HATCH Participants on my Leadership Workshop

Another happy set of customers who have just participated on my Leadership workshop as part of the HATCH Programme in Cavan.  A fantastic workshop with some challenging questions from this passionate group of students who have great wisdom and a vision of their future.  I look forward to reading their assignments. 

Post your comments folks and let me know if you need any further clarification on my leadership workshop or the assignment.

Where do you find your leadership role models?

In the leadership workshop we talked about the difference between leaders and managers and identified top leaders as role models who you highlighted as demonstrating a range of leadership qualities.  Some of the qualities listed included:

• having an idea
• having a clear vision of how to put the idea into reality
• staying true to their purpose
• making a difference
• being passionate

It was clear that we had difficulties finding leadership role models “nearer to home”.  Let’s look closer to home. 

As you can see from the picture below my inspirational leader throughout my life has to be my mum.   Born in Belfast in 1925 raised 6 children, worked part time, was an ambassador for the Action Research for Multiple Sclerosis amongst many of her charitable activities was married for 52 years to my dad who died 16 years ago just after my son was born.  My mum has not only been my rock, my support, my mentor and my best friend she has to be the wisest human being on this planet.  My mum epitimises many of the leadership qualities outlined in my last blog.

There are examples on your doorstep. I want you to put your coats on and walk, drive to your nearest town, high street, city etc......Identify a leadership role model nearer to home. Examples may include:

• a local family small business
• a community leader
• someone involved in sport
• a teacher
• a family member

How many inspirational leaders can you find on your own doorstep?? Is one of them you? 

Post your comments.

Effective Leadership

Effective leadership skills, qualities and competencies are valued highly by the business community and employees. With the right set of leadership skills, qualities, and qualities you will find your business will be more successful than average. They may be your greatest asset throughout your career.

I’ve been thinking over different leadership skills, qualities and competencies recently. Is it better to be a powerful and autocratic leader, or a quiet and compassionate leader? These two sets of leadership styles are not necessary opposing, and I’m not even sure if one CAN be better than the other. 

Being a leader is a difficult task especially if you are given responsibilities that you are not familiar with.  Do you accept this position?? If so you are going to be put under the microscope by your team members, colleagues, customers, stakeholders etc they all will be looking at you in the way and how you act, the way you look and the way you talk, the language that you use. It is important to be conscious of your actions and understand more importantly the impact of your actions because the goal is to project an image of effectivess and authenticity.  These leaders possess certain features that can help them gain the respect and recognition of others, these are known as leadership qualities – and the good news is they can be learned and applied to help you become a successful leader.

I’d like you to read this short passage about the Sherpa.

n. pl. Sherpa or Sher·pas

A member of a traditionally Buddhist people of Tibetan descent living on the southern side of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal and Sikkim. In modern times Sherpas have achieved world renown as expert guides on Himalayan mountaineering expeditions.

I am the Sherpa, I know the way, I show the way, I travel the way.  I have the strength to carry my own load, and the humility to carry yours.  I have the resourcefulness to travel with the lightest load possible, and to use the resources of my own surroundings, no matter how bleak, to make the journey successful. 

Unknown Source.

I really liked this metaphor of a Sherpa as a leader and it made me think around his leadership qualities:

• he has a clear vision of the destination not just the journey
• leads by example by being willing to serve others
• is familiar with the route and surroundings
• has the flexibility to adapt to circumstances as they arise
• demonstrates courage to take responsibility for others on the journey
• is happy to let others “dance in the spotlight” a lack of ego which is rare when coupled with such strong belief

I now invite you to take on the Sherpa qualities; and reflect on the following:-

If you adopted these leadership qualities what difference would this make to the way you think and practice leadership in your business?

How would it benefit you as a leader, and those around you who you lead?

Next post - Where do you find your leadership role models?

Leadership Interview with Liz Mellon

One of the world’s most in demand speakers on leadership, Liz Mellon is the author of Inside the Leader’s Mind: Five Ways to Think Like a Leader. She launched and developed Duke Corporate Education’s London office and is now an independent leadership educator and consultant.

Liz Mellon On the Guru Radar

Before joining Duke, Mellon was Professor of Organizational Behaviour at London Business School where she directed the Senior Executive Programme, its flagship program for senior executives. She has also been a visiting faculty member at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. More recently she spearheaded the launch of Duke’s executive education programmes in India. She is currently working on a new book on coaching for leaders. 

Check this interview with Liz on 50thinkers.com  video and let me know what you think.

Is reflection important?

This leadership blog is designed to help and support you change the way you think about leadership and will provide you with the tools and techniques to identify your leadership development needs.  I hope the blogs will add value to your Leadership workshop experience on the Advanced Diploma in Management Practice with the Ulster Business School and your self - directed learning.

The path to effective leadership begins in the mind.  Leaders THINK differently.  They SEE the world differently.  Leaders are ordinary people that understand that they make a difference.  We all possess the capacity for leadership, but only those who cultivate it will ever become truly effective leaders.  By providing articles, features, books and other resources I would like to encourage you to Awaken the Leader in YOU.

Check out this book by Jim Collins and Martin Hansen – Great by Choice – Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite them all

Could you benefit from daily reflection?

Reflecting on what we believe, who we are in relationship to those we serve, and what it means to do what we do.

Check out this book by Daniel Patrick Forrester – Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking to help you get started a great read.

As I find myself approaching Easter it feels the perfect opportunity to reflect on the first part of 2012 and start to plan for the rest of the year ahead.  Worklife balance is important to me and as my son journeys on with his GCSE's and A Levels my mind is made up to spend the rest of this year researching to identify a topic for a PhD I hope to start once I have completed my Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice this summer.  Anyone have any innovative ideas around leadership let me know. 

Have you taken time over the past year to reflect and notice your leadership achievements?

Northern Ireland Hospice Communications Manager, Claire Trainor, who has just graduated in a MSc in Executive Leadership with distinction from the Ulster Business School, would like to share with you her latest leadership achievement the proud owner of the Ambassador Award at the 2012 40 under 40 Awards hosted in Belfast.

Ambassador for the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon 2012. Claire will be running the full marathon for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice.

So as we move further into 2012, take a few moments to consider these questions?

What were your 2 greatest leadership achievements over the past year and how have you shared and celebrated them?

What difficulties have you faced...what are the most valuable lessons for you to learn?

Now just relax and allow yourself to imagine...where would you like to be in your leadership role this time next year? Allow yourself to visualise:

· where will you be?

· who will you be with?

· what learning and development will you need to get you there?

You may want to consider these questions on your own or sharing with a friend or colleague. You may even want to listen to Michael Jacksons Man in the Mirror to help you reflect.

Another book for you to consider is What to ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a more Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential Author: Robert Steven Kaplan