Using Leadership Development To Boost Return-on-Investment

Federal agencies may soon be facing an unprecedented need for internal leadership development. Training in succession planning and renewal can keep people in the organization and build commitment to the organization's culture and values. As many Baby Boomer leaders become eligible for retirement, there is a need for new leaders to fill the gaps left by retirement. However, ongoing proposals from Congress to downsize the federal workforce may thwart agencies' ability to hire new leaders from the outside. Additionally, a declining or stagnant federal budget may force cutbacks in external training and consulting budgets for developing leaders. The ROl process is conservative and guided by strict and proven data collection and analysis standards. It can provide both financial and nonfinancial results. As an ROI-accepted method of isolating the effects of training, leaders asked participants to estimate the effect of training, its monetary amounts, and their level of confidence in their estimates.