u/NafariaSiren

I was really thrilled to get chosen for a leadership / executive training course at work. It has been going very well the last few weeks, but then I overheard something during a lunch break that I can't stop thinking about.

One of the managers was talking to someone from HR and said "It's way easier to filter for leaders than train them."

I started to look at our course from that lens and it makes more sense now. The presentations, exercises, projects (to improve the company), network development (with other 'leaders' and to get their insight), and even the [proprietary textbook] now seems like propaganda and a way to squeeze work out of those who are striving to move up and filter us to see who will work out with their culture rather than train us to be leaders.

This kinda broke me. I was excited to participate and learn, but now I am struggling to complete the "homework" I got because it seems like it's just to see if I'll go brown-nose a manager rather than "learn about their career journey".

Is this really how it is? Are these company led "leadership trainings" just BS to squeeze the ones wanting more to do more?

I've got a proposal to submit in two days to "change the company for the better" and I can't bring myself to type it up anymore.

Some other parts of that conversation is the executives just looking for who's most eager in the leadership seminars and meetings. They don't care about the answers so much as if people are jumping in to repeat the same message they are spouting.

Sorry for some of the vagueness. I can also add that this is in the tech industry. We have about 20 employees enrolled in this training. I also overhead that management is handing around the roster. Most projects are to document best practices and how to use new technology. This is a very large company. The training is "above and beyond" our current duties. It's after hours on Fridays. I haven't told other people about what I overhead.

Middle age, mid career, desk job, on-site, decent pay, but you have to go through these training courses to move up the corporate ladder.