{"id":147809,"date":"2026-04-09T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=magazine&p=147809"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:58:35","slug":"can-ld-save-leadership","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/magazine\/spring-2026\/can-ld-save-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Can L&D Save Leadership?"},"author":52,"featured_media":90196,"template":"","tags":[35888,2690,1507],"class_list":["post-147809","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-in-workplace","tag-employee-experience","tag-leadership-pipeline","global_topic_tax-leadership","magazine_issue_tax-spring-2026","magazine_article_type_tax-career-development","magazine_article_type_tax-thought-leader"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Julie Winkle Giulioni","author_image":"","author_bio":"Julie Winkle Giulioni is the author of the bestselling books, \u201cPromotions Are SO Yesterday\u201d and \u201cHelp Them Grow or Watch Them Go.\u201d<\/a>","excerpt":"Leadership is becoming less attractive as employees weigh the stress of management against unclear support, prompting a shift in how organizations develop leaders.","main_content":"Leadership is losing its appeal. According to a recent study by Zety<\/a>, 49% of employees report having no interest in becoming managers, with the leading reason cited as a desire to avoid the stress and demands of people management. At a moment when organizations need capable, human-centered leadership more than ever, fewer people are willing to step up.\r\n\r\nLeadership roles, as currently constructed and supported (or not), often feel unsafe, unclear and unforgiving \u2014 especially at the point of entry. Employees aren\u2019t rejecting leadership itself, rather the experience of leadership modeled around them.\r\n\r\nAt the same time, organizations are racing to automate work, embed artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> and streamline operations. While technology is increasingly effective at handling tasks, it cannot replace the essential human elements of leadership.\r\n

The Challenge Is Bigger Than Learning Alone<\/h2>\r\nTo be clear, the conditions discouraging people from leadership extend well beyond the direct control of learning and development (L&D). Today leaders are under relentless pressure to deliver on results, day after day. And they\u2019re doing it with a workforce experiencing overwhelm and stress themselves. Spans of control have expanded, frequently across distance and time zones, making people leadership difficult even for seasoned professionals. Add the complexity of managing across age, experience and perspective, and it\u2019s no surprise the role feels daunting.\r\n\r\nThese are not problems L&D can solve single-handedly. But learning leaders are uniquely positioned to surface these realities, to name and frame them constructively, advocate for change and to partner with executives to make the work of leadership more doable and attractive.\r\n

From \u201cPrepare in Position\u201d to \u201cTry Before You Buy\u201d<\/h2>\r\nThere\u2019s also plenty that L&D can do directly to address this impending leadership gap. Too often, leadership development begins after someone assumes the title. Even when high-potential employees are exposed earlier, the learning is frequently abstract and disconnected from lived experience.\r\n\r\nA more effective approach allows people to \u201ctry leadership on\u201d before the stakes are high. Small, bounded experiences \u2014 project leadership, mentoring others, task forces, temporary rotations \u2014 give employees a realistic preview of what leadership entails. These low-risk opportunities demystify the role and replace hesitation with informed commitment.\r\n\r\nConfidence does not come from titles; it comes from rehearsal. This is where learning design matters most today. Simulations, scenario-based and AI-enabled learning allow people to practice judgment, decision-making and difficult conversations before the consequences may be irreversible.\r\n

Critical Skills on Both Sides of Leadership<\/h2>\r\nLeadership may also be getting a bad rap because, in the name of authenticity, many leaders have become comfortable speaking candidly about the strain of their roles. Transparency clearly builds trust. But when honesty slips into unfiltered venting, it can distort how leadership is perceived. Employees hear only the stress and frustrations without equal visibility to those meaningful and rewarding moments.\r\n\r\nL&D can help by coaching leaders to balance challenges with learning, purpose and impact to position leadership as demanding and<\/em> worth it. How leadership is talked about shapes who is willing to step into it.\r\n\r\nThe experience of leadership is shaped as much by followers as by leaders themselves. When employees are equipped to manage up, give feedback and take ownership, the burden of leadership lightens. Training in productive followership improves day-to-day functioning and makes leadership roles more sustainable \u2014 and more attractive.\r\n

Leadership at a Crossroads<\/h2>\r\nL&D finds itself in a powerful position today: deeply connected to how work gets done and empowered to shape how people grow into responsibility. In this way, learning professionals can influence not just skills and readiness but also a new mindset when it comes to people leadership \u2014 one that inspires a willingness to try the new role on before ruling it out. That\u2019s how L&D will save leadership.","full_width":false,"content_band":[{"acf_fc_layout":"social_callout","blockquote":"Confidence does not come from titles; it comes from rehearsal. This is where learning design matters most today."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content_area","wysiwyg":"[hubspot type=\"form\" portal=\"47185625\" id=\"eda5e894-beb8-40c6-b1c2-8827958b0062\" version=\"v4\"]"}],"tice_sponsors":"","custom_dfp_keywords":"","featured_article":false,"feature_type":"","theme":"","remove_gradient":false,"title_in_image":false,"featured_text_image":null,"magazine_link":"https:\/\/www.nxtbook.com\/nxtbooks\/trainingindustry\/tiq_spring2026\/index.php#\/p\/14"},"yoast_head":"\nCan L&D Save Leadership? - Training Industry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nearly half of employees avoid leadership roles, signaling a need to redesign development, support and expectations for managers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/magazine\/spring-2026\/can-ld-save-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can L&D Save Leadership?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nearly half of employees avoid leadership roles, signaling a need to redesign development, support and expectations for managers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/magazine\/spring-2026\/can-ld-save-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Training Industry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TrainingIndustry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/TIM_2023_career-development_thumb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TrainingIndustr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/\",\"name\":\"Can L&D Save Leadership? - Training Industry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/TIM_2023_career-development_thumb.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-09T13:00:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"Nearly half of employees avoid leadership roles, signaling a need to redesign development, support and expectations for managers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/TIM_2023_career-development_thumb.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/TIM_2023_career-development_thumb.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Julie Winkle Giulioni\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/spring-2026\\\/can-ld-save-leadership\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Magazine Article\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Can L&D Save Leadership?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/trainingindustry.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Training Industry\",\"description\":\"Articles, research and tools for the L&D professional. 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