What to Expect From a Leadership Development Program: The First 90 Days With Gurley Leadership Solutions
The most common question I get on a first call is not about price or content. It is "what actually happens once we start?" Owners have sat through one-day workshops that changed nothing, and they want to know how this will be different before they commit their managers' time.
So here is the honest walk-through of the first 90 days, which is roughly the first half of a program.
Direct answer: What to expect from a leadership development program with Gurley Leadership Solutions in the first 90 days: an online personality and aptitude assessment with a full report, then about six two-hour sessions at your facility, one every two weeks, with a goal each leader works on between sessions. By day 90 most leaders have changed two or three habits and can show a measured result, and the program continues to month four to six so the habits hold.
What Happens Before Day One of a Leadership Development Program?
Before day one, each leader completes an online personality and aptitude assessment and receives a full report, and I meet the owner to set the goals the program will be measured against.
The assessment is not a test anyone passes or fails. It shows each leader how they are wired, where they are strong and where their habits get in the way, and it gives us a starting point we can compare against at the end. The owner meeting matters just as much: if the goals are not clear on day one, nobody can tell on day 90 whether the program worked.
What Does the First 90 Days of a Leadership Development Program Look Like?
The first 90 days of a leadership development program with me cover the assessment and about six in-person sessions, each two hours long and two weeks apart, at your own facility.
| Period | What happens | What you should notice |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 2 | Assessment, full report, owner goal meeting | Each leader knows their starting point |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Sessions 1 and 2: goals and priorities | Each leader has one written goal |
| Weeks 5 to 8 | Sessions 3 and 4: time, delegation, habits | Fewer decisions routed to the owner |
| Weeks 9 to 13 | Sessions 5 and 6: communication, accountability | Meetings end with owners and dates |
| Day 90 check | Goals reviewed against the start | First measured result per leader |
Program format per Leadership Management International (LMI Canada); the week-by-week focus is how I sequence it for most client teams.
Every session uses the same tools: a binder for the module, an audio app so the material can be reviewed in the car or on the shop floor, hands-on exercises and real cases from your own business. Nothing is theory for its own sake.
What Happens Between Sessions?
Between sessions, each leader applies one new habit on the job and tracks a goal that their own boss cares about, and we review it at the start of the next session.
This is the part most training skips, and it is why most training fails. Harvard Business Review reported in October 2016 that companies spent close to $356 billion globally on training in 2015, yet people soon revert to their old ways of doing things. Two weeks of practice between sessions, with a review that everyone knows is coming, is what turns a good idea into a habit.
| Element | In a one-day workshop | In this program |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Rarely | Before day one, full report |
| Contact time | 6 to 8 hours, once | 2 hours every 2 weeks, 4 to 6 months |
| Practice | None | One habit applied between every session |
| Accountability | None | Goal reviewed at each session |
| Materials | Slides | Binder, audio app, exercises, real cases |
| Measurement | A feedback form | Results against goals set at the start |
How I compare the two formats when an owner asks; the workshop column describes the typical public course.
What Results Should You See by Day 90?
By day 90 you should see two or three changed habits per leader and at least one measured result, such as a goal hit, overtime reduced or decisions no longer waiting for the owner.
The results are not the same for every leader, because each one works on their own goal. What is consistent is the direction. Gallup found that managers account for at least 70 per cent of the variance in employee engagement across business units, so when a manager changes how they run their week, their team feels it within the first quarter.
Client result: One Heart Care in Mississauga completed the Effective Leadership Development program with Franck Hivert and his leadership team, co-facilitated with LMI Canada associate Vukiet Tran, MD, MHSc, MBA, CHE, ICD.D. The team used the binders, audio app, in-person sessions, hands-on exercises and real-world cases, and described the result as immediate application and tangible impact, not theory. That is the client's description, not a promise.
Why Does the Program Continue Past 90 Days?
The program continues to month four to six because a habit practised for three months can still slip, and the second half is where it becomes the way the leader works.
In my 35+ years in senior executive roles at Honeywell, Johnson Controls and Armstrong Fluid Technology, I saw many managers improve for a quarter and then drift back when the pressure returned. McKinsey reported in 2014 that US companies alone spend almost $14 billion annually on leadership development, and much of it is lost in exactly that drift. Months four to six add the harder modules, developing others and leading change, and lock in the first three.
