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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Leadership is one of those qualities that create powerful social impact. This influence is imparted by the leaders for inspiring their fellowmen or organization for attaining an accomplishment and for leading the way to make the aim coherent and consistent. Though people say that leaders are born, it is quite thrilling and interesting to know that all of these skills can be developed through effective professional headship development programs and leadership strategy training plans. Studies and research on the headship ability have produced multiple theories relating different traits of a good leader: these are situational interaction, behavior, function, power, vision and mission, awareness, personality, and intellect.

A trailblazer moves along with his team, which is often counted as a good corporate strategy for achieving success. There are numerous leadership certification courses to help people in the management ladder so they can help the company create a successful governance pool.

Leaders Eat Last

Strong leaders, real difference makers, and people who leave their mark on the world of business have one thing in common: They Inspire Success. They are the glue that holds an organization together. For this reason, it’s important for all businesses to have effective leaders that can set goals, inspire others and guide an organization to sustainable success.

Leadership Training

Training is a misnomer when applied to leadership.

Any leadership development programme has to include at least a passing reference to the following:

• Introduction to the concept of leadership behaviours

• Discussion and debate about leadership

• A widening of the definition beyond traditional leadership stereotypes

• Personal understanding of individual leadership qualities and strengths

• The difference between leadership and management

• A look at how people perceive, their perception is their reality

• Assumptions and their effect on how people see the world

• What are your terms of reference and seeing the bigger picture

• Personal patterns and beliefs

• A look at the elements that have influenced and shaped the participants

• Establishing ownership of individual’s leadership behaviours

A programme needs to be designed around the development of the individuals involved rather than towards competencies identified as required by the organisation

Leadership Style

No cookie cutter models here.

Everyone can develop their capacity to lead, from church committees to local pressure groups to business teams to political parties.

When someone is committed to, and practises using their leadership capabilities at all levels in their life, then they can and will develop their own potential as a leader.

There is a tendency, in our Western culture, to see Leadership as synonymous with white, middle class, male, in charge.

There’s a kind of unspoken template of what leadership is supposed to look like.

Now we know that isn’t true. Leadership can and does come in many different shapes and forms.

Good leaders don’t conform to a template. Indeed, leaders are people who don’t usually follow the party line.

They have an edge to them, they get up people’s noses sometimes, they make decisions – lots of them – that often others don’t like.

They say the things that need saying in a way that others understand.

Don’t let the picture get in the way

However, it is important to acknowledge that people developing their leadership skills are often hampered by their picture (or other people’s picture) of what a leader is supposed to ‘look’ like.

This is when it’s important to understand that the role of leader is not only completely individual (remember, they dont fit a mould!) but also has to be worked at with belief and will and determination by the person occupying it. It’s different for everyone. Not only that, leaders will be experienced differently by the individual people they lead. One getting encouragement, another understanding. That, of course, will be due to the leader’s ability to see what each person needs (more on this later).

In addition, not every leader is going to be a great leader in the sense that the world around them acknowledges their leader status.

Leadership Theory

Seeing the Big Picture Vision

When the ‘vision’ word is used it usually means that someone has an idea of what the future could look like and a plan to get there.

No point painting rosy, pie in the sky pictures (‘we’ll double our turnover in a year; we’ll create international markets; we’ll be number one in the UK’, etc.) if pie in the sky is all they are.

More like, ‘we could double our turnover in a year, this is how we could get there, this is what I expect from everyone in the organisation to help us get there and any new ideas are welcome’.

The ability to see

There is one essential quality for anyone in any position of leadership: the ability to see what is going on.

Seeing is clarity. Seeing in the ‘wood for the trees’ kind of way.

We’ve heard the following phrase from a number of people throughout the years and it’s a good one – get your attention off yourself and on to whatever is going on.

What you’ll see

Here’s what you’ll be able to see if you do that: you’ll be able to see things from other people’s points of view; you’ll be able to understand what’s going on for them.

