September 25, 2025

“Ever wondered what separates thriving companies from those barely keeping their heads above water? Often, it comes down to how they develop their leaders.”

Sean Linehan

One of my favorite quotes about leadership and learning was actually never spoken.

John F. Kennedy, in prepared remarks for a speech to be delivered in Dallas on November 22, 1963, included the following lines: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” President Kennedy never had a chance to share these thoughts on leadership and learning, as he was assassinated on the way to deliver the speech.

Whether delivered or not, the thoughts are spot on for leaders at any time. Leadership is an inside-out learning journey of continual development. Effective leaders know this is a never-ending journey, as Simon Sinek notes in The Infinite Game. Learning one’s leadership practice is an infinite game. Excellent leaders recognize the importance of continuous learning and growth in their leadership practice, as well as providing leadership development to those they lead within their organization. John Maxwell says it well: the primary task of leadership is to provide opportunities for developing other leaders within any organization. The Harvard Business School’s 2025 Worldwide Leadership Development study reports that the pace of change, especially with AI, requires fast-paced learning that is scalable, outcomes-focused, and considers human factors. The authors report, “In 2025, emotional and social intelligence remain top leadership capabilities when it comes to meeting current and expected business needs. Nearly half (47%) of respondents say it is even more critical than in 2024. Managing workplace polarization and leading organizational change are also rising priorities, with around 4 in 10 indicating they are even more important this year than last year.”

It would seem logical that leaders and their organizations would do their best to develop people to be the best leaders they can be in the current context and leaders for the future, bench strength. Leadership author and expert Mark Miller writes in “Four Simple Choices” that the role of leaders is to raise people up and to accomplish things. Leadership development programs are, however, often described as organizational oxymorons: despite widespread recognition of their importance and huge investments, very few companies build and sustain effective, integrated systems that actually grow leaders at all levels. In an EXEC June 2025 blog, “29 Eye-Opening Leadership Development Statistics 2025” by Sean Linehan, he notes, “Ever wondered what separates thriving companies from those barely keeping their heads above water? Often, it comes down to how they develop their leaders. The leadership development statistics for 2025 reveal a rapidly shifting landscape. Widening skill gaps and workplace transformations are prompting companies to invest billions in finding individuals who can effectively navigate the challenges ahead.

Linehan notes top leadership development statistics worth considering

77% of organizations lack sufficient leadership depth across all levels

Trust in managers dropped from 46% to 29% in just two years (2022-2024)

Companies that invest in leadership development experience 25% better business outcomes.

71% of Millennials will leave within three years if leadership development is lacking, and 63% of Millennials feel they aren’t receiving enough leadership training for future roles.

External hires are 61% more likely to fail within 18 months compared to internal promotions.

Only 10% of people are natural leaders, but 20% show potential with proper training and development.

AI-powered leadership training enhances skill acquisition by 20% compared to traditional methods.

Gender-diverse leadership teams are 21% more likely to outperform competitors.

Linehan further writes, “Money talks, and right now it’s shouting about leadership development. Companies are opening their wallets because they’ve seen what happens when leadership falters in uncertain times.”

1. The global leadership development market is valued at $366 billion globally, with $166 billion spent in the U.S. alone.
2. 88% of companies plan to upgrade their leadership programs to remain competitive.
3. Delaying leadership development can reduce profits by as much as 7%.
4. A 25% increase in business outcomes is reported by organizations that invest in leadership development.
5. Inclusive leadership development leads to 4.2 times better financial performance.

Linehan’s conclusions are fascinating and disturbing. Companies with robust leadership development perform 25% better and enjoy 2.3 times greater financial success than their leadership-challenged competitors. That represents the difference between thriving and merely surviving.

But beneath the investment surge lurks a troubling reality. With 77% of organizations still leadership-starved and trust in managers hovering at 29%, we’re staring down a leadership crisis that threatens to undermine even the most ambitious growth plans.

