Stephen Drain's Leadership Blog

1 September 2010

It’s the first day of spring and we got into it with the youngest and most energetic group we’ve ever presented to. Check it out on Facebook.

27 August 2010

This week I made a presentation to a group of Senior EAs.  Usually I’m presenting to managers and HR Professionals and I reflected on the way into the city what it was the all the people I had held workshops with, presented to and interacted with over the last few months might have in common.

This was a happy group of woman keen to engage who shared stories to create their own stimulus for an engaging and fun session. I left delighted at the interaction achieved. I hope the participants took a gem or two back to work.

Recently we held the second formal leadership session with the Future Auckland Leaders Committee for Auckland programme. Mark Porath of Porath Executive Search spoke, but he didn’t speak because of where he is.  Rather, he shared his leadership journey for the group to “mine for nuggets”.  Thanks Mark for the time and effort put in.

On 15-16 September, we’re running our second Strategic Thinking for Leaders workshop.  We still have some room for this stimulating workshop held in the beautiful AUT Manukau Campus.

Stephen

28 July 2010

Tamara and I spent today in Hamilton with 52 leaders running a workshop on authentic leadership. 

Discovering our authenticity – Hamilton Authentic Leadership Workshop 28 July 2010

We explored our values, interpreted photographs and in the process had a lot of fun. We believe in leadership that there will always be enough from those present in the room here and right now, for us all to learn and today we were treated to a rich array of perspectives on authenticity,  branding and trust.  There’s some photos here onfacebook.

Why are we running these workshops? We believe that authentic leadership is pivotal to personal happiness and business success.  These workshop give a wider group than we could possibly meet one-to-one to talk about it and enable some real insights to be gained.  Naturally, as we are experiencing, this also help the business community to engage further with us and for our courses and programmes to gain strength and profile.  I’ll keep you posted on the next workshop.

22 July 2010

We’re doing one of our rare mass emails in the next 24 hours or so – just waiting to get the website updated, but here’s an advance version:

Understanding values and how they drive our authentic leadership has been the theme of six public workshops we’ve facilitated recently. These workshops have given leaders the opportunity to get an insight into our authentic leadership work and to further their journey of leadership discovery.

Our journey only ends when we choose and there are many ways you can continue to develop – our latest news is here and here’s my leadership blog.

Are you ready to explore What makes you a Leader? If so:

• Authenticity Workshop Hamilton 10.00am – 12.00noon 28 July - contact us here to reserve your place
• Strategic Thinking for Leaders#2 workshop 15 – 16 September
• Innovative Leaders GM Programme October – December (four modules x 2-days)
• 1/2 Day Team Learning session for your team (you choose the time and place) contact us here to book your session

To go from What makes you a Leader?, to What keeps you Leading? we have a variety of coaching programmes that Tamara Sallis can help you with - ask for our brand new information brochure.

2 July 2010

Leadership Week in New Zealand saw the Centre for Innovative Leadership active on three public workshops running Tuesday to Friday (yesterday).  As mentioned in the previous entry we started with an interactive (as all our work is!) workshop in authentic leadership at the HRINZ breakfast (check out the HRINZ Facebook page), followed by a two-day public Strategic Thinking for Leaders Workshop held in the beautiful grounds of AUT University Manukau Campus. Yesterday we wrapped up the week with 3o+ leaders at a morning workshop on authenticity at AUT University City Campus.  This was an opportunity for participants to think about branding and their own values, authenticity vs branding and to win a T-Shirt or three (What makes you a leader?).  Thanks to all who participated.

Watch our for our new information brochure coming out in the next week or so What keeps you leading? - our growing coaching services getting its own brand – is that authentic I ask? Try and find out.

29 Jun 2010

We started our activity on Leadership Week 2010 with workshop on authenticity at the HRINZ Leadership SIG first thing this morning. We were privileged to have over 60 people engage on values, authentic leadership and some of our photographs. Branding (Mother Teresa) vs Authenticity (us and our core value) was the topic. Raewyn has put some stuff on our Facebook page.  Tomorrow is our Strategic Thinking for Leaders 2-day workshop and we end the week with a public workshop – if you’d like to come along (there are only a few places left – yes really!) then contact Raewyn here.

