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New Research by Wilson Learning and Training Magazine

What Organizations Are Doing Differently to Prepare a New Generation of Leaders

June 26, 2017

Training magazine, together with Wilson Learning, has published an exclusive study that examines what some high-performing learning & development organizations are doing differently—and better—to prepare their newest group of leaders to successfully navigate a shifting and increasingly sophisticated business environment. Their research underscores what L&D professionals already know: Creating a capable talent pool able to transition into the leadership roles being vacated by retiring Baby Boomers is vital to the success of any company. The study reinforces the belief that instructor-led training and on-the-job training have a higher rate of effectiveness over virtual and mobile training methods.

Training magazine strives to bring the latest insights, trends, and industry best practices to our readers,” notes Training Editor–in-Chief Lorri Friefeld. “For this study, we delved into what separates leadership development within high-performing companies from others when preparing their own generation of new leaders.”

Using data from interviews with more than 500 L&D professionals and an in-depth review of current industry literature, the authors outline four distinct facets of leadership development that are paramount to the success (or failure) of an organization’s leadership training efforts. Michael Leimbach, Vice President of Wilson Learning Worldwide Global R&D, says, “The research confirms the critical relationship between active executive involvement in the training process and the success of the company’s leadership development initiatives. It also provides us with new insights into the value of broadening the learning methods we use to reinforce highly effective instructor-led development efforts, especially in ways that can increase the speed of development in today’s more complex work environment.”

The survey offers new evidence of the struggles these new leaders are experiencing now, as well as the leadership skills they believe will best support their transition into more visible and dynamic roles within the organization. The authors also compare leadership training budgets across high-, moderate-, and low-performing companies, and they consolidate industry-standard measures of leadership-development ROI. Their extensive polling emphasizes in detail what organizations must do to effectively develop the leaders of tomorrow.

COO of Wilson Learning Worldwide, Tom Roth, states, “This research demonstrates Wilson Learning’s commitment to keeping a pulse on the marketplace: a commitment that continually drives us to provide timely, relevant thought leadership to organizations wanting to measure and fuel the strength of their leadership development programs.”

About Training Magazine

Training magazine is a 53-year-old professional development magazine that advocates training and workforce development as a business tool. The magazine delves into: management issues such as leadership and succession planning; HR issues such as recruitment and retention; and training issues such as learning theory, on-the-job skills assessments, and aligning core workforce competencies to enhance the bottom-line impact of training and development programs. Written for training, human resources, and business management professionals in all industries, Training combines a paid circulation with qualified, controlled recipients to deliver the strongest circulation in the market.

About Wilson Learning—Improving Performance Through People

Wilson Learning Worldwide is a global leader in human performance improvement solutions for the Global 2000, Fortune 500 and emerging organizations worldwide. Serving clients in 50 countries and incorporating 30 languages worldwide, the company creates synergy between people and business strategy through an extensive range of world-class solutions focusing in leadership, sales and individual effectiveness. Its integrated offerings include: strategy alignment consulting, descriptive and evaluative assessment services, world class process and skills content, and technology-enabled solutions.