The statement above represents the dilemma. Leaders in many organizations choose not to embrace systemic, integrated leadership development efforts, despite recognizing the benefits of such efforts and understanding that doing the opposite, or even pursuing half-hearted, unfocused leadership development, has its costs. This is a knowing-doing gap that challenges the growth of intentional leadership development. Leaders and organizations that want to thrive and survive must bridge this gap.

“Companies with robust leadership development perform 25% better and enjoy 2.3 times greater financial success than their leadership-challenged competitors. That represents the difference between thriving and merely surviving.”

Sean Linehan

Thursday’s leadership insight is part two of a series on developing collective capacity by intentionally developing leaders. It examines the eight primary reasons leaders and organizations often avoid intentional leadership development, as well as the five practices leaders can adopt to promote systemic and integrated leadership development.

Article content
Leaders and organizations often avoid systemic, integrated leadership development. Leaders commonly cite both political and resource-based reasons for not investing in leadership development, primarily structured and intentional programs. These eight justifications (excuses )protect the status quo, shield scarce resources, or stem from personal and organizational insecurities, as well as cultural concerns. all the while knowing the value and not doing the work

1. Fear of Competition: Some leaders worry that developing others could create rivals or empower subordinates to outshine or replace them.
2. Desire for Control: There is sometimes an overdeveloped need to keep authority centralized, leading to reluctance to empower others with enhanced leadership skills. Leaders in rigid organizations may fear that leadership development will disrupt established power structures or create unwanted challenges to traditional norms.
3. The Myth that “Not Everyone Is a Leader”: Decision-makers occasionally fail to see leadership potential widely, preferring to invest only in a selected few, quite possibly ignoring people who are different from themselves.
4. Resource and Time Constraints: Many leaders argue that leadership development is too costly or time-consuming, especially amid competing business priorities.
5. Perceived Lack of ROI: Skepticism exists about whether intentional programs actually improve organizational outcomes, especially when prior efforts have failed to produce visible cultural or performance shifts.
6. Cultural Resistance or Complacency: Organizations can be trapped in legacy thinking or resistant to change, believing current structures are “good enough” or fearing disruption.
7. Unclear Ownership and Accountability: Leadership development may lack clear champions, resulting in a lack of sustained attention or responsibility.
8. Uncertainty About Where to Start: Leaders frequently voice uncertainty about how to initiate or scale an intentional, frameworks-based approach and worry about implementation.

Article content
Five practices to bridge the Knowing-Doing Gap

1. Executive Buy-In and Stakeholder Engagement: Secure support and involvement from senior leaders and stakeholders from the start; visible leadership participation drives program credibility and success. Secure a commitment from top leaders and ensure their visible engagement in leadership development to legitimize its importance and benefits, and cascade accountability throughout the organization.
2. Integration with organizational values, vision, mission, and purpose into strategies. Explicitly align leadership initiatives with core organizational goals, making them integral to business success metrics (rather than “add-ons”) so progress is tracked and prioritized.
3. Incremental, measurable, multi-module design: Start small with pilot programs, showing early wins and using clear metrics to measure growth in individual and organizational capabilities—building buy-in through proven, demonstrable results.
4. Feedback, Coaching, and On-the-Job Application: Embed ongoing feedback, reflection, coaching, and applied learning into daily work, making it “real” and ensuring that new skills transfer from theory to practice. Adjust the program as needed based on feedback
5. Create Systems and Culture for Ongoing Development: Establish systems that foster a learning culture, focusing on how we think, how we act, and how we interact. Peer learning communities, leadership cohorts, or mentoring circles, and mass reminder groups to make learning development a cultural norm, supported by regular reviews, story sharing, and reinforcement from every level. These practices will bridge the Knowing and Doing Gap. These practices help organizations move from knowing “what works” to doing so with intentional, disciplined action, ultimately resulting in more leaders equipped to meet today’s demands with purpose and collective capacity.

The Leadership questions for you are

Will you choose to use the practices above to bridge the gap?

Do you see a Knowing – Doing Gap in your organization?