By Chally Kacelnik
Capability building often stalls, not because the development itself is poor, but because managers sit on the sidelines. People attend programs and come back with new ideas, but without the opportunity to implement them. Program participants then return to the same expectations, pressures, and constraints they had before. Unsurprisingly, very little changes.
Managers play a critical role in whether or not development sticks. They shape what gets prioritised or rewarded, and what is considered “real work”. If managers aren’t engaged in the development process, participants are left trying to apply new skills in environments that implicitly discourage change.
This doesn’t usually come from bad intent. Managers are busy, and development can feel secondary to operational demands. But when development is treated as an add-on rather than part of how work gets done, it quickly fades into the background.
Effective capability building requires managers to actively create space for learning to be applied. This means discussing development goals, adjusting expectations, and supporting people as they try new approaches, including when it feels slower or less comfortable at first. This involvement needs to happen when the program does, not after the fact. Without this support, people revert to familiar habits because the system rewards continuity, not improvement.
In leadership development programs delivered by LKS Quaero, we deliberately involve managers. They’re asked to identify real opportunities for participants to exercise authority, make decisions, and lead work differently. When managers understand their role in capability building, development stops being theoretical and starts producing visible change.
At LKS Quaero, we run leadership development that sticks. For more information, visit us at lksquaero.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
