Never before have leaders had access to so much knowledge about how to lead. Yet too often, they keep learning instead of acting on what they already know. For years, we’ve accepted the idea that better leadership begins with closing the knowledge gap.
Attend another leadership retreat. Enroll in another executive program. Listen to another podcast.
The assumption is simple. The more leaders know, the better they will lead. That assumption is increasingly difficult to defend.
The leadership gap today is often less about what leaders know than whether they are willing to act on what they already understand. Leadership theories, executive education, coaching, podcasts, and business books have become a global industry. Harvard Business Impact’s 2025 Global Leadership Development Study, based on 1,159 L&D and HR professionals and functional leaders across 14 countries, found that leadership development remains an important organizational priority.
But respondents also identified significant barriers, including insufficient time for learning, difficulty assessing leadership-skill gaps, poor alignment with business strategy and organizational resistance to change. The study also found that organizations increasingly prioritize practical application, post-program sustainment and measurable business impact when evaluating leadership-development programs. That disconnect deserves more attention.
Organizations can fill executives with knowledge while leaving the behaviors that determine how people actually experience leadership largely unchanged. I have spent much of my career helping leaders learn, grow, and challenge their thinking. When someone genuinely lacks knowledge, education is an intelligent investment.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
