Leadership Development Programs and Social Learning Theory

Leadership Development Programs and Social Learning Theory 

The best trainers for leadership development training programs should be coming from someone who is a good people manager in deliver business results and people management. The reason is obvious: people learn from the behavior of the trainers rather than what the trainers teach in the class. It is stated in the Social Learning Theory that people learn by observing other persons whom they believe are credible and knowledgeable. This theory also recognizes that behavior which is reinforced or rewarded tends to be repeated. 

I. Social Learning Theory

According to social learning theory, learning new skills or behaviors comes from

Directly using that behavior or skill
Observing others demonstrating that behavior or using the skills
Learning is influenced by a person’s self-efficacy, a person’s judgment about whether he or she can successfully learn knowledge and skills.

II. Four Elements

Four Elements to consider when you develop and deliver leadership training programs.

Verbal Persuasion
offering words of encouragement to convince others they can learn.

Logical Verification
involves perceiving a relationship between a new task and a task already mastered.

Modeling
involves having employees who already have mastered the learning outcomes demonstrate them for trainees.

Past Accomplishments
allowing employees to build a history of successful accomplishments

III. Application of Delivering Leadership Skills 

Explanation in their context and cultural background
Enlighten with multimedia and games
Share with them your own examples
Demonstrate on site
Explain each of the Practical Steps 
Sharing from the group
Questions and answer
Role Play
Feedback
Team sharing
Follow Up
Level Three Kirkpatrick Evaluation 

IV. Implications in Employee Engagement
The Social Learning Theory is not only applied to the delivery leadership training. It also play an important role in cultivating positive corporate culture through the demonstration of good leadership behaviors. Such behaviors will determine the retention of high performers and the quality of employee engagement.