Leadership development shouldn't be as difficult as it is. Unfortunately, too many organizations make the same mistakes over and over again, undermining their efforts to develop leadership talent.

The mistakes infect the decisions regarding leadership development programs and, as a result, enervate and emaciate them, just like an infectious disease. It's time for an antidote.

Here are five of the most common mistakes and some antidotes.

There's a universal curriculum, like high school. The most common mistake is to assume there is one, universal curriculum for leaders that, if taught, will guarantee leadership success. An appealing thought, no doubt, but doomed to fail from the start.

A universal curriculum is not a vaccine that works for everyone. To assume that everyone needs the same courses is a mistake that, if instituted, will bore people stiff and be a waste of time because the courses are either redundant (they already know it), irrelevant (they won't ever use it), or impractical (they can't put it into practice) for many of the participants.

The antidote - Don't stuff your programs with an everything- you-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask set of courses. Select a few courses that address known leadership skill gaps in your organization or that prepare people for challenges they will face in the immediate future.

Off-the-shelf programs work. I'm sure there are off-the shelf courses that make sense some of the time. But, far too many take a one-size-fits-all approach to learning that assumes your people and your problems are just like everyone else's.

The reason we go to a doctor is because the doctor diagnoses the nature of the illness and prescribes the appropriate solution. Off-the-shelf programs fail to take into consideration that your situation, your firm's culture, and your participants' experiences are not like those of other businesses and other people.

The antidote - Don't try to self medicate by picking over-the- counter, off-the-shelf solutions. Figure out exactly what's needed and find the right solution that's been tested and proven to work on your issues.

You get what you pay for. Quality isn't always determined by price or brand. Many companies begin their search by contacting the most well known or most expensive programs first. What's wrong with this approach?

Often, the large, well-established training and education firms rest on their reputations and are unwilling to adapt their programs to the needs of their clients. As a result, the programs may not be as focused and relevant as appropriate. And, in some cases, the cost is not worth the benefit - the ROI isn't there.

The antidote - Don't let the glitter of stardom blind you to the need for a focused, responsive program. Modify, or develop, programs to address your concerns and provide a reasonable rate of return on the investment. It's possible to get good quality at reasonable prices - just think of Toyota and Honda.

Follow Nike's advice - just do it. Despite high-powered graphics and extensive data, people don't learn by being told what to do. Oddly, many programs operate as though, like Nike, all they have to do is tell someone what's expected and learning will miraculously happen. Not so.

There is a difference between informing and educating. Companies that fail to recognize the difference persist in making the fatal mistake of providing programs that inform instead of educate, that lecture and explain instead of creating practical learning programs.

The antidote - Don't fall into the trap of believing that merely telling people what to do will result in them acting differently. Effective leadership development programs require participants to practice, with feedback, what they will need to do differently at work tomorrow.

If you build it, they will come. Remember "The Field of Dreams?" A great movie, but a bad model for leadership development programs. Unfortunately, many firms make the mistake of building or buying expensive, comprehensive resources without spending enough time thinking about whether or how they will ever be used.

Training and technology experts revel in the creation of their dream solutions, but often don't take the time to adequately determine how to ensure that the pie-in-the-sky programs will be used and whether, if used, they will make a difference in performance. It takes nearly as much thought and effort to insure that people will use the programs as it does to build them. Otherwise, you'll have built a Noah's Ark in the desert.

Antidote - Don't accept the argument that the mere creation of a whiz-bang, cutting-edge program will guarantee it will work and be used. Pilot and test a variety of ways to get people to use the programs you're considering purchasing before making the investment so that you know, in advance, whether they'll make use of it and what it will take for them to do so.

As an avid gardener and Italian-American, I grow tomatoes. Nature has a way of making my effort to grow them more complicated than I'd planned. Despite my planning, preparation, and attention there are always surprises.

There are the normal and expected things like fertilization, staking and tying up the plant as it grows, and watering. But nature presents the unexpected, too. This year, there's a fungus causing the leaves to turn yellow, shrivel, and sap the energy from the plants. I've had to pay much closer attention and intervene weekly with sprays and cut off the diseased leaves.

Leadership, like gardening, requires constant attention, recognition of the unforeseen changes that arise, analysis of the changes, and appropriate and timely action to respond to the threats that arise in order to reap the harvest of our efforts.

I just finished reading the story of Custer and Crazy Horse leading up to the Battle of the Little Big Horn in the 1870's. Custer was a highly decorated veteran of the Civil War, having shown his courage by leading cavalry attacks time and time again.

Despite his bravery, though, his hubris and ignorance led to his death and the death of more than 200 other soldiers. He failed his men by failing to understanding his enemy's strength and location. He believed, erroneously, that his personal courage, charisma, and will, along with a trained, armed, and motivated group of soldiers, would be enough.

He was wrong. His unwillingness to consider and determine exactly the status of his competition was his undoing. It cost the lives of all his men, needlessly. Had he taken the time to determine what he was up against, he could have called upon nearby reinforcements.

Courage alone is not enough for leaders. Understanding where you are and what you're up against matters, too. What might you have overlooked?

email: archie@archietinelli.com archie@archietinelli.com