You’re considering leadership development, but is now the right time? Maybe your organization is busier than ever, and even though you know you’ll thank yourself later for prioritizing development, it just doesn’t feel doable right now. Or maybe you’re an individual contributor who’s crushing it at work, but you’re wondering if it’s time to take that next step.
Like any big commitment, timing matters. There are moments when leadership development can make a huge impact, and others when it might just add stress without real results. Here at The Metiss Group, we help our clients find the program and timing for leadership development that works best for them.
Let’s talk about the best (and worst) times for leadership development, both for individuals and for organizations. In this article, we’ll discuss:
- The Best Time for Individuals Is Right Before a Plateau
- The Best Time for Organizations Is When Things Have Settled
- When Senior Leaders Are Approaching Retirement
- Scrappy Startups Becoming An Established Company
- If Your Company Is Down in the Market, It Could Be A Good Time
- The Worst Time? When You Have Zero Time
- Senior Leaders: It’s Never Too Late
The Best Time for Individual Leadership Development Is Right Before a Plateau
There’s a sweet spot for leadership development. It’s when you’ve been achieving a lot and feeling comfortable, but you’re also itching for something more. You’re no longer just thinking about your own performance; you’re wondering how you can help others grow. Maybe you’re mentoring someone informally, or maybe you’ve started thinking about how your team could work more effectively. That’s your sign.
This is the perfect moment to step into leadership development. You’re motivated, you’re eager, and you’re not stuck in a rut.
On the other hand, you won’t want to realize you need leadership development after you’ve already plateaued — when you look around and realize you haven’t had a promotion or a raise in five years. At that point, it’s harder to build momentum.
Don’t wait until you're bored, frustrated, or stagnant. The best time is when you’re still on the upswing.
The Best Time for Organizational Leadership Development Is When Things Have Settled
Organizations thrive when they develop strong leaders before they desperately need them.
The best time to invest in leadership development on the organizational level is when things are relatively stable and the organization is thinking about what’s next. Maybe your company has a strategic plan that involves major growth or a shift in a new direction.
Take one of our clients, for example. They had been operating solely in the U.S. for decades but decided they wanted to expand globally. Smart move, but the leadership skills that got them there weren’t necessarily the same skills they needed to succeed internationally.
Their leadership team needed to grow in new ways to support that shift. By aligning leadership development with their strategic goals, they set themselves up for success.
Develop New Leaders When Senior Leaders Are Approaching Retirement
If half your leadership team is planning to retire in the next five to ten years, you can’t afford to wait until they’re walking out the door to start thinking about successors. Developing future leaders isn’t a quick process. It takes time.
And it’s not just about replacing top executives. It’s a domino effect. When senior leaders move up or move out, mid-level leaders need to step up, and their positions need to be filled too.
The worst thing a company can do is ignore succession planning until it’s too late. If leadership development isn’t a priority now, it’ll become an emergency later.
Scrappy Startups Need Leadership Development Before They Become An Established Company
Startups are built on hustle. The people who got you off the ground were likely incredible individual contributors: working late nights, wearing multiple hats, doing whatever it took.
But as your company grows, those same people may not have the leadership skills necessary for the next phase.
We worked with a company where the CEO and his small team literally started in his garage. He told his original team, "Someday, we’re all going to lead this company into the future!"
And for a while, that worked. But as the company scaled, he realized being a great startup warrior didn’t automatically mean being a great leader. His team needed leadership essentials training to grow into their new roles.
If your company is transitioning from startup mode to a more established enterprise, leadership development is the difference between scaling successfully and hitting a wall.
If Your Company Is Down in the Market, It Could Be A Good Time For Leadership Development
It might seem counterintuitive, but a slow market can be a great time for leadership development. When business is slower, leaders actually have the bandwidth to step back, think strategically, and develop new skills. And if your company is struggling, strong leadership can be the difference between bouncing back and sinking further.
That said, there’s a caveat: if you’re in full-blown crisis mode — layoffs, budget cuts, survival mode — leadership development isn’t going to be your quick fix. If every dollar spent feels like an expense instead of an investment, it’s probably not the right time. Leadership development works best as part of a bigger strategy, not as a last-ditch effort to turn things around overnight.
The Worst Time For Leadership Development? When You Have Zero Time
No matter how much you want to grow as a leader, if you don’t have even five extra minutes in your day, you’re not going to get much out of a leadership development program.
One of our clients was set to become the next CEO, but life had other plans. He had just gotten married, his wife was dealing with a difficult pregnancy, they had moved into a fixer-upper, and he had just started a master’s program. He was running on fumes. In the end, he had to step back from the CEO track because he simply didn’t have the capacity.
The same applies to companies. If your organization is in the middle of an acquisition, a major transition, or a chaotic season (think: year-end performance reviews, major restructuring, or crisis management), then launching a leadership development program is not going to be effective.
You can sustain leadership development through a busy season, but starting from scratch when everything is already overwhelming? You’re setting yourself up for failure.
Senior Leaders: It’s Never Too Late For Development
One common mistake is thinking leadership development is only for new or aspiring leaders. The truth is, leadership is a saw that needs constant sharpening.
You might have been an incredible leader ten years ago, but if you haven’t actively developed your leadership skills, you might not be the leader your team needs today.
Think of leadership like a professional sport. Elite athletes don’t stop training just because they won a championship. They keep refining their skills, working with coaches, and staying sharp.
Leadership works the same way. If you’ve been leading for years, great! But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to learn.
The Bottom Line on Leadership Development Timing
If you’re considering leadership development for yourself or your organization, the key is to be intentional about timing. Make sure you have the time and resources to invest in it, and don’t wait until it’s too late. The best leaders and the best organizations plan ahead.
At The Metiss Group, we’ve spent 30 years helping leaders develop the skills they need to succeed. Whether you’re an individual contributor ready for your next step or an organization preparing for big changes, investing in leadership development at the right time can set you up for long-term success.
Now that you understand the best time for leadership development, the next step is to read our list of the best leadership development companies in the US. This will help you narrow down your search and sign up with your best fit when the timing is right.
Topics:
