Discover proven methods to improve leadership skills through deliberate practice, feedback, coaching, and experience. Transform capability with systematic development.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Fri 7th November 2025
Leadership skills can be improved through deliberate practice, structured feedback, executive coaching, challenging experiences, formal education, peer learning, and reflective practice. Research demonstrates that leadership is not innate talent but learnable capabilities that develop through systematic effort—DDI found 82% of training participants were rated effective leaders post-programme, a 24% improvement from baseline.
The most effective development combines multiple approaches simultaneously. Formal training provides frameworks and knowledge; challenging experiences build judgement and capability; coaching enables personalised growth; and reflection transforms experience into learning. Individuals investing systematically in leadership development demonstrate measurably superior advancement and effectiveness compared to those relying on organic growth.
The question isn't whether leadership can be improved—decades of research confirm it can—but rather whether individuals commit to systematic development versus hoping capabilities emerge naturally.
Deliberate practice differs fundamentally from mere experience accumulation. Anders Ericsson's research demonstrates that expertise develops through focused practice on specific weaknesses with expert feedback—not just time spent.
For leadership, deliberate practice involves:
A manager struggling with difficult conversations doesn't improve by avoiding them—improvement requires deliberately seeking these conversations, preparing approaches, executing them, reflecting on outcomes, and refining technique.
Strategic thinking develops through:
Communication skills improve via:
Emotional intelligence grows through:
Decision-making strengthens by:
360-degree assessments gather structured feedback from managers, peers, direct reports, and other stakeholders—providing comprehensive view of leadership effectiveness versus self-perception.
The value lies in revealing blind spots:
Effective feedback use requires:
Beyond formal assessments, leaders should actively solicit feedback from managers, peers, and team members regularly:
"What one thing could I do differently that would improve my effectiveness?"
"How did my leadership during that project impact you and the team?"
"What leadership behaviours do you most appreciate? What creates challenges?"
This ongoing feedback provides real-time learning versus waiting for annual reviews.
Reflective practice transforms experience into learning. After significant leadership moments—difficult conversations, presentations, crisis responses, major decisions—effective leaders deliberately reflect:
Journaling this reflection creates documented learning accessible for future reference.
Executive coaching provides personalised development addressing individual challenges, growth edges, and aspirations. Coaches help leaders:
Coaching works because it's:
Mentorship relationships with senior leaders provide:
Effective mentorship requires:
Challenging experiences accelerate leadership development more than comfortable situations. Research by the Center for Creative Leadership found that significant leadership lessons emerge from:
These experiences build capabilities impossible to develop in stable, predictable environments.
Stretch assignments deliberately move leaders outside comfort zones into growth zones (avoiding panic zones where challenge overwhelms capability).
Seek assignments involving:
Structured programmes from business schools or specialised providers offer:
Programme selection should consider:
Beyond comprehensive programmes, focused training addresses specific capability gaps:
Leadership skill improvement timelines vary by starting capability, development approach intensity, and practice opportunities. Initial improvements appear within weeks of focused practice—communication or decision-making enhancements become noticeable quickly. Substantial capability development typically requires 6-12 months of sustained effort combining multiple approaches. Research indicates greatest individual leadership growth occurs over years rather than months, with many leaders reporting more development from challenging multi-year experiences than short courses. However, improvement is continuous rather than complete—effective leaders maintain development throughout careers. Organisations should expect 3-6 months minimum for measurable behaviour change from development programmes, whilst comprehensive leadership transformation may require 2-3 years.
Absolutely. Introverted individuals can develop highly effective leadership capabilities by leveraging strengths whilst adapting approaches. Strengths include thoughtful decision-making, careful listening, deep one-on-one relationships, and written communication. Development focuses on building sustainable visibility strategies versus forcing constant performance, authentic communication style versus imitating extroverted leaders, and strategic energy management enabling essential interactions. Introverts often excel at developing others through individual coaching, strategic thinking providing valuable perspective, and creating psychologically safe environments encouraging contribution. Research shows leadership effectiveness correlates weakly with extroversion—both personality types succeed through different pathways. Development should enhance authentic strengths whilst building minimum viable capability in areas requiring adaptation.
The fastest leadership improvement combines multiple simultaneous approaches: immediate feedback-seeking from managers, peers, and direct reports identifying blind spots; deliberate practice targeting specific weaknesses with expert guidance; stretch assignments providing accelerated learning through challenge; executive coaching enabling rapid behaviour change; and intensive leadership programmes compressing learning. However, "fast" still requires months—behaviour change doesn't occur overnight. Individuals should focus on highest-leverage improvements rather than everything simultaneously, practice new approaches consistently rather than sporadically, seek regular feedback confirming progress, and maintain realistic expectations about improvement pace. Research shows that whilst initial progress appears quickly, substantial transformation requires sustained effort. Quick fixes and shortcuts rarely produce lasting capability development.
Leadership development investment ranges from free (reading, self-reflection, stretch assignments, peer learning) to substantial (executive coaching £300-500/hour, executive education programmes £5,000-£100,000). Cost-effective approaches include internal company programmes (often free to employees), MOOCs and online courses (£50-£500), books and podcasts (minimal cost), professional associations providing development resources (membership fees £100-£500 annually), and volunteer leadership opportunities building capability at no cost. Mid-range options include targeted workshops (£500-£3,000), assessment tools like 360 feedback (£500-£2,000), and group coaching (£1,000-£5,000). Premium options include executive MBA programmes, extended residential programmes, and sustained one-on-one coaching. ROI research demonstrates £7 average return per pound invested in quality programmes.
Leadership improvement becomes apparent through multiple signals: 360-degree feedback showing positive change in specific behaviours; team performance improvements including productivity, engagement, retention, and quality; increased responsibilities offered reflecting demonstrated capability; peer and manager feedback noting behaviour changes; successful navigation of challenges that would have previously been overwhelming; greater comfort with previously difficult situations like conflict or public speaking; and unsolicited positive feedback from stakeholders. Quantitative measures include promotion rate compared to peers, team metrics compared to similar teams, and achievement of leadership development plan milestones. Self-perception of improvement should be validated through external feedback—blind spots mean self-assessment alone proves unreliable. Regular check-ins with coaches, mentors, or managers provide reality checks on actual versus perceived progress.
Lack of formal training access doesn't prevent leadership development. Free and low-cost approaches include extensive reading (leadership books, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey Quarterly), podcasts and online content, stretch assignments and volunteer opportunities, peer learning groups, mentorship relationships (offering value in exchange for guidance), self-directed learning through MOOCs, reflective practice and journaling, and deliberate practice applying concepts to actual work. Many successful leaders developed primarily through challenging experiences, feedback-seeking, and reflection rather than formal programmes. The key is systematic versus haphazard development—identify specific capability gaps, create practice opportunities, seek feedback, and refine approach iteratively. Organisations often support development when employees demonstrate initiative and present business cases for investment.
Yes, leadership skills deteriorate without use and ongoing development, similar to athletic or musical abilities. Leaders in individual contributor roles for extended periods often struggle when returning to management, having lost comfort with delegation, feedback delivery, and team dynamics. Skills requiring practice—public speaking, strategic communication, conflict navigation—atrophy particularly quickly. However, decline is reversible through renewed practice. More concerning is capability obsolescence—approaches effective previously may prove inadequate as organisational contexts evolve. Continuous development prevents both deterioration and obsolescence. Leaders should maintain skills through ongoing practice opportunities, regular feedback and reflection, peer discussions, contemporary reading, and periodic formal development. Even senior leaders require sustained development rather than assuming capability achievement is permanent.