Stephen

18 June 2010

Collaboration with the EMA

The Centre has announced two new initiatives with the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) Inc.

We’re partnering with the EMA to run an exciting 2-day experiential leadership learning adventure,  Lessons from the Boardroom, a  leadership programme with a focus on action and goal achievement. With grounding in leadership and team development, you’ll find out how you go under pressure and have lots of fun on the way through. Sponsorship by Segway and more information here or through us via email here.

EMA members are now entitled to a 10% discount on our Authentic Leadership Course. Simply book as usual using our on-line application form, notify us of your membership and the discount will apply. There is no limit or time restriction to this offer.

One busy week ready for another

With Tamara our consulting psychologist Tamara Sallis we facilitated a workshop this week on authenticity at the annual Strategic Management HR Summit. Despite being in the session immediately after (a warm) lunch we received great feedback and left confident that 35 HR practitioners were keen to discover more about their authenticity.  Some of the feedback included:

“Really enjoyed, thought provoking”

“Great speakers with good content”

“Refreshing choice of topics and presenters. Great ideas, interesting insights through the case studies. I enjoyed seeing passionate people talk about what they are doing”

Some of you may know that I have been a participant since January in the AUT Academy of Collaborative Futures Voyager projects. Working with other business people across various sectors and industries the 6-month journey involved an action learning project. Using innovative learning methodology including appreciative inquiry, critical reflection and triple loop learning, the participants were challenge to deeply explore their organisations. As a participant, I was able to go from front of room to in amongst it and learned a lot not only about himself, but the Centre too. Wednesday saw the cumulation of the work this year with presentations on the projects at a Lighthouse event to a group of 60 at Hamilton’s Verandah on the shores of the lake. My project has been about giving and receiving feedback and the outcome of the project is now being rolled out in our leadership courses and workshops.

Next week we’re running a one day tailored authentic leadership workshop followed by module two of our HR Business Partners Programme.

Finally, bookings are well underway for our three Leadership Week events – see next entry. Hope we see you there.

4 June 2010 – Leadership Week

25 June – 2 July is Leadership Week and we’ve got some great some great activities planned:

On 29 June for I’ll be joining the HRINZ Leadership Special Interest Group

to talk about Authenticity. I might just talk about Mother Teresa and will pose the question: Was she authentic or just well branded?

30 June – 1 July we have a public Strategic Thinking workshop with a focus on leadership (sorry about the AUTCIL website having the wrong dates – what I’ve written here are the correct ones). If you’re on this workshop you will experience some discovery of authenticity as a bonus.

On 2 July we will be hosting a number of clients and those interested in our work (you? let me know) for an insightful session on leadership. It will be innovative (it has to be that’s our name!) and a lot of fun.

Hope we see you.

Stephen

27 May 2010

Sometimes gifts arrive unexpectedly. This via from a recent participant on the Authentic Leadership Course:

“I wish to thank you for the opportunity to attend the Authentic Leadership Course run by the Centre for Innovative Leadership.

Prior to the course I had no knowledge of the programme, or of what to expect. I went on the off-chance that I may learn a bit more about leadership styles and techniques. I was absolutely swept away as the course developed and the coaching took effect – by the end of the course I was thoroughly amazed and enlightened. What I learned about myself and how I am wired was brilliant – and what I learned about how this affects teams, and how team members are ‘wired’ was life-altering.

Being back at work today was fantastic. I found myself being more thoughtful, connected and engaged in all areas of interaction. I felt a huge energy, based on the confidence in myself fostered by the Authentic Leadership programme present wherever I went.

The programmes was mentally focussing, personally enlightening and professionally enhancing – I cannot speak highly enough to my colleagues about the quality and benefits of this programme. The staff were brilliant from start to finish – thoroughly professional and there to build lives.

Thank you so much for making this life transforming opportunity a reality for me!!”

