Preparing for Leadership . Communication skills training courses, presentation skills programmes, public speaking, leadership development and executive coaching.

Find the next available Leadership Skills Open Course

Preparing for Leadership

Good leadership skills - Are leaders born or made?

Certainly many of the courses we run cover a great deal of leadership skills; things which you could say you need in order to be a leader.

But everyone involved in developing leadership programmes eventually asks themselves the question “Can I take someone who is not a natural leader and put them through a programme that will turn them into one?”  We think not.  Our approach is to run courses where natural leaders will develop the skill and insight to become great leaders.

How do you pick out a natural?

You look for people who can see through the detritus of everyday business to the bigger picture.  People who can see what is actually going on rather than the limited vision of someone with an agenda (hidden or otherwise).

We hear organisations and companies say they have a leadership void.  Or others who feel that if they only had stronger leadership everything would be all right.  They obviously expect leaders to have vision and to be able to bring other people along with them – to enrol them in their strategies and plans for the future.

There is one essential quality for anyone in any position of leadership:  from running a company to running a church fete to running your home.  That quality is the ability to see what is going on.

Yes, there are other qualities that are valuable:  good communication, being articulate, the ability to think on your feet, humour, flexibility, integrity, compelling presence, empathy.  But if you cannot see what is going on, all those qualities are for nought.

Seeing is clarity.  Seeing is having a clear understanding of what has made you the way you are; 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.

In turn, once you are able to see what is going on for others, then all the other essential leadership skills can come to the fore.

Outstanding leadership requires much more than people being really good at their jobs:  it 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.

Leaders need to be able to identify what the needs in the future will be and create a new leadership model, rather than just following the current leadership example.  The culture of tomorrow will be one where change and innovation are the order of the day.

Great leaders don’t, nor should they, fit a mould.
 

Programme

On the following pages you will find a précis of the programme we’ve created for London Borough of Barnet.  It will give you an idea of our approach to supporting outstanding people becoming better leaders today and developing new leaders for the future.

It is a six-day programme, which we are delivering in single days (aside from the first module, which is two days), with project work, reading and set tasks in between.  We encourage internal trainers to become involved, as they are best able to give examples of current Council policy and best practice relevant to each section of the programme.

We ask participants to identify situations, both successful and those with unsatisfactory outcomes, for discussion and reworking during the sessions.  All Impact Factory’s work is experiential and participants will find themselves involved in recreating real interpersonal situations using the learning of each day to create more positive outcomes.

Pre work

Here is what we are asking people to do to prepare for their first session:

Spend some time in the business section of any large bookshop looking at the books on leadership.  Pick one you identify with and can read (some are pretty dense).
You needn’t read it all.  Just pick one thing from the book that really connects with you and find an example from your life and/or work.  Write two or three paragraphs about the example to demonstrate how that principle works for you.
Do some research on a leader you have personal experience of, whose work you find inspiring.
Have the “Style and Competency” list completed by:
Yourself
Someone who knows you personally
A subordinate work colleague
A workgroup peer
Your line manager
Write a brief report on consistencies, discrepancies, anomalies, insights and conclusions from the above feedback.

Next we include each day’s Objectives, with some examples of our training methods from Day One to give you a taste of our style.

Day one:  Introduction to leadership behaviours

Objectives

To introduce the concept of leadership behaviours
To promote discussion and debate about leadership
To widen the definition beyond traditional leadership stereotypes
To cement personal understanding of individual leadership qualities and strengths

Brief intro about Impact Factory and how we work.

Before we begin, did you choose to come or were you sent?

Opening discussion on Leadership

What is it?
What qualities or skills do you need to be a leader?
List the responses on flip chart and then reduce to only those absolutely necessary, highlighting the difference between ‘vision’ and ‘seeing’.

In pairs, make a case to defend anything on the list. Pick two things other than vision and seeing.

Highlight the absolute necessity of being able to see objectively - i.e. setting aside your own ‘stuff’, ‘prejudice’ – anything that’s about you rather than the actuality.

