Let’s face it, leadership development programmes can be expensive. Anyone managing the budget needs to be seen to manage money wisely and not waste it on unnecessary expense. And since a programme can be held effectively in any venue, surely, investing money in taking leaders away from the office is an unnecessary expense. Right?
Well actually, no, not necessarily. Just as the venue is a critical element in the success of any important social event, so is the case with a development programme. When we organise any important event in our personal lives, an event that we want to be memorable and a positive, enjoyable experience, like a wedding or a birthday party, the first thing we think about is getting the environment right - the venue, the food, the drink and all the logistics . In the same way that the venue can make or break an important social event, it can make or break a development programme. For most learners, the venue is inextricably linked with how they feel about the programme. More importantly, it can have a serious impact on how effectively they learn. If learners feel comfortable at the venue, their learning is enhanced. Likewise, an inappropriate venue can have a disastrous effect on even the most professionally designed development programme.
One aspect that often creates debate is whether to hold a development programme on site or off site. In my experience it is critical to hold any leadership development programme off site. One of the main aims of any development programme is to give leaders time out to step back from their work and reflect on their overall situation. It’s virtually impossible for them to do that if they’re sat down the corridor from their office and popping back to check on things at every break.
Of course there needs to be a balance between demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to leadership development and matching delegate expectations to the type of event. On the one hand, attending a two-day offsite at a luxury hotel might be seen as a “perk” and an investment in the staff. On the other hand that may seem at odds if the key message for leaders is one of cost-cutting and downsizing. Equally though a cheap venue with poor service will not send the right message if the focus is on quality and being more client-focussed. Choosing a venue is a clear area where the emphasis should be on “value for money” rather than pure “cost”.
You need to think about what kind of environment you want your participants to be in, how it communicates/reflects your organisational values and how well your chosen venue can cater for your/their needs. Dedicated training and conference venues that focus solely on catering for development programmes have an advantage. Recently I arrived at a hotel venue and needed prompt assistance before participants arrived. The hotel staff were busy with guests wanting to checkout, book day trips, order packed lunches etc. My needs had no priority over those of other guests in the queue. With participants already arriving I had a real problem!
This experience contrasts with my experience of a development programme I ran in a dedicated conference venue. There was a team of event organisers and only two or three training events on any one day so, in effect, the team only had two or three priority customers to cater for. What’s more the venue staff took the trouble to get to know me and the other facilitators and were in a position to help if ever it was needed. Needless to say we have been back to that venue again and again which has had the added advantage of enabling us to negotiate a discount on the daily rate.
Another question is whether the programme should be residential or not. Clearly, this is a question of budget but huge benefits can be gained from making a course residential and building plenty of time in for networking and social activities. It is often admitted that the best learning from a programme happens at the bar when participants speak to someone with similar work challenges and start exchanging their experiences. It also allows participants to start building supportive relationships that can prosper after the formal programme is over. As one participant commented to me after the programme, “I have met people who I will continue to meet and enjoy the support they give. I think it was a very important aspect that we stayed at the hotel. I am sure it was of great benefit and allowed us to get to know each other as a group.”
This has been adapted from "Secrets of Successful Leadership Development Programmes: How to Design & Deliver Leadership Development Programmes That Really Make a Difference to the Business" You can download the full report from www.antoinetteoglethorpe.com
