Author: Michael Peiniger

Management training and leadership training are both essential for the development of professionals within an organisation, but they focus on different aspects of organisational roles and responsibilities. Organisations often invest in both management and leadership training to build a strong, capable, and adaptable workforce – and knowing the differences between the two can focus effort and attention in the right direction for maximum benefit. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences between the two:

1. Focus and Objectives

• Management Training:

• • Operational Efficiency: Management training primarily focuses on equipping individuals with the skills needed to manage processes, people, and resources effectively. It aims to improve the day-to-day operations of a team or department by emphasising efficiency, productivity, and adherence to established protocols.
  • Task-Oriented: The training is often centred around specific tasks such as project management, budgeting, scheduling, performance monitoring, and reporting. Managers are trained to ensure that the team meets its goals within the given constraints of time, budget, and resources.

• Leadership Training:

• • Vision and Influence: Leadership training focuses on developing the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide others toward achieving a common vision. It aims to cultivate skills that help individuals lead with influence, foster innovation, and drive organisational change.
  • People-Oriented: Leadership training emphasises soft skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and team building. The goal is to develop leaders who can effectively engage and empower their teams, creating a positive and productive work environment.

2. Skill Development

• Management Training:

• • Technical Skills: Management training often includes the development of technical skills necessary for managing resources and processes. This might involve training in software tools, process optimisation techniques, and specific industry-related skills.
  • Supervision and Control: Managers are trained to supervise their teams, monitor performance, and ensure compliance with company policies and standards. The focus is on maintaining control and ensuring that tasks are completed correctly and on time.

• Leadership Training:

• • Strategic Thinking: Leadership training emphasises strategic thinking and long-term planning. Leaders are trained to see the bigger picture, anticipate future challenges, and make decisions that align with the organisation’s overall goals.
  • Innovation and Creativity: Leaders are encouraged to think creatively and innovate. Leadership training helps individuals develop the confidence to take risks, propose new ideas, and lead initiatives that drive organisational growth and transformation.

3. Approach to Problem-Solving

• Management Training:

• • Problem-Solving within Established Frameworks: Management training often teaches individuals how to solve problems by following established procedures and frameworks. Managers are trained to handle issues that arise within the scope of their responsibilities by applying existing policies and protocols.
  • Reactive Approach: Managers typically address problems as they occur, focusing on maintaining stability and ensuring that disruptions to operations are minimised.

• Leadership Training:

• • Proactive Problem-Solving: Leadership training encourages a proactive approach to problem-solving. Leaders are trained to anticipate potential challenges and create strategies to address them before they become significant issues.
  • Transformational Approach: Leaders often take a more transformational approach to problem-solving, seeking to address root causes and implement changes that lead to long-term improvements rather than just immediate fixes.

4. Role within the Organisation

• Management Training:

• • Implementing Strategy: Managers are responsible for implementing the strategies and policies set by senior leadership. Management training focuses on how to execute plans, manage teams, and ensure that organisational objectives are met efficiently.
  • Team Coordination: Managers coordinate the work of their teams, ensuring that everyone is working together effectively and that resources are allocated appropriately to meet deadlines and objectives.

• Leadership Training:

• • Setting Strategy: Leaders are responsible for setting the vision and strategy for the organisation. Leadership training prepares individuals to think strategically, set goals, and inspire others to work towards those goals.
  • Inspiring and Guiding: Leaders guide and inspire their teams to achieve more than just operational success. They work to cultivate a shared vision and motivate their teams to innovate and push boundaries.

5. Perspective and Time Horizon

• Management Training:

• • Short-Term Focus: Management training often has a short-term focus, emphasising immediate results and the achievement of specific targets. Managers are trained to think about how to meet today’s demands effectively.
  • Operational Perspective: The training is often grounded in an operational perspective, focusing on the efficient use of resources and the smooth functioning of day-to-day activities.

• Leadership Training:

• • Long-Term Focus: Leadership training, on the other hand, is more focused on long-term outcomes. Leaders are trained to think about the future, develop a vision, and create strategies that will ensure the organisation’s long-term success.
  • Strategic Perspective: The training emphasises a strategic perspective, encouraging leaders to think about how their decisions will impact the organisation in the future and how to navigate complex, changing environments.

While management training and leadership training share some similarities, they are distinct in their focus, objectives, and approaches. Management training is more about improving operational efficiency, supervising teams, and executing established strategies. Leadership training, however, is centred on inspiring and guiding others, setting strategic direction, and driving innovation. Both types of training are essential for the success of an organisation, but they cater to different aspects of an individual’s role within the company. For a well-rounded development, organisations often invest in both management and leadership training to build a strong, capable, and adaptable workforce.

