Leadership Development not working? Well…maybe it’s time to take a fresh approach to taking action. Learn 5 strategies for bringing your leadership learning to life.
Leadership Development not working? Well…maybe it’s time to take a fresh approach to taking action. Learn 5 strategies for bringing your leadership learning to life.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
Have a question for Modern Mentor? Email us at modernmentor@quickanddirtytips.com.
Find Modern Mentor on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or subscribe to the newsletterto get more tips to fuel your professional success.
Modern Mentor is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor-newsletter
https://www.facebook.com/QDTModernMentor
https://twitter.com/QDTModernMentor
https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-mentor-podcast/
https://www.leadabovenoise.com/
Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping leaders and organizations crack their activation codes – finding the simple tweaks to enhance both performance and engagement.
One of the fastest paths to activating teams? It’s activating their leaders – with great leadership development. Workshops or programs designed to amplify a key skill – like leading through change or communicating effectively or managing burnout, and on and on.
I’m super bullish on leadership development. Delivered well it can totally shift the experience of a team – or even an organization. It can unlock efficiency or collaboration or engagement. And yet, I’ve talked to lots of leaders over the years who’ve said things like “meh – didn’t really work for me. I took a class on [whatever they took a class on] and frankly I still can’t do the thing.”
This, friends, is not a sign that leadership development is bad. The truth? It’s that the program or workshop is only the beginning of a journey toward excellence. Learning doesn’t equal doing. And I always make this known at the beginning of any program I run.
So if you’ve participated in a leadership program (or you have one coming up) here are some strategies you can use to make sure it “works” for you.
Strategy 1: Find purpose in the doing
There’s this episode of Friends where Joey keeps dropping giant words. Totally, of course, out of character for him. The punchline is that Chandler gave him word of the day toilet paper.
Cute in a 90’s sitcom. Painful in the workplace in the 2020’s.
Because this is sometimes the thing that happens when leaders finish a program.
They’ve learned a thing – a tool or framework – and they start applying it everywhere. And it “doesn’t work.” So they give up.
But leadership techniques – like long words on paper goods -are not meant to be used everywhere, in every situation.
In fact, one of the hardest – but most important – parts of putting a new habit into practice is knowing when to use it. And critically, when not to.
I had a boss years ago who had taken a class in active listening. Which is a great skill to have. But he started doing it all the time! Like – in every single interaction. Whatever I’d be saying, he’d hold this intense eye contact. He’d never speak until I’d finished. He’d ask lots of questions and repeat my answers back.
He became like an active listening robot. He’d use the techniques when I was sharing a new idea (excellent) but also when I’d be talking about my weekend plans (super weird!)
So the insight is this: take a thing you learn in a program and really think about when it makes sense to practice it. So it feels helpful and not creepy.
Strategy 2: Buckle Up for Discomfort.
When you do a new thing and it feels weird? That’s a good thing!
So yes. The first time you really implement that active listening or that feedback model or that coaching framework? It should feel weird.
And just being ready for that can really help prepare you for success.
I still remember the first time I spoke on a stage in front of strangers, rather than in a conference room amongst colleagues. OMG – super uncomfortable!
But I knew it would be. I’d prepared for it – I’d anticipated the ways in which it would feel weird. Which helped me push through. And do it again. And again. And now it just doesn’t feel weird anymore. That’s the journey. You gotta be on it.
Strategy 3: Bring the victory line in
This bit is all about success. And how we define – and celebrate it.
I once heard an interview with a man who’d lost 100 lbs. He’d been wanting to do so for years. And for years, he’d imagined the journey to that victory which seemed so far off, he gave up before he began.
Then one day, he decided he was just going to lose 1 lb. And do it again – 99 more times. And he’d celebrate every single one.
It was a mindset shift – nothing about the work he had to do had changed. But suddenly what had seemed insurmountable felt simple.
Being a great communicator doesn’t happen instantly because you’ve taken a class. And if that’s the expectation then yes, you will “fail.”
So instead, challenge yourself with something super small the first time out of the gate.
Took a class on prioritizing your team’s workload? Great. Tomorrow, please do not attempt to prioritize your team’s workload.
Nope – attempt to look at your own list of priorities. And choose the tiniest thing you can cross off your list for now. That’s your first achievement. Celebrate it!
Then do the same with one member of your team. Then all members. And work your way up to a more strategic look at the total list of priorities and reigning them in.
Baby steps, friends. Baby steps.
Strategy 4: Be a little vulnerable
My older daughter is learning to drive right now. And I don’t wanna talk about it. But I will say this.
We’ve got a magnet we stick on the back of the car that says “Student Driver – please be patient” and that things works wonders!!
Sure, partly it’s people keeping their distance for rightful fear of bodily harm. But also? It’s people remembering how hard it is to drive. And thenm giving her the space she needs to find her way.
Leadership – though hopefully carrying less threat of bodily harm – is kind of similar.
If you’ve just learned to coach and you come out of the gate hot and blustery? Even when you know you’re still learning? Your team will feel that bluster.
But if you come out and say “Hey team – I really wanna up my coaching game so I can serve you. But for now, as I’m learning, I’d really appreciate your patience and your feedback” – that’s gonna win you big points.
Chances are they’ll give you both. The patience will give you room to play. And the feed back will help you up your game. So give it a try!
Strategy 5: Seek out Accountability
Because defaulting to the old and familiar is way too easy and comfortable.
Doing things in new ways will feel uncomfortable. You’ll fall down. And if no one is watching, why wouldn’t you just revert back to the good old days?
So grab a buddy or a small crew. And create an accountability mechanism. Like you each need to report to the other something you put into practice each week. Or you claim your victories in a shared Google sheet. You chase each other, encourage each other, and celebrate each other.
It takes a village! So find your village.
And next time you decide leadership development just isn’t working for you? Just give one of these a try and let me know how it goes. I’d love to celebrate you.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to crack its activation code- dialing up performance and engagement. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
Modern Mentor is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. It's audio-engineered by Dan Feirabend. Our Director of Podcasts is Brannan Goetschius. Our Podcast and Advertising Operations Specialist is Morgan Christianson. Our Digital Operations Specialist is Holly Hutchings. Our Marketing and Publicity Assistant is Davina Tomlin, and Kamryn Lacy is our marketing contractor.