Human Resources Online shared a story this month about a survey from Cegos showing a drop in training among employees in Malaysia. This did not surprise us: one of the things we have noticed in Malaysia ourselves is that companies are less inclined to spend money on training (even when much of the cost is reimbursable through government programs). When they do, it is often for new employees, to help them get started, rather than for developing rising leaders.

Unfortunately, this las point is not unique to Malaysia, but instead is pretty common around the world. Much of the training that takes place in companies tends to focus on technical skills. In larger firms, the new folks often get in-house training to bring them into the corporate culture and introduce them to the styles and methodologies they’re expected to use. As they progress they’re likely to get training when things change; hairstylists learn about new styles and new product lines, web designers learn new software, and so forth. We often forget that aspiring leaders need training and development in that field, too. While it is more “squishy” than the technical skills we are used to, leadership also requires talents of its own that aren’t necessarily natural. Many people think leadership just happens naturally, and that is absolutely not the case. Even if someone has the personal characteristics we think contribute to good leadership, learning how to use those characteristics is essential for making them useful.

The Center for Creative Leadership has written about the problems you will face if you fail to prepare people for senior leadership positions. They ask

Businesses and institutions around the globe seek to innovate, adapt to change and forge a path to success. Yet almost two-thirds of change initiatives fail and turnover and turmoil at the top levels of leadership are commonplace. What is going on in the process of developing senior leaders that prevents them from effectively facing the demands of today’s leadership?

The article looks at a new book on preparing executives. Among other problems, they highlight

– Interpersonal relationship challenges.

– Difficulty adapting to rapid change and spiraling complexity.

– Problems partnering and sharing responsibility and accountability.

– A leadership style that not only fails to inspire and motivate the masses but may actually foster a culture of fear or risk aversion.

All of these hurt your organization, and all of these are pretty common. You need to be able to deal with the egos that often come into play when talented people try to work together. Adapting to change and complexity is a major part of a leader’s job in evolving markets. You often need to bring partners together to contribute different perspectives and talents rather than relying on one person. You need people willing to take risks and try something new rather than relying only upon what has worked before.

In short, you cannot afford to be unprepared for leadership.

You need to make sure you are prepared for your leadership role (and for others that may come along), and you also need to look at the needs of your possible successor. Putting someone into a leadership position without preparing them is like putting someone into the driver’s seat with teaching them which pedal does what. That is usually not a good idea.