Leading People

If we understand leadership from personal attributes we could understand that the leader is born as a leader. It would be that person who knows how to guide and lead the group, organize, solve the problems that arise and who also approve of the rest of the people as such.

If we talk about leading by its position, we would have a leader who “becomes” which is going to shape with the passing of time and experiences, such as going to occupy high positions.

When we refer to a leader for his behaviour, we could look at those aspects which devote attention to their actions.

Leadership and management are not the same things, but they go hand in hand. Leaders inspire and motivate people, focusing on people and setting new directions for a group to follow. Managers plan, organise, coordinate and facilitate, organizing people, materials and budgets to pursue objectives. You can be a leader and a manager in the same role.

Good leaders will have a strong vision and an ability to influence and unite people behind them, which makes them valuable to an organisation. A leader can be radical and inspire change and development. Successful leaders know which approach and tools are best for each situation and they amend their behaviour after careful analysis of themselves, their team members, the organisation and other outside factors.

To be a good leader you need to know and apply:

Different leadership styles

How to coach to improve performance

How to develop your team’s culture

The importance of diversity and inclusion and what you can contribute to it

How to create your unique style as a leader and adapt your style depending on the situation.

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leader

•  This article dives into the theory and technical aspects of the model.

Fiedler’s Contingency Model

•  What is your natural leadership style?

This article explores Fiedler’s Contingency Model and looks at how it can highlight the most effective leadership style to use in different situations.

JOHN ADAIR’S ACTION-CENTRED LEADERSHIP

READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS MODEL FOR TEAM LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT.

CMI Knowledge Bank  – Coaching for Improved Performance

Coaching is a two-way process where the team member takes an active part and the coach acts as a facilitator.

•  This eWorkout will explore the universal, everyday behaviours that make the biggest difference both within and outside of coaching conversations.

12 Innovative Tools And Techniques Every Coach Can Benefit From

•  Here are some of the most innovative coaching tools and processes wholeheartedly recommended by 12 members of the Forbes Coaches Council.

What is the difference between equality and diversity? Find out in this article by the General Assembly.

What’s the Difference Between Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity?

This article from the General Assembly contains some thought exercises to really provoke inquiry into this topic. Have a pen and paper (actual or virtual) at the ready!

No Holding Back: Breaking Down the Barriers to Diversity

This 20-page report from PwC looks at why diversity in all its forms – from gender, generation, ethnicity, sexuality and disability to people with a broader range of skills, backgrounds and experiences – are increasingly important to business success and how your organisation can harness the full competitive potential. It poses some pertinent questions for all organisations to consider.

Acas: Equality and Discrimination – Creating Fair Workplaces

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) is a public body of the UK government. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and facilitation of strong industrial relations practice. Its website is a goldmine of useful information!

Understand Handy’s Four Types of Organisational Cultures.

•  This is a quick guide to the types of organisational culture and the impact it has on team performance.

Organisational culture is a set of unwritten rules that will affect how employees and other stakeholders behave and perform.

Building a High-Performance Culture

The increasing recognition of the importance of culture in creating sustained high performance raises important questions: What is organisational culture? Why is it important? And, most importantly, how can you make your culture conscious? In other words, how do you measure it?

Handy’s Four Types of Organisational Cultures

This chapter of a management course from the OU presents the four types in detail, with useful graphics and space for reflection.

Psychological safety

For a productive coaching conversation, we need to build an environment that is honest, transparent, and trusting, creating psychological safety.

Frame it

Promote work as an opportunity for learning, not a task to be executed

We’re all human

Share the mistakes you’ve made, and what you learnt from them

Take a back seat

Invite new ideas and solutions by letting your coachee drive the agenda

Listening well is a skill that every successful coach needs to master. Here are four top tips to help you achieve exactly that.

Use verbal cues to demonstrate listening

Focus on the coachee, maintaining eye contact

Summarise what you’ve heard appropriately and sensitively

Reflect back on tangible examples of success

Use scaling to focus on what we are already doing well to build confidence and identify how to improve (0 = couldn’t be worse, 10 = couldn’t be better).

|——–|——-|——-|——-|——-|——-|——-|——-|——-|——-|

0          01       02       03       04       05       06       07       08       09       10

Where are you now?

How do you know?

What does 10 out of 10 look like?

What are you already doing well that means your score isn’t one point lower?

What would be different if you scored yourself one point higher?

Goal setting

Ask them to set goals and commit to specific actions following the conversation.

Goals should be specific and challenging.

Commit to action

Ask your coachee to rate their commitment to the goal out of 5.

If it’s less than 5, ask them what their doubts are. This can uncover important issues they haven’t raised already.

Roadblock ahead

Looking ahead helps us plan for obstacles to success.

Ask them what might get in the way of achieving their goal, and how they’ll manage this.

1 –  Knowing the shared  goal

2 –  Create a line of sight

At the start of a project, ensure everyone knows how their role aligns with team goals.

A –  Embed team goals

Define your success as a team, incorporating this into individuals’ goals.

B –  Champion success

Publicly acknowledge people’s contributions towards achieving those team goals.