How HR Leaders Can Develop Strong Leadership Training Programs

Julie Hoagland, chief human resources officer at Alkami.

Developing strong mentors and managers has always been an impactful cascade through various levels of an organization, but it may now be more important than ever. Effective leadership is key to keeping decentralized teams engaged, motivated and productive. In fact, Owl Labs’ 2024 State of Hybrid Work study showed employees view having a supportive manager as the second-most important job benefit—only two percentage points behind compensation.

As a result, human resources (HR) leaders are increasingly prioritizing the development of strong leaders. Training programs empower leaders with the right skills in a fast-changing, tech-forward economy, and they can be designed to strengthen corporate culture and improve innovation. Culture is about more than instilling corporate values in teams for the benefit of the organization. It’s about prioritizing empathy in communication, conflict management and diversity efforts.

At my digital banking company, Alkami, we’ve worked to create tailored development programs that effectively train leaders and increase overall employee engagement. Through our efforts, here’s what I’ve learned about designing impactful training programs, identifying and cultivating key leadership strengths and fostering engagement.

Well-Designed Leadership Training Emphasizes Growth

In my experience, cultivating successful leaders is a combination of training and strategic talent sourcing. The most successful leadership training programs are ones that value employees’ career paths and set individuals up for success within the company framework.

When aiming to build strong leaders, it’s often important to focus on these four skill areas:

• Cultivating A Strategic Vision: Effective leaders understand how to instill a sense of purpose and unity in their teams. They can ensure everyone works toward a collective set of goals.

• Building Culture: Successful managers help define and execute the company’s shared values for team adoption and empowerment.

• Driving Positive Change: It’s vital that leaders can steer growth in both projects and people. This allows them to improve morale, inclusion and development.

• Delivering Results: Top leaders know how to increase productivity and improve outcomes to meet or exceed performance benchmarks.

While individuals may inherently exhibit these leadership strengths, effective training can sharpen natural skills and cultivate additional ones. At my organization, purpose-driven leadership training has helped us achieve success in customer service, client loyalty and employee retention. We’ve also been able to identify areas for growth and optimize processes based on employee and customer needs.

The Essential Components Of Leadership Training Programs

Employee coaching and education can help with everything from communication to problem-solving. Leadership training programs often focus on conflict mitigation, decision-making and resource management. These skills benefit leaders’ development and postively impact company culture and performance.

When designing an effective training program, components should be tailored to your company. But the following universal elements should be included:

• Fundamental Skills Development: Training programs ensure leaders can guide their team’s performance by developing skills like conflict resolution, adaptability, creativity and strategic thinking.

• Collaborative Problem-Solving: Depending on each leader’s approach to critical thinking, they’re taught new ways to communicate the need for change and action with their team.

• Goal Setting And Personal Development: Leadership training programs help establish benchmarks that define success for specific individuals and teams, as well as the company.

While general resources can be provided, tailored sessions at each level of leadership allow for specialized personal and professional development. Consider training models and assets that are flexible, scalable and repeatable. For executive and C-suite leaders, in particular, one-on-one training is critical to success.

Depending on available resources, organizations may leverage external coaching programs. Third-party providers can offer more thorough, impartial development expertise designed with specific corporate goals in mind. At Alkami, we work with a consultant who conducts full-day leadership workshops. This allows our HR team to focus on other important initiatives while reducing the influence of any unintentional bias during training.

Cultivating leadership talent that can effectively support clearly defined corporate goals is vital for organizational success. By establishing a bespoke leadership training program, HR leaders can empower company-wide performance and maximize long-term results.

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