Visit our website Developing Leaders to learn more and invest in your leadership today.

Ask These 9 Questions When Hiring An Executive Leadership Coach

These 9 simple questions will help you identify the good from the bad, the amateur from the professional, the executive leadership coach worth paying for compared to the one that is an expensive waste of time. If you are talking or engaging a coach that can’t answer these 9 questions effectively – walk away! There are plenty of highly effective executive leadership coaches who can – and you deserve to work with someone that can back up what they say with action.

Question 1: Do you have a coach yourself?

High Effective Coaches Have a Coach Themselves

Do you have a coach yourself? If the answer is no – walk away. That person:

• believes they have learnt everything there is to know in coaching (they don’t),
• doesn’t believe in their product,
• is more interested in selling the services than living the services,
• has forgotten what it is like to be coached,
• has stopped striving and learning in their profession.

Is that who you want to work with?

Work with the coach who has a coach themselves. They:

• believe in the product they are selling,
• are still seeking to learn and grow, irrespective of experience,
• know what it is like to be coached,
• clearly knows the feeling of being held to account and vulnerable with another person from both sides.

In an industry full of slick marketers, bold promises and low barriers to entry, look for the person who has a coach themselves and believes in the process.

Question 2: Are you an Accredited Coach?

A Credible Executive Leadership Coach Is Accredited. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the international governing body for coaching – and they have 3 levels of accreditation – Accredited Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coach (MCC). While you don’t have to be working with an MCC level coach, you should at least work with someone who has the ACC. As a minimum, the person has then had their coach recordings assessed by another certified coach, and they will have completed over 150 hours of coach training and done more than a 100 hours of coaching (for ACC – higher again for the higher levels).

Not only do you get someone who has completed some significant hours as a coach when you choose someone accredited, you also ensure that they have signed up to the coaching industries code of ethics and conduct.

Why Work With An Accredited Coach?

Working with an accredited Executive Leadership Coach has a number of benefits.

They:

• are invested in professional development themselves, and will most likely respect your investment in doing the same,
• are still seeking to learn and grow, irrespective of experience,
• are likely not a ‘part time’ coach – this is their job and they want to attain high professional standards,
• have been assessed and reviewed by someone else (the ICF) to verify their basic coaching standards,
• have signed up to a professional code of ethics and conduct, and
• have had at least 2 recorded coaching sessions pass a peer and have completed at least 10 mentor hours with an accredited coach themselves.

Question 3: What is your experience as a Leader?

A Credible Executive Leadership Coach Is An Experienced Leader

For all of the learning and reading a person has done, nothing can substitute having experience in a leadership role – making decisions, counselling / coaching and performance managing team members, holding other accountable for results, setting a clear vision – all of the things that you have to do as a leader.

It is also worth asking the types of teams and industries that the coach has experienced leadership in – does the experience they have compliment what you are looking to develop in your leadership skills? As a member of a team, a leader or a supervisor, you will have learnt that not every team is the same. Some teams (and businesses) are a dream to work with, and others take all of your skill and effort just to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Effective Leadership Coaches Have Made Mistakes

A credible executive leadership coach will have multiple leadership experiences leading teams, and be able to discuss freely and openly the mistakes that they made, how they recovered from them and what they learnt in the process. Any leadership coach that is unwilling to discuss their failures isn’t worth working with – because we have ALL made mistakes and done things we wish we could do over – and have subsequently learnt from.

I know that some of the best practical tools and tips that I have shared with my clients (and they have responded positively to) are those that were borne out of mistakes, and a desire to never repeat them. Both the Team Expectations Checklist and the AIR/BLEEDS model for personal responsibility came from seeking to correct mistakes with my team – and make a huge difference now.

What Questions Should I Ask a Prospective Executive Leadership Coach?

Ask:

• ‘What experience have you had leading a team?’
• ‘What industries have you worked in and for how long?’
• ‘What was your toughest experience as a leader managing people?’
• ‘What was the biggest or most embarrassing mistake you made as a leader?’
• ‘How have your leadership experiences shaped your leadership style?’

A credible and experienced leadership coach should be able to provide you with solid, concrete examples of how they have led teams, the number of people they have led, and the impact that their leadership had upon the teams they were working with.

Question 4: What is your own Coaching style?

Developing Leaders coaches all bring their own style to the coaching process – which could include transformational coaching, ontological coaching or other backgrounds. Key for all coaches is the ability to apply executive leadership coaching – often a blend of coaching and training focussed on leadership skills, gaps and development, as well as executive coaching – focussed on adapting to the client need at the time working with them to provide further understanding of a problem or developing a solution.

