Are We Still Getting Leadership Development Wrong in 2026?

Last year, we asked 341 leaders, managers and team members how leaders are really supporting their people's growth and development. The results were eye-opening. This year, we're asking again and we need your voice.

I want to start with the finding that has stayed with me most since we published our 2025 Leadership Development Survey.

It wasn't the gap between how leaders rate themselves and how their teams experience them (though that gap was significant). It wasn't even the disparity between what leaders say they do and what external consultants observe them doing in practice. It was this: when we asked leaders what their biggest barrier was to supporting their team's personal development, over half - 52% - said time.

Not budget. Not capability. Not organisational culture. Time.

And I've been sitting with that ever since. Because time is the one resource we all have equally. What we're really talking about, when we say "I don't have time," is prioritisation. We're saying, unconsciously or otherwise, that something else matters more.

In a world where people are the most important asset any organisation has, that's a challenging truth to sit with.

 What We Found in 2025

Last year, Blue Gnu Consulting surveyed 341 people across the leadership spectrum; CEOs, Directors, Managers, Team Leaders, and team members - to explore a deceptively simple question: how are leaders really supporting their people's growth and development?

What we found was a story of good intentions meeting inconsistent execution and a striking gap between how leaders perceive themselves and how their teams actually experience them.

Leaders, broadly speaking, felt good about their performance. 83% believed their leadership style was seen positively by their teams. 81% felt confident in their ability to inspire people through challenges. 70% said they were providing daily or weekly coaching and feedback.

Employees told a rather different story.

30% of non-leaders said they rarely or never receive coaching or feedback. 64% said the support they receive for their development falls short of what they need - with 29% describing that gap as significant. And only 36% of employees said their leader regularly checks in on their development at all.

External consultants - brought in as a neutral third-party lens - largely validated the employee experience, not the leader's self-assessment. 71% of consultants observed leaders failing to provide development-focused coaching and feedback. Only 29% rated leaders as genuinely good at empowering their teams to grow.

The conclusion was uncomfortable but clear: leaders are frequently mistaking good intentions for real impact. They're conflating general communication with meaningful developmental conversation. They understand what good leadership looks like - they just aren't consistently doing it.

 Why Does This Matter More Than Ever in 2026?

I'll be honest with you. I'm already seeing a worrying trend this year.

The global economic climate is making organisations and individuals more cautious about investing in development. Budgets are tighter. The ROI conversation is harder to have. And there's a creeping tendency - understandable, but dangerous - to treat development as a discretionary spend rather than a core business necessity.

At the same time, AI is changing the conversation around learning in genuinely exciting ways. Used well, it can be a powerful practice tool, a coach in your pocket, a way to close skills gaps faster than ever before.

But I want to be clear about something: you cannot outsource human leadership to AI.

People need to be led, developed and cared for by other people. The qualities that came through most strongly in last year's data - listening, empathy, psychological safety, genuine coaching conversations - are undoubtedly human. A bot cannot replace the moment a leader looks someone in the eye and says, "I believe in you. Here's what I see in you. Here's how I want to help you grow" or "I know this is tough, I've got your back". 

If anything, in a world increasingly mediated by technology and economic uncertainty, that human connection at work matters more, not less.

 So Why Are We Running the Survey Again?

Because one year's data tells you where you are. Two years' data starts to tell you something far more interesting: where things are going.

Are leaders getting better at showing up for their people's development? Is the perception gap between leaders and employees narrowing or widening? Has the economic squeeze made things worse? Has the conversation around AI shifted how people think about learning and growth?

We don't know yet. But we're determined to find out.

This year, we're aiming to more than double our respondents - to 700 voices and beyond - to build a richer, more representative picture of the state of leadership development in 2026.

And we need everyone in the survey. Not just people who manage others.

If you're a team member who has never managed anyone in your life, your voice is arguably the most important one we can capture. The entire premise of this research rests on comparing how leaders see themselves with how the people they lead actually experience them. We can't do that without both sides of the story.

Will You Take 5 Minutes to Help Shape the Conversation?

The survey takes around five minutes (or less) to complete, and closes on Friday 12th June.

Whether you lead a team of two or two hundred, whether you're a seasoned CEO or someone who's just been promoted into their first management role, whether you feel brilliantly supported in your development or completely overlooked - we want to hear from you.

👉 Blue Gnu's Leadership Survey 2026

Every response helps build a clearer, more honest picture of what's really happening inside organisations right now and what leaders need to do differently to genuinely serve their people. It's sector agnostic, so it doesn't matter what industry you work in, we want to hear from you!

Last year, the data told us that the opportunity for change is huge. The foundations are there. Leaders care, employees want to grow, and the relationship capital exists. The missing piece is the consistent, intentional execution of high quality leadership skills, tools and mindset.

Let's find out together whether 2026 is the year that starts to change.

---

Elaine Gosden is CEO of Blue Gnu Consulting, a leadership development consultancy that believes in growth that's joyful, abundant and overflowing with partnership.

If you'd like to talk about your organisation's leadership development plans, get in touch at admin@bluegnuco.com