UK organisations are placing unprecedented demands on leaders, spanning performance, wellbeing, AI adoption and change, yet leadership development systems have not kept pace.

This research shows a decisive shift towards practical capability, particularly at first‑line manager level, alongside rising demand for AI‑ready leadership.

Time, capacity and budget constraints continue to limit impact, accelerating demand for embedded, measurable, year‑long leadership development models.

Who we are

Emma Shepherd and Jodie Salt work at the intersection of leadership, culture and organisational performance. Between us, we partner with HR, L&D and People leaders to design leadership development that is practical, evidence‑led and rooted in real organisational challenges, not theory for theory’s sake.

We work closely with organisations navigating complexity: rapid change, increasing pressure on leaders, evolving expectations of work, and the growing demand for inclusive, human‑centred leadership.

Why we produced this report

This report was created in response to a recurring conversation we hear from HR and L&D leaders: “There’s no shortage of leadership development but it’s increasingly hard to find what actually works.”

We wanted to move beyond opinion and sales-led narratives, and instead capture a clear, UK‑centric picture of:

What organisations are prioritising in leadership and management development

Where capability gaps are most acute

What genuinely differentiates leadership development providers

Why so much investment still fails to translate into sustained behaviour change

The insights in this report are drawn directly from HR, L&D and senior people leaders those shaping strategy, holding budgets, and living with the consequences when development doesn’t land.