How could improving your leadership skills help you?
Leadership, and specifically your own leadership skills will have a large impact on your career trajectory. However, most executives and professionals have never had a leadership development plan customized for themselves. They are extremely lucky if they ever worked for a company that provided any type of leadership training (even if it was a mass-produced program).
Some people think that leadership skills are only beneficial for C-suite executives or managers with large teams. That is not true! Anyone can be an influential leader! In this episode, you will learn how to design a leadership development plan geared towards your unique, career goals.
Our host and CEO Porschia, also shares her insight on the significance of leadership development and how it impacts your career journey, based on her work with hundreds of clients. A customized leadership development program can put you on the path to career success!
What you’ll learn:
- Why leadership development is important, even if you do not have direct reports
- 5 steps to designing your own leadership development plan
- 7 skills to consider as part of your leadership development plan
- The crucial role that coaches, mentors, and sponsors play in leadership development
- Other Career 101 Podcast episodes that are useful for your leadership development
As a thank you for listening to this episode of the Career 101 Podcast, we are sharing our FREE master class – Career 911: Solving the Top 5 Challenges Executives and Professionals Have! It’s a training based on solving the common problems our clients have experienced to reach their goals. You can get access to the master class here!
Porschia: [00:00:00] Today, we are talking about Leadership Development 101, Designing Your Leadership Development Plan. Back in Episode 7 on Leadership 101, we examined the question, Could Leadership Skills Be Learned? I will confess that leadership is one of my favorite topics to discuss, work with clients on, and learn about.
Leadership is often that intangible element [00:01:00] that can mean the difference between success and failure. Leadership development involves It’s actively strengthening your leadership skills, decisions, and influence as a leader. I think it’s very important for us to have a leadership series as part of this podcast because it is one of the areas where I’ve seen executives and professionals need the most support.
Leadership skills are meaningful even if you are not an executive or leading a team with direct reports. And I’ll say that again, leadership skills are meaningful, even if you are not an executive or leading a team with direct reports. One of my favorite quotes is do not follow where the path may lead, go [00:02:00] instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
And that is by the famous author, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A lot of people wonder, how do I leave a trail or how do I make a meaningful, positive impact? We’ll be discussing this today and throughout this leadership development series. Another podcast episode, I encourage you to listen to is episode 14 on influence 101.
How to increase your influence in the workplace. In order for someone to be an impactful leader, they must have followers. People have to feel comfortable and confident in their decision to follow you as a leader. Another quote that comes to mind is. The very essence of leadership is that you have a [00:03:00] vision.
You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. And that is by Theodore M. Hesborough. Understanding your vision, values, and personal mission are important aspects of your leadership. These elements are unique to you, your role or position, and the company you work for. If you want help exploring, clarifying, or defining your vision, feel free to reach out to us directly on our website.
We help a lot of clients do that as part of our career and business coaching services. We also have a values assessment where clients rank their top 10 values on a scale of importance. Digging deep into your values would take more time than we have for this episode, but feel free to reach out on our website if you would like more help [00:04:00] with that.
So let’s start by addressing the question, why is leadership development important? Well, in today’s rapidly changing business landscape, Strong leadership is the driving force behind an organization’s success. Effective leaders inspire and motivate their teams, adapt to change, and guide their organizations towards growth.
Without proper leadership development, organizations risk stagnation and a lack of innovation. Leadership development is not a one size fits all endeavor. The skills needed can vary significantly based on your career goals, job responsibilities, and industry. For example, a tech executive might need to focus on leading through rapid technological [00:05:00] changes.
While a healthcare administrator might need to excel in crisis management. Tailoring your leadership development plan to your specific circumstances is key to success. So, what are some sample leadership skills to consider in your development plan? Here are seven skills to consider as part of your leadership development plan.
