Why Leadership Training Courses Are Worth It (Even If You’re Still Learning How to Email Without “Hi Team”)
Imagine this: it’s your second month in your first “real job.” You’re still wondering whether you can microwave fish in the office kitchen (please don’t), and now someone is telling you to join one of those leadership training courses. Leadership? You’re barely leading yourself out of bed before 8:45am.
Yet, here’s the twist: leadership training courses aren’t just for people with titles like Senior Director of Strategy, Global Innovation Lead, or other corporate Buzz Lightyear names. They’re for anyone who wants to build skills to navigate the real world of work, where leadership might mean being calm when the printer jams before a board report is due.
1. Leadership is not just for managers
According to research from the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL), leadership is a process, not a position (CCL, 2020). Their studies show that early-career professionals who engage in leadership development see improvements in self-awareness, confidence, and performance even without managerial titles.
In plain English? Leadership training doesn’t suddenly turn you into your boss’s boss. It turns you into the colleague people want on their project team because you can think clearly, communicate well, and not crumble under spreadsheet chaos.
2. The uncomfortable truth: you’re not born a leader
You may have heard “leaders are born, not made.” While some people have natural charisma (you know the type – they say “good morning” and suddenly HR is redesigning the office to boost morale), the truth is that leadership is learned.
Dr. Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset (Dweck, 2006) supports this. If you believe you can develop leadership skills, you will put effort into learning them. If you think you’re “just not leadership material,” you’ll never try – and ironically, that’s what limits you.
3. Why invest in leadership training early?
Here are some real reasons:
You’ll build self-awareness before bad habits solidify.
Leadership training courses often involve feedback assessments (360 reviews, personality profiling, or your favourite: roleplays where you act like a giraffe negotiating with a lion). Early exposure to self-awareness tools gives you a head start in building emotional intelligence.
You’ll learn how to influence without authority.
Harvard Business Review (HBR, 2018) notes that influencing skills are critical in modern organisations with flat structures. Leadership training equips you with frameworks to persuade, motivate, and align people without relying on “because I said so.”
Your confidence will grow faster than your imposter syndrome.
Early career professionals often think, “Who am I to suggest this idea?” Leadership development gives you practical tools to back yourself, so that when you speak up in meetings, it’s with clarity – not a trembling voice hoping no one notices.
You’ll future-proof your career.
McKinsey & Company (2023) highlights that leadership, adaptability, and emotional intelligence will be the defining skills of employability and progression in the next decade, regardless of automation or AI advancements.
4. “But I’m too busy learning my job to learn leadership.”
Fair point. You’re learning internal systems, dealing with that Excel sheet with 47 hidden tabs, and wondering how Karen from Finance manages to use “per my last email” so lethally.
However, here’s a comforting reframe: leadership training isn’t an extra burden. It’s an amplifier.
Think of it like gym mobility exercises. Sure, they’re not as flashy as deadlifts, but if you build stability early, you’ll lift heavier for longer without injury. Leadership training builds your professional stability: communication, prioritisation, resilience, and adaptability.
5. What actually happens in these courses?
Let’s demystify it. Good leadership training courses (whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid) often include:
Practical simulations (no giraffes, usually).
You practice giving feedback, resolving conflict, delegating, and presenting under pressure.
Peer learning.
You’ll bond with colleagues outside your immediate team, expanding your internal network – the people who will later support your projects, ideas, or recommend you for roles.
Reflection tools.
You’ll analyse your strengths and development areas, building that fabled self-awareness CEOs write about in autobiographies.
Action planning.
You walk away with a development plan that isn’t just “Be more confident,” but clear commitments like “Facilitate the next project retrospective” or “Offer to mentor a summer intern.”
6. Funny but true outcomes
Here are genuine (and slightly comedic) results observed from early careers professionals I’ve coached in leadership training:
They stop saying “Sorry, quick question…” before every idea.
Instead, they say, “Here’s a proposal…” and suddenly, people listen.
They stop filling every silence with “Ummm yeah so I guess…”.
Silence becomes a strategic pause, not a panic attack.
They learn that delegating doesn’t mean dumping work, but empowering colleagues and checking in effectively.
They become the person everyone wants in stakeholder meetings because they can translate chaos into action points.
7. Final verdict: Is it worth it?
Absolutely. Leadership training early in your career is like learning to swim before you’re thrown into deep water. Yes, you could figure it out eventually, flailing wildly, gasping for air, and traumatising innocent bystanders. Or you could practice calmly in a controlled environment with a qualified coach and a pool noodle for moral support.
As JFK once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” The sooner you integrate leadership learning into your career, the stronger, calmer, and more adaptable you will be – whether you end up leading teams of 2 or 2000.
8. Closing thought
So yes, you may still be figuring out how to write an email without starting with “Hi team, hope you’re well in these unprecedented times.” That’s okay. Leadership training isn’t about becoming perfect overnight; it’s about building the mindset and skills to grow into your potential, one awkward roleplay at a time.
GET IN TOUCH today, and let’s talk about how our leadership training courses can support your team’s development, motivation and purpose, leading to long lasting change.
References
Centre for Creative Leadership (2020). Leadership Development in Early Careers: Why It Matters.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Harvard Business Review (2018). How to Influence Without Authority.
McKinsey & Company (2023). The Skills Companies Need Most in 2023 and Beyond.
Kennedy, J. F. (1963). Speech in Dallas, Texas.