Tag: Leadership Development

Take the Lead in Coaching and Developing Others

This guest post was provided by Jessica Edmondson who contributes on Leadership skills training for the University Alliance, a division of Bisk Education, Inc.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Mark Twain

In today’s competitive business settings, leaders who cultivate influence have longer-lasting effectiveness and more powerful alliances than those who simply manage with top-down authority. When a leader relaxes control and promotes team cohesion, individual and group growth can bring about stronger working relationships and increased productivity.

If you are a professional looking to grow your leadership skills, then consider mentoring other professionals in areas in which you are proficient. Sharing your knowledge with someone who appreciates and can benefit from your experience is a rewarding practice. At the same time, seeking mentoring for your own advancement can be an effective way to polish a skill set and uncover hidden opportunities.

Formal Mentoring

Many business-related organizations, such as the Professional Management Institute, offer opportunities for networking through local chapters. Participating in such events can lead to formal mentoring opportunities. In recent years, consulting firms have begun offering services to more precisely match up mentors and protégés. Additionally, through forums on LinkedIn and other networking sites, less-experienced professionals can post a question and receive feedback from other group members.

Other ways to seek out mentoring for yourself include approaching someone in your organization whose leadership style you admire. As an alternative work with your human resources contact to find a mentor in another division of the company who can teach you about a new area of interest. Taking an online course taught by a respected industry leader can also result in strong contacts for sustained mentoring.

Innovation, Inspiration and Influence

The best aspect of mentoring, either as a mentor or a protégé, is that the positive energy of a great mentoring experience can permeate your entire thought process and build you up more than any other single career development strategy. Coaching others to discover and reach their personal and professional potential feeds the entire team.

Whether as a leader or a protégé, you can reap the benefits of the synergy created when a team is enjoying frequent periods of personal development.

Organizations want to attract top talent. Gaining a reputation as a leader who fosters excellence in team members – and also seeks professional development to bring in new ideas and fresh perspectives – may provide a competitive advantage in a job search or promotion opportunity.

A Win-Win Opportunity

When Mark Twain was a newspaper columnist in Carson City, Nevada, he met humorist Artemus Ward who encouraged him to write as much of his unique brand of storytelling as time would allow. The two eventually championed each other’s work.

Everyone needs a mentor, and companies who value and promote mentoring are positioned to create a win-win environment. Tech-savvy younger professionals may be able to help older colleagues get up to speed in regards to their technological acumen. In return, more seasoned professionals can offer guidance on finessing soft skills and relating effectively in a corporate culture.

In an age where technology often insulates us from human connections, mentoring and coaching in the workplace offer great potential for innovation, insight and collective growth.

Uncommon language

I just found this draft blog sitting unfinished. Well, not just unfinished, not started apart from the title. So I wondered, what could it have been about? Any clues? It was drafted on 19 April and looking back at my calendar, I had a farewell lunch and a meeting with Restorative Justice Waitakere to discuss an upcoming governance workshop that I subsequently delivered. It was a Tuesday so I might have gone to the movies so maybe it was to do with that.

Friday afternoon is often a day for catching up on things that have slipped by in the rush of the week, so I’ve been doing some of that today. My team have been very busy getting ready for next week’s Strategic Thinking for Leaders workshop and it’s almost ready. Good feeling.

This week in one of my client meetings, the client said that they were interested in leadership development – the soft stuff, real leadership development for real people. Eureka! Something has changed lately in the language I am hearing from potential clients. Strategy is important, but leaders are wanting authentic leadership development and expressing that in the language. Like I heard this week.

So that’s what the blog’s about. The uncommon language of leadership development. Often expressed as desired but when you dig, it’s management that’s talked about – getting the job done. Leaders need to do both, but focusing on authenticity will be a very special place to start and create followers. The management of getting the job done will likely follow too.

My last meeting of the week this morning was discussing a two-day senior lead-team retreat to be held next month: “So you want to do a half day of strategy at the end don’t you?”. “Actually I don’t now, let’s keep the whole time for real leadership development. We can do the strategy later after we understand ourselves and have a team vision”.

Uncommon language, slightly more common this week. Perfect!

Stephen

Authenticity now

It’s a special moment. We’re on day two of the Centre for Innovative Leadership’s Authentic Leadership Course. Every course we’ve run is new, fresh and builds on learnings and insights from the previous. Each one has been the best I can safely say, because it’s what the participant’s wanted and needed for them. We did some work on personality preferences this morning which is a great way to get an authentic leadership conversation going about our strengths, blindspots and how we grow and develop our teams.

When you’re on a programme like this you’ve got a gift. A gift of time for reflection, growing awareness of self and others and a chance to reconnect with your authentic self. For some that might read connect with authentic self. It’s a gift to watch it happen too.

So when you’re with us on the Authentic Leadership Course you’ll probably hear it clearly that you should take the opportunity you have. This group of people will not come together here, at this time, again. What is in the room here and now is perfect for you. This moment in your leadership journey can be defining. I say can rather than will, because at every opening there is choice. You can take it, embrace it, or you can watch it.

Watching might look like being part of, but we all know it’s not.

Our leadership coaches Richard Kerr-Bell and Jasbindar Singh working with me this week aren't waiting for next week. Nor should you.

Gathering data and information, fact and figures and processing that is a buffer for real leadership development.  You might put the folder on the shelf and feel satisfied that “I did that”. You might even feel proud to tell other people about the information your got.

It doesn’t just apply in leadership development programmes. Leadership development is a journey. Quite likely a journey you’re on if you’re reading this and there will be moments, possibly every day, that you can take for your own and define the next path for you.

To do so is authentic. Now.

If you know my personality preference you’ll know it’s not about bringing quick closer. I do know about the present. Days are limited, on the Course and on this planet. So authenticity now. Don’t wait to read the stats, or for anticipated special moment in the future.

Today is that special moment.

Stephen

But

I like what you said, but say this next time. I really liked the way you did this, but in future could you watch out for that. This has been a great day, but if only it didn’t rain. I loved that movie, but it was a shame that it finished so early.

Does but have a place in your leadership conversation? Do you notice the but in language around you? Maybe you’re a but person.

Giving empowering feedback, being positive when you can be are really important parts of growing leaders. Following it up with an empowering message about how to take the next step to grow even more is encouraging and a coaching opportunity to grab hold of when you can.

Adding a but after the encouragement is negative and makes the next part of the conversation sound like the real reason for the conversation. Which it probably is if you’re a but person.

And don’t think you can simply change but for however! I won’t let you off the hook and neither will the person receiving the feedback.

A short blog about a short word.

Watch out for it – if but is coming out when you could be empowering, ask yourself – what am I trying to do here?

I’d say it’ll say more about you than the other person.

No ifs or buts about it! (sorry had to do that)

Stephen

Really glad you took our talk about getting on the bus to heart and next time we could even try to get the strategy going without buying a bus