Custom FAQs

CUSTOM PROGRAM FAQS

Custom leadership programs come in all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of the most common questions about leadership development programs.

Where should we hold our leadership development program?

Impact and convenience are factors to consider when deciding upon a location for your program.

Holding your program out of the office presents several advantages. Removing participants from their routines and distractions that pop up at work can increase their focus on the experience. Different surroundings trigger different ways of thinking and promote alternative perspectives that enrich learning for everyone. Whether it’s a university, which naturally fosters a spirit of education, or a retreat, conference center, or hotel, leaving the office adds a level of intention to the program that benefits participants.

Conversely, holding your program onsite can offer logistical advantages, especially when there are multiple schedules to juggle and additional considerations – i.e., when the program is scheduled alongside business activities like annual meetings. That being said, offices would still need space for catering, breakout sessions, and for participants to stretch their legs. Offsite facilities normally have such capacity.

Investing in your employees is a signal to them that they are valued by leadership. A sense of belonging and understanding of where I’m going next are two of the key reasons why people join companies.

How many participants should the program include?

There’s no magic number, but anywhere between 15 and 40 participants is optimal. The sweet spot is typically 30 to 35 participants.

Programs with fewer than 15 participants may not have a sufficient range of ideas and experiences to draw upon during activities and workshops. It may also create challenges from a financial perspective if you allocate your leadership development budget on a per person basis.

Bringing more than 40 people into a program can create administrative challenges that could dilute the learning experience. If you’d like to include more than 40 people, consider multiple workshops.

How long should my program be?

It depends on your goals, your budget, and the constraints associated with time away from work. Those are the 3 factors many providers will consider when they design programs. Programs can range from a half-day to 10 days. Multi-day courses can be spread out over the course of months, up to a year.

For longer programs, providing a gap between workshops can offer the opportunity for participants to apply what they’ve learned and then return to assess their work. For shorter programs, it’s important to reinforce, measure, and encourage learning after they conclude.

How much does all of this cost?

Custom leadership development programs typically run between $3,000 and $10,000 per participant. This includes the cost of designing the program, the location, the faculty / facilitators that execute the program, and teaching materials, which may include case studies or simulations.

How do I calculate the return on an investment in a leadership development program?

The return on investment (ROI) is contingent upon the organization and the goal of the program. Every organization is different, and by design, every custom program has different desired outcomes.

Broadly speaking, leadership development investments can help with retention of valuable employees, which can reduce costs associated with turnover and company performance. However, if you’re considering a leadership development program, there’s a good chance you have a more specific goal in mind. If you seek to change behaviors, consider measuring success through post-program assessments that evaluate the impact of the program. Your program may involve a project component where ROI can be measured through successful execution. As you engage with vendors, keeping your goals in mind will make it easier to establish ROI.

How are the programs conducted? What does the curriculum look like?

A good custom program offers a curriculum to facilitate and maximize participant engagement. This can be achieved in a variety of ways: through case study discussions; breakout sessions with group exercises; role playing; in-person and online simulations; team coaching; and assessments to build selfawareness. Many programs will have participants practice what they learn within the program.

Ideally, a custom program should not be a series of lectures. A blend of instruction and activities that bring lessons to life will resonate with participants far more than presentation slides alone.

How can I be sure this programming will “stick” with participants? How do I measure proof of learning?

At the core of any question about the ROI of leadership development programming is a far simpler one: “Will this stick?” Vendors can provide any variety of prepackaged or customized training, but if the participant can’t bring that knowledge to bear in the workplace, it’s not worth much.

Good custom programs factor retention into the design of each engagement. The look and feel varies depending on the client’s objectives, but the intention is the same. Vendors may follow up after the program concludes to help their clients evaluate how the training has impacted participant performance through assessments or additional programming. Clients can measure impact through employee performance appraisals. If it’s possible, they may look at financial results to gauge success.