When I first became a Leader, I had an employee who exclaimed in exasperation one day at a staff meeting:
“I could get my own work done if it weren’t for the people”!
He was young and needed quiet space to work at his best. I was young and inexperienced too. I simply did not have the insight to help him realize that the only way to get things done would be with people or the tools to help him get there.
We come to a job prepared and keen to perform the work we are hired to do. We may already have the skills and expertise, or we are ready to learn on the job. What we are NOT prepared for, nor skilled at, is how to work with people who are not like us. People who have communication patterns that are different, disruptive, or even disrespectful. These eat up our energy. We struggle to understand and know, how to respond. The time we spend ruminating and judging their behaviour takes away from our own work and the quality of our contribution.
If I knew then, what I know now, I could have been an effective Leader for that employee, helping him to balance his task priorities and to interact with people as needed and with more ease. Instead, he quit out of frustration, and we had to hire and train someone else. He may not have been the right person for the role; however, I know I did not do my best as a Leader.
This experience motivated me to investigate deeply the essential skills of leadership and the mindset that fuels connection and success. Like me, most Leaders come into the role with very little formal training or guidance on how to communicate and coach for success. Instead, we only know how to recognize and police for failure.
The moto that has guided me every day since my first leadership role:
Learn from the leadership journey of others to make my path easier!
If you are ready to learn the essential leadership skills and positive mindset to get you to the next level join us for the next Sage Conversations for Leaders and Teams Program© It is a 13-Module Program that provides the tools, knowledge and insights to guide and prepare Leaders for a successful, effective, and enjoyable Leadership journey!
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From the research and thought leaders…
What Leadership Development Should Look Like in the Hybrid Era HBR June 1, 2022
Read Full Article HERE
Summary.
Traditional leadership development tells us that 70% of learning happens through on-the-job experience, 20% though feedback, and 10% through formal training. Research conducted over the past three years points to an alternative — and, we believe, more effective — framework for the process that emphasizes three actions: sensemaking, or understanding how the business world and the organization works around you; experimenting, or testing ideas; and self-discovery, or figuring out your own identity in the workplace. When implemented at HSBC this framework enhanced participants’ development. The experiment also pointed to new best practices for hybrid leadership development: programs should be iterative and experimental, embedded in day-to-day work, supported by coaching, and span all modes of delivery from all-virtual to fully in person.