You’ll be able to see what other people are capable of and how to help them achieve it. Most importantly, you’ll be able to see the whole picture not just your little bit of it.

Leadership Skills

What makes you tick?

Know thyself. To be able to see you need a clear understanding of what has made you the way you are and what has shaped and influenced your life.

The clearer you are about what motivates and affects your behaviour, the clearer you will be able to see what is going on with other people.

You didn’t spring fully formed from Zeus’s head – many things have affected you over the years.

A good leader is proud to acknowledge role models, people, places, things, etc, which have inspired them.

You can’t do it alone

Any good leader worth their salt should be able to name 100 people, places, things, right off the bat.

Why? Because they know themselves well enough to acknowledge who has supported and inspired them along the way, and what support they still need to get things done.

Leadership Quality

Qualities

Think about what qualities your role models have that are attractive to you, that make them inspiring.

Now, putting aside modesty, false or otherwise, think about what qualities they have that you also have. You have to know who you are and accept that you have outstanding qualities – leaders are able to do that.

Beliefs, rules and patterns

How well do you understand the rules, beliefs and patterns you have created in your life so far? Everyone’s got ’em.

They can be the simple kind of rule – you should brush your teeth twice a day.

They can be the more complex kind – you should treat everyone the way you expect to be treated.

Beliefs can be things like – I believe everyone should be fair. And patterns can be as simple as going to and from work the same way every day.

When identifying your rules, patterns and beliefs see if you can avoid putting a value judgement on whether they are good or bad; this is far more about seeing just how well you understand your own behaviour.

Leadership Management

Moving things forward Innovative thinking

Leadership requires innovative thinking; it requires people making positive and inspiring impacts; and it requires them to be able to motivate others.

What is needed is an ability to think and act ‘out of the box’; out of the accepted or ‘right’ ways of doing things.

The culture of tomorrow will be one where change and innovation are the order of the day. Out of the box thinking and identifying future needs go hand in hand.

There’s no such thing as ‘can’t do’

‘Cant do’ is an alien concept to a real leader. Leaders get things done. They have commitment, persistence, determination and resilience. Couple all of that with creative problem-solving and you have a person things happen around.

What we mean, is that no matter what their personality, there will be a kind of buzz around them; things change when they’re around; indeed, things might even get shaken up when they’re around. It isnt always comfortable being around leaders.

You can’t stay stuck

Along with a ‘can do’ attitude, is an ability to move things forward.

When others get bogged down, good leaders know how to motivate and inspire the people around them.

They are willing to take risks and stand up for what they believe. They want to get things done and bring people along with them.

Leadership Development Training

Can training develop leadership skills?

In our view, you cannot ‘send’ someone on a leadership programme who doesn’t want to be there and expect them to become a leader.

It’s not like the reluctant presenter who gets sent along to a course and finds out that it’s not so bad after all.

If your prospective leader isn’t fully engaged in the process, sending them along to be ‘taught’ leadership skills will be a waste of time and money.

If you fall into that category, then no amount of leadership training is going to develop your skills.

However, if you have to step into a new leadership role, or there are greater expectations of how you manage people, or you’ve become a project leader, and you have a willingness to develop and take on new skills, then it’s really possible to give yourself a leadership boost.

Everyone can develop their capacity to lead, from church committees to local pressure groups to business teams to political parties.

When you are committed to, and practise using your leadership capabilities at all levels in your life, then you can and will develop your own potential as a leader.

Management Training

We believe there is a real difference between management and leadership. You don’t need to be a leader to be able to manage other people.

However, to be an outstanding manager, you do have to have some of those essential skills and qualities that are necessary in developing as a leader.

Even if you are a manager with no major aspirations of leadership, there will be people who will turn to you for leadership, whether you like it or not.

Therefore, when looking for training to develop your skills, it might be a very good idea to look at leadership courses as well as management courses.