26 May 2010

Arriving back from Authentic Leadership Course#3 we’ve had to hit the ground running this week. On Monday Tamara and I attended a workshop for our professional accreditation with HRINZ. At 5.00pm the data screen went up and a few minutes later the lights went off in the room we were in. This modern building clearly has the work-life balance sorted! Which makes me think: Is work not your life? I’ll blog about this I think. Anyway, back to the week. Yesterday we ran our first leadership workshop for the Committee for Auckland’s Future Leaders Programme. “What makes you a leaders” was held at AUT’s City campus and we shared our leadership stories. The focus for the workshop was in discovering our authentic leadership, me having realised that the phrase “developing authenticity” just doesn’t make sense (well not to me anyway). This afternoon involved some final planning for the Authentic Leadership Workshop at the New Zealand Training and Development 2010 Conference tomorrow. I am facilitating this workshop with Mahvash Ali, who is part-way through her Masters in Leadership and has recently become a mum. I’ve been meeting with clients in-between, sorting suffixes on our accounts (well actually Raewyn and our Management Accountant Vincent have been – I’ve just been firing off emails!) and on Friday I’m having lunch with Bill English to hear him talk about the Budget (and no doubt with a few hundred other people!).

21 May 2010

El Dorado (in search of) is what Authentic Leadership Course #3 has chosen to be known as and have made a commitment to stay connected with each other. This gathering of amazing leaders who came together as strangers on Sunday last now leave as a community who I am certain will stay connected because of what they each bring to each other. The collective wisdom has now left Waitakere to flow into the organisations and families that we are all part of. We wish them well on their journey. El Dorado’s page for keeping in touch is here.

Thanks are due at this time to all of those that made this week possible – our four fine coaches Jas, Alison, Gary and Tamara, my assistant Raewyn, Liz for the team learning exercises, Bex for the resilience sessions, our panel of Aaron, Kurt and Jennie, and Reg & his team at Waitakere Estate. Finally and importantly, all those organisations that are prepared to make the investment in their leaders, thank you.

16 May 2010

Authentic Leadership Course #3 started at Waitakere today, in amongst the native forest. These 12 leaders will make this course their course and for them it will, I am sure, be the best course it can be. The process has got off to a great start. Thanks to all the supporters including family, bosses, colleagues and funders who have made their attendance possible, all the people who took the time to complete feedback and finally to my team this week of Raewyn, Tamara, Jas, Alison and Gary. We’re off to a great start.

11 May 2010 – What keeps you leading?

AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership offers a full range of leadership and related coaching services from our nationwide coaching team:

• Authentic Leadership Coaching
• Coaching on your first 90 days
• Functional Coaching
• Career Coaching

To receive an early copy of our new brochure currently in production email Tamara Sallis at the Centre.

7 May 2010 – Authentic Leadership Course #3 is full

Our next Authentic Leadership Course starting on 16 May is at capacity. In these challenging times Leadership is as important as ever and it’s great to see so many organisations supporting their leaders with authentic development. When we meet at Waitakere Estate in a little over a week a group of leaders, unknown to each other. will take a significant step in their life journey that will stay with them, their families, colleagues and organisations moving forward. We’re very excited to be underway again with some fresh thinking to make this course as special and new as the first two were. To those fortunate participants, this is a new course you’re on. It will be as unique as you are. Welcome.

27 April 2010 – some new thinking

We’re going to hold a one or two day refresher for those people who have attended our Authentic Leadership Course. Would you come? What would you like to see there?

A couple of other things on our mind:

With the Authentic Leadership Course now underway (next course in two weeks – still some places) we have turned our thinking to our CEOs and our emerging leaders. We’re thinking a small group of CEOs for 4-5 days to enhance and share their authentic leadership with other CEOs. We recognise that those in the most senior positions are the most exposed, but we also know that often the men and women in these roles have the most difficulty receiving honest and helpful feedback. So we’ll ensure that we keep the group to those genuinely in CEO or similar roles. There will be a lead CEO facilitator, myself and a one on one coaching team. Outcomes: renewed energy around your own authentic leadership, a connection with yourself and the tools to grow your own lead team to the next level.

The other thing on our mind is the younger people stepping into their first leadership role. We’d like to do something in this area. An authentic course, probably with more more practical focus.Thoughts?

Stephen

23 April 2010#2

Here’s the text of an email sent to our database this afternoon to mark our first birthday:

“The Centre for Innovative Leadership at AUT University enters its second year of operation, and continues to challenge leaders to consider ‘what makes you a leader?’. Offering a fresh perspective on leadership, our courses are designed to develop your authentic leadership.

