Why 89% of Leadership Development Fails (And What to Do Instead)

Only 11% of executives are happy with their leadership development.

That stat caught us off guard—and energized us. Why? Because it validates what we’re hearing inside real companies every week.

In this episode, Becky Rivest, Jeff Lovell, Mike Pumphrey, and Aaron Lee unpack a recent Training Magazine article on leadership development in the age of AI.

What begins as a data dive quickly becomes a deeply strategic conversation about what’s actually working—and what’s not—when it comes to building leaders at scale.

Key Quotes

• "Leadership development takes more than belief. It takes a plan." — Becky Rivest
• "AI is an amplifier. It makes clarity clearer—and chaos more chaotic." — Jeff Lovell
• "Innovation and engagement are rising—but they can't be addressed with information alone." — Mike Pumphrey

Show Outline

• 0:00 Summer signs and sunscreen: team check-in
• 2:00 The article that sparked this episode
• 3:30 Why intention without a plan is still failure
• 5:00 The 11% effectiveness stat (and why it matters)
• 8:00 Root causes: time, complexity, and missed investment
• 11:00 Innovation vs. engagement: a growing gap
• 13:30 Where development efforts leak impact
• 17:00 A client story: high touch > high tech
• 20:00 Culture, trust, and change management
• 24:00 A map for leadership development
• 25:00 Final takeaway: Don’t run another workshop

Resources We Mentioned

• Training Magazine: AI's Evolving Role in Developing Leaders