Leadership training is extremely important for every business. While the people you have leading your company may have the educational background and work experience you desire, they may not have the skills that are needed to properly lead your business, guide employees,  or become successful. The best leadership courses help train your business leaders for the challenges that they may face based on the industry you are in.

As you seek out leadership training, pay close attention to the leadership training ideas that certain programs and courses offer, as leadership training needs vary from company to company. Finding a company whose program aligns with the values and ideas that you want to instill in your employees can help ensure that your leaders gain everything from the program that you hope they will. Read on to learn more about leadership training and how your business can benefit from executive leadership courses.

Types of leadership training

There are many different types of leadership training, and each one offers unique features and benefits that work for different types of leaders. The best executive leadership programs incorporate the features and benefits that you wish to see in your leaders. Here are five of the most common types of leadership training and a couple of the benefits associated with each.

Leadership conferences

Leadership conferences take place when leaders from different companies come together to hold a conference. This conference is usually held in a large space, like a hotel, and may include travel. The benefit of leadership conferences is that your leaders can learn from other successful leaders from around the country. They can network with each other and learn what works and what does not work. They can also then use these contacts if they have questions or need help in their current position.

Executive leadership training

Executive leadership training is designed specifically for the executive leaders who guide your company. The theory with executive leadership training is that when your executive leaders are well-trained, they can then train the leaders below them, who can then train supervisors, and so on. It creates a trickle-down effect that provides all of the leaders in your company with some form of leadership training, without the expense associated with training them all.

Professional training seminars

Professional training seminars are training courses that are put on by a professional company that focuses primarily on leadership courses. These companies often have a wide array of organizational leadership activities and leadership exercises for teams which helps to improve the type of training that your leaders receive. Another benefit associated with a professional training seminar is that you have a professional right there with you, so they can answer any specific questions you have or tailor the program to better fit your company’s needs.

Leadership workshops

Leadership workshops are brief workshops that focus on one specific leadership topic at a time. Focusing on one topic helps to ensure your leaders grasp that concept and implement it into their leadership skills before the next workshop begins. Think about it as if you were in school. You often learned one letter, such as the Letter A or one color or one number at a time before moving onto a new one. Workshops allow this to happen, as the workshops are spaced out.

Online leadership training

The final common type of leadership training program is online leadership training, also referred to as online management training. There are many benefits associated with an online leadership training program. One of the benefits is that your employees can take the program at their own pace. Additionally, many online training programs are cheaper, as you do not have to send your employees out to travel.. Lastly, when you use an online training program, you know that every leader in your company is taking the same program and learning the same skills.

How to create a leadership development program

Many companies create their own leadership development program. This ensures the program is geared toward their specific company and helps ensure all training materials are consistent. Ultimately, this helps increase consistency company-wide and ensures all leaders have the same mindset and act in accordance with what their leadership development program has taught them. If you are looking to create a leadership development program, here are a few of the steps that you should follow when developing your program.

Define your leadership needs

The very first step that is involved in creating leadership training programs is to define your leadership needs. What leaders in your company are you looking to target with a leadership development program? What do you hope that they will take away from such a program? Once you define your company’s needs, you can learn who you are targeting and what information needs to be included.

Identify team members and their current skills

The next step is to identify team members who you wish to train and determine their current skill set. You need to find a way to assess their current skills accurately and consistently across the board. Assessing your leadership members skills allows you to see what areas they need to improve on and what areas they thrive or excel in.

Select instructors who are experienced leaders

Once you have honed in on the skills that each of your employees possess, you can select instructors for different courses who are experienced leaders. If you have an employee who thrives in one area, you may ask them to teach other employees what techniques and tools they use to be successful. You can also outsource your instructor needs and rely on companies who have a track record of teaching leadership training courses.

Deliver training through blended learning

Every employee learns in a different way. As such, when you create a leadership training program, you want to incorporate different teaching methods into your program. This helps employees learn in a way they are comfortable with, while also reiterating the lessons that are being taught in various ways. One of the ways that you can deliver training through blended learning is through online training and leadership courses. First, create leadership training materials, and then have employees take the course online at their own pace. Another way to deliver training through blended learning is to offer leadership building activities. This is perfect for those who learn through hands-on approaches. Finally, consider offering coaching. Have a professional coach shadow your leaders and teach them new methods or techniques that may work out better for them compared to the approach they are currently taking.

Create benchmarks for success

Lastly, the best executive leadership training courses create measurable benchmarks for success. They find ways to identify the success that their employees are having or ways that determine what areas employees struggle with. This is a great way to see what areas need to be targeted in the future. Additionally, as you create benchmarks for success, be sure to reward employees who are excelling in their leadership roles. Even leaders love to have their accomplishments acknowledged.

5 leadership skills to include in your leadership training plan

There are foundational leadership skills that all great leaders need to possess, regardless of what industry you are in or what type of business you have. As you go about creating leadership workshop topics or leadership training, here are five leadership skills to include in your leadership development program.

Communication skills

Communication skills are a must for leaders within your company. You need to offer leadership communication training and professional communication training. This helps ensure your leaders know how to communicate with the employees they oversee, other leaders within the company, and any professional companies or individuals they may have to work with outside of the company.

Listening skills

While communication is important for leaders, listening is equally as important. You want to ensure your leaders take the time to listen and comprehend what others are telling them. Teaching listening skills helps improve communication and makes employees feel like they are heard and valued.

Time-management skills

Leaders often have a lot on their plate. They have to learn to manage their time and determine what items are important to complete first and what items they can put off for a little bit of time. Teaching time-management skills as part of your leadership training course can help busy and stressed-out leaders better manage the time they have and make smart business decisions.

Decision-making skills

When an employee does not understand something or has a question, they turn to their supervisor or boss. These are the leaders of your company, and in many cases, they have no one to turn to if they have a question. As such, they have to make smart decisions that can impact employees and your company. Offer decision-making courses to give leaders the skills that can help them to make the best decisions possible when it comes to your business and the employees they oversee.

Praise and reprimanding skills

Lastly, your leaders should be able to recognize and praise their team members for their hard work. Unfortunately, they may also have to have difficult conversations. While it is never fun to reprimand or write-up employees, your leaders need to know how to effectively do so. Offering courses that help your leaders praise and reprimand employees can come in handy.

How to improve leadership training

Seismic’s online training and coaching software helps leaders learn, practice, and perform. From learning foundational leadership skills to delivering effective feedback to their employees, leaders grow Seismic. Learn more, and get a demo today.