Smelling the Roses

Periodic follow-up is a crucial but often neglected element of leadership development. It brings dual benefits (see the sidebar “A Tale of Two Studies”). First, by reinforcing the idea of development as a process and not an event, it promotes continuous, lifelong learning. Second, by identifying what levels of change and how much growth has occurred, it measures the impact of a leadership development intervention on individuals, groups, and organizations and the value of the intervention itself. People in today's society are often so focused on moving on to solving the next problem that they are unable to acknowledge what has already been accomplished. Sometimes looking back, however, is the best way to move forward.