Most leadership development runs on rails: courses are organized with standard content usually delivered by companies set up expressly for that purpose. Most leadership programmes fail when judged on whether they achieve lasting impact and behaviour change because what is covered is often forgotten after the programme ends. Building Leadership Development Programmes is designed to show how leadership development should work. It challenges the widely accepted notion that leadership development cannot be measured and it exemplifies how to design programmes that are in line with organizational needs and deliver lasting and measurable impact.

Building Leadership Development Programmes is structured around detailed case studies from around the world that offer unique insights into the process of building effective leadership development, looking at a range of approaches from almost zero cost options to high end investment that actually works. It helps readers think through what it is that they are actually trying to achieve, offering processes to work through to establish what is necessary for their organization and take a longer view than looking for quick fixes. It features case studies including Crotonville Leadership Centre who have worked with GE, McKinsey and the Red Cross, and interviews with world authorities on leadership and talent development. Detailed guidance will help identify the right measures to ensure impact, and to adopt the right methodologies, including looking at leadership coaching, mentoring, social learning and action learning, blowing apart the idea that expensive training courses are always required.