Training is Interesting. Development Actually Works.
The difference between a leader who has been trained and a leader who has been formed is the difference between information and transformation.
Why “Leadership Development” Often Falls Short
Organizations spend significant resources on leadership development every year. And yet, the challenges persist: leaders who can't navigate ambiguity and complexity, teams that struggle to align, executives who plateau. They talk about leadership instead of forming leaders.
The research points to a consistent culprit. Most leadership development programs focus on knowledge transfer – frameworks, skills, tactics. They treat leadership like information to be downloaded. But expanding leadership capacity requires something deeper: formation.
Formation is the process by which a person is shaped at a more fundamental level. How they think, how they process complexity, and how they see themselves and others. A leader who has been well-formed doesn't just know more. They are more. They bring a qualitatively different kind of presence and judgment to every situation they face.
This distinction (drawn from decades of research in adult developmental psychology) is the foundation of everything Awaken does in the leadership space.
Individual Formation Isn’t Enough. You Need a System.
The most transformative leadership coaching experience in the world will only go so far if it exists in isolation. Lasting organizational change requires the infrastructure to develop leaders continuously – not just through one-off programs, but through a complete, intentionally designed talent system.
Dr. Einfeld helps organizations build that infrastructure. This includes:
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Defining what leadership looks like at each level of the organization: the mindsets, behaviors, dispositions, and capabilities expected of emerging leaders, mid-level managers, and senior executives alike.
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Connecting evaluation and feedback processes to the actual leadership expectations of the organization, so development conversations happen consistently, not just at annual review time.
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Identifying and actively developing the next generation of leaders before the urgency to do so creates a crisis.
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Building a culture where leadership formation is embedded in the rhythm of organizational life, not reserved for a once-a-year retreat.
Your Organization Is Ready For a Talent System If…
- Your organization is growing and you need more leaders ready to step into greater responsibility
- You've invested in leadership training before, but the results didn't stick
- You want to build a culture where leadership development happens continuously, not episodically
- You're ready to go beyond the surface and do the harder, more meaningful work of formation