While the nuances between coaches styles is more a discussion for the coaches, the key take-away is that an executive coach should have their own style of coaching that has been developed through experience, multiple clients and multiple circumstances.

What Questions Should I Ask a Prospective Executive Leadership Coach?

Ask:

• ‘What models do you use to aid your coaching?’
• ‘Can you outline the type of lessons / learning we can cover?’
• ‘Have you written your own models / lessons from experience?’

Listen to how they discuss their work and consider the following questions for yourself:

• ‘Does this sound like it will aid in my development as a leader?’
• ‘Will this person’s style compliment my own’

A credible and experienced leadership coach should be able to provide you with solid, concrete examples of their coaching style, how it changes depending on the client they are working with, and what they have noticed is more or less successful with their clients.

Question 5: Who else would you recommend?

If you are a great executive leadership coach, you know other great leadership coaches. More than that, you know them well enough to recommend them when you know that you aren’t the best fit for a client.

An effective leadership coach knows that they don’t appeal to everyone’s style and that fit is important. An effective coach in the industry will personally know several other effective leadership coaches of different styles that they can refer you to. Anyone that can’t is looking more for the sale and less for your welfare and development.

There are two very simple yet powerful questions that Developing Leaders Executive Coaches ask potential coaching clients to consider before the engage our services. They are:

• Do you want to undertake executive coaching (or leadership coaching) with us?
• Would you like to complete that coaching process with me?

Importantly, they are two distinct questions. Not every coach, nor every coaching provider, is the right fit for everyone looking for coaching. If a potential client doesn’t want to complete executive coaching with an IMLD, we can refer them on to some amazing executive coaches both in Melbourne and in other capital cities in Australia and South East Asia (in fact, in many parts of the world!)

In addition, while someone may love our Velocity Leadership CheckPoint and the leadership coaching that has been outlined, the individual coach may not be the best fit – perhaps the client is looking for someone with different experience, a different outlook, a different way of holding to account or even a different gender. The key is – it is the client choice and the fit of coach and client is important.

What Questions Should I Ask a Prospective Executive Leadership Coach?

Ask:

• ‘If you aren’t my best fit as a coach, who else would you recommend and why?’

A credible and experienced leadership coach should be able to provide you with several options of excellent leadership coaches who they would recommend. As all of the IMLD Executive Coaches also have a coach themselves – and have changed coaches multiple times depending on circumstance and need – we have many recommendations of coaches we can attest to through personal experience.

Question 6: What recommendations and success stories do you have?

This question seeks to get past the fancy website and the sales pitch. An effective executive leadership coach will have dozens of recommendations from previous clients that are happy with the work that was completed, and even happier to tell others about it. Look to the person’s website for testimonials and see what they have said about the process, where they started and what they learned. Look up some of the testimonial names on LinkedIn – are they real people in leadership roles? Do they work for the person ? (I know, yet several coaches I sought for myself had a small number of reviews, and those were from peers, not clients). Look up the reviews of the business as well as the leadership coach on Facebook, Google reviews and alike – can you find recommendations?

Skilled Coaches Have Recommendations

If the person doesn’t have 20 or 30 clear and identifiable recommendations or reviews, they haven’t yet proven themselves as an effective leadership coach. It is also important to separate the leadership coach from the leadership business – while the business may have many reviews for their stable of coaches, the one in front of you may not. Also ask if you could speak to a previous client about what they got from the coaching process. An effective leadership coach will not only be able to provide you with names, they will have at least 5 clients they could willingly provide you the phone / contact details of to discuss their coaching.

Executive Leadership Coach Review

• Check their website or LinkedIn profile for 20 to 30 recommendations and reviews
• Check reviews and people giving them are real and not from their own business
• Separate the reviews of the business from the specific coach

Ask:

‘Can I speak to one or two of your previous clients to discuss what they learnt?’

Question 7 : What resources and tools do you have at your disposal?

This is a broad question, and it is seeking to understand the depth of knowledge of the leadership coach you will be working with. An effective Executive Leadership Coach talks about their field of expertise – either publicly in keynote speaking or webinars, online through videos or tutorials, or written in blogs / posts and articles. Take some time to read, listen or watch what they talk about and see if it resonates with you. Does this person talk about leadership / leadership skills in a way that appeals to you? If you can’t find your chosen leadership coach speaking about the topic of leadership in at least one of these mediums, walk away. Effective leadership coaches have a body of work that should be easy to find and demonstrate their understanding of the topic.

In addition, ask to review or discuss their coaching outcomes documents and their confidentiality policy – it should be clear and easily understood. You want to know before you undertake a coaching process who the information you discuss is going to be shared with, how long notes are kept and what the records process entails.

