Direct the White Space: Refocusing Leadership Development from Program to Process

The current approach to leadership development in most organizations today isn’t working.
In Brandon Hall Group’s Leadership: State of Development Programs 2013, nearly 75% of
respondents said their leadership development programs were not very effective.1 Still, most
organizations offer only high-touch leadership development “programs” or singular events
focused disproportionately on the chosen few. And despite the investment of time and money,
rarely do these event-like programs make the needed impact on the leader’s actions or behaviors.

Organizations must refocus their leadership efforts and shift their mindset from programs to
process. And the solution must scale and be compatible with the environment in which leaders
operate — one of constant change and a scarcity of “white space.” White space is the available
time and space between every leader’s mountain of tasks, emails and meetings. What leaders
do with this space can make the difference between success and failure.

This paper provides insights on how we can refocus leadership development by moving from
programs to process and directing the white space2.