Internal HR, Your CEO, and an Outside Partner: Who Owns What in Leadership Development
Leadership development works best when nobody has to carry it alone.
If you lead HR at a growing company, leadership development probably lands on your desk by default. You plan it, run it, and often get asked why it isn't working yet. Meanwhile your CEO wants results but isn't sure where they fit in. And outside help, if there is any, shows up for a workshop and leaves.
Here's the short answer. Leadership development works best as a three-way partnership. The CEO sets the direction. The HR leader knows the people and runs the plan. An outside partner holds the process and brings expertise neither of you has time to build. Each role is different, and nobody carries all three.
Why does leadership development stall at growing companies?
Usually because one person is carrying too much of it. Sometimes that's HR, trying to set direction without the CEO in the room. Sometimes it's the CEO, trying to fix things without the people context HR has. Either way, the effort loses momentum.
It also stalls when the work stays one level down. Managers get training, but the leadership team above them keeps working the same way. The new habits don't have anywhere to land.
Who owns what?
Here's a simple way to split it.
Role | What they own | What they shouldn't have to carry |
CEO | The direction: what kind of leadership the company needs next, and modeling it at the top | Designing and running the program day to day |
HR leader | The people and the plan: who needs what, when, and how it fits with hiring, feedback, and performance | Setting direction alone, or facilitating while also participating |
Outside partner | The process: diagnosis, coaching, facilitation, and tools such as behavioral data | Owning the company's culture or making decisions for the team |
The point of the split isn't to hand off responsibility. It's to make sure each person does the part they're best placed to do.
Why the leadership team has to go first
An HBR piece on Gartner research, "Does Your C-Suite Really Operate as a Team?", found that just 31% of C-suite executives see the C-suite as their primary team. Most identify first with the functions they lead.
That shows up everywhere. Decisions get made in silos. Tensions get worked out in hallways. Priorities compete instead of connecting.
The research puts HR in the lead on fixing it. That's right, with one addition. HR can't do it without the CEO. The CEO has to decide that the leadership team is its own first team, and act that way. An outside facilitator can then give the team the time and space to practice working as one.
How do you choose an outside partner?
Not every outside partner is built for this kind of work. Five questions help you tell the difference.
Do they start by diagnosing, or by selling a program? A good partner asks questions before recommending anything.
Will they work with both the CEO and HR? If they only talk to one of you, the partnership breaks down.
Do they stay for the practice, not just the insight? Real change needs follow-up over weeks and months, not a single session.
Do they use real data? Behavioral data and structured feedback beat guesswork about how people are wired to work.
Will they make you stronger, not dependent? The goal is a leadership team that can lead and grow on its own.
What does partnership look like in practice?
It usually starts with a clear diagnosis. What's really slowing the company down? Where is leadership strong, and where does it need to evolve?
From there, the CEO and HR agree on priorities. The outside partner designs and delivers the work: coaching for key leaders, facilitated leadership team sessions, and formal leadership development that fits the company's size and stage. Then everyone stays in it long enough for the new habits to stick.
A facilitated leadership team retreat is often a strong place to start. It's the three-way partnership in action. I wrote more about what leadership team retreats are and why they matter.
Try this: map one initiative
Pick one leadership initiative that's underway or stuck at your company. Write down who currently owns each piece: direction, the people plan, and the process. Then ask two questions. Is anyone carrying more than one role? Is any role missing entirely?
Most HR leaders find they're holding two of the three. That's a useful starting point for a conversation with your CEO.
Frequently asked questions
Who should own leadership development at a growing company?
It works best as a partnership. The CEO owns direction, the HR leader owns the people and the plan, and an outside partner owns the process.
Why should the leadership team go first?
Gartner research reported in HBR found that just 31% of C-suite executives see the C-suite as their primary team. When the top team works as a team, better leadership habits spread down through the company.
How do I choose an outside partner?
Look for someone who diagnoses first, works with both the CEO and HR, stays for the practice, uses real data, and builds your team's independence.
Where to start
If you're carrying more of your company's leadership development than you should be, it doesn't have to stay that way. Whether you're the HR leader or the CEO, I'm happy to talk through what a real partnership could look like for your team. Book a 30-minute call with me here.
Kristen Illes is the Principal of 3D Leadership Solutions, where she partners with founders and executive teams at growth-stage companies to build the leadership practices that let them scale.
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