Leadership development.

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While we continue to have managers, who call themselves leaders, and have no concept of what good leadership looks like, the organization will fall further and further behind the competition and eventually become extinct.

This is often not the fault of the manager. They have mirrored the behaviour of their manager, and their manager has mirrored the behaviour of their manager. And so the cycle continues.

Many people are thrust into ‘leadership’ roles in their 20s or 30s. Yet, they receive no leadership development until they are in their 40s. This means that most ‘leaders’ spend 10-15 years leading others before they are actually taught how to lead.

Is it any wonder why we have low employee engagement, are unable to attract and retain talent, and have increasing employee turnover? As the adage goes, ‘employees don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.’

Good leaders have these traits:

  • Integrity

  • Ability to empower

  • Excellent communication and listening skills

  • Emotional intelligence

  • Gratitude

  • Learning agility and a growth mindset

  • Influence

  • Empathy

  • Vision and passion

  • Resilience

  • Accountability and vulnerability

  • Humility and transparency

Leadership with Karen

These are the beliefs that form the basis of my practice.

  • Leadership is not a position bestowed - it is a reputation earned

  • Good leaders set a clear direction with clear expectations and then get out of the way

  • Leadership is about moving from a position of command and control to one of empowerment and trust

  • Adaptive leaders they know what to do when they don’t know what to do and they adapt and thrive regardless of the turbulence they face.

  • Leadership requires the removal of bad bureaucracy and the flattening of the hierarchy

  • The soft skills are the hard skills

  • Decision-making is distributed to where it makes best sense to be

  • Everyone is empowered to lead

  • Leaders build high-performing teams that are resilient in the face of constant change

  • Diversity and inclusivity are key to good leadership

  • Leaders hold themselves accountable for team performance