Alternative paths to leadership: New models of development training

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews non‐traditional and current approaches to leadership development, in order to highlight the importance of leadership training and to offer ways around the typical difficulties that come with it.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.

Findings

Considering how busy the day to day running of a business – or even just one of its departments – is, it is easy to get so caught up in the present that we forget to think much about the future. We all know we should be doing it, but somehow our good intentions to stop, reflect and strategize often get relegated down the to‐do list due to more immediate concerns. The problem is we can only get away with this for so long before we begin to lose sight of the bigger picture and the direction in which the company is moving. Here's a question, for instance. Who will be the CEO of your company in ten years? Or, who will head up the major departments in five? And another question: why will it be those people rather than anyone else?

Practical implications

Provides case studies that may form the basis of further research into new models of leadership development, or may offer practical advice for training managers in a variety of organisations.

Originality/value

Offers new ways of thinking around a strategic problem that all big companies need to be addressing.

Citation

(2008), "Alternative paths to leadership: New models of development training", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 25-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777280810861802