Leader Development: Line Leaders’ Struggles in Developing the Next Set of Leaders Through on-the-job experiences
- MVN Rao
- Nov 10
- 2 min read
Developing future leaders is a priority for most organizations. In fact, almost every competency framework includes “developing subordinates,” “building successors,” or “nurturing the next generation of leaders.” Leaders at every level emphasize its importance, and companies invest significantly in leadership development efforts.
These investments usually include defining leadership competency models, running assessment centers to identify high potentials, partnering with consultants and management schools, and offering leadership journeys, coaching, mentoring, and action learning projects. Such initiatives, when designed and delivered well, often achieve reasonable success.
Yet, many HR and talent professionals agree that the most impactful development happens through carefully crafted on-the-job experiences and role rotations. Some organizations, often labeled “leadership factories,” have mastered this practice. So, the natural question is: if the playbook is so well-known, why do so many organizations still struggle to implement it?
Through my conversations with business and people leaders, a few recurring challenges emerge:
1. Lack of Sustained Focus
Many organizations start leadership development initiatives with enthusiasm, but struggle to sustain them over time. Without consistent follow-through, these efforts fade into “one-time programs” with little long-term impact.
2. Limited Role Movements
True development requires exposure to diverse roles and challenges. Yet, in practice, organizations often fail to provide meaningful role rotations. As the joke goes: “It’s easier to find a new job in another company than to move roles within the same one.”
3. Reluctance to Release High Performers
Strong performers often become “victims” of their success. Managers hesitate to let them move, fearing disruption, while the employees themselves sometimes choose to stay where they’re comfortable and valued.
4. Over-Specialization in Domain Expertise
Employees with deep expertise in niche areas are often “straitjacketed” into those roles. While specialist career paths exist, many organizations don’t recognize or reward these contributions adequately, limiting cross-functional growth.
5. Weak Consequence Management
Although leadership development is often listed as a leader’s key responsibility, performance evaluations tend to emphasize immediate business results. This creates a culture where developing talent is talked about, but not truly measured or rewarded.
6. Mismatch Between Opportunities and Development Needs
When developmental opportunities arise, practical considerations—like availability, client commitments, or project demands—often take precedence. As a result, the chance for growth is lost.
7. Initiative Fatigue
With organizations juggling multiple transformations, change projects, and priorities, leadership development risks getting deprioritized. Some companies leverage these initiatives as platforms for developing emerging leaders, while others lose focus amidst the overload.
Moving Forward
The organizations that succeed in creating strong leadership pipelines are the ones that:
Sustain development practices over years, not just months.
Create systems for genuine role rotations and stretch assignments.
Balance performance results with talent development outcomes.
Recognize both specialists and generalists in career paths.
For this to happen, leadership development must remain at the top of the agenda for boards and senior management. Only then can organizations build a true culture of leader development—one that ensures a steady pipeline of capable successors.
#crossmentors #Leadership development #succession planning
What practices have worked in your organization to make on-the-job leadership development real and sustainable?Look forward to hearing your views and practices.
Trust us to get your leaders to be at their best!
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