High Impact Development Programmes
Development happens in most organisations. Readiness doesn't always follow. This handbook closes the gap, with a practical framework for designing blended, experiential programmes from early careers to senior leadership.
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Why most development programmes fail to produce readiness
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The 70:20:10 model applied to three career stages
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Tailored programme designs for graduates, line managers and emerging leaders
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How to choose experiences that are most developmental
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5 top tips for designing high impact programmes
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Inside this handbook
What You'll Learn
A practical handbook structured around the core challenges of programme design,
from the case for change to implementation.
The challenge with leadership development
Why most organisations invest in development but don't see readiness, and the three root causes that explain the gap.
Programme design for each career stage
Specific programme design guidance for graduates and early career talent, line managers, and emerging leaders, including the role of Simulation Days, action learning, and executive coaching.
Getting development programmes right: the 70:20:10 model
A blended, experiential approach to development, and why effective development starts with diagnosis, not content.
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5 top tips for high impact programmes
Blend for perfection, define key experiences, provide learning with others, instil personal reflection, and educate managers about the power of experiential development.
Choosing the right experiences
Why some experiences are more developmental than others, how to match opportunities to career stages, and how to identify the right stretch for each person.
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Related Resources
Leadership development focused articles, solutions and tools that connect directly to the
themes in this handbook.
FAQ
What is a high impact leadership development programme?
A high impact leadership development programme combines blended design, diagnosis before content, and connection to real work. The 70:20:10 model provides the framework, 70% on-the-job learning, 20% learning with and from others, and 10% structured learning. The blend that works is the one matched to where each leader actually is, not a standard programme applied to everyone.
Why do most leadership development programmes fail to produce readiness?
Three challenges explain the gap. Fragmentation, development happens through disconnected one-off programmes that do not compound. Lack of diagnosis, most programmes start with content rather than understanding where each leader actually is. Disconnection from real work, research shows up to 75% of classroom learning is forgotten within seven days without application. Development that is not integrated does not produce acceleration.
What development approach works best for line managers?
Line managers benefit most from targeted skills training in coaching, difficult conversations and delegation, sense-making with others through action learning groups and 360-degree feedback, and personal reflection to process their many new experiences. Unlike emerging leaders, line managers do not need additional stretch projects, their role provides enough on-the-job challenge. What they need most is help making sense of those experiences and navigating the mindset shift from individual contributor to manager of others.
How should development programmes differ across career stages?
Graduates need skills, belonging, and meaningful project experiences in roughly equal measure. Line managers need action learning, reflection, and targeted skills. Emerging leaders need stretch assignments, executive coaching, Simulation Days, and peer learning, and very little structured classroom learning.
How does Esendia design high impact development programmes?
Starting with the 5-Way Intelligence Scan, assessing personality, 360 feedback, key experience gaps, performance under pressure, and career motivations. Development is then designed around those specific gaps, not assumptions. Individual coaching and cohort development run simultaneously. Typical results: 56% promoted within 12 months, 40% lower cost than traditional programmes.