CPD Planning Opportunities…

This is the time of year that school CPD coordinators are nailing down their September and January CPD planning and my slots are going fast!  I really enjoy going into schools and working with Middle and Senior leaders to hone and develop skills, and there’s nothing like being ‘in person.’  Companies are doing this too – the new financial year means that plans can be honed to the new budget cycle and implemented quickly.  I enjoy travelling around our varied and interesting country, meeting colleagues and forging relationships, it satisfies my naturally curious nature.  I’ve seen dolphins in Sunderland and stayed in Laurie Lee’s Golden Valley, and I always enjoy finding time for a walk in the countryside to ground myself.

Over the last two years, a number of schools and companies have asked me to provide sustained programmes for their leaders, running over the course of six months to a year, recognising that this will have a more positive impact than one solo session, perhaps at the start of a term (though they have a benefit too!).  One of the schools aims to inspire and empower their Middle Leaders to be more autonomous in their team leadership (rather than management), another to build a closer sense of team in their Senior Leaders during a transition phase.  In September we will be delivering the eighth cohort of a Bespoke Leadership Development Programme for the senior and middle leaders at a global video-games company.  They see this as a prestige opportunity for the development of both the individual leaders and crucial to the culture of the organisation.  I would agree! 

We use a variety of tools and models, including the Resilient Leaders Elements Leadership Model and Development Programme, and make it practical and relevant to the context we are working in.  The schools I work in have realised that while teachers are excellent at reflecting upon their classroom practice, as this has been drilled in training, many are not as practiced or experienced at reflecting upon and flexing their leadership skills and styles.  The same can be true in those companies where technical competence for the ‘doing’ of the role is often seen as more critical than the ‘softer skills’ of ‘being’ a leader – though this is changing in the best organisational cultures.  A longer programme enables the heightened awareness gained in a first session to be tried, tested, reflected upon and iterated upon.  Several facilitated sessions over a period of time together with 1:1 or team coaching provides a powerful way of investing in a high performance culture.

Whether it is developing clarity of direction and bringing people along with that vision, developing leadership presence and authenticity, developing awareness of others and the capacity for having difficult conversations, or developing resilient decision-making, the sessions we provide are engaging and rooted in the practical.  How do we give effective feedback?  How can we use a coaching approach most effectively?  Fundamentally the question is, how can we get our teams to want to follow us because of who we are and what we do, not because they feel they have to because of our role or title?

I am often asked to find out what the team needs before providing a proposal.  While this is an extra step, a needs analysis is an excellent way of ensuring that everyone has a voice in the direction of team development, giving a rounded picture of the work that needs to be done together so the plan is sharp and targeted.  And while useful tools, such as Emergenetics psychometric profiles or ‘the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team’ assessments may be suggested, their use is always tailored to the context.

So what are you waiting for?  I hope this has sparked some ideas as the planning takes shape, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to explore your thinking a little more together.

Reflection

How can we get our teams to want to follow us because of who we are and what we do, not because they feel they have to because of our role or title?

How do we give effective feedback? 

How can we use a coaching approach most effectively? 

What might a leadership programme look like for your team?  Why not contact us to find out more…