Workshops & Keynotes

“Our leaders and future leaders are very talented, but they seem to struggle with a variety of leadership skills. How can they polish their skills and put them to work?”

Key to Success:  Defining the Gap

There are so many skills leaders need to have and use well, and the ability to lead others is rarely, if ever, innate. Fortunately, with the right attitude and some hard work, leadership skills can be learned.

No matter what your needs are, we don’t just show up, deliver a workshop and disappear. We take the time to customize leadership training to your situation. We start by talking with participants to get a sense for their skill levels, where the pain is, typical challenges and the organization’s culture.  Then we tailor the learning experience, using examples and scenarios from their worlds to make it real. Often we assign pre-work to make the best use of their time in the workshop.

Our goal is to send participants off ready to put what they’ve learned into action. We always do a follow-up a month or two down the road to see how it’s going and if needed, help with tips and reminders.

Here are examples of leadership skills development workshops we’ve created for clients.

“Stop Doing and Start Leading!” Lots of capable people, even at the top, find it hard to get out of the weeds and delegate appropriately.  Usually that’s where they’ve been comfortable and they often feel they need to know every detail they’re responsible for. In this leadership skills workshop, we talk about the role of a leader, the bigger picture, strategic imperatives, and ways to develop, empower and hold their teams accountable for results.  Participants share experiences and ideas with their peers, and they leave committed to taking specific actions that move them in the direction of higher-level leadership. “Keep Them Engaged and Energized” In times of stress or uncertainty, even your most self-motivated and committed talent can become disengaged and retire on the job, spread discontent, or jump ship.  This workshop equips leaders with the knowledge and tools to remedy and prevent this situation so their people feel connected to the mission and excited about their role in it.

Participants learn the drivers of full engagement and what leads to its decline.  They reflect on their own organizations and their role as leaders, so they can work through possible causes or threats and explore solutions that work for them. They explore new perspectives and potential solutions, and they take away specific plans to fire their people up and keep them that way. “Leaders Coaching Leaders” Developing people is among the most important of a leader’s responsibilities.  Yet, the distinction between managing performance, mentoring and coaching, and when to use each, can be confusing.  Coaching is often the most difficult to grasp, yet when a leader does this well, it is a powerful and long-lasting learning experience for the individual being developed.

In this workshop, we talk about the ways an individual’s leadership abilities can evolve, and we define the role of coaching in that process.  They learn the “whys” and “how-to’s” and practice with classmates using a variety of scenarios.  When participants leave, they have a coaching plan tailored to each member of their team and a partner to support them and help hold them accountable for carrying it out.

Final Thoughts on Teaching Leadership Skills

When there isn’t time for a full workshop, many of these topics can be condensed into shorter presentations or keynote speeches.  Conference participants always value taking some time to switch gears and get ideas on how to polish their leadership skills, and smaller groups or teams can learn a lot in a short period of time when the topic is on target.