Has anyone in Barnet Council got all these qualities?
Define the difference between leadership and management. (Transformational and transactional – the Berverly Alimo-Metcalfe model)

Types of Leader

Leaders:  people who are followed

Give and ask for examples of:
Classic leaders
“Bad” leaders
Non-Standard leaders

Principles from the Alimo-Metcalfe research

Seeing and Perception

How do we perceive?  Perception is reality

Assumptions and their effect on how we see the world
Terms of reference and seeing the bigger picture
Introduce here the concepts and thinking behind policy:

This will be worked with an up to date policy document, based on a specific issue, such as:
Social inclusion
Promotion of equality
Challenging discrimination

Group work on making the case for and against as seen from two differing points of view. 

Present and discuss.
Mention of perception is reality.

Personal patterns and beliefs I

A brief look at some of the elements that have influenced and shaped the participants.  This work will be picked up and expanded in Session five.

In twos or threes, what terms of reference and assumptions do you have in relation to the Council?

Optional extra seeing and perception exercises

Left and right brain function
“It’s Like” analogies exercise

Moving to Wrap up the Day

Working in pairs

From personal experience using the preparation

Profile a leader to present
Answer the question “How is it done?”
Present back to the group
How do you do it?  Back up your assessments with examples from the Style & Competency sheets done in the preparation.

Present
NB.  Our purpose here is to establish ownership of individual’s leadership behaviours.

Summing up and close

Personal Take Out
What are they individually taking away?
What are you going to work on before the next session?

Practise / Preparation

Either initiate or notice leadership behaviours in yourself. (You may not be able to do this today, but this is to do before session 3)
Use as your benchmark anything that you are connected with where the status quo or flow of people’s actions changes as a result of something you have done or said.
Write up three instances for inclusion in session 3.
Read the Leadership Quotes document.
Do the Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe Quiz
Read Impact Factory’s Presenting document.
Outline a situation where you would like to make more impact.

Day two:  Communication practicalities

Objectives

To give a real, clear understanding of the way communication works
To provide insight into communication by behaviour
The importance of attitude
Exercises and rehearsals to give a visceral experience of the power of changing what you do
A look at choosing what you say
Leading by example

Day three:  Influencing

Objectives

To begin to understand the wider parameters for influencing others
To look at each individual’s strengths and personal style
To look again at the power of behaviour to influence others
How not to have to do all the work yourself
Working with diverse partners
 
Day four:  Facilitation

Objectives

To look at empowering others
To provide understanding, insight and skills to facilitate meetings and groups
Know the environment needed for effective facilitation
Understand, spot and manage group dynamics
Develop some approaches to handling specific situations and “characters”
To master some simple but powerful skills to keep things moving forward

Day five:  Beliefs, vision and commitment

Objectives

To understand how belief shapes action
To begin working at getting people committed to projects
To get real insight into how each individual is capable of making things happen
To limit the stress, frustration and sheer work involved in trying to move things forward
To create a clear insight into why things do or don’t happen/work

Day six:  Strategy, motivation and unblocking problem projects.

Objectives

To work with thinking beyond the day to day
To introduce ideas and techniques for “Thinking out of the Box”
Creating new strategies
Breaking through log jams
Small changes for greatest effect
 
Methodology

Impact Factory’s work is highly participatory and will draw on individual experience and ideas.  We are not ‘chalk ‘n’ talk’.  In other words, although there will be some theory included in the workshop, people will be on their feet doing, rather than sitting and taking notes.

This is particularly relevant in a programme of this nature.  Being in a leadership role means being able to deal with change, which in turn means being able to deal with the unexpected, to think on your feet, to enjoy challenges and bring people along with you.

We will use a variety of group and pair work, games, processes, writing, overnight assignments and challenging tasks to create an exciting and dynamic learning environment.  Participants will be encouraged at all points to develop those areas of skill and ability that they have an affinity for and enjoy.  This principal ensures fast progress and good transfer into the work place.

As well as general learning, there will be exercises and tasks set that use specific, relevant issues and situations.  This makes the training real and meaningful in a way that no amount of set piece exercises can.

Key Learning Points:

The power of aligning personal motivation and business objectives
The capacity of strong well expressed beliefs to motivate others
Communication is far more than just words
Leadership is not just about getting people to do what you ask.  It is far more about seeing what is needed and carrying people forward with your vision
Being able to create the impact you want
Expanding your spheres of influence
Being able to talk to people in terms they understand
Using appropriate language
The relevance, development and use of personal style
Putting across concepts and ideas with ease and flair
The value of creative risk-taking and "out of the box" thinking
Making sure projects move forward without having to do all the work yourself.

Leadership Skills Training - Preparing for Leadership