Leadership Development – Leadership Styles and Training

What makes a good leader?

Leadership development

Ever since we started Impact Factory, lo these many years ago, we have struggled with the whole notion of leadership development or leadership training. Indeed, we have resisted writing about it in much detail because the subject is so subjective.

Are leaders born or made? Can you use management leadership training to give leadership skills to someone who isn’t leadership material? How is it done?

Given that we’re being asked to create a lot more leadership programmes of late, we decided we’d take a hard look at just what makes a good leader.

Even of you don’t think of yourself as a leader, you will have areas in your life where other people look to you for leadership. So here are some essentials qualities and skills you need to be a good leader in whatever leadership arena you’re in.

Leadership Training

Training is a misnomer when applied to leadership. Any leadership development programme has to include at least a passing reference to the following

Introduction to the concept of leadership behaviours.

Discussion and debate about leadership

A widening of the definition beyond traditional leadership stereotypes Personal understanding of individual leadership qualities and strengths The difference between leadership and management

A look at how people perceive, their perception is their reality Assumptions and their effect on how people see the world What are your terms of reference and seeing the bigger picture,

Personal patterns and beliefs

A look at the elements that have influenced and shaped the participants Establishing ownership of individual’s leadership behaviours

A programme needs to be designed around the development of the individuals involved rather than towards competencies identified as required by the organisation.

Leadership style

What does a leader look like?

No cookie cutter models here. Everyone can develop their capacity to lead, from church committees to local pressure groups to business teams to political parties. When someone is committed to, and practises using their leadership capabilities at all levels in their life, then they can and will develop
their own potential as a leader.

There is a tendency, in our Western culture, to see Leadership as synonymous with white, middle class, male, in charge. There’s a kind of unspoken template of what leadership is supposed to look like. Now we know that isn’t true. Leadership can and does come in many different shapes and forms.

Good leaders don’t conform to a template. Indeed, leaders are people who don’t usually follow the party line. They have an edge to them, they get up people’s noses sometimes, they make decisions – lots of them – that often others don’t like. They say the things that need saying in a way that others understand.

Don’t let the picture get in the way.

However, it is important to acknowledge that people developing their leadership skills are often hampered by their picture (or other people’s picture) of what a leader is supposed to ‘look’ like.

This is when it’s important to understand that the role of leader is not only completely individual (remember, they don’t fit a mould!) but also has to be worked at with belief and will and determination by the person occupying it.

It’s different for everyone

Not only that, leaders will be experienced differently by the individual people they lead. One getting encouragement, another understanding. That, of course, will be due to the leader’s ability to see what each person needs (more on this later). Continue reading →