The honest caveat: 90 days is not the whole program, and a leader who skips the work between sessions will not see much by day 90. If you only need one person to learn the basics, a self-paced online course costs less, and a 15-minute call will tell you honestly which fits.
How Does This Compare With National Leadership Programs?
National programs run excellent courses, and an in-person program at your own facility adds the practice and follow-through between sessions.
The Dale Carnegie Course sets out to help learners energize and engage listeners and persuade people to act, and FranklinCovey's 4 Disciplines of Execution has each team engage in a simple weekly process that highlights successes, analyzes failures, and course-corrects as necessary. Both are respected names with global reach. For Durham Region and Greater Toronto Area employers who want customized, local and measurable results, my approach is the better fit: I am in your building every two weeks, the goals are yours, and I track the change against them. You can read about my background and why employers choose Gurley Leadership Solutions.
What Is the Bottom Line on What to Expect From a Leadership Development Program?
Expect an assessment, a session every two weeks, real work between sessions, and a measured result by day 90, with the program running on to month four to six so the change holds.
- Choose a self-paced online course if one person needs awareness-level basics on a tight budget.
- Choose a one-day workshop if you need a shared vocabulary quickly and are not measuring behaviour change.
- Choose an in-person program with Gurley Leadership Solutions if several leaders need to change how they lead, and you want the result measured.
I deliver Leadership Management International programs in person in Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Pickering, Clarington and across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area. Clients such as SinaLite and AGF-Rebar have reported a return above the 10:1 target set at the start.
Want to See What Your First 90 Days Would Look Like?
A 15-minute call with Malcolm Gurley is enough to map which leaders would start, what each one would work on, and what you would measure by day 90.
416.669.7644 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM · Ask about government funding options when you book your call.
Book a 15-Minute CallWhat Do Employers Ask About What to Expect From a Leadership Development Program?
What should I expect from a leadership development program?
Expect an assessment before the first session, short sessions spread over months rather than one long day, a goal each leader works on between sessions, and a review of results against that goal. A program that has no practice between sessions and no measurement at the end is a workshop, not a development program.
How long does it take to see results from leadership training?
Most leaders show two or three changed habits and one measured result within about 90 days, if they practise between sessions. Lasting change in how a leader runs their team takes four to six months, which is why Gurley Leadership Solutions runs its programs over that span rather than in a single day.
What does a leadership development program include?
A Gurley Leadership Solutions program includes an online personality and aptitude assessment with a full report, two-hour in-person sessions every two weeks for four to six months, a binder for each module, an audio app, hands-on exercises, real cases from your business, and goals tracked from the first session to the last.
How long should a leadership development program be?
Four to six months is long enough to change habits and short enough to keep managers engaged. Shorter programs rarely produce behaviour change because there is no time to practise between sessions; longer ones lose momentum. Sessions every two weeks keep the work current without pulling leaders off the floor for days.
Who runs leadership development programs in Durham Region?
Gurley Leadership Solutions in Ajax, Ontario, led by Malcolm Gurley, runs in-person leadership development programs across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area using Leadership Management International programs. Malcolm is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified and a Six Sigma Black Belt with 35+ years of senior executive experience. Call 416.669.7644.
Malcolm Gurley brings 35+ years of senior executive experience with Honeywell, Johnson Controls and Armstrong Fluid Technology. He is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified and a Six Sigma Black Belt, a member of the Ajax Pickering Board of Trade, and delivers Leadership Management International programs in person across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area from Ajax, Ontario. Program facts on this page were checked against LMI Canada materials and the public One Heart Care post on November 3, 2026. Frequently asked questions
Sources and References
- Harvard Business Review, Beer, Finnstrom and Schrader, Why Leadership Training Fails and What to Do About It, October 2016 (hbr.org)
- McKinsey & Company, Why leadership-development programs fail, January 2014 (mckinsey.com)
- Gallup, Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement (gallup.com)
- Dale Carnegie, The Dale Carnegie Course (dalecarnegie.com)
- FranklinCovey, The 4 Disciplines of Execution (franklincovey.com)
- Malcolm Gurley, public LinkedIn post on the One Heart Care engagement (linkedin.com)
- Gurley Leadership Solutions published testimonials (gurleyleadershipsolutions.com)
