Skillsoft, the global leader in corporate learning, announced the general availability of its new Skillsoft Leadership Development Program aimed at accelerating leadership learning at all levels. The Program features scenario-based course content covering 20 of today’s most critical leadership competencies. Skillsoft plans to support an additional ten competencies in 2018.

As described in a new eBook from Brandon Hall Group and Skillsoft, most leadership training today is too long, too linear, and neither engaging nor contextualized for the learner. Today, leadership is less about “hero” leadership and more about effective team-based, agile leadership. That equates to a larger market of future leaders who need foundational leadership development. However, for that leadership development to be effective, how the content is delivered is just as important as the content itself. The solution needs to be efficient, effective, and engaging.

The Skillsoft Leadership Development Program includes an innovative, scalable and cost-effective course series curated to engage modern, digital learners. The courses average 45-60 minutes of high-definition, video-based instruction, each comprised of 5-8 minute single-concept segments to support micro-learning. The courses support the following new competencies for leading in the digital economy:

• The Agile Leader: Perseverance and Flexibility
• Leading Virtually
• Leading Innovation
• Leading Through the Challenge of Change
• Embracing Diversity in Leadership
• Leading with Digital Technology
• Leading Through Disruption
• Leading a Customer-Centric Culture
• And more

A unique learning design and scenario-based pedagogy set the Skillsoft Leadership Development Program apart in the market. Skillsoft’s unique approach leverages a common set of characters throughout the curriculum, including a “leader mentor.” Through compelling drama and pragmatic storytelling, Skillsoft models the critical human-interaction elements of leadership and demonstrates effective implementation strategies within the team context, allowing learners to tie learning to on-the-job behaviors.

Learners also benefit from a wide array of tools and application resources, including reflection questions, knowledge checks, post-course assessments, facilitation guides, leader-led activities and exercises. Additionally, close to 800 carefully curated video-based assets, books, book summaries, and expert-authored content extend the learning. Skillsoft curates new assets into the offering every week to keep the learning fresh and current.

“As digital transformation impacts every organization, it’s critical that leaders at all levels are prepared and possess the competencies needed to harness and drive innovation,” said Heide Abelli, Senior Vice President of Content Product Management, Skillsoft. “The Skillsoft Leadership Development Program is instructionally, functionally and aesthetically designed to accelerate the reinvention and democratization of leadership learning. Through the extensive use of scenarios and behavioral demonstrations, the course series addresses the constantly evolving but necessary skills of today’s and tomorrow’s effective leaders.”

The Skillsoft Leadership Development Program course content is available now on Percipio, Skillsoft’s award-winning intelligent learning platform, as well as Skillport. Customers can take advantage of a newly added fourth modality on Percipio, “Practice,” which enables users to apply the lessons they’ve learned in a given course. Users will still be able to Watch, Read and Listen to the new leadership content and then use assessments, activities, tools, and resources to reinforce and apply their learning.

“The most successful organizations today are transitioning from hierarchal and siloed leadership practices to a model of collective leadership which requires agile collaboration and distributed decision-making across teams,” said Cushing Anderson, Program Vice President, Business Consulting and IT Education at IDC. “As a result, organizations need to reinvent how they train their leaders and their workforces to align to this change. Skillsoft’s new Leadership Development Program leverages a unique scenario-based approach to leadership training which puts the learning in context by demonstrating leadership practices within the team construct.  The Program also emphasizes the new required competencies such as agility, collaboration, and leading virtually.”