Our philosophies on how we lead and manage people have been ingrained in us over the years. Rightly or wrongly we follow in the path of those before us and emulate their behaviours. There has been a lot of literature and a number of different positions taken regarding leading and managing. Most of this has not had an impact on how most of us lead or manage. Why is that? Is it because our learned behaviour kicked in and we did what those before us were doing? Is it because we have been told rather than someone challenging us to think outside of our comfort zone? Is it because leaders are born and it is not something that we can learn to do? Some very thought provoking questions!
Are You Sufficiently Supporting The Growth Of Leaders?
When I take a look at some of our leadership/management development programs I hear the same message over and over again.
We spend a lot of money on training people to become good leaders and managers but the results are not always what we had expected. My first question is always what have you done to support the learning? Have you provided a mentor for your new leader/manager to work with to reinforce the learning’s that they have just realized? Think of it from a continuous learning process – assess, determine the gap, train, reinforce in the work place, assess and continue the process. Failure to do this, results in us setting people up for failure.
Fast forward to a time where you now have this new leader/manager in your workforce and they are struggling. What are some of the things that you are willing to do to assist them in their growth? I have seen this far too often and in most situations the new leader/manager is reaching out for assistance but we choose to ignore.
The Missing Keys To Successful Leadership Development
Two key elements seem to be part of why we don’t reach out to help these folks be successful.
First, we are not good at developing work relationships – helping each other grow personally and professionally. The other important element is that we seem to have lost the art of communicating effectively. The majority of the poison/negativity that exists in the workplace today is due to our poor communication and how we message with others. Sadly that poison/negativity can spread rapidly through an organization and most leaders never realize how bad it is till it is too late. Don’t let that be your organization – there are things we can do to change those situations!
Social Buzz U features a free webinar by Doug Lawrence, Effective Mentoring – Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders. This webinar takes a look at mentorship and how it can change the face of your leadership development program.
Effective Leaders Have Great Mentoring Skills
I found this excerpt and wanted to share it with you as it speaks to a leader with mentoring skills. It is all about relationships, personal and professional growth and a huge focus on the positive.
“Relationship theories, also known as transformational theories, focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her potential. Leaders with this style often have high ethical and moral standards.”
Take your leadership and management skills to the next level through the “power of mentoring!”
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