Executive Leadership Coach Review:

• Their website for articles, tutorials and videos
• Look for Youtube or Vimeo videos speaking on the topic
• ‘Google’ their name and search for things like ‘leadership articles’

Ask:

• Where can I find articles or videos of you discussing and explaining leadership and / or coaching?’
• ‘Can I have a copy of your Coaching Outcomes documents?’
• ‘What is your policy on confidentiality’

Question 8: What Leadership Assessment tool do you use?

An effective Executive Leadership Coach will use some form of leadership assessment tool to assess the level of skill / behaviour you have at present, and highlight how they will help you develop from that baseline. There are a myriad of effective tools in the marketplace, just make sure that the tool provides useful information for you in its own right – it should be in plain language and discuss leadership behaviours. It should also measure behaviours that can develop and grow, that you easily relate specific behaviours to. The tool used should be more than a personality test, which are often generically written (4 types, 4 colours etc) and not designed to change over time.

Ensure the tool being used can be used again in several months time so that you can have a tangible measure of growth – after all, ‘what isn’t measured, isn’t done’. Most effective leadership coaches can provide you with a PDF of a standard report from their chosen leadership assessment tool, and many will provide an assessment / short debrief as part of their introductory process.

The Velocity Leadership CheckPoint

At Developing Leaders we use the Velocity Leadership CheckPoint to assess a leaders skills before every coaching and training program. It is a powerful tool in determining which behaviours a leader need the most improvement in, as well as help identify strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Skilled coaches can then essential insight on how you can develop those areas, as well as the links between leadership behaviours and results in your performance, your team culture and you business results.

Without a clear start point, many leadership coaches are ‘flying blind’ to determine what needs addressing in a leaders behaviour to become a better leader. The leader being coached may have an idea, however their view may be skewed by recent events, opinions of others or an avoidance of facing the real issues. An effective executive leadership coach uses a leadership assessment tool like the CheckPoint as an ‘extra tool in the toolbox’ for assisting leaders improve their performance. Without one, they are far less efficient and effective as a coach.

Executive Leadership Coach Review:

Ask:

• ‘What leadership assessment tool do you use?’
• ‘Can I have a copy of a standard / example leadership report’
• ‘Do you offer an assessment prior to committing to a coaching contract / process’

Question 9: How will you challenge me?

Choosing an effective Executive Leadership Coach can be difficult if you haven’t thought though the best way to assess who you are getting. That is why we devised ‘The 9 Questions To Ask When Hiring An Executive Leadership Coach’. This is the last question – How will you challenge me (and yourself) through the coaching process?

While rapport and connection is very important through a coaching process, an effective leadership coach is not your best friend. While they will encourage you and cheer you on through your successes, they also need to be able to hold you to account for behaviours that aren’t helping you succeed and challenge your thinking and your actions. An effective leadership coach understands the difference between what you want to hear, and what you need to hear. They won’t be cold and emotionless – an effective leadership coach will discuss your development needs clearly and specifically, identify a path to develop and grow and guide / help / push you towards action to address shortfalls.

Further, ask about their own coaching process. An effective leadership coach knows that they don’t have all of the answers and are developing and growing themselves. An effective leadership has experienced the process of coaching for themselves, they understand the impact, the sticking points in their own development and can discuss it clearly with you. If your chosen coach doesn’t believe in the coaching process, why should you?

Executive Leadership Coach Review:

Ask:

• ‘How will you challenge me to develop my skills?’
• ‘What is the process if we disagree on a way forward?’
• ‘Do you have a coach at present?’
• ‘What did you learn through your coaching process?’

Through asking some or all of these questions, you should be able to ascertain not only if the person in front of you is an effective leadership coach, but if they are the right leadership coach to assist you in growing and developing as a leader.

What Next?

You don’t have to work through the decision alone! You also don’t have to jump in feet first and hire a leadership coach before you know if it will be useful (or cost effective). There are two simple and easy options to get started without a financial commitment:

1. Book in a short discovery call with Developing Leaders. Our experienced team can discuss your needs and see if a leadership coach is the best fit for your time, team and budget.
2. Complete a complimentary leadership assessment. The Velocity Leadership CheckPoint is Developing Leaders way of determining a leader’s strengths and areas of development. It can help you work out what specific areas you might need some help with, and whether a leadership coach is the right option to address it. It is free, easy and people say the debrief alone was worth completing to get started on addressing some leadership deficiencies.

 Contact the team at Developing Leaders to become a leader that others choose to follow.

An old adage states that ‘to lead others, you first need to lead yourself’. This sounds good in theory – but have you tried to apply it to yourself in the same way that you would a member of your team? If you were to develop a team member, you would have a look at their strengths and weaknesses and seek to strengthen one and develop the other.

