In October, we delivered The Gift of Change as part of the Elevate programme – and it’s been incredible to read the feedback. It’s tough out there right now, and seeing how much energy and confidence people are taking away from these sessions is genuinely inspiring.

Which is why I wanted to share one of the slides from this session – because it captures something I think many of us recognise.

The Behaviour Change Curve

This research (from HBR) shows what happens after a single learning experience – and it’s quite stark. The numbers along the top represent weeks after training, and the three lines show very different outcomes depending on what happens after the learning event.

The solid line shows what happens with a one-off programme or presentation. You get that initial burst of insight and enthusiasm, but it fades quickly as day-to-day demands take over. Within a few weeks, most of what’s been learned is lost – not because the content wasn’t valuable, but because there’s no structure to help it stick.

The dashed line tells a more hopeful story. It shows what happens when there’s regular reinforcement and follow-up – short, consistent touchpoints that prompt reflection and application. Knowledge is refreshed, confidence grows, and retention builds over time.

And then there’s the dotted line – the real goal – behaviour change. It starts slower because genuine change takes time, practice, and feedback. But with consistent reinforcement and the right level of challenge and support, you begin to see a steady, lasting climb. By around week eight, tangible shifts appear, and the impact keeps building.

So many organisations invest heavily in leadership programmes, away days, and training initiatives – and yet the lasting impact can be limited. Not because the programmes are poor, but because participants often return to a workplace that isn’t set up to sustain the learning.

The research tells us that roughly 70% of learning happens on the job, 20% through relationships and feedback, and only 10% through formal training. It’s a principle we’ve known for years.

The problem is this – if someone comes back from training to a work environment that doesn’t stretch them, challenge them, or support new behaviours, that 70% simply doesn’t happen. The learning fades, and the opportunity for real behavioural change disappears with it.

That’s exactly the principle we’ve built Elevate around.

Each month, participants join a focused 60-minute session designed not just to teach, but to reinforce, apply, and stretch. Between sessions, they put new ideas into practice, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), and come back ready to share.

By the third session – around eight weeks in – participants begin to notice a real difference. Their energy is back, confidence grows, and the learning starts to show up in how they lead. Over 12 months, this rhythm of learning and reinforcement creates the dotted-line effect – sustained behavioural change that keeps strengthening over time.

Some of our clients even take this further – they run their own internal leadership or management programmes, and then have graduates join Elevate for the year. That combination – internal learning plus ongoing reinforcement – delivers exactly what this model predicts: the move from knowledge to behaviour to sustained impact.

Because the truth is, most one-off programmes get people started – but they rarely get them there.

Real change takes time. It takes space to reflect, to practise, to get feedback, and to be supported when it’s hard.

Elevate closes that gap – giving a rhythm, a structure, and a community that keeps future leaders growing long after the first burst of learning fades.

So, the real question is – how are you reinforcing the learning that happens in your organisation?

If this resonates with you, have a look at our upcoming sessions to see how we can help to unlock – and elevate – the potential in your workplaces.

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