Online Leadership Development vs Classroom Training

Online Leadership Development vs Classroom Training: What Really Works (And Why More Organisations Are Rethinking How They Develop Leaders)

The biggest frustration with leadership and management training

If you’re a director, HR manager, business owner, or an individual manager looking to develop your skills, chances are you’ve felt this frustration.

You invest in leadership and management training.
People attend a classroom course.
The day is engaging.
The feedback is positive.

Then everyone goes back to work.

Emails pile up. Meetings take over. Deadlines return. Team issues resurface. And before anyone’s had a proper chance to apply what they learned, the craziness of the working day takes over.

A few weeks later, most of the learning - and many of the good intentions - have quietly fallen by the wayside.

This is one of the biggest challenges organisations face when developing leaders, regardless of whether training is delivered in a classroom or online.

So the real question isn’t:

“Should we do online or classroom training?”

It’s:

“What actually works when it comes to leadership development?”

Why this debate matters more than ever

Leadership has changed.

Managers are now expected to:

• Lead people, not just tasks
• Handle constant change
• Manage hybrid teams
• Communicate clearly under pressure
• Support wellbeing as well as performance

At the same time, organisations are busier than ever.

So when leadership development doesn’t stick, the cost isn’t just financial - it shows up in:

• Inconsistent leadership
• Poor communication
• Burnt-out managers
• Frustrated HR teams

That’s why more organisations are genuinely questioning whether traditional classroom training alone is still the best answer.

From what I see across organisations, classroom training often fails because:

• It’s too compressed

• It assumes people can apply learning immediately

• It doesn’t support people once challenges arise

• It treats leadership like information, not behaviour

Managers leave knowing what they should do - but not always feeling confident doing it.

And when confidence wobbles, people revert to old habits.

That’s not a lack of motivation.
It’s a lack of ongoing support.

So where does online leadership development fit in?

Online leadership development used to have a bad reputation.

People imagined:

• Long videos

• Generic content

• No human connection

Done badly, that reputation was deserved.

But supported online leadership development is very different - and that’s what’s changing the conversation.

What actually makes online leadership development work

The online programmes that work best don’t try to replace people - they support them over time.

Effective online leadership development:

• Spreads learning over months

• Allows people to learn at their own pace

• Encourages real-world application

• Provides ongoing support and accountability

Instead of being an event, development becomes a process.

That’s exactly the thinking behind the Online Leadership and Management Growth Academy.

How the Leadership and Management Growth Academy is different

The Growth Academy is a 12-month online leadership and management development programme, designed for real people doing real jobs.

It’s not about rushing through content.

It’s about:

• Short, practical learning modules

• Clear, actionable leadership activities

• Tools managers can use immediately

• A development folder to evidence growth

• Monthly live support and coaching sessions with me

That ongoing support is the key difference.

People aren’t left to “get on with it”.
They’re supported as they try, reflect, adjust, and grow.

A quick introduction to me

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Adrian Close.

I’ve managed teams, owned businesses, and led people through pressure, growth, and change. I’ve experienced the confidence wobbles that come with leadership responsibility - and learned, sometimes the hard way, what genuinely helps.

Alongside my own experience, I continually study leadership, management, behaviour, and performance. I also learn a huge amount from the many clients I work with across different industries and countries.

That combination shapes how I work.

I don’t believe leadership development should feel overwhelming or unrealistic.
I believe it should fit around real working life - and actually help.

Why supported online learning suits modern leaders

One of the biggest advantages of supported online leadership development is flexibility.

Managers can:

• Learn when it suits them

• Revisit content when challenges arise

• Apply learning immediately

• Reflect without pressure

But flexibility alone isn’t enough.

What makes the difference is support.

The monthly live coaching and support sessions create:

• Accountability

• Momentum

• Space for honest conversations

• Reassurance when confidence dips

This is why many managers say online development with support feels more personal than classroom training.

Online vs classroom: what really works?

From what I see, the most effective leadership development today is not “either/or”.

It’s about what supports behaviour change.

Classroom training:

• Can inspire

• Can connect people

• Can start conversations

Supported online development:

• Sustains learning

• Builds confidence over time

• Fits real work

• Supports long-term change

That’s why many organisations now use classroom sessions as launch points, then rely on supported online programmes to do the real developmental work.

Case study: Moving beyond classroom training

One organisation I worked with relied heavily on classroom leadership training.

Feedback was always good - but HR noticed the same issues resurfacing.

Managers struggled to:

• Handle difficult conversations

• Apply learning consistently

• Maintain confidence over time

We introduced a supported online leadership development programme alongside their existing approach.

Over time, they saw:

• More confident leadership conversations

• Better quality one-to-ones

• Less reliance on HR for day-to-day leadership issues

• More consistent leadership behaviours

The biggest difference?

Managers felt supported while they were leading, not just when they were in a training room.

Why this matters for individuals too

This isn’t just about organisations.

If you’re an individual manager or team leader, online leadership development with support works because:

• You’re not expected to change overnight

• You can learn around your workload

• You get reassurance when things feel uncomfortable

• You build confidence gradually

Many people tell me it’s the first leadership development that’s felt realistic.

So what should you be asking when choosing leadership development?

Instead of asking:

• “Is it online or in person?”

Try asking:

• Does this support people over time?

• Is there accountability once training ends?

• Does it fit real working life?

• Will this still be helping people in six months?

Those answers matter far more than the format alone.