Leadership Blog

Dan McCarthy was reflecting recently on his blog about the variability of running leadership development programmes. He noticed that a programme might be very successful with one group of people, but flounder with another. As an attempt to get to the bottom of the problem he began to observe participant behaviour in his workshops and has compiled a list of reccomendations. The list acts as a pretty good guide to getting the most out of training programmes and conferences.

He advised participants to, 

1. Connect, connect, connect!

2. Do the prework and evening assignments.

3. Take risks.

4. Listen for understanding, not to judge.

5. Keep a journal and create an action plan.

6. Meet with your manager before and after the program.

7. Maintain your energy level.

8. Clear your slate for the program.

Dan offers descriptions of each suggestion on his blog and reckons that, by following these guidelines, any participant in a learning event can maximise their ROI. See the full article here.

     

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There is something to be learned about leadership in general from Deputy-Headmaster Paul Ainsworth’s article in today’s Guardian about top leadership roles in schools. He describes the necessity for the deputy head to be a good all-rounder. In the context of a school, this means he needs to be as adept at devising curriculum as developing students or managing the running of the institution. These categories can easily be translated to other workplaces, where good leaders should shine in the areas of innovation, management, and strategy.

Another pertinent observation Ainsworth offers, is the different expectation of the role of middle management and senior leaders. He notes that in schools, just as in other businesses, it is absolutely necessary for senior management to successfully delegate tasks. Whilst middle managers will have the time to personally run the programmes they develop, it is important for senior managers to know when to delegate the implementation of projects to their staff.

     

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