leadership Archives - Page 10 of 11

Why Development Based Training Is A Wise Investment

December 1, 2014December 2, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Success in business involves wise investments. Perhaps the wisest investment of all is the development of your employees. By considering the personal and professional goals of each individual, development based training will ensure that your people will thrive and your business will grow. Consider the following when choosing a training program:

Personal Development

Each person who works for your organization is unique and has different strengths. With the right guidance, each individual can set personal goals and identify the steps needed to achieve them. Personal development helps individuals better understand themselves and build on their inherent skills. This, in turn, creates and environment of enthusiasm that breeds success. When people have a vested interest in what they are doing, there is a natural shift from going through the motions to being truly motivated. Likewise, when people feel their employer is interested in them as a person, they are more likely to give their best.

Professional Development

Every organization has their particular values and mission statement. To realize these values and missions, ongoing professional development is a necessity. The most effective development programs motivate team performance and enhance leadership skills. Good leaders realize that communication is key. Knowledge is not used as power to hold down others, but rather as the power to mentor others and help them advance.

Success is a journey, not a destination. Continual education and development creates a culture where people want to succeed. When individuals take pride in their abilities and accomplishments, the whole team benefits.

4 Leadership Tips Regardless of Your Title

November 20, 2014December 3, 2014 Shannon Cassidy 1 Comment

You don’t have to be a supervisor to be a leader. Neither do you have to be in a very high position within a company. The best leaders are the ones who started leading even though they weren’t told to do so. If you take the initiative and assume responsibility, you will be appreciated even if your job doesn’t require you to do so. You may soon find yourself moving up the ranks.

Here are a few tips for leaders:

Express Your Opinion. This is a key part of being a leader. Have something important to contribute to your team? Let the higher ups know. Speak up at meetings or prepare a proposal so that your ideas get heard.
Follow Through. It’s not enough to just tell people your ideas. If they agree that your ideas are worth pursuing, you’re going to have to be the person who follows through with the suggestions. You may be tasked with putting together a team, approaching clients or drafting letters and preparing spreadsheets. Keep in mind that following through is as important as having the idea.
Maintaining Your Team’s Morale. It’s rare to find a workplace where there are absolutely no problems. People are always going to have some complaints or feel discouraged from time to time. As a leader, you have to learn to manage people so that they keep on going. Keep in mind that rewards work better than punishments. Reward your team with praise and small tokens of appreciation from the company.
Be a Role Model. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Want your team to be punctual? Come to the office on time. Want them to be enthusiastic? Stop complaining. Want them to communicate well? Take the time to talk to them about what’s going on.

4 Skills An Effective Business Leader Must Possess

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Though there are many skills an effective leader possesses, we will discuss four that our particularly useful in the workplace.

The Power of No

The ability to say “no” is crucial in both managing a team and managing expectations of clients or other leaders. It is a powerful tool against inferior work as well as unrealistic timelines. By saying “No” it opens up the ability to say “Yes” to the things that you want and are beneficial to the organization.

Delegation

The sensibility to delegate is important for a leader in order to keep from being overwhelmed by smaller tasks which would them unable to focus on the bigger picture. While a manager must be aware of daily processes, there is no rule that says they must do these tasks. Delegating also helps train the next set of employees to become leaders. It allows a leader to optimize their productivity and concentrate on the small set of actions that will have enormous results.

Adaptability

A business leader must be adaptable in order to deal with ever-changing team dynamics and business requests to get work delivered efficiently and effectively. Today’s workplace is a non-stop, demanding place to function in and to thrive in such a space, leaders must be able to change with whatever the team, the weather, the clients or the internet throws at them.

Communication

Lastly, strong communication skills—both speaking/writing and listening—are a skill that leaders of all levels must not only posses, but also constantly improve upon, to guarantee that their teams, clients and partners feel respected, “looped in” and heard. Clear communication is the basis for trust in the workplace and an open dialogue between all parties fosters a sense of community.

