“Dear L&D” is a reflective letter-style series where learning leaders address the profession directly, giving voice to the lessons, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of learning and development (L&D).

Dear L&D,

I sit on the board of a nonprofit I care deeply about. I believe in its mission and I give my time to help guide some of its senior leaders. The organization is focused and well-run but, like many nonprofits, it has a limited budget and staff members who are perpetually scrambling to multitask. While they care deeply about developing their leaders, they simply don’t have the time or resources to launch a traditional and comprehensive leadership development initiative.

You may be facing the same challenge. Whether you customize an off-the-shelf competency model or build one internally based on targeted leadership profiles, the development process takes time. Then you have to socialize it and crowdsource feedback so you can narrow down or refine the selected competencies and their definitions. Then comes the building support stage and the development delivery stage: workshops, digital learning, action projects, mentor pairings, stretch assignments, coaching engagements or impact measurement plans.

Although this is a thoughtful and thorough approach that reflects how so many of us were trained to build leadership development programs, it’s also heavy and time-consuming. And, in the case of my nonprofit board, it would have delayed the very progress we were trying to make.

So instead of starting the process with a formal needs assessment, we started with one simple question: “If these are our business priorities for the next year, where do our leaders need to be stronger in the next six months?” The answers were refreshingly practical, and the momentum that followed was eye-opening.

That experience led me to ask a question that applies to all types of organizations: Have we unintentionally overcomplicated leadership development in the name of doing it well?

Don’t get me wrong; it’s critical for development to be thoughtful and structured, but not every organization needs a complex production. Even larger companies may not require a full-court press for every initiative. In fact, trying to stage a major roll-out for every development need can create unnecessary roadblocks instead of accelerating progress.

So what’s the alternative? Here are some ideas that might work for your organization:

Make a Short List of High Impact Leadership Behaviors

Identify a small set of observable leadership behaviors that could be adjusted to make the biggest difference right now. Don’t create a catalog. Think of this as a shortlist with five to seven behaviors. Make it clear and relevant to today’s realities.

For example:

• Leaders help team members see how their work connects to the mission.
• Leaders clarify weekly priorities in terms of outcomes, not just tasks.
• Leaders address employee concerns and tensions early.
• Leaders delegate in ways that don’t boomerang back.

Most organizations already know the standards for effective leadership. They just haven’t operationalized it.

Simplify What Good Leadership Means

Clarify what “good” looks like on one page. Instead of a sprawling matrix that needs landscape paper just to be readable, create a simple snapshot that shows what it looks like to succeed.

That alone can replace months of modeling.

Lean on Tools Over Modules

Build a simple leadership toolkit that supports identified behaviors. This might include:

• Practical conversation guides
• Clear delegation templates
• Priority-setting decision trees

And, where policies allow, suggest artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted rehearsal tools that could help leaders sharpen their messages before the conversations actually count.

Create Learning Moments in the Flow of Work

Embed development into existing rhythms rather than adding new time commitments to already overwhelmed leaders. Use existing leadership meetings or one-on-ones to discuss one particular behavior, review one leadership scenario or share one practical win.

Questions that may help include: “How are you bringing objectives to life or clarifying priorities for your team right now?” or “Where are you noticing tension, and how are you addressing it?”

Celebrate Wins

Spotlight and scale what’s working by surfacing examples of the behaviors in action.

Each month, highlight an internal “win,” such as a leader who modeled one of the 5–7 behaviors well, what they did differently and the impact it had. Keep it short and realistic.

Leadership Doesn’t Need to be Complicated

In our desire to do leadership development well, we sometimes overengineer the plan. After all, we’ve been taught that comprehensive architecture is a responsible choice, and inclusive design should be thorough. But if it takes months before leaders feel any difference in their day-to-day effectiveness, we should ask whether that complexity is serving us well.

Stop and ask yourself these questions: If your organization needs more effective leadership in the next six months, will your current process help you move quickly enough? Or could it be simpler?

As you move forward, remember that leadership development does not have to begin with a full architectural blueprint. Focus on a few clearly defined behaviors and practical tools. Commit to consistent reinforcement.

As your leaders begin implementing this streamlined approach and using shared language, you’ll see patterns start to emerge. You’ll notice who is modeling the behaviors well and who could use additional coaching. Plus, a more formal development program can always evolve organically based on the responses you get.

Bottom line, there is an easier way.

With respect for the work we all care about,
Sara