The ”Leadership Development is a Waste of Time and Money” Episode

The LDA Podcast: An Exploration of Evidence-Informed Approaches to Learning and Development

In this episode (recorded on September 29, 2020— the day of the first US Presidential debate) we are joined by our friend, Gary DePaul, PhD. We explore:

1. Leadership
2. Leadership development
3. The current state of leadership development in L&D
4. Whether we should even bother to invest in it.
5. And a ton more.

We start with a deep dive debating the definition of leadership and its Rorschach-like characteristics. Then, we bring up that old chestnut as to the differences between management and leadership. Gary proposes a unique slant on this conundrum.

Matt links the discourse of leadership in business more concretely to history and politics.

The discussion navigates through semantics, leadership semiotics, and the effect definitions have on practical issues in leadership discourse. We argue the roles, responsibilities, and practices of leadership. And, of course, we debate the how, the why, and the what of leadership development.

Gary referenced Mary Parker Follette. You can learn more about this American social worker and management consultant here.

Matt references James MacGregor Burns. You can learn more about this historian here.

Matt references Peter Northouse and his book, LEADERSHIP: THEORY AND PRACTICE.

Will keeps bringing up the practical side of the issue (an excellent point in the discussion)… what do leaders do? Who leads and who follows? What are the roles of followers? And, can we develop toward those functions? We discuss several tropes in the field, such as, “Everyone can lead,” “Everyone should lead,” and “Everyone can be taught to lead.”

The guys relate the issues of reliability and validity as they pertain to leader training.

Matt references the book, LEADERSHIP BS, by Stanford professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, sharing several findings that stipulate leadership development is hugely invested in, but either poorly measured or measured as ineffective. You can find the book here.

Will shares a literature review, arguing against Matt’s premise. Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and Implementation: A Meta-Analysis by Christina N. Lacerenza, Denise L. Reyes, and Shannon L. Marlow, Dana L. Joseph, and Eduardo Salas. You can find it and purchase it here.

Matt tells of Ronald Reagan’s storytelling as a leadership technique. The reference for that is THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE: THE RISE AND FALL OF NIXON AND THE RISE OF REAGAN by Rick Perlstein.

Matt’s book referenced is THE LEADERSHIP STORY: A NEW MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP (ePub version). Or, the Kindle Version here.

We refer to several studies on the perception of women in leadership roles. A summary of those studies with embedded links is in this New York Times article.

Of course, Will brings up the issues around measurement and evaluation.

Finally, we end the episode briefly digging into what is ethical leadership, as well as courageous leadership.

We have also put together a list of references and resources. CLICK HERE. The list is by no means exhaustive and complete. It is a set Matt uses in his program, The Leadership Development, Development Workshop.

Due to time constraints in the episode, we skipped The Best and the Worst this round.

Our guest, Gary, is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant with Gary DePaul Consulting. With more than 20 years of practitioner and academic experiences in performance improvement, Gary helps elevate the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. His areas of practice include leadership development, organizational evaluation, speaking events, workshop facilitation, and executive coaching. He can be found at: https://www.garyadepaul.com

Gary has written several books worth reading.

1. WHAT THE HECK IS LEADERSHIP AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
2. NINE PRACTICES OF 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP: A GUIDE FOR INSPIRING CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND ENGAGEMENT
3. THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE CLINICAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES IN MEDICINE

Gary is also the moderator, along with our friend, Guy Wallace, of HPT Treasures, an blogging site with tons of HPT practitioners providing monthly articles. Both Will and Matt are contributors, as well. You can find it here.