Proper Training – The Crucial Step in Building Leaders
Let’s face it. Training has long been a shortcoming in freight brokerage.
While some of the largest organizations have invested in formal development programs, most brokerages still rely on an informal approach. Most of us were brought into the industry, sat next to a high performer, and told to ask questions. Quietly, this model works better than many want to admit. It produces results with minimal effort from the trainer and, if hiring is done thoughtfully, can even become a repeatable process.
That does not mean training is ignored altogether. Brokerages do a solid job teaching the static parts of the business. Teams are trained on how to operate within a TMS, how to use internal technology, how different modes and equipment function, and how compliance and onboarding work. These are knowledge areas that can be learned once and applied repeatedly over time. They are necessary and foundational.
Leadership, however, exists in a very different space.
Leadership is not static knowledge. It is not something that can be mastered through a checklist or a single onboarding session. It shows up in how someone navigates conflict, how they coach underperformance, how they make decisions with incomplete information, and how they balance people, profitability, and culture. Too often, the industry makes the mistake of promoting its top producers into leadership roles, only to find that success in doing does not automatically translate into success in teaching or leading others.
Leadership and management can also be isolating. Many leaders are expected to have the answers while quietly working through their own internal debates about tough decisions, team dynamics, and ethical challenges. Sitting in conflict, managing pressure, and leading through uncertainty are skills that must be learned and practiced. They are not innate traits that someone either has or does not.
This is where structured leadership development becomes crucial.
The Freight Leadership Lab was built to address this exact gap within freight brokerage. Designed for rising leaders and mid-level managers, the program focuses on the real challenges leaders face every day. Participants work through a series of focused modules that address leading teams effectively, understanding brokerage financials, making better decisions, building ethical cultures, communicating with influence, and coaching teams toward sustained performance.
Equally important, the program creates something the industry often lacks. A peer network. By learning alongside other emerging leaders from across the freight space, participants gain perspective, support, and accountability that extends far beyond a single course or event.
The future of freight brokerage depends on more than strong sales numbers and profit margin. It depends on leaders who can think critically, lead ethically, communicate clearly, and develop the next generation behind them.
If you are serious about growing as a leader and preparing yourself for the responsibilities ahead then investing in leadership development is not optional, it is essential.
The Freight Leadership Lab is an opportunity to step out of reactive management and into intentional leadership. The question is not whether the industry needs better leaders. The question is whether you are ready to become one.
To learn more about the Freight Leadership Lab, email TIAIRE at education@tianet.org
