. Many leaders avoid deeper conversations because they have never been in an environment where trust is intentionally built. A space where struggles can be shared without fear of judgment. Where admitting you don’t have all the right answers isn’t seen as a weakness but a step toward growth. Where asking for support is encouraged and people genuinely come together to support and help each other. These conversations are not just valuable; they’re essential. They break down barriers, foster collaboration, and develop leadership skills that go beyond theory and straight into action.
From learning to action
Leaders are extremely busy and don’t have time to attend a program, learn new theories, and then figure out how to apply these learnings on their own. Training shouldn’t be an additional burden. When organizations invest in a program, it should provide solutions, not create more problems.
The most effective leadership development experiences consider what an organization is trying to achieve, what challenges leaders are facing, and the strategies that have worked or haven’t worked in the past. By designing executive training with these factors in mind, it becomes a tool for organizational excellence.
A fresh approach to executive training
A non-traditional approach to leadership development offers a more dynamic, results-driven alternative to outdated programs. It focuses on practical, actionable solutions rather than theoretical frameworks. It prioritizes innovation, adaptability, and strategic execution over rigid competency models. It challenges existing mindsets and fosters creativity and resilience within leadership teams.
This approach is not for every organization. Industry or company size has nothing to do with this, really, but what does is the mindset of the executives in charge. Forward-thinking leaders who are willing to take risks, challenge the status quo, and prioritize learning (both for themselves and their teams) will see the greatest benefit.
This approach will offer leaders who recognize that how they’ve been doing business needs to evolve. It’s a new path forward. Doing things differently always carries risk, but so does doing things how you’ve always been doing them. A new approach also creates a world of opportunities and the potential for extraordinary results. A non-traditional leadership approach has the power to transform not just the leaders but an entire organization. Investing in a traditional leadership program from a well-known provider may feel safe, but it will deliver the same results every other organization in your industry is getting.
The future of leadership development is not about attending another training or following another competency model. It is about designing experiences that solve real business challenges, drive meaningful change, and create lasting impact.
Feel free to send me an email at renate@twenty6consultancy.com or drop me a line on LinkedIn if you have any questions!
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