So what are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to your leadership behaviours?

Do your know how you behave when you are stressed and tired? As leaders, we should know our strengths and weaknesses, particularly when we aren’t at 100%. For me, when I am tired, stressed or overworked, I can come up with excuses for not getting things done. That can often follow with an awful feeling of shame for not accepting responsibility in the first place. When under stress and tired, even as a leader, these are my default responses that I have to fight against to be more responsible.

So what are your ‘default’ behaviours when you are not at your best?

Hard to say and harder to acknowledge, but in knowing your behaviours you can seek to address them and make better decisions. What default responses do you fight against when it comes to your team?

The AIR / BLEEDS model – focussing on your personal responsibility and your ability to hold others to account, provides an insight into where you may struggle to hold yourself or others to account when under pressure or stress. What these behaviours look like can be a measure of your personal efficiency and effectiveness.

When under stress, pressure or just ‘under the pump’, are you:

Accountable – Do you hold others to account?)

Intentional – Do you create a clear intention of behaviour for yourself or your team?

Responsible – Do you take ownership and accept responsibility for your actions or behaviours?

If so, fantastic! These AIR behaviours breath life into your leadership. If not, welcome to being a human being that has flaws as well as good and bad days.

At my best, I can be both responsible, accountable and intentional. At my worst? I can display other behaviours that are less efficient and effective.

Knowing what these behaviours are and how they impact not only yourself, but your team members and peers, is a significant growth opportunity as a leader.

When under pressure, stress, tiredness and overwork, which 2 of these 6 behaviours do you display?

Blame – Do you blame others for mistakes

Leniency– Are you lenient on actions where you should be firmer?

Excuses– Do you accept excuses for your behaviour or that of others?

Exonerate – Do you exonerate behaviour (pretend it didn’t happen when you know it did)

Defence – Do you defend your actions or behaviour when you know it should change (ie. do you ‘dig in’ when you know you should adapt or change?)

Shame – Do you ‘beat yourself up’ and shame yourself for your actions you know should be better?

In truth, as humans we do all of these behaviours at different times and circumstances. But in our experience, you will normally have one or two ‘go to’ behaviour when under stress.

Knowing what this is and what it looks like – and what you can do to get out of it – is essential for good leadership.

So what has this got to do with your team?

There is a very good chance that your team already knows your BLEEDS behaviour when you are under stress or tiredness – because they have seen it! Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not (and I strongly suggest that you do!), your team has already deal with what your BLEEDS behaviours look like. And lest be clear, some of these behaviours don’t have us look, sound, or act at our best.

Good leaders acknowledge and share some of these behaviours – and what it looks like – with their teams, so they can assist in identifying and assisting in changing the behaviour – which takes a great deal of trust. Team members have not only seen these behaviours before – they are probably aware of you doing it before you are. Having team members that can identify these behaviours – and who have been given the permission by you to gently call them out – is a huge advantage for the self-aware leader.

The AIRBLEEDS Model

A powerful little model with many nuances and reflections for the leader to consider! If you would like to know more about the AIRBLEEDS model or own your personal leadership, responsibility or accountability, please reach out.

#leadership #leaders #developingleaders #executivecoaching #leadershiptraining

NOTE:

You may note a similarity to another model that relates to this concept – the OAR/BED model. We acknowledge this model asa base (and would attribute to the author if their was an originator, but despite looking have not found a source – although it has been used often within training programs since the 70’s) – I believe we have significantly adapted this general model for people and adapted it for leaders in the following significant ways:

Ownership and Responsibility. We believe that ownership is the thought that occurs before the response of taking action (responsibility) – so we combines them together.

Above and Below the Line. The OAR/BED model is often referred to ‘above and below the line’ behaviours. Honestly – not a fan of describing normal human behaviours as good or bad, above or below the line. I prefer to look at them as more or less efficient behaviours. I have met plenty. ofleaders that beat themselves up for not doing as well as they would like, shaming themselves into performance. This isn’t bad (it isn’t great!) – it is just inefficient and not as effective as being responsible.

Denial. In our experience working with thousands of leaders, we could count on 1 hand the number that denied any responsibility or accountability for actions from their team. We have certainly seen leaders that could change their opinion based on new information, but refuse to change, rather ‘digging in’ and defending their positions.

Leniency / Exoneration and Shame. Given the sheer number of leaders that have stated to us that this is their default position when dealing with team members under stress, they had to be included in the model.

Can we stop treating the position of leader like it is a participation medal? The role of leader is one that should be carefully considered – the position has far reaching effects on the team, the business culture and ‘how things are done around here’. For that reason, not everyone can assume the role of leader.

‘When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.’

