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Leadership development tops training agenda for 2005, says survey

The importance placed on leadership development has doubled in the last year according to the results of a new survey from Video Arts.

38% of respondents believe that leadership is the hottest training topic for 2005 as opposed to only 19% of respondents who had it at the top of their training agenda this time last year.

Over 150 training and HR professionals took part in the face-to-face survey, carried out by Video Arts at the annual HRD Conference and Exhibition in April 2005.

Martin Addison, Director of Video Arts said: "The importance of leadership is clear. It is the number one issue for organisations; seen as the key process to arrest organisational malaise and provide the cornerstone for growth through inspiring and motivating followers towards organisational goals".

When respondents were asked which skills their bosses and CEOs were lacking most, leadership (18%) and a lack of people skills (15%) were the most popular answers.

"This considerable focus on leadership development stems from a number of factors which include societal and organisational change as well as an increase in competition in the market place,” said Addison.

“The figures showing leadership development to be the most frequently cited skills gap among employers suggests that this current focus on leadership development will continue in the foreseeable future".

Other findings from the survey include:

• 12% of respondents believe that customer service is the hottest training topic for this year
• Compliance and talent management are low on the list of training topics for this year with only 2% of respondents deeming them to be priorities
• When asked what training their bosses needed, answers included, anger management, training to improve attention span and relaxation!
• Only 2% of respondents believed that their boss didn't need any training

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