Our Authentic Leadership Course is now being run four times a year. Discover the authentic leader in you by attending our upcoming Course 16 – 21 May. This public course is suitable for middle and senior managers who wish to enhance their leadership capability. Read what our clients say about the course.

In addition to the Authentic Leadership Course, we also offer tailored in-house team development and leadership courses, strategic planning workshops, leadership coaching and mentoring. See our website orcontact us for further information.”

23 April 2010#1

AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership is now on Facebook.

22 April 2010

The AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership is based at the Manukau Campus of AUT University. Check out the video of the opening of the campus.

19 April 2010

It’s been a long time between entries on this page – we’ve been flat out preparing for the next Authentic Leadership Course 16-21 May – places still available. Tomorrow sees the start of the HR Business Partners Programme in Auckland – this is a modular programme for senior HR practitioners with coaching inbetween modules.

The Centre continues to be involved in a number of tailored workshops and programmes for clients – this is the work that doesn’t get much profile because of its in-house nature. If you’d like to hear about what we can offer feel free to contact me or the team. We’d be happy to talk through how we might be able to help your team to learn, grow and develop vision, values and strategy. Which might even make you happy!

30 March 2010

Talk to AUT Management Breakfast on What makes you a leader?

This morning the Centre’s team presented to the AUT’s Organisational Development Group (ODG) Management Breakfast. The attendees were treated to a taste of our authentic leadership work and through that, gained new and facsinating insights about colleagues, both known and new.

Kurt Smith of Manukau City Council who attended our first Authentic Leadership Course came and shared his insights with the group. Thanks to Kurt, the group were able to guage from an external participant the real power and depth of the course both personally, and for his organisation.

The Centre is very excited to now have the Course included in AUT’s internal leadership development and we acknowledge and thank Lorraine Parker, Vivienne Duffy and the team from AUT ODG in supporting the Course.

Reminder – upcoming public workshops on authentic leadership

On 27 May 2010 the Centre is presenting a workshop on authentic leadership at the New Zealand Association of Training and Development 2010 Conference.

This will be followed up with another workshop at the annual Strategic Management HR Summit on 15 June 2010.

5 March 2010

Having agreed to connect together soon and be known as The Transformers, the group just left have said what we couldn’t. Here’s a small selection.

“Original and outstanding! This course takes participants on the journey and process of transforming into a leader through full immersion. It taught me to actively seek out and be my “higher’ self. Thank you. What an immense opportunity and gift”

“Thank you Stephen for sharing your dream with us. You are an inspirational person. I believe anybody who believes they are a leader should come on this Course to truly understand that they are not just a leader but an authentic leader”

5 March 2010

Our second Authentic Leadership Course 28 February – 5 March 2010 is about to come to a close. It’s been an exceptional week for all of us. Participants have grown in leaps and bounds both individually, as teams and as a group. We joined together as unknowns six days ago and leave as friends and colleagues going forward. The page for the participants to interact is here. I would like to thank our fine team of coaches Alison, Jas, Richard and Tamara along with Raewyn our course administrator. Also thanks to our panelists Aaron Greene, John Barclay and Tony Duncan. Your contributions were outstanding and provided another layer of insights for us all.

22 February 2010

This Sunday a group of senior leaders will gather for 6 days of reflection, team learning and fun in a very special environment to develop their authentic leadership. These weeks are the cumulation of many weeks of effort and commitment from the team at the Centre and as we come together – coaches, administrator, psychologist – we become the learning team who I hope will role-model those things we talk about on course. Our first group in November paved the way for us all and having stayed in touch since then I can vouch to the transformational impact on them. Thanks again.

To our new participants, you will be part of what I am certain is one of the most special experiences available. And it will be you that makes it special. We’re looking forward!