Let me explain. I must admit that I try really hard not to be negative about other people’s work in the leadership space; I have learned so much from people with differing ideas from my own and I have been convinced of ideas / concepts and theories that at first glance I didn’t like or appreciate. However this recent TED talk, that starts with the tagline ‘When everyone is a leader, it allows us to do more and do it better’, got me annoyed / frustrated / angry in a way not many do.

https://www.ted.com/talks/gitte_frederiksen_great_leadership_is_a_network_not_a_hierarchy

First, let me state out loud – There are some truly great leaders out there – and some truly terrible ones as well. There are some people that have been promoted to leadership positions that are so far beyond their competence levels that then go on to do lasting damage to their business and the people around them. That does not mean that the solution is to make everyone a leader – it means that we should stop accepting terrible leaders in leadership positions.

It means that we should all strive to have better leadership skills and behaviours, and that we should expect – no, demand – that those in leadership positions work hard at their leadership skills and fully assume the responsibilities that their leadership position requires.

Hierarchy is Not All Bad

In the video, the concept of hierarchy is seen only through a negative lens; bottleneck decision making, one person making all decisions etc. Yes – a leader that creates an environment where all decisions come through them has created a decision bottleneck that is a nightmare for the team around them. Good leaders create an environment where multiple people can make decisions on aspects of the business. This does not mean that everyone needs to be given the title of leader. It also doesn’t mean the idea of a hierarchy is bad!

Hierarchal leadership is given such a bad name – because it assumes that all power and influence MUST come from the top. What rubbish. Hierarchal leadership is a way of ensuring that the right people get the right information at the right time, and they are not burdened by being provided all information on everything all of the time. Yes, in the wrong hands it can create a bottleneck. In the right hands, it can be a highly efficient tool to get the best out of people at the right time.

The difference – good leadership!

Good Leadership Is a Sum of Good Leadership Skills and Behaviours

Can we also stop talking about communication, cohesion, team dynamic and idea generation as the sum of leadership? They are good leadership behaviours for a leader to possess but they are not the sum of leadership. All of those things are part of being a team and of being a leader – but they are not the only components of leadership.

Good leadership is more than the production of something, it is also about the care and welfare of all people in the team / organisation (and a myriad of other skills and behaviours which is a whole series of articles in itself).

While everyone in the team can look out for everyone else in the team – everyone is not responsible for everyone in the team. That is the role of the leader – and it is a role that should not be taken lightly, nor distributed to everyone int he team.

Sharing All Information is Highly Inefficient

Lastly, the concept of sharing all information all of the time was put forward as an ‘uncomfortable idea’ that should be considered for efficient and effective leadership. ‘Share everything’ isn’t an uncomfortable idea, it is just a silly one. In busy organisations you need smart people to discern what is needs and what is not, what can be discarded and what is required. This takes intelligence and discernment, not leadership. Sharing everything all of the time bogs down everyone in having to discern the good from the bad, the needed information from the less important, the wheat from the chaff.

Should the marketing department know some of what is going on in finance? Of course! Should they ask questions outside of their profession to seek understanding and challenge assumptions? Of course! Should the finance department provide the marketing department with every detail of what is going on, invite them to every meeting and explain every detail? Of course not.

A concept that seeks to provide all information to everyone forgets that not everyone needs to know every detail all of the time – we need what we need when we need it. That takes discernment – it is not about hiding information is is about finding what is useful.

Everyone Should Not Be a Leader

Finally, let me say that all humans have the potential to be leaders. Pretending that all humans will be good leaders, and that everyone will be of the same capability, is just to deny reality. Can leadership is organisations be better? Of course! But making everyone a leader is not the solution. Improving leadership can be done through reading, observing, coaching, training, evaluating, emulating, mentoring, trying our new ideas, making mistakes, owning mistakes, learning from mistakes etc etc

Rather than entertain the concept of ‘everyone should be a leader’, maybe we entertain the idea that we should not accept poor leadership and that good leadership is something to work at and aspire to – for those that want to assume the work and responsibility that comes with it.

Looking to Improve Your Leadership?

Developing Leaders has the right leadership coaching, workshop or leadership program for you and your team. Whether it is the Emerging Leaders Program, our new virtual Leadership Essentials Program of the Executive Leadership Course – we have the right program, pitched at the right level for your team. Become the leader that others choose to follow – enquire about developing your leadership today.

As the Christmas / New Year season approaches, what better way to unwind and prepare for the exciting prospects of 2024 than by sitting down with a great leadership and teamwork read? If you get a chance to spend some time on your own (or if you need an escape!), consider one of these seven essential leadership reads. These books aren’t just enjoyable (and some of my favourites); they are your ticket to emerge as a more insightful small business leader come the New Year and the start of 2024.