By adhering and growing their skills in these foundational principles, you can cultivate your business leadership acumen and be a guiding light for your organization.

Please contact us to learn more about leadership and its impact on your business operations.

What You Should Know About Executive Coaching

September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Therapy takes you from where you are now and helps you go back and figure out how you got there. With executive coaching, it’s really about where you are right now and where you ultimately want to be. It’s about taking you from the place where you find yourself, help you to articulate and get clear about where you want to go, and then give you the tools to get there.

1. Executive Coaching Does NOT Fix Broken Executives: While some executives need extra work to improve their performance, a lot of executives are growing in their leadership capabilities with the help of a coach. Why is it so effective? Christine Turner’s research in the Ivey Business Journal indicates that executives improve through guided and focused one on one attention with a coach. Turner says:

The executives said the most significant benefit was the individualized attention they received from their coaches. Add to this the fact that executive coaching takes place over an extended period of time and it becomes a great way to acquire and ingrain new skills.

2. Executive Coaching is NOT Therapy: The thought of lying on a couch and talking to someone who is not looking at us and answering questions like, “And how does that make you feel?” is terrifying to most executives. Coaching is not about dealing with issues in a person’s past necessarily. Coaches are focused on present performance and getting the most out of a leader. Executive coaching may feel a bit like therapy when their coach exposes blind spots in leadership areas. The pain is momentary because it serves as a learning experience. The executive is coached to develop new skills to handle specific performance issues. Sometimes, everyone but the executive can see what is happening to the morale of a team (or whatever issue is looming to hold back progress) — it takes “outside eyes” to help the executive adjust and begin to increase effectiveness again. More than anything, executive coaching is an opportunity to learn. Thomas J. Ucko describes the process:

Executive coaching is a structured process that starts with feedback about the executive’s leadership behaviors, and involves the executive in determining goals for more useful behaviors and in designing a plan for achieving these goals

3. Coaching Gets Results: Although Executive coaching is not a magic bullet, nor a quick fix, many executives are experiencing the positive results of it. The Sherpacoaching 2014 report claims:

Coaches in the business for 2 years or less report results as 51% good, 49% excellent. Veteran coaches, those in business 15 years or more, see 23% of coaching as producing good results, and 76% of coaching arriving at excellent outcomes.

Executive Coaching is growing in popularity because it is helping executives increase their effectiveness as leaders. Not only are the executives benefiting, but so are their companies and direct reports. It makes sense to invest in Executive Coaching to multiple the effectiveness of an organization.

6 Tips for Being an Effective Facilitator

August 28, 2014August 28, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Being a leader is not just about making good decisions behind closed doors. It means understanding and listening to the perspectives of coworkers and stakeholders. A well facilitated discussion ensures everyone’s voices are heard, builds connections among group members, and generates excitement for the topic being discussed. Here are a few tips to take the challenge out of effective facilitating as you hone your own leadership style.

Be clear about the goal of the session. If it’s a brainstorm session and people expect consensus, they will be dissatisfied. If the goal is consensus, and people continue to present new ideas, they too will be frustrated. Explicitly sharing the goal helps keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

Use people’s names. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to remember. Especially in groups where not everyone knows each other, consciously using people’s names when you ask them to speak builds a sense of openness and trust in the group.

Restate and connect ideas. This shows that you listen to and value everyone’s input. Restating allows for more people to hear and understand the original thought. Connecting ideas builds a conversation rather than a lecture.

Don’t be afraid of silence. Those who need a little more time to process a question will appreciate it. Everyone will see and understand that their participation is valued and needed. Restate or ask another question after a while, but give people enough time to respond thoughtfully.

Allow for conflicting opinions; don’t take sides. It’s okay that not everyone agrees. As a facilitator, help the participants understand the nature of their conflict. Dig a little deeper to find out why they feel the way they do.

Show your enthusiasm and excitement. When a group member asks a good question or makes a good point, don’t be afraid to show you think so. If you are excited about a topic, others will be, too.