It’s one of the most pressing challenges facing HR leaders today: How can you successfully implement leadership development programs that deliver real results?
We tackled that question in Newberry Solutions’ recent webinar, “3 Hurdles When Implementing a Leadership Development Program & How to Avoid Them.” I was joined by Kim Arnold, director of talent management at Oncor. With over 25 years of experience leading global teams, Kim has seen firsthand what works—and what doesn't—when it comes to rolling out leadership development initiatives. Our discussion revealed three critical hurdles that consistently trip up even the most well-intentioned programs, along with practical strategies to overcome them.
The Context: Why Implementation Is So Critical Right Now
Before we started exploring the hurdles, we took some time to understand the backdrop against which these challenges are playing out. Research about “the forgetting curve” is sobering: Within one hour, people forget an average of 50% of the information presented to them. Within 24 hours, that jumps to 70%. By the end of a week, 90% of traditional training content has been lost.
That’s a big problem—and a costly one. Companies are investing more than $81 billion annually in leadership development, yet many programs struggle to show lasting impact. As organizations face unprecedented change, the stakes for effective leadership development have never been higher.
Hurdle 1: Getting Executive Buy-In
When I asked our webinar participants about their biggest challenges in getting executive buy-in, the results surprised me. Nobody—not a single person—selected “conveying ROI” as their primary obstacle.
This was eye-opening because the business case for leadership development is crystal clear. Research shows that every dollar invested yields seven dollars in return. Forty-two percent of companies observe direct increases in revenue and sales as a result of leadership development programming, with 47% crediting better-performing managers and their direct reports.
So if the ROI isn't the problem, what is? The real challenges were “too many priorities” and “navigating tight budgets”—in other words, competing for attention and resources in an environment where everything feels urgent.
Kim's experiences have taught her to reframe the conversation entirely. "One of the things that I've found that's helpful is marrying these external metrics with some of your internal metrics, especially showing some of the need that you might have," she explained.
The key insight here is that organizations succeed when they recognize that developing leaders is the priority that enables all other priorities to succeed. When managers are better equipped to navigate change, delegate effectively, and support their teams, every other business goal becomes more achievable.
This is exactly why we designed New Lens® to demonstrate clear, measurable impact. Our platform provides detailed analytics and progress tracking that make it easy to show executives the direct connection between leadership development investment and business outcomes. With metrics like our consistent 8.2-9.0 scores for increasing participant effectiveness and our 7.8 Net Promoter Score, the ROI conversation becomes straightforward.
Hurdle 2: Overcoming Modern Workplace Constraints
The second major hurdle relates to the harsh realities of today's workplace. Over 40% of employees lack time for training and education—in fact, research shows employees have only about 24 minutes per week for dedicated learning, typically interrupted every three minutes.
Adding to this challenge, 57% of U.S. managers report receiving no formal or informal training on managing remote or hybrid teams. Yet the shift to hybrid work isn't temporary—it's the new reality for most knowledge workers.
Kim's approach to this challenge is rooted in intentionality. "You do the same exact management practices that you do in person," she told webinar participants. "Make sure you have your good one-on-ones, your team meetings ... but you have to be so much more intentional when you're not seen, and making sure you stick to your schedule."
But there's a deeper issue at play. The research suggests we need to focus on building capacities (like navigating complexity) rather than just teaching discrete skills. Leaders must be agile—able to navigate rapid change, pivot strategies and guide their teams through uncertainty—while also fostering growth, driving innovation and building genuine human connection.
Kim emphasized the human element: "The human connection is what will bring people along with you. People have to trust you. People who do this the best really stand out."
This capacity-building approach is central to our New Lens methodology. Rather than overwhelming users with endless content libraries, we focus on eight core strategies that have consistently led to the promotion of 75% of our executive coaching clients. Our micro-learning format—with lessons just two to seven minutes long—respects the reality of busy schedules while building the fundamental capacities leaders need to thrive in complexity.
If you're facing readiness, transition or retention challenges, we'd love to share what's working—reach out to our team here.
Hurdle 3: Making Learning Stick in the Real World
The third hurdle is perhaps the most critical: ensuring that learning actually transfers from the training room (or screen) to day-to-day work. This is where many programs fall apart, despite significant upfront investment.
Kim made a powerful observation: "The key insight here is that people do have time to learn—when the content is engaging, immediately applicable, and easy to access. The problem isn't capacity; it's design.”
