Where LEADERSHIP comes from...

Recently challenged an organization's HR with this question: Where did you or your management folks receive leadership training?

Consider the following possibilities:

>>>Your boss. Nice try, but you and I both know that it’s very likely your boss doesn’t possess much more skills or learning about leadership than you do! Perhaps this person has less expertise than you or has less tenure. Or conversely, this person has much more tenure than you. It’s still very likely that tenure won’t make much of a difference. Think about it, where did he or she get their leadership skills and wisdom? What developmental process did he or she undertake? Right you are, who knows! The reality is that your boss may have stumbled around trying to do his or her best just as you are. As you read this book, consider the possibilities if your past and present superiors had read this and practiced the concepts…

>>>Human Resources. Well this may be a resource for uncovering some workshops or resources that could be interesting. However, even if you find time to go, who is going to hold you accountable to develop those leadership behaviors and skills discussed in the training? Learning doesn’t work that way. Years of behaving don’t just suddenly change because you heard that you should participate in a management workshop! I have been on the training end of this concept, and can tell you that if there is no follow-up mentoring, reinforcement, or coaching back at the office, this training makes no significant difference.

>>>Laments (bellyaching) from those you manage. Your staff is very capable of pointing out your flaws and all the stuff you aren’t doing well from their perspective. This may indeed provide some insight, but I am not convinced that this is about real development and behavioral change to become a more effective leader. Actually, since most managers experience this kind of input, and continue remaining ineffective, I am positive that this isn’t how we learn and change. Likely, your reactions to them are just about altering some behaviors at that moment in time to make this individual happy.

>>>Advice from friends and family. Good luck with this approach. These individuals may indeed be a decent source of input, but again I would encourage you to consider how they know anything about it? How much of what you are hearing is truly valuable and useful? This reminds me of Dave Ramsey (Christian financial speaker, radio & TV host), who makes the point about how illogical it is to get financial advice from people who are up to their ears in debt!

Where will you get yours?....or where did you get yours?