Leading the Way - Inspiring Young Leaders of Potential

Initial Thoughts

“We want to be inspired. We are programmed to respond to brave, steadfast and committed leadership … the kind we see in great sports teams.” Sam Walker: The Captain Class

Inspiring and developing your young leaders of potential to become inspirational leaders in their own right will provide you with a strong core of leaders capable of taking on senior leadership roles in the future; capable also of leading their own teams without constant direction. They will strengthen your succession planning, help build your reputation as a business that develops their young leaders and, of course, will also save on future recruitment costs.

“Inspiring leaders don’t suggest methods to put into practice … rather they support their people and take an interest in them … clarity and confidence are at its* core.” (Leadership*) Garret Kramer: The Path of no Resistance

It’s about coaching, listening, asking good questions and … more listening!

“Real leaders serve to bring out the inner wisdom and the free will of those they serve.” Garret Kramer

The Journey

The “Journey” has four main components:

1. Communicating the Purpose

This is a key element in the Journey to ensure your colleagues know what it will entail. It can also be used to generate interest in, and commitment to, the Journey. I will be pleased to assist you in developing this “message”.

2. Initial One-to-One Meetings / Coaching

This starts their Leadership Journey … In order to ensure we provide a Journey that accurately addresses all their needs, generates a real sense of engagement with their colleagues and establishes an understanding of the coaching Journey, we propose that we meet with each colleague for approximately one hour.

3. Three x One-Day Workshops

The following are some examples of the key components of the workshop:

Finding your own Leadership “Gene” - Leadership is not a case of one-size-fits-all. Delegates will be encouraged to seek out their own personal Leadership “Gene”.
The Three Principles and State of Mind - we will introduce and develop certain principles and understandings that can create increased levels of consciousness for the individual. These understandings foster improved relationships, clearer decision-making under pressure, increased creativity as well as reducing internal stress and conflict.
Building Leadership Capacity – focusing on the Leader-Leader as opposed to the Leader-Follower approach. An approach that will generate a pool of talented future leaders for your business.
The Language of Leadership - We can explore the power of stories and how they can be used as a source of inspiration to stimulate action, implement change / new ideas, and build high performing teams.
Creating an Inspirational Environment – the Leader’s role is to create an environment in which their colleagues will understand that they are themselves responsible for their own motivation.
Dealing with Mistakes Productively for Future Success - “The greatest difficulty that many people face … is in admitting personal failures and thus learning from them.” Mathew Syed: Black Box Thinking
Only by people being able to admit mistakes and examine what they can learn from them, will they grow and develop to assist their business to succeed.
“The paradox of success … it is built on failure!” Mathew Syed
A Listening Environment - “ A Thinking Environment is natural, but rare. It has been squeezed out of our lives and organisations by inferior ways of treating each other. Organisations, families and relationships can become Thinking flourishing Environments again. Where good ideas abound, action follows and people flourish.” Nancy Kline: Time to Think

Enough said!

4. Two x One-Hour Coaching Sessions

These will take place after the first and second workshops and provide a valuable individual support to the candidates on their Journey. We will pick up on any particular leadership issues that they wish to explore further and review their reading that will be a key part of their Journey.

The Journey Plan

Month One: 1-2-1 meetings with each candidate

Month Two: First one day workshop

Month Three: First 1-2-1 coaching sessions

Month Four: Second one day workshop

Month Five: Second 1-2-1 coaching sessions

Month Six: Third one day workshop

Final Presentations

At the completion of the Journey candidates will be invited to present their experiences to a range of senior managers who had shown interest in and provided support for the candidates. This will take one day to complete and I will coach the candidates in preparation for their presentations.

Selection of Candidates

I recommend that this be managed in-house with support from myself.

I will be happy, if you wish, to assist your senior managers in selecting the most suitable candidates for this Leadership Journey.

I recommend a maximum of 12 candidates.

Candidate Contract

It may be useful to build in a commitment from the candidates to remaining with the company for at least 12 months after the completion of the Journey.

Your Investment

Your investment in this Leadership Journey will be agreed in writing beforehand, excluding VAT, travel, accommodation and subsistence as required, and will include the following:

Assistance with “Communicating the Purpose”
Three full day workshops
Three 1-2-1 meetings / coaching for each candidate
Assistance with selection of candidates
Coaching assistance for final day presentations
Three relevant books
Relevant feedback notes where required

“Thought is the creative agent we use to direct ourselves through life … Thought is not reality yet it is through Thought that our realities are created.” Sydney Banks