How do I teach Leadership

Here's where you need to start

Only 11% of employees believe that their managers are effective leaders.

Given increased complexity and business volatility that firms face in this weird post-covid ‘recession’ world we’re in, this reality is scarier than ever.

So why are we just putting people in Leadership positions without actively teaching, cultivating, and rewarding leadership skills properly? Promoting people to ‘managers’ for no other reason than they’re really good at their job, or have been there the longest. The idea that Leadership is a passive role is DANGEROUS for your business.

Leaders play an important role in shaping the company’s culture, reinforcing its values, and encouraging the right behaviours. We must recognise that the role of leaders is not just to give orders, but to inspire, motivate, and guide members of the team. All of which needs to be taught and continually supported.

We can prioritise teaching Leadership skills through education and training programs. Encouraging constant self learning (reading, finding them a brilliant mentor… Even get them signed up to In The Making!) - I’ll do a list with links and suggestions of where to start below..

By building a strong foundation in Leadership, your future Leaders will be better equipped to manage their teams effectively, build positive relationships with their employees, and create high levels of engagement that foster a healthy, resilient workplace culture.

Actively educating and nurturing Leadership skills within a business also ensures that your Leadership roles are filled by the right individuals with the skills you need to perform effectively in each role. And you don’t get 6 months down the line having made a big mistake by putting the wrong person in the wrong role for them and you.

Also… Research conducted by Deloitte showed that organisations that promote a culture of Leadership development experience HIGHLY increased employee engagement and retention. Because when businesses invest in Leadership education, they foster a culture of learning, which emphasises personal and professional growth, which in turn promotes skills and retention.

So that recruitment crisis we’re having? Active Leadership training will massively help with that too

Effective leadership has been shown to significantly enhance employee engagement, retention rates, and organisational performance. So let’s start prioritising Leadership education for our teams TODAY. Then through these programs, companies can create strong and resilient Leadership teams, implement effective conflict resolution, and ultimately drive company success. Building a world in which we all love the work we do.

“But where on earth do I start?”

Here’s a pretty simplified list to get you on the right track

1. Profiling - Use a profiling tool to understand yourself, each member of your team and how they behave, interact and what role they play as part of a team.
   We used Marianne Page’s Contribution Compass

2. Roles & Responsibilities documents - Once you know the layout you need in your team (where you need managers to sit) Build out clear R&R docs for each Leadership role. What skills does this person need? Can those skills be taught? do you have this person already (from the profiling tool), or do you need to hire them?
   
   Once you’ve picked your fighters (or if you already have them), they need 2 elements to their learning
   - Supported by you
   - Self-led
   

3. Self-Led Learning - Leaders need to be incredibly proactive, and this needs to begin from the moment they begin training.
   - Ask them to research and pick out 3 books they want to read over the next 90 days. It’s important they chose these so they find authors who Lead in ways they can resonate with. I’ve heard many horror stories of Bus owners trying to push really masculine Leadership styles on Leaders who work more empathetically. Recipe for disaster.
   (Some of the ones that got me kickstarted were Multipliers, No Rules, Rules & Dare to Lead)
   - Come to you with where they believe their skill gaps are and where they need support and training
   - Find themselves a Leadership mentor, someone who is a few steps ahead of them (They NEED a paid, external mentor, but an internal one too will be beneficial).

4. Learning supported by you - You’ll play an big role in their development, but it’s more important you don’t step on their toes and accidentally diminish their self-led work. You shouldn’t be doing the learning for them, but you should be:
   - Hold them accountable to their Development plans
   - Give them access to the resources they need (money for books/mentors/courses/conferences, time away from the day-to-day for training)
   - Running regular (bi-weekly, 30 min) 1-2-1s to create space for them to have their wins and concerns heard
   - Get external Leadership mentoring for your entire team. Look no further than Cheryl Thompson for the most incredible external Leadership mentor in my opinion.
   - Pay them properly and according to the value they bring (as they develop, their value, and therefore their salary, should increase)