Preparation
Leading can be learned, and whoever leads never stops preparing.
What it means
Leading people is a different craft from the one that got someone into leadership. Being the best at your own work does not prepare you to make others better. Leadership is trained like any practice: by doing, with outside perspective, and over time.
How to recognize it
What contradicts it
- Promoting people for technical expertise without preparing them to lead others.
- Mistaking attending a course for changing behavior.
What it asks of the organization
Develop leaders through practice, outside perspective, and follow-up, and measure what changes in behavior more than the hours spent in courses.
What it rests on
Lacerenza et al. (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2017), 335 samples: leadership training transfers to the job when there is practice, spacing, and feedback; with weekly sessions, the effect on results is almost three times that of daily sessions. At the top-executive level, transfer is about four times weaker.
Sources
- Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2017). Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), 1686-1718. doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241
Good Leadership (2026). Principle 2: Preparation. Version 1.0. buenliderazgo.org/en/principles/preparation/. License CC BY 4.0.