Yesterday we delivered our introductory session for the Future Auckland Leaders Programme run by the Committee for Auckland. We’re very excited to be involved as the provider of the leadership workshops for this 2-year journey and like our own courses, I felt a great sense of anticipation and willingness to engage from the participants. As I said yesterday at Orakei Marae, every day there are leadership lessons to be had, and I encourage you to be on the lookout as you start this journey. Leadership is for everyone and when I notice others I try to reflect: What makes me a leader?, What is my authenticity? We’ll be sending out a reading or two over the next week and staying in touch prior to our first workshop in May. Go well!

10 February 2010

It’s been busy. Our first Authentic Leadership Course kicks off on 28 February and with that all the challenges of putting together a project such as a week-long course has meant all hands to the deck. Raewyn has been liaising with all the participants on the course and if you’re reading this and coming along on the 28th, know you are in good hands! She certainly keeps me doing what I’m supposed to be.

But the rest of the business doesn’t stop, in fact it can’t – with the momentum gaining, interest in our courses and activities is high and the year promises to be full, varied and I hope a lot of fun for everyone involved. Some of the wider team are coming together this weekend in preparation for the year.

Tamara has been reviewing our psychometric instruments, bringing her considerable expertise to bear on this complex and important area of leadership development. Some very positive changes are underway in, with the use of a dedicated emotional intelligence instrument. I completed the on-line questionnaire this afternoon – Tamara had the report on my desk within 5 minutes! And it looked good (oh and I had a modicum of EI she reckons!).

The Centre has been chosen to deliver the leadership workshops for the Future Auckland Leaders Programme run by the Committee for Auckland. We are honoured to have to be helping out here. This is a great opportunity for all of us to engage with senior leadership in all sectors of Auckland. More about this later.

Looking out a bit further, I will deliver a workshop on authentic leaderhsip with Mahvash Ali, a leadership Masters student (and soon to be mother!), at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association for Training and Development annual conference in May. I will also deliver a similar paper to the Strategic HR Conference in June.

We’re in the process of updating the Centre’s website, making it more current and preparations are underways to deliver our leadership courses and programmes in the months ahead.

All feedback gratefully received – you can email me directly here. Thanks for passing by.

Stephen

24 January 2010 – Happy new year!

My son Tim is back to school on Tuesday – that’s a reality check that the holiday period for most is drawing to a close. Tamara, Raewyn and I are preparing for our first big action for the year – our second Authentic Leadership Course to be held 28 February – 5 March in the rainforest at Waitakere Estate. This very special course is limited to 12 leaders. Forget any marketing spin – look at what the participants from the inaugural course say.

If you or a colleague could benefit from top level, authentic leadership development with 11 other like-minded leaders, we’d be happy to discuss further. You can email me here.

I had some fun writing about Santa, holidays and a prince over the holidays – I was surprised from the stats how many people were active on the blog! Get to the beach I felt like saying, but really, thanks for visiting.

Stephen

ps I’ve managed to simplify the web name of my leadership blog to www.stephendrain.com, though the one with WordPress in the name will still work – we’re upgrading and adding to the Centre’s site at present too.

pps Go well Tim!

1 December 2009 – Summer is here!

We get three months of summer (more or less) and by some calendars it starts today. That three months will end on 28 February, the very date that our next Authentic Leadership Course will start. Bookings are now open for this very special course which will be limited to 12 participants. To see what the participants from the inaugural course said here are their testimonials.

27 November 2009

Welcome to a new team member

I am very pleased to welcome Tamara Sallis onto the team at the AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership. Tamara is a registered psychologist and comes to us with significant HR consulting experience, particularly in the delivery of:

• psychometric assessments
• 360 degree feedback surveys
• analysis of organisation culture
• employee engagement surveys
• assessment and development centres
• evaluation of HR programmes and more.

With a speciality in Emotional Intelligence, Tamara will work with our clients on a range of leadership development workshops and consulting projects. You can email Tamara or talk to her on +64 9 9219542.

Strategic Thinking Workshop

Coming up shortly is our public Strategic Thinking workshop on 14-15 December. To discuss how this challenging and practical workshop might be for you please feel free to contact me or for booking, email Raewyn. Hopefully by the time you read this the on-line form is updated, but if it’s not, book using the October date and we’ll confirm with you that you are booking for December.

20 November 2009

We’re done! Our inaugural Authentic Leadership Course is finished. The Offspring as the group are now called are off back to family and friends and ready to take their authentic leadership to work, home and play. We wish them well.