One is effective communication. So, being able to articulate your vision and ideas clearly is vital. You’ll also need to be an effective communicator for different audiences. If communication is something that you would like support in, you might want to listen to episode 26 on communication 101, how to be a better communicator.[00:06:00]
The second skill is adaptability. Leaders must navigate uncertainty and change with resilience. There’s so much in the news about AI, technology, and economic changes that affect entire industries and sometimes entire countries. Being adaptable is imperative for leaders to achieve the results they are looking for.
The third skill is emotional intelligence. Understanding and managing emotions, both your own and others, is crucial for building strong relationships. This is another topic that we’ve covered on the podcast already. You can check out episode 22 on emotional intelligence, one on one emotional intelligence in the workplace to learn a little more.
The fourth skill is strategic thinking. So developing the ability to see the bigger [00:07:00] picture and make decisions aligned with long term goals is part of strategic thinking. Strategic thinking is a skill that can come more easily to certain personality types. One personality assessment that many of you know I really like is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Assessment or MBTI.
I’m a master [00:08:00] practitioner of the MBTI and use it with some of our clients. You can see if your personality type naturally leans towards strategic thinking, or if it’s something that you will actively need to work more on. The fifth skill is conflict resolution. Leaders need to handle conflicts constructively, promoting a positive work environment.
Conflict is a natural occurrence. Conflict is not always a negative thing either. Your ability to resolve conflict as a leader also determines how successful you and your team will be. The sixth skill is innovation slash creativity. Encouraging innovative thinking within your team can drive growth and competitiveness.
Thinking about ways to promote innovation and creativity can be difficult [00:09:00] depending on the company that you’re in and your role. Remember that you can have influence here even if you’re not a C-level executive. And the seventh skill is decision-making. Leaders often face tough decisions. Developing your decision making skills along with the ability to weigh risks and benefits is also imperative.
Lastly, I want to touch on the critical role that coaches, mentors, and sponsors play in leadership development. A coach provides guidance and feedback on your leadership journey. They can help you identify strengths and areas for improvement and to develop a plan to enhance your leadership skills. Some people enjoy coaching in a group format and others prefer one-on-one [00:10:00] coaching.
We offer both options in our Brave Bird Career Alliance program that we call B C A for short. Mentors are experienced individuals who offer valuable insights based on their own leadership journeys. They can provide wisdom, share lessons learned, and help you navigate your career. We discussed how to find a mentor back in episode four, and we talked about peer mentoring in episode 34.
So check both of those out if you haven’t already. Sponsors are advocates who use their influence to help you advance in your career. They can provide opportunities, recommend you for promotions, and open doors that might otherwise be closed. So with all that in mind, how can you begin crafting your leadership [00:11:00] development plan?
Here are five steps to designing your leadership development plan. Step one is self assessment. So start by assessing your current strengths and weaknesses as a leader. You can test yourself in a variety of ways by using a personality assessment like the MBTI. Surveying some of the people you know, or just directly asking people about your strengths and weaknesses.
Step two is to set clear goals, define your leadership objectives, and what success looks like for you. Like we discussed earlier when we talked about your vision, your goals will be unique to you and based on the specific aspects of your position in a company. Step three is to select development activities.
So choose workshops, [00:12:00] courses, or experiences that align with your goals and address your areas for improvement. Step four is to engage with coaches, mentors, and sponsors. Seek out individuals who can support your growth and actively create an accountability plan to ensure that you are staying on track.
In episode 21 of the podcast, we talked about accountability 101, creating accountability plans and step five, measure your progress. Regularly evaluate your progress towards your goals and adjust your plan as needed. This is also a good time to discuss your progress with your coach or another trusted person in your career support system.
[00:13:00] [00:14:00] We’ve covered a lot in this episode on leadership development, but the big picture that I want you to walk away with is Leadership development is a continuous journey that requires careful planning and customization to your own unique circumstances. By recognizing the importance of leadership development, tailoring your plan, and enlisting the support of coaches, mentors, and sponsors, you can set yourself on a path to achieve your goals. [00:15:00]