1. “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni’s “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” is a thought-provoking holiday read for leaders – and is probably my personal favourite leadership and team book. This book is at the top of the list, not only because it is the easiest read of the list due to its conversational style, the insights are easily adopted and practical in nature. Lencioni’s insight, “Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare,” will inspire you to address any team challenges and set the stage for a cohesive and high-performing 2024.

 

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “Leadership and Self-Deception” by The Arbinger Institute

• Why: Similar to Lencioni’s emphasis on team dynamics, this book explores how self-deception can hinder teamwork and provides insights into fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration.

2. “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last” sets the tone for selfless leadership. Take a moment during the holidays to reflect on the importance of taking care of those you lead. Sinek’s wisdom, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge,” will inspire you to foster a culture of trust and collaboration within your team.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “Team of Teams” by General Stanley McChrystal

• Why: Like Sinek’s work, McChrystal discusses the importance of collaboration and adaptability in leadership. He provides insights from his experiences in the military, illustrating how dynamic teamwork is crucial for success.

3. “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown

Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” encourages leaders to embrace vulnerability – one step to developing your authentic leadership style. if you read closely, Brene forces you to really reflect and take a good look at yourself and your leadership, ponder ing the words, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” Embracing vulnerability can set the stage for a more resilient and open workplace and leadership style in the year ahead.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth

• Why: Duckworth’s book complements Brown’s focus on resilience and courage. It delves into the concept of grit, emphasising the role of passion and perseverance in achieving long-term goals.

4. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey’s timeless classic, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” is the perfect companion for reflection during the holidays. Consider his enduring advice, “The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities,” as you prepare to enter 2024 with a renewed focus on personal and professional effectiveness. What was useful and powerful in the 1980’s can have the same impact on your task, time management and strategic thinking in 2024.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck

• Why: Dweck discussion on fixed vs. growth mindsets aligns with Covey’s emphasis on personal development. Both books inspire a mindset shift that helps build for lasting leadership success.

5. “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek

The second of my Simon Sinek recommendations, “Start with Why” invites you to explore the core of your purpose. As you enjoy some downtime during the holidays, ponder Sinek’s words, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” So what is your ‘why’? Sounds simple, and takes much more effort than you would expect to get to the core of your why. This book will help you set the stage for a purpose-driven and inspiring leadership approach in the coming year.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek

• Why: Because is there enough Simon Sinek? ???? Simon’s follow-up book expands on the concept of purpose in leadership, exploring how adopting an infinite mindset can drive organisations towards long-term success.

6. “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott

Kim Scott’s “Radical Candor” offers a refreshing perspective on communication. While sipping your favorite holiday beverage, consider Scott’s advice to “Care personally, challenge directly.” I would read the whole book before you decide to challenge your in-laws about what they do / don’t do on Christmas Day (and perhaps avoid until after News Years if you have consumed enough to make you brave but too much to make you articulate ????) The approach in the book can pave the way for clearer and more honest communication within your team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

• Why: Both books focus on effective communication in high-stakes situations, offering practical tools to navigate challenging conversations with empathy and candor, and align very closely to the IDRIFT model we use in Developing Leaders as the basis of difficult conversations.

7. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear

James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” is the perfect book to set the tone for positive change in the New Year. As you contemplate your goals for 2024, remember Clear’s perspective, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This book provides actionable insights to shape positive habits within your team and yourself.

If you liked this book, you could also consider:

Book: “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg

• Why: Duhigg’s exploration of habits complements Clear’s work, providing a deeper understanding of how habits shape individual and organisational behaviours.

These seven books aren’t just holiday reads; they are your toolkit for leadership illumination in the coming year. So kick back, relax, and let the work of these great authors guide you towards a more inspired and effective leadership journey in 2024.

Happy reading and here’s to a fantastic New Year!

‘Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do’ For leaders, knowing is not enough – action is king.

Knowledge alone will not get you what you want. Thinking about what you want will not get you what you want. Telling someone you are going to do something will not get it done.

Buying a book about changing habits (I see you James Clear and your wonderful book, Atomic Habits!) will not change your habits – putting things into action will. Atomic Habits won’t change your life anymore than sitting on the couch will unless you put that knowledge into practice and change some of your routines – and then consistently apply them.

Without taking the risk of applying – and the risk that it might not work exactly as you wished – you won’t make any real progress.

‘Analysis paralysis’ and fear of failure (or fear of success) can hold us back from taking action on what is needed to drive us forward.

