There is an old adage that says, in essence, “effective leaders are not made; they are born”. But you don’t hear that bit of dated and questionable wisdom much anymore. This is because the people who work with skilled and effective leaders know those people have to work on their abilities continuously by enrolling in leadership development programs throughout their careers.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment, self-aware business leaders consider themselves to be ‘works in progress’. To be an effective leader of a skilled and talented team of individuals, you have to be committed to a philosophy of lifelong learning.
Psychology of Leadership
In the high pressure, technology-driven world of business today, an effective leader still has to effectively assess the capabilities and strengths of their team. Leadership development programs teach you how to accurately determine not just a team member’s capabilities but also how they fit into a team and the contributions you can reasonably expect of them.
Situational leadership is a method of accurately determining the needs of your team members and managing them individually using different management styles depending on where they are in their career and their own development.
By effectively sorting your team into categories depending on how they react and perform daily, this leadership development program helps you help them excel and provide a positive contribution to a group project.
As effective as this program is, it’s just one facet of a lifelong leadership education. The situational leadership program takes two days to complete, but it can take a lifetime to master.
Develop a Sense of Self-leadership
Before you can be an effective leader of other people, you have to instill a sense of leadership in yourself. This means becoming more productive and disciplined and having a clear understanding of the direction and goals of the company. By developing a sense of self-leadership, you won’t have to preach about the benefits of being disciplined and productive; you’ll be able to lead by example.
The self-leadership program is a one-day program that welcomes both you and your employees. It’s an interactive program that focuses on communication and encourages employees to speak up when they direction and support and solicit feedback for their suggestions and ideas.
The focus on communication encourages employees to look at all sides of a challenge and share their ideas on how to solve it. It teaches your employees that they can be more engaged and committed to raise the performance level of the entire team over the sum of its parts.
Lifelong Learning
These are just a couple of the courses included in a leadership development program. Every program can be customized to serve the educational needs of you, your position and your industry. The first step involves a commitment to the concept of lifelong learning and improving your leadership skills throughout your career.
Contact SEAC to learn more about the complete list of courses that will help you be the type of leader you’d want to follow.