19 November 2009

As our inaugural authentic leadership course draws to its final day I felt an enormous sense of privilege and contentment. A simple idea – be yourself – and then you can truly find the leader inside you has proven to be one of the most powerful experiences I believe for both participants and faculty alike. Five days ago we asked “What makes you a leader?” Tomorrow as we head into the final day we realise that the journey to the answer is well and truly underway.

16 November 2009

We’re on to day two of our Authentic Leadership Course. It’s been a great two days and the group is coming together in a cohesive and authentic way. This group has shown a deep and already expanding grasp of personality profiles and wants more. It’s coming!

15 November 2009

After months of planning we come together today for our inaugural Authentic Leadership Course. This week-long experiential course is one of two premium courses that the Centre has developed. The hard work is done. Now it’s time to for us to hand the course to the participants for them to take everything on offer to develop their individual authentic leadership. It’s great to be under way!

11 November 2009 (#2)

AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership is going where no man or woman has gone before! An experiential and thoroughly interesting course on tax. On this 2-day workshop style course, you will learn how to apply tax principles to small or medium sized businesses. Focusing on relevant and up-to-date tax information, tax theory will be put into action through practical exercises and case studies.

The course is to be held 8-9 December 2009 – get your skills up-to-date before Christmas ready to launch with renewed tax confidence next year.

On-line bookings will shortly be available on the AUTCIL website, but in the meantime Raewyn Brajkovich at the Centre who can make your reservation.

11 November 2009

Just in time for our Inaugural Authentic Leadership Course, AUT University’s November issue of Inside | AUT features a Q&A with me on Authentic Leadership.

5 November 2009

Our inaugural Authentic Leadership Course commencing on 15 November is now full. Applications are now open for next year’s courses. We have some leadership workshops still to come this year and are available for your tailored facilitations and workshops right up until Christmas.

4 November 2009

Today I had a team of managers and support staff for an afternoon at our Manukau campus for an experiential session on Myers Briggs Type Indicator. They all left confident of their Type and ready to work together with new insights and learnings. Although only an afternoon the depth of interaction in the group meant that each member of the team left with several development opportunities and they all knew the preferences and blindspots of each other. My PA Raewyn did the admin and was great in support as always.

31 October 2009

I am very pleased to welcome Jasbindar Singh onto the CIL coaching team. Jas is one of New Zealand’s most experienced leadership coaches and works as a coaching psychologist, executive coach, author and inspirational speaker. She applies her holistic approach to areas of leadership development, employee engagement, emotional and spiritual intelligence, career and life direction and integrity and values. Her clients include executives and senior leaders from a broad range of sectors such as media, banking, telecommunications, energy, IT and government.

She is a regular contributor of articles to newspapers and magazines and is also the award-winning author of Get Your Groove Back – How Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) can give you the work and life you really want and co-author of No Body’s Perfect.

Jas will work with us on our inaugural Authentic Leadership Course.

29 October 2009

We’re counting down to CIL’s inaugural Authentic Leadership Course to be run 15-20 November in Auckland. This course is CIL’s premium public leadership course and brings together the best of leadership development in New Zealand. With a focus on discovering the real leader in you - What makes you a leader? – you will work on your own, with a coach, with your team and with the wider group.

An experienced and authentic faculty team will challenge and encourage you throughout the week with experiential sessions on your own preferences, team dynamics, developing others, strategic thinking, change and management vs leadership. Each day you will receive coaching to embed and grow changes.

Our faculty are all individually qualified in all the instruments and tools we use.

To find out more contact CIL or email me directly at stephen.drain@aut.ac.nz. If you work for a not for profit contact me to see how we can assist you with this exceptional development opportunity.

28 October 2009

The CIL coaching faculty from around New Zealand got together today at our lovely Manukau base for some formal training in 360 feedback instruments. It was a great chance for us all to connect in readiness for our authentic leadership course in a couple of weeks. Felicity Tetley-Jones , the Centre’s career coach was also present. You may know Felicity as Felicity McLennan but I can assure you they are one and the same! – Felicity recently married and with that came a move from Wellington to Auckland.