If you ‘know’ all of the above, and are still stuck (by fear, by paralysis, by lack of action), be bold and take one tiny action – pick up the phone or DM and we can get you moving. Executive leadership coaching is more than just applying leadership behaviours and skills, it is about moving yourself, your team and your business forward, when all it feels is stuck. They say that ‘a problem shared, is a problem halved’ – when you work in partnership with a coach, halve it again.
#executivecoaching #executiveleadershipcoaching #leadershipcoachingmelbourne #knowledgetoaction #developingleaders

Are You Looking To Apply Leadership Rather Than Just Talk About It?

Developing Leaders has a range of leadership and management learning programs that can help you go beyond knowledge and take action. From Executive Leadership Coaching, Leadership Assessments and Leadership programs and Workshops, we have a program to get your leadership and management moving in the right direction for you, your team and your business. Become a leader that others choose to follow today.

Does the perfect leader / team relationship exist? Of course it does – and it takes work and a sense of mutual trust and belonging. It takes leaders who actively encourage and support their team, with a team willing to listen and act on the encouragement and support given. Equally, it takes a team who actively encourages and supports their leader, with a leader willing to listen and act on the encouragement and support given. Do you have that relationship with your leader or your team?

For a team to perform at a high level, the team needs to trust the leader as much as the leader trusts the team. A break down on either side of this trust equation results in poorer performance. High Performing businesses have developed a strong sense of trust between leader and team – a truly symbiotic relationship – which drives performance.

The Role Of The Leader Supporting The Team

In relation to the team, the leaders role is to provide guidance, coaching, energy and clarity when the team needs it. The key phrase here is ‘when the team needs it’. As a leader, one of the hardest lessons to learn is when to apply your will / drive / energy / purpose to the team, and when to provide the team the opportunity to provide those things for themselves. If the leader is only focussed on themselves, they can ‘over apply’ each of these traits, to the annoyance of the team.

The leader places a level of trust in the team when providing each of the listed behaviours – guidance, coaching, energy and clarity. They all take time and effort, and the leader needs to know that those efforts won’t be wasted. One of the key roles of a leader is to provide the team these behaviours when they can’t provide it for themselves – there needs to be a willingness on behalf of the leader to provide it, and a willingness on behalf of the team to accept it. An unwillingness from wither party will result in a lack of trust and poorer performance.

When a leader can’t (or won’t) provide these behaviours for the team, the team loses trust in the leader – which also affects performance. In this way, a high performing team has a truly ‘symbiotic’ relationship with each other – they help improve and sustain each others roles.

Questions: As a leader, team leader, supervisor, manager or small business owner:

• Do you provide guidance on personal performance and role to your team members?
• Do you coach your team members on how they can improve, as well as how they can maintain their strengths?
• Is your energy and enthusiasm easily ‘caught’ by your team? Is your energy infectious? If so, is it raising your team up or pulling them down?
• Do you provide role clarity and provide your leader with an understanding of their role in the team and / or business?

If you had to think hard on any of these questions, you could be doing more to improve the trust and performance of your team relationship.

The Role Of The Team Supporting The Leader

Just as the leader has input into the teams performance, the team plays a crucial role in the leaders performance – a role that is often forgotten or overlooked.

The team provides the leader support, feedback, energy and clarity when the leader needs it. Leaders aren’t superheroes – they are not and endless supply of energy and positivity – there are times when circumstances can get the down (just like team members). When this happens, high performing teams can fill the void and provide energy, support and feedback to the leader.

Teams that don’t do this demonstrate a lack of trust in the leader, which impacts both the performance of the leader and team. Again, the role of the team and leader is symbiotic – they help improve and sustain each others role.

Questions: As a team member, colleague or peer:

• Do you provide support to your team leader in the form of encouragement or assistance?
• Do you provide feedback to your leader on what they did well and what they could improve on?
• Is your energy and enthusiasm easily ‘caught’ by your leader? Is your energy infectious? If so, is it raising your leader up or pulling them down?
• Do you provide role clarity and provide your team with an understanding of their role in the team and / or business?

If you had to think hard on any of these questions, you could be doing more to improve the trust and performance of your leadership relationship.

What impact are you having on the team trust and performance of your team?

Do you know the impact you have on your leader and / or team?

If you are unsure of your impact on your leader / team, you should complete the Velocity Leadership CheckPoint? 25 behavioural leadership traits, focussed in 5 distinct leadership capabilities – a ‘must know’ for any leader or team looking to drive high performance. If you haven’t completed the CheckPoint, get in touch with us today to arrange an appointment. Read through the comments and feedback from those that have – many say that it has had a profound effect on how they lead and perform within a team.

hashtag#leadershiptraining hashtag#leadershiptrainingmelbourne hashtag#leadershipskills hashtag#leadershipskillsmelbourne hashtag#developingleaders