Leadership training? Yeah right!



Leaders are people who achieve results. Leaders are those whose attitudes and actions lead to positive results. Sending your staff to leadership training may not deliver the goods you are looking for! It helps them build a foundation for achieving the objectives, if they get to implement the knowledge. Some never do.

I have spent time with several organizations who send people to fancy schools and programs. When I say fancy, I mean high end fancy, like creepers on walls fancy. Does that mean it will make your team into leaders. Maybe. No guarantees. Executive programs are designed to make schools successful, not your company, or your staff.

Some so called leadership programs are a version of EST and Landmark programs designed to give attendees an inner sight into themselves. Others provide basic sales skills. That is leadership? Not on my dollar! Shareholders should be saying. It is as bad as team building exercises around golf courses and resorts. It is fun but does it bond? It may work for the Special Forces but that does not mean it will work in your office.

Like being a top gun pilot for a day is going to make you an effective leader. Lets look at Top Gun pilots. They are trained like German Shepards to fly in perfect patterns and along preset routes. They engage only in a prescribed manner, fully meeting the rules of engagement, stay in contact with fighter commanders along the route, meet objectives and come home. On the other hand helicopter gunship pilots gather like a flock of geese, fly on selected engagements as they see fit or prudent, go out cause trouble, meet strategic objectives and come home. Each are leaders and each achieve a strategic objective. One has far more deliberation than the other. Helo pilots dont run leadership programs. Maybe they should. I would rather have a can do leader than a perfectly trained leader who needs someone talking in his or her ear all day!

Leaders and potential leaders need to be challenged to produce results. They need goals or objectives to achieve. They need to show their staff and team members they have what it takes. They dont have to actually do everything to achieve the results but they need to put a plan into action and see it thorough to completion.

Leaders accept accountability and responsibility

Put them in a position where they can show this. Let them achieve strategic objectives!

Leaders produce results!! Thats it.

Remember how Audie Murphy took the machine gun nest, the rest was history? Yeah? He produced results. His attitude and actions made him successful. Yes he had good training along the way. But his attitude and actions lead him to achieve positive results. Those that realized he had what it takes followed him.

Business leadership is exactly the same. You need to set people up to succeed. Developing a process where by team members can set goals and objectives that meet the organizations overall strategic plan. Potential leaders that were successful in one area are often not successful in their new promotion. Well, they have not really defined their own strategy for execution of corporate and their own personal goals. Until they do they will flop around like a fish out of water.

So what do you do?

Leadership teams need to analyze their past performance

What worked

What did not work

Then learn from these results

Develop a positive attitude to success

Figure out what areas they will need to be most effective

Then plan their actions for the year for each area

Develop a plan to implement each item in the most efficient manner and select the top 10 only.

Work the plan

Enjoy the success

Those that make it work are the leaders to be respected.