Beyond Box-Ticking: How to Scale Leadership Development That Actually Works
- Glenn Wallis
- Nov 25
- 3 min read
Far too often, leadership development programmes struggle to create real, lasting impact. Why is that? Typically, it’s because these initiatives address symptoms, not root causes. Off-the-shelf training and generic e-learning tend to focus on surface-level behaviours, overlooking the underlying capability gaps that truly determine performance. The result: investment without meaningful change, persistent turnover among high-potential leaders, and ongoing scrutiny over the value of development efforts.
For organisations aiming to strengthen their leadership pipeline, a more precise, individualised, and scalable approach is needed - one that moves beyond standardised training towards highly contextualised coaching.
Why Scaling Coaching Matters
Coaching has traditionally been reserved for senior individuals, seen as a bespoke or even exclusive resource. Today, evidence and practice show that a coaching lens can be applied far more widely, supporting leaders at every level with tailored, actionable development.
A coaching-led approach is fundamentally diagnostic: it seeks first to understand unique contexts, real challenges, and the lived experience of leaders and teams. This relevance ensures that any development action is directly applicable and immediately valuable in day-to-day work.
Importantly, advances in delivery mean this personalised approach can now be scaled pragmatically across sizeable leadership populations.
A Pragmatic Model for Individualised Leadership Growth
Instead of relying on a single development solution, a blended model combines diagnostics, targeted cohort work, just-in-time interventions, and rigorous measurement. Outlined simply, here’s how this can work in practice:
Diagnose Before Taking Action: Begin with a robust diagnostic to assess leadership strengths and risks against current and future organisational needs. This clarity identifies specific focus areas, rather than treating everyone the same or relying on assumptions. Tools like ‘leadership readiness’ diagnostics are one way organisations can achieve this foundation.
Develop Targeted Capabilities in Cohorts: Leverage cohort-based programmes rooted in real work and practical application. Combining peer accountability with expert coaching, these sprints focus attention on two or three high-impact behaviours, accelerating performance shifts where they matter most.
Offer Timely, Micro-Coaching: Address high-stakes moments by making short, focused coaching interventions available - sometimes just 20 minutes is enough for a senior leader to orient thinking or resolve a challenge. These micro-sessions provide immediate value and suit busy schedules.
Strengthen Senior Team Alignment: Lasting organisational outcomes depend on collective leadership, not just strong individuals. Facilitate purposeful team coaching to build trust, clarify priorities, and ensure senior teams share a direction for maximum organisational coherence.
Provide Executive-Level Support: Executive coaching gives those facing complex, high-pressure environments the space to hone clarity, influence, and confidence. Support here is intensive yet tailored to context and lived experience.
Measure What Matters: Move beyond satisfaction surveys and anecdotal feedback. Instead, use meaningful, objective evaluation frameworks to track real behavioural change and link development to measurable outcomes - such as reduced unwanted turnover, better progression, and improved team engagement.
A Real-World Example
Take, for instance, a global technology organisation experiencing turnover at the mid-manager level, with project delivery falling behind pace. Rather than defaulting to a broad training programme, they begin with a leadership diagnostic to identify true gaps - in this case, strategic communication and motivation.
They launch targeted cohort programmes to address these needs, give senior leaders access to micro-coaching for situational support, and run alignment sessions for the executive team to create consistency from the top. Progress is tracked using impact evaluation and, within six months, engagement rises and turnover falls, unlocking better results across the business.
This kind of integrated, evidence-led approach offers a clear route to value. Rather than ticking boxes, you build a development ecosystem that’s grounded in real work, data, and practical improvement - creating the cultural shifts organisations need today.
How are you individualising leadership development in your organisation?
At Exigence, we blend strategic sharpness with unmatched coaching depth. We help ambitious organisations turn people capability into strategic advantage. Through practical coaching, real-world diagnostics, and scalable leadership solutions, we move your business forward.
Want to explore how? Let’s talk.
