If you have told your employees that they have a promising future at your organization but are not offering them opportunities for leadership development, such as support for improving their interpersonal skills or access to personalized coaching and mentoring, they may not be with you for the long haul. This is among the main findings of new research in modern leadership development conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services.

Harvard Business Review Analytic Services' researchers looked into the critical issues organizations face as they create skilled leaders who are capable of managing the complexities of the modern workplace. The survey gathered responses from 665 organizations. One-third of respondents were from organizations with 10,000 or more employees, and the majority (59%) held positions at the executive or senior management level or served on their company's board. The dataset included participants from various industries, including technology, manufacturing, and financial services.

The results recognize that leadership development programs which are exclusive, generic, and/or not aligned with the organization's current goals will fail to inspire employees or deliver best-in-class leaders. By contrast, successful leadership development programs are closely aligned to an organization's overall business strategies. They are also consciously designed to produce leaders attuned to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals, as well as leaders comfortable with today's hybrid workplaces.