Leadership Development

‘The process of becoming a leader is much the same as the process of becoming an integrated human being … leadership is a metaphor for centeredness, congruity and balance in one’s life’
Learning to Lead, Bennis and Goldsmith, 1997

I still hear the term ‘leadership training’ from time to time, and it’s true that you can learn the theory of leadership in the way this phrase implies. For example we run workshops on:

  • Communicating your vision;
  • Developing teamwork;
  • Developing coaching skills;
  • Giving difficult feedback;
  • Dealing with conflict;
  • Leading change;
  • Building resilience.

Learning the theory, however, is very different from putting it into practice. As important as learning to deal with other people as a leader, is the requirement to learn to deal with yourself and to understand your own drivers and motivations. Becoming a more effective leader is something that happens from the inside out as well as from the outside in. You may have the positional power that goes with a leadership position, but unless you behave as a leader, such authority won’t take you very far. Others may see you as a leader, but unless you can look in the mirror and see yourself as a leader, you may battle against the feeling of being an imposter and waiting to be found out.

Our approach to leadership development is to work with clients to understand their own and their organisation’s needs, and to design a programme to meet those needs. Contact us for further details.