an 8 step guide to developing your leadership skills
DESCRIPTION
Dan McCarthy's presentation to the New England Society of Association Executives.TRANSCRIPT
An Eight Step Guide to Developing Your
Leadership SkillsDan McCarthy, Director Executive Development ProgramsThe University of New Hampshire
My background: Leadership Development for RG&E, Kodak, Paychex,
The University of New Hampshire Great Leadership blog and eBook 25 Years of management experience
Today’s session: Less theory and citations; more practical “how-to” You’ll leave with at least one action step for your
leadership development journey
Introduction
1. Motivation
2. Define leadership
3. Assessment
4. Get specific
5. Variety
6. Plan and practice
7. Feedback and reflection
8. Continuous learning
The 8-step Roadmap
you?
Why do you want to improve your leadership skills? Leadership development is a full contact sport No motivation = no behavior change
Action steps: Align with your organization’s purpose Align with your own personal purpose, mission, values Find a reason that will motivate you
Step 1: Have a Darn Good Reason
Step 2. Know What Leadership Looks Like
What is “leadership”?
"There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept." - Ralph Stogdill
Are leaders born or made?
Height?Gender?
IQ?
DNA?
Birthday?
9
“Leaders”: Born or Made? First born:• Intelligence• Energy, ambition Then, mostly made:• Knowledge• People skills• Experiences• “Learning Agility”
10
Astronauts and Leaders Chuck Yeager (“The Right Stuff”): “I am the sum total of the life I have lived….There is
no such thing as a natural–born pilot. Whatever my aptitudes or talents, becoming a proficient pilot was hard work, really a lifetime’s learning experience. For the best pilots, flying is an obsession, the one thing in life they must continually do. The best pilots fly more than the others; that’s why they are the best”.
To some extent. There are clues….. Authenticity, Receptivity to feedback Adaptability, Comfort with ambiguity Conceptual thinking, Learning agility Deliver results, Self-aware Emotional Intelligence
And methodology: Assessments, Talent Reviews, Assessment Centers
Can you predict leadership success?
But it’s a crapshoot
Read biographies of leaders you admire Read 2-3 leadership books Interview/network with leaders you admire See if your company has a leadership model Develop your own definition and list of 10 traits,
characteristics, and/or behaviors
Action Steps:
Self-assessment is the least accurate!Action steps: Formal assessments
The Leadership Practices Inventory 360
Ask others Stakeholder interview process Watch yourself on video 10/10 technique Listen, say “thanks”, and be on the lookout for blind
spots
Step 3: Assess Against the Target
Improve my ability to listen when I’m in a hurry or under stress”
“learn how to lead change” “Learn to be more strategic” “Improve my presentation skills”
Action step: Pick just one thing Get S.M.A.R.T. about it
Step 4: Get Specific
Exercise Thinking back over your career, choose 3 – 5
development experiences of importance and impact – the ones that resulted in the most learning. These can be on or off the job, at any point in your career. They could be jobs, assignments, projects, bosses, classes, coaches, or other experiences that made you see things in a different way, built skills that you still use today, or significantly changed your behavior.
How Successful Executives Develop
SignificantOtherPeople
ChallengingAssignments
Hardships
OtherEvents
48%
18%
17%
17%
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership
Step 5: Hit the need with a variety of learning resourcesAction steps: Consider a job change Take on a challenging work assignment Take on a challenge off-the job Get help from others: coach, mentor, boss, subject matter
experts Get “feedforward” Take a courses (targeted, feedback, peer learning, application) Read a “how-to” books, subscribe to blogs, videos, etc…
Developmental “HEAT”!
Pick one behavior you would like to changeDescribe this behavior to a partnerAsk for “feedforward” – for two suggestions for the future that might help
achieve a positive change in your selected behaviorListen attentively and take notesThank the personAsk the other person what they would like to changeProvide feedforward – two suggestions aimed at helping the other person
changeSay “You are welcome” when thanked for the suggestions. The entire process
of both giving and receiving feedforward usually takes about two minutes
Find another partner and keep repeating the process until the exercise is stopped
Feedforward Exercise
Action steps: Write it down! Individual Development Plan (handout) Public “declarations” Find a partner Deliberate practice
Step 6: Plan and Practice
Action Steps: Get more feedback: “How am I doing?
Reflection: Start a journal Debrief with a coach, learning partner, mentor
Step 7: Feedback & Reflection
Step 8: Continuous Improvement
1. Motivation2. Define
leadership
3. Assessment
4. Get specific
5. Variety
6. Plan and practice
7. Feedback and reflection
8. Continuous learning
Summary: The 8-step Roadmap
you?
My contact information and resources:
Email: [email protected]: http://www.greatleadershipbydan.comeBook: The Great Leadership Development and Succession Planning eBook (Amazon, Nook, Ibooks, etc…): $7.99
Twitter: @greatleadership
UNH Executive Leadership programs:The UNH Next Level Executive Development Programhttp://execed.unh.edu/Next-Level-Leadership-Development-NHWomen's Leadership Development Programhttp://execed.unh.edu/Womens-Leadership-Development-Program-NH