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Why good leadership training pays little dividends

April 9, 2026

Veel organisaties investeren serieus in leiderschapsontwikkeling. En toch verandert er in de praktijk vaak verrassend weinig.

Leiders kennen de modellen. Hebben de training gevolgd. Weten wat er van hen verwacht wordt. Veel leiders groeien hierdoor enorm als leider en in zelfvertrouwen. En toch blijven dezelfde ongewenste gedragspatronen in de organisatie terugkomen.

Het echte probleem zit niet in de leider

Leiderschap wordt vaak als een individueel vraagstuk benaderd: meer skills, ander gedrag, betere competenties. Maar gedrag is zelden op zichzelf staand. Het is vaak een logisch antwoord op de context.

  • impliciete verwachtingen en normen
  • bestaande machtsverhoudingen
  • wat wel of niet ‘veilig’ of ‘normaal’ is om te doen

Zolang dat systeem niet verandert, kunnen individuele leiders weinig invloed pakken.

Wat kun je doen om het systeem te veranderen?

  • Haal onderliggende patronen boven tafel: welke dynamieken keren steeds terug, ondanks interventies?

Dit kun je bijvoorbeeld doen tijdens een teamsessie met een brainstorm in subgroepen. Hierbij speelt vaak

de gehele organisatiecontext een rol.

  • Werk met het échte vraagstuk: wat speelt er onder de oppervlakte, maar wordt nog niet uitgesproken?

In een teamsessie krijg je dit boven tafel met bijvoorbeeld de juiste systemische vragen en het creëren van

een veilige setting.

  • Faciliteer het ‘lastige gesprek’: waar spanning zit, zit ook vaak de opening voor verandering.

Ook hier is een veilige sfeer cruciaal, plus een nieuwgierige en constructieve mindset en eventueel

begeleiders die helpen bij doorvragen, concretiseren en het maken van heldere afspraken.

De ROI van systemisch werken

Wanneer je niet alleen het individu ontwikkelt in een goede leiderschapstraining, maar ook het systeem meeneemt:

✔ Verandert gedrag sneller en duurzamer
✔ Verminderen terugkerende patronen (minder “gedoe”)
✔ Verhoogt eigenaarschap in teams
✔ Worden besluiten sneller en consistenter genomen
✔ Stijgt de effectiviteit van bestaande programma’s

Kortom: je haalt méér rendement uit alles wat je al doet.

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Frequently asked questions

Practical answers to questions we often get.

What kind of organisations work with ElevenGroup?

We work mainly with medium-sized and large organisations, often internationally, in sectors where collaboration, leadership and culture are crucial. Our clients range from commercial companies to (semi-)public organisations. What they have in common: the desire to look beyond standard solutions and achieve truly sustainable development.

We combine more than 20 years of leadership and team development experience with systemic work and organisational consulting. This means that we do not only look at behaviour or skills, but also at underlying patterns, dynamics and context. In addition, we always work in a custom way, paying close attention to the reality of the organisation as well as to what happens between people.

Systemic work is about making unconscious patterns and relationships within teams and organisations visible. Consider questions such as: Who takes what place? What gets excluded? By working with these, clarity, movement and relaxation often emerge quickly - without becoming woolly. We always translate insights into concrete steps in practice.

We often get this question. Our experience is exactly the opposite. Systemic work is actually very effective because it gets to the heart of the matter quickly and makes persistent issues open for discussion. We always link it to organisational goals, performance and results. Gentle in the approach, clear in the impact.

We almost always work with custom solutions. Sometimes we build on existing leadership programmes or interventions, sometimes we design something new together. We match the form, pace and content to the organisation, the people and the question behind the question.

Among others for:

  • leadership development (individual and collective)
  • team development and cooperation
  • coaching of leaders and professionals
  • culture and organisational change
  • guidance in case of tensions, transitions or growth

Often, assignments start with an exploration in which together we clarify what is really needed.

You work with one or more experienced professionals from our network, always carefully selected for the demand and context. We strongly believe in cooperation and complementarity - also within our own team.

We focus not on 'inspiration alone', but on change that carries through into everyday work. We do this by:

  • Work on concrete issues
  • giving leaders and teams ownership
  • linking interventions to practice
  • make room for reflection and action

Sustainable growth occurs when insight and doing come together.

An introduction is always non-binding. We listen to your question, share our initial observations and think along about possible follow-up steps. Sometimes one conversation is enough to determine the direction to take; sometimes an in-depth intake follows.

Sure. Many collaborations start with a pilot, a team intervention or an individual coaching programme. From there it can grow - or not. That, too, is fine.

We work in Dutch and English, and are used to international contexts and multicultural teams.

Via the contact page on our site or by calling or emailing us directly. We are happy to meet you in person.

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