The Leadership Gap No One Is Talking About in Distribution

Leadership development ranks as the No. 1 requested area for expanded training among ASA members, with 58% selecting it, tied with sales training and well ahead of operational or technical skills.
 

From succession planning to recruiting and retention, companies are investing more time and resources than ever into building their next generation of leaders. But beneath those efforts is a quieter, more persistent challenge that few are addressing directly: the gap between identifying high performers and actually developing them into effective leaders.
 

In many organizations, the path to leadership is still largely reactive. A strong inside sales rep becomes a branch manager. A top-performing operations employee is promoted into a supervisory role. A rising star is given more responsibility because they have consistently delivered results. On paper, it makes sense, but in practice, it call short.
 

The skills that drive individual success are not the same ones required to lead a team. High performers are typically rewarded for execution, efficiency, and technical knowledge. Leadership, however, demands a different set of capabilities: communication, decision-making under uncertainty, coaching, conflict resolution, and the ability to think beyond day-to-day tasks.
 

As TJ Onstott, territory manager at Capitol Group, noted, “One key to developing an effective leader within a high performer is identifying the desire and capacity to lead. Not all high performers have the characteristics of a strong leader, but that’s okay. The best teams find what somebody is good at and provide the resources and a plan to succeed.”
 

Onstott also pointed out that some of the strongest leaders are not always the people actively seeking the spotlight. “Sometimes the best leaders want it the least, but people follow because of their strong actions and accountability,” he said. “The basic principles of treating people right and doing the right things always pays off.”
 

Promoting from within remains one of the industry’s greatest strengths, but when leadership development is left to “on-the-job learning,” the results can be inconsistent. This gap is not going unnoticed as one ASA member noted in the association’s recent survey, “Continue to have training for new managers and also for courses for more experienced managers.” The need is not just for entry-level leadership exposure, but for ongoing development that evolves alongside responsibility.
 

Emerging professionals entering leadership roles are navigating a complex environment where teams are more cross-functional, communication is faster and more fragmented, and expectations around career growth and leadership access have shifted. At the same time, many organizations are leaner, leaving little room for trial-and-error leadership development.
 

That challenge is compounded by a culture that often expects rapid success. “We live in a world of instant gratification from what I call noise via social media, work/life experiences, etc.,” Onstott said. “Nobody posts or talks about failures. People give up before they succeed because the success is not instant. They don’t ask the hard questions.”
 

Many companies believe they have a strong bench of future leaders, but without intentional development, that bench may not be as ready as it appears. Identifying potential is only the first step. Preparing individuals to lead effectively is where the real work begins. That preparation requires structured opportunities to learn, to engage with peers facing similar challenges, and to step outside the day-to-day demands of the business to focus on leadership itself.
 

“Development takes time, patience, hard work, and accountability from both sides,” Onstott added. “Do the little things right consistently and most will be surprised by the results.”
 

Increasingly, forward-thinking organizations are recognizing the value of creating those environments, whether internally or through industry engagement. Programs and events designed specifically for emerging leaders provide a space to build skills that are difficult to develop in isolation.
 

When high-potential employees connect with peers from across the channel, they gain insight into how other companies are approaching the same challenges. They build networks that extend beyond their own organization. And they return with ideas that can be applied immediately, not years down the line.
 

Investing in future leaders is not just about identifying them or promoting them, it’s about creating the conditions in which they can grow into the role before the stakes are highest.
 

By Natalie Forster