If you are in the line of leadership development, then you should constantly update yourself with the new trends and methods in order to get the best out of your participants.
These days, one of the effective strategies that many people use is incorporating self-motivation in the activities that is related to leadership development. They believe that a good leader is somebody who can motivate him or herself no matter what the situation.
Leadership development these days can be done in two settings: the individual setting and the collective setting. The former focuses on the individual traits of the leaders and targets that person’s strengths and weaknesses. The latter is mainly focused on using people that surrounds that leader to. This means that interpersonal and social skills are assessed to be able to help the leader develop his or her innate skills.
One leader at a time
Many people that conduct leadership development start with enhancing the skills of an individual rather than using the group. This is because it is the easiest way to assess the skills of the person to become a leader and would also give them an idea how much more he or she needs to improve.
Those who are into individual leadership development, the major thing that they should focus on is how to instill the value of self motivation in a leader. You must make that potential leader understand that if he or she knows how to self-motivate, it will be easier for them to accomplish greater things for themselves and for the people that matter to them in the future.
Experts agree that for one to be a great leader self-motivation is very essential. This is because knowing how to motivate oneself would help a person deal with challenges that would come along the way. It will also serve as an inspiration that would keep their spirit high no matter how trying the times are.
To help develop better leaders during leadership development, you must help them discover their purpose in life. Indeed, the most powerful thing that can help a person get started to be a better is when they discover their purpose in life. Once you were able to help them do this, they can find the reason in their hearts why do they want to be motivated and become a better leader.
During leadership development, encourage them to always be thirsty and hungry for something. For people to become better leaders they should be self motivated and want something not only for him or herself but also for others. It would be best if you can encourage that leader to use self-motivation to excel and achieve success and don’t be contented with what they have right now. Make them understand that it is best to always be hungry for knowledge so their desire to learn will be fueled.
If they are able to learn new things, there are greater chances for them to acquire new skills that would help them boost their self-confidence later on. These skills will not only make them better persons but will also prepare them to become better leaders.
Leadership Development
Imagine the situation: your company's doing well, but it seems you're facing one crisis after another. Problems keep cropping up that could have been prevented and you're facing the prospect of losing employees. What seems to be the problem? If you don't know the answer then you're probably in need of a good run through a leadership development program.
The problem that some companies face is that management can't seem to connect with the employees. The barrier is often there because of corporate culture – people don't want to complain nor do they want to stand out unless they want to risk getting axed. The Japanese have a saying that the nail that stands out is going to be hammered. He problem is that sometimes that nail is standing out for a reason. Leadership development, at its heart, is all about finding the nails that need to be hammered and that don't.
So what does leadership development mean actually? Aren't you a leader by default when you get appointed? Yes, you may be a leader, but are you good leader? This is what has plagued organizations since the dawn of time; yes, the organization may be “too big to fail” but get an incompetent in the right place and it'll topple on its own. That's what happened to the Roman Empire and that's what has happened to several businesses across the years. Leadership development helps identify competent people and give them the tools to lead – it also identifies not-so-competent people and give them the tools not to screw up so much.
So what does this mean for your company – undergoing a leadership development program yourself can have several benefits:
a) Work satisfaction – there is nothing like a job well done. Knowing that you are doing the best that you could possibly be doing is a great boost to personal self-esteem. No more doubts about your capabilities in leading – you know that you can lead your company and lead it well.
b) Skills acquisition – Leadership development programs are more than hot-blooded pep-talks. Most of them impart skills that enable an organization to grow and develop. Some example of these skills are on how to plan properly, how to deal with problems in your company, and how to identify other potential leaders in your company infrastructure. All of these are useful in making sure that your company is running in tip-top shape.
These are only the benefits to yourself. Leadership development programs aren't usually limited to the top of an organization; mid-level management can also benefit from this. Having team leaders and project heads joining leadership development activities give the following benefits:
a) A more experienced workforce – The skills imparted to your supervisors and team leads give them a definite edge. It also boosts their confidence and helps them to contribute more to the company via their observations and plans.
b) Better rapport with employees – Leadership development emphasizes better relationships with your subordinates. Inculcating this into your middle management corps will reap you dividends in your relations with those at employee level.
These are only some of the advantages of instituting a leadership development program for your company. They are definitely worth the time and money that you invest into such a program. Try starting one today and see the results within a year – you'll be surprised.