However, there's a crucial element that traditional consumer learning platforms miss: the social and organizational context. As Kim noted, “One of the things that social media gives you is that ability to connect and collaborate.” Learning platforms also have to create that level of connection.
The research backs this up powerfully. Employees who spend time learning at work are:
47% less likely to be stressed
39% more likely to feel productive and successful
23% more ready to take on additional responsibilities
21% more likely to feel confident and happy
But only 46% of employees clearly know what's expected of them at work—down from 56% in 2020. This expectation gap undermines learning transfer because people can't connect their development to their actual roles and responsibilities.
Kim's solution focuses on accountability and application: "The leaders/sponsors are looking for people to work differently after completing the training. This can help people stand out if they are applying it. Everyone benefits from the change." She advocates for creating cohort experiences with built-in reflection throughout and after the learning process.
This is precisely what New Lens was built to address. Our platform combines the best aspects of consumer learning (micro-content, mobile accessibility, engaging design) with the organizational context that makes learning stick. Our "Learn, Reflect, Take Action" model ensures that every lesson connects to immediate, practical application. We provide suggested action items that participants can customize to their specific situations, making the transfer from learning to doing seamless.
The cohort component is equally important. As we've implemented New Lens, we've seen how powerful peer learning can be when it's strategically designed. Whether we're creating cross-functional groups to break down silos or forming cohorts of high-potential women to accelerate advancement, the social element amplifies individual learning exponentially.
The Manager Multiplier Effect
One critical insight that emerged from our conversation was the role of managers in amplifying—or undermining—leadership development efforts. Research shows that "someone encouraging their development" is one of three key factors affecting employee engagement, yet this factor has declined, contributing to reduced engagement in 2024.
The challenge is that managers are already overwhelmed. How do we solve this catch-22?
Kim's approach involves the "manager multiplier effect." In her programs, she reaches out to both participants' managers and their assigned mentors, providing high-level overviews of content covered and practical suggestions for reinforcement conversations. "I want to help support and make it easy for them by prompting the conversation," she explained.
In New Lens, we've systematized this approach. Managers don't have to consume the content themselves, but they receive progress notifications, downloadable discussion guides and suggested talking points for one-on-ones. This makes it effortless for them to be part of the solution rather than another barrier to overcome.
Want to explore how Newberry Solutions helps leaders thrive in today's hybrid, fast-moving world? Schedule a quick capabilities briefing.
What This Means for Your Organization
Our conversation with Kim reinforced several key principles that successful organizations are applying:
Start with internal metrics that matter to executives. Kim recommends focusing on employee survey data, particularly manager effectiveness indices. If you are building great people leaders, you'll see higher engagement. Also examine succession planning data—do you have ready-now successors for key roles?
Design for how people actually learn today. The TikTok generation expects bite-sized, immediately applicable content they can access when they need it. But don't lose the human connection—learning is inherently social.
Make application effortless. The gap between learning and doing is where most programs fail. Build in reflection, provide specific action items, and create accountability systems that support transfer.
Leverage technology to solve real problems, not create new ones. As Kim wisely observed about usability: If a platform feels like too much work, it will eventually be ignored. Technology should reduce friction, not add it.
Looking Ahead
The conversation with Kim left me more optimistic than ever about the future of leadership development. Yes, the challenges are real—competing priorities, time constraints, hybrid work complexities and the persistent struggle to make learning stick. But we also have unprecedented opportunities to design solutions that work with, rather than against, how people actually learn and work today.
The organizations that will succeed are those that stop trying to force outdated models onto modern realities and instead embrace approaches that are simultaneously high-tech and high-touch. They'll use technology to scale personalization, not replace human connection. They'll measure what matters, not just what's easy to track. And they'll recognize that leadership development isn't a nice-to-have program—it's the foundation that makes everything else possible.
The three hurdles we discussed—executive buy-in, workplace constraints and making learning stick—aren't insurmountable obstacles. They're design challenges with practical solutions. The question isn't whether your organization can overcome them, but whether you're ready to embrace the approaches that work.
Ready to see how these principles come together in practice? Explore how Newberry Solutions delivers scalable, measurable leadership development that fits today's workforce—book one of our short capabilities briefings.
Don’t wait for performance to drop before taking action. Discover how the New Lens® platform helps organizations support managers with bite-sized, actionable learning—built for today’s fast-paced, high-stress environments.
