Taking the Virtual Route to Leadership Training By Dr. RK Prasad According to the Global Leadership Forecast 2021, a whopping 55% of CEOs are preoccupied with the problem of developing the next generation of leaders. While traditional approaches to leadership training (such as physical classroom sessions and dedicated workshops) have huge takers, the pandemic has rendered them unworkable for many organizations for the immediate future. Leadership is taking on the challenge to motivate colleagues to move forward - the challenge here is in guiding people and helping them to see their potential value in the future. Leadership and related areas are top priorities for learning and development (L&D) units and top management as organizations battle the pandemic and its effects, including hybrid working and virtual teams. | 24 Leadership training - along with onboarding and technical training - is in the spotlight as it is a difficult subject to move online. Leadership training calls for collaboration, peer-to-peer interaction, supervision, coaching and feedback. Most organizations conducted leadership training in a physical setting before the pandemic. Adding to the challenge is the need to get learners acquainted (leadership trainees) with new technology - particularly the various software and platforms that are increasingly being used to facilitate virtual instructorled training (VILT) sessions. This is compounded by these platforms evolving to offer more, sometimes on a daily basis. Let's explore some insights into using online training (with an emphasis on VILT) to ensure uninterrupted leadership development without losing the effectiveness of the human interaction afforded by the classroom. How Do Organizations Traditionally Train for Leadership? Heres' a snapshot of three likely scenarios for leadership training programs in organizations: ■ A training program to nurture new or first-time managers. ■ A training program for managers of managers. ■ A career development program for high-potential emerging leaders.https://media.ddiworld.com/research/GLF2021-final.pdf https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/leadership-development/ https://media.ddiworld.com/research/GLF2021-final.pdf