ATD Research: Organizations Are Experiencing a Leadership Skills Gap

[Alexandria, VA], November 12, 2024—New research by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)discovered that leaders are lacking communications skills, the top-rated professional skill noted by TD professionals as critical to a leader’s success.

“Strong communication skills can help leaders deliver effective feedback, build relationships, and motivate their employees,” according to ATD’s Leadership Skills: Unlocking Your Abilities to Face Tomorrow’s Challenges research report.

The report also found that building trust is a critical skill for leaders. This skill may involve displaying authenticity, listening, and communicating openly.

Key findings from the report include:

It costs more to train leaders than to train employees overall. About 13 percent of respondents say their organization spends more than $3,000 per year on leadership training. Respondents also believe the amount spent on training leaders will remain steady over the next year.

Ensuring strong organizational performance is the primary reason organizations train leaders in soft or professional skills. Other benefits may include improving employee performance and engagement.

“Being a successful leader requires a wide portfolio of skills, including technical knowledge and subject matter expertise. Leaders also need soft skills—the professional and people skills that allow them to collaborate, communicate, motivate, persuade, problem solve, and do the interpersonal work that leading a modern organization requires,” notes the report.

ATD surveyed 239 talent development professionals about the current and future skills gaps among leaders, the costs involved in training leaders, and the top professional skills a leader needs to be successful.

ATD is hosting a free webinar about the report on November 14 at 2 p.m. ET.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD’s members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports TD professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters and international member networks and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.