Leadership Development Needs to Grow Up

Beyond Skills: Why Leadership Development Needs to Grow Up

Leadership development programmes often focus on building skills—communication, time management, strategic planning etc. In 2025, I hear this is a trend. Many organisations are focusing on closing skills gaps for their leaders.

While skills are undeniably important, they only scratch the surface of what it takes to lead effectively, particularly beyond the "managing others" stage, where you're only looking after a few people. 

^{The real challenge lies in developing the leader as a person, not just their toolkit.}

There is something that we all know to be intrinsically the case, but is often missed.  

Adult development doesn't stop when we leave school or university.

Unlike childhood development, which is fairly universal and predictable, adult development is a lifelong journey.

As adults, we have the opportunity to continue to grow in how we think, process information, manage our ego and understand ourselves and others. 

Robert Kegan's theory of adult development, among others, captures this so well. It describes how adults progress through increasingly complex ways of making sense of the world:

1. Imperial Mind (Stage 2):  About 6% of adults get stuck here. Focused on personal needs and immediate goals. Leaders at this stage may operate with a self-protective mindset, prioritising their own success over team or organisational outcomes.

2. Socialised Mind (Stage 3): Most adults (58%) operate here. They rely on external validation and align with group norms.

3. Self-Authoring Mind (Stage 4): About 35% of adults reach this stage. They develop their own internal compass and can think independently of group pressures.

4. Self-Transforming Mind (Stage 5): A rare 1% of adults reach this level, where they can hold multiple perspectives simultaneously and thrive in ambiguity.

It's crucial to note that these stages of adult development are distinct from intelligence or academic achievement. One could have a PhD and still operate at Stage 2, just as someone with less formal education might reach Stage 4 or 5.

This disconnect between intellectual capability and developmental maturity can lead to some rather interesting leadership conundrums.

Now, let's connect this to leadership. Ram Charan's Leadership Pipeline model outlines how leadership roles become more complex as you move up the hierarchy—from managing yourself to managing others, managing managers, and eventually leading entire organisations.

Each leadership transition demands not just new skills but also a more sophisticated way of thinking.

Many leadership programmes focus almost exclusively on skills development—what Kegan might call "horizontal growth." While this is fine for early stages like managing yourself or others, it falls woefully short for more senior roles requiring "vertical growth"—a fundamental shift in how leaders think and process complexity.

For example, a leader stuck in the Imperial Mind (Stage 2) might approach leadership with a self-focused lens, prioritising their own success or immediate goals over team dynamics or long-term strategy. This mindset can result in reactive decision-making or even manipulation to achieve personal ends—clearly unsuitable for higher-level roles requiring collaboration and systemic thinking. Imagine a brilliant but immature PhD holder in a leadership role, making decisions based solely on personal gain rather than organisational needs.

Similarly, a leader operating in the Socialised Mind (Stage 3) might struggle with ambiguity or conflicting priorities at higher levels because they're too reliant on external approval or consensus. They may avoid tough decisions that could upset their team or stakeholders. In contrast, a leader operating at the Self-Authoring Mind (Stage 4) can navigate these challenges by relying on their own principles and values to guide them.

The problem? Few organisations actively nurture this kind of vertical growth.

Instead, they double down on technical skills and competencies, leaving leaders ill-equipped for the cognitive demands of senior roles. 

Is it any wonder that only 35% of adults reach Stage 4? Organisations are missing a trick by failing to address this critical aspect of leadership development.

Pitfalls of Operating at Lower Vertical Growth Stages in Leadership Roles

In short, leadership isn't just about doing—it's about thinking and being.

Leaders stuck at Stage 2 often prioritise self-interest over team collaboration or organisational goals, while those at Stage 3 may lack the independence needed to make tough calls under pressure. If organisations want effective leaders at every level, they need to stop treating leadership development as a checklist of skills and start focusing on the deeper work of developing how leaders think.

Otherwise, they risk promoting individuals into roles where their mindset simply doesn't match the complexity of the job, regardless of their IQ or academic credentials.

In general, Leadership development programmes need to grow up—and help leaders do the same.

All of our leadership development has all of the dimensions and aspects of adult development woven through. That might be why they work so well.

References:

Kegan, R. (1982). The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development. Harvard University Press.

Kegan, R. (1994). In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life. Harvard University Press. 

Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2011). The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Charan, R., Drotter, S., & Noel, J. (2018). The Leadership Pipeline: Developing Leaders in the Digital Age (3rd ed.). Wiley.