Imagine a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills reaching higher than Mount Everest — now picture that stack multiplied almost nine times. That’s the staggering $8.8 trillion the global economy loses to disengaged employees annually, according to Gallup. While it would be convenient to blame the current global trade wars or tariffs, the truth is this gap has been present for a long time.

One major reason for the gap is the lack of effective training for leaders before they build bad leadership habits. Experience alone does not equal expertise or competence. If you practice shooting foul shots poorly every day for two years, it will be hard to break those bad habits when someone finally shows you how to do it properly.

One of the most crucial times to develop leaders is when they step into a new role: This is when the brain is most receptive to new information and has the best chance of long-term retention. Unfortunately, many people leaders lack the necessary skills to thrive as managers. As a result, they are often forced to learn through trial and error, which often leads to avoidable mistakes.

Ultimately, the leadership training gap leads to frustration for the leader, their direct reports and the organization — providing the fuel for employees to disengage, perform poorly and ultimately exit. Investing in leadership development is the jet fuel that propels organizational growth and reduces the costly impact of disengagement.

A common pain point I hear from trainers is that their organization has programs to help new leaders navigate paid time-off requests, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), compliance training and other related topics, but they spend very little time on developing core leadership and communication skills.

Based on my experience working with hundreds of leaders, I’ve identified three critical mistakes new leaders often make, along with the key training areas you can focus on to set them up for success from the start.

1.   The Missing Roadmap: Lacking a Personal Development Plan

• Impact: Without a personal development plan to prioritize training and development opportunities, engagement, turnover and productivity can suffer.
• Training Solution: Help leaders understand the resources provided by your company and equip them to build their own customized learning path.

You likely have an onboarding plan for every new hire, but do you have an ongoing development plan for every emerging leader? While many leaders initially advance due to technical skills and hard work, the most successful ones continue to flourish by investing in personal growth — a process that training programs can actively support. This equips them to maximize their strengths, limit their blind spots and help their team create systems for growth as well.

Have you ever provided resources only to have only a few people adopt them? Do leaders in your organization know how to learn, and do they know how to create a personal growth plan?

It’s the leader’s responsibility to take advantage of company resources, but it’s your responsibility to train and equip leaders to be aware of the development resources available to them. If leaders aren’t equipped to create their own development plans, chances are the rest of the organization isn’t either.

2.   The Answer Trap: Feeling the Need to Have All the Answers

• Impact: When leaders feel the need to “have all the answers,” it can lead to feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, and can even cause misinformation.
• Training Solution: Build programs that boost self-awareness and clearly identify roles and responsibilities.

Imposter syndrome is real, and I know I struggled with this in my first decade as a working professional. The sign of a mature leader is one who can fully express what they don’t know, and what they are not good at. A mature leader understands their role and what they bring to the table. They recognize and create space for the strengths and skills of their team and intentionally surround themselves with people who complement their strengths.

It’s crucial to build training programs that boost self-awareness for leaders and clearly identify their role and responsibilities. The earlier we establish this, the more confident they will be long term. I do believe there is some truth to the saying “Fake it till you make it,” but there is also power in confidently saying, “I don’t know the answer to that, but let’s find out together.”

The Feedback Fumble: Avoiding Giving Constructive Feedback

• Impact: When leaders avoid giving feedback, it can lead to decreased performance, a lack of trust and missed growth opportunities.
• Training Solutions: Provide role-playing scenarios and feedback templates to build feedback skills and make it a vital part of your organization’s culture.

Early on in my leadership journey, I was responsible for managing approximately 60 volunteer coaches. My style was to give everyone positive praise and encouragement. I realize now that not everyone necessarily deserves praise all the time.

For example, one particular coach had great intangibles, but there was a major gap in their experience and execution that was causing frustration among stakeholders. It wasn’t until I received several complaints about this coach that I finally decided to act.  Unfortunately, I had given so much praise and absolutely zero constructive feedback. By the time I delivered the constructive feedback to this coach, they were absolutely devastated. The lesson here is to give both constructive feedback and validation feedback early and often.

It’s imperative to prepare leaders at all levels to give both constructive and validating feedback. While this challenge is especially common among new leaders, it also shows up in the C-suite — often with even greater consequences. Giving effective feedback isn’t an instinct; it’s a skill that must be modeled, taught and continuously reinforced.

Conclusion

At my company, Influential Skills, I focus on bridging the gap between a leader’s current capabilities and their desired impact. This is usually connected to their ability to connect, inspire, and lead their team with authentic servant leadership and communication. It’s crucial that leaders develop a clear plan for their professional growth: What skills do they need, and how are they going to develop them? How are they building relationships inside the organization to broaden their perspectives and deepen their level of expertise?

I encourage you to evaluate what training programs you have in place to develop your leaders in these areas. Does each leader have a documented development plan?

Relying on luck to develop effective leaders is a risky strategy. Implementing comprehensive training plans is a proactive solution to maximize their potential.