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Coaching Skills for Leaders

Imagine a leader who is a skilled strategist as well as an outstanding tactician, a leader who has in-depth knowledge and experience in her industry and functional area. Let’s imagine she is also personable, even charismatic, and displays a high level of personal and professional integrity. Are these competencies enough to make her a leader of choice, or to ensure that she takes her organization to the next level? Not in the absence of coaching skills. Organizations are increasingly recognizing that coaching skills are a critical leadership competency; effective coaching skills help leaders to build bench strength, enhance employee motivation and develop true followership.

During this workshop, participants will

  • Consider various perspectives on coaching (what it is and what it is not);
  • Learn a simple yet powerful model for coaching, and;
  • Practice providing feedback, which is one of the foundational skills for effective coaching.

To supplement their learning, participants will receive a Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) guidebook—Three Keys to Development: Defining and Meeting Your Leadership Challenges—and additional coaching resources, including a roadmap for implementing a formal coaching process with direct reports.

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Featuring concepts from the preeminent book on accountability: The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman

In this session, participants learn how to drive results through increasing personal and organizational accountability. The Oz Principle uses the story and characters of The Wizard of Oz to teach the paradigm shift necessary to move from a culture of “blamestorming” to a culture of collective accountability. In such a culture, participants can move from the position of having to explain and justify behaviors to a proactive demonstration of the ownership necessary to achieve key results.

In this workshop participants will

  • Understand two distinctly different views of accountability;
  • Identify measurable organizational results that are most important;
  • Learn the See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it model;
  • Recognize that in creating accountability, simply changing behaviors is insufficient without changing beliefs and experiences, and;
  • Explore the difference between “above the line” behaviors and “below the line behaviors”.

Developing Effective Negotiation Skills

Research indicates that managing differences is one of the most common development needs of leaders and managers. Negotiating skills are the tools used to reach fair and satisfying agreements when there are conflicting interests and differences of perspective. In fact, most of us are involved in some sort of negotiation every single day. The Developing Effective Negotiating Skills Program gives participants an increased awareness of the root causes of conflict and helps them acquire new strategies for negotiating optimal solutions. Through a variety of teaching techniques including lectures, simulations, and group feedback, the program focuses on a “mutual gains” approach to conflict, emphasizing long-term relationships and lasting agreements.

During this workshop, participants will

  • Learn a proven 5-step model for principled negotiation from the Harvard Negotiation Project;
  • Practice and improve negotiating skills;
  • Understand what it takes to build a climate of trust and cooperation;
  • Discover how to create options that will satisfy both parties in a negotiation;
  • Increase creativity and productivity by cultivating the positive aspects of conflict, and;
  • Develop action plans for increased effectiveness.

Developing Superior Communication Skills

This session will focus on the essential components of superior communication which guide our daily interactions. Through a brief lecture, large and small-group activities and rich debriefs, participants will explore the themes of listening to understand, asking powerful questions and effectively balancing the skills of advocacy and inquiry. Emphasis will be placed on the fact that leaders who deliver concise messages have a far more powerful impact.

During the session, individuals will

  • Discover the barriers and bridges to effective communication;
  • Explore the benefits of different communication methods, and;
  • Learn and practice superior skills of listening to understand and asking powerful questions.

Effectively Leading Through Change

W. Edwards Deming stated “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” Deming’s quote is pointed and illustrates that though many people and organizations understandably find change difficult, it must be managed adeptly. Because the pace of change in business has never been greater, the need to lead oneself and others through the change process successfully is a leadership imperative. The Leading Through Change program is designed to equip leaders with the skills and self-awareness necessary not only to survive but also to thrive and enhance business results.

During this workshop, participants will

  • Understand their individual preferences in approaching change;
  • Improve the effectiveness of their responses to change;
  • Learn a framework for effectively addressing the rational and emotional issues associated with change, and;
  • Explore how to lead others to understand and accept the phases of the change process.

Empowering Leaders to Make Decisions

Featuring the Decision Style Profile

Every leader recognizes the daunting challenge of making quality decisions in an efficient time frame with limited information. Some of us may be slow to decide while others may jump to conclusions and take action before carefully analyzing the relevant facts. Some of us may rely far too much on our own opinions while others may delay progress by seeking unnecessary input from others. The Empowering Leaders to Make Decisions Program helps participants to become aware of their own beliefs and biases in decision making in comparison with typical managers from a wide variety of industries. The resulting discussion allows leaders to develop a common language for making decisions that are based on good judgment, inquiry, and the appropriate amount of inclusion.

During this session, participants will

  • Improve and refine decision-making skills through feedback from a personal assessment, The Decision Style Profile;
  • Build awareness of effective outcomes based on the level of inclusion of others in the decision- making process;
  • Develop a uniform approach for decision making within the organization, and;
  • Consider five critical decision factors.

Feedback that Works: SBI Model and Practice

In this workshop, participants learn a highly effective model for delivering useful, developmental feedback. Using the structure of the Situation, Behavior, Impact approach, participants practice the model utilizing a wide variety of realistic examples. These difficult conversations are designed to give information to others which will allow them to replicate and improve performance without feeling evaluated. Common usage of the model helps to create an organizational climate that fosters the ongoing delivery of constructive feedback.

During this workshop, participants will

  • Understand the need for providing feedback in the workplace;
  • Learn the Center for Creative Leadership’s model of giving effective feedback in the workplace using the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) model;
  • Practice delivering and receiving effective feedback, and;
  • Review common mistakes in delivering feedback.

Igniting Innovation

Featuring the Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile® (EMP)

Igniting Innovation can be delivered as a stand-alone session or integrated into a series of leadership modules you may already have to meet the needs of a group, team or an entire organization.

The entrepreneurial mindset is not just for entrepreneurs anymore. In an increasingly global economy where change is fast-paced, constant and unpredictable, organizations need new skills, approaches and behaviors to stay competitive. In other words, they must adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. The traditional, outdated methods simply aren’t effective in today’s turbulent environment, and being able to self-reflect, pivot and push forward in entirely new directions is crucial to gain strategic advantage. This segment explores how anyone—regardless of organization, position or level—can best identify, develop and utilize their unique strengths on dimensions such as Idea Generation, Execution, Future Focus and Action Orientation to give their teams that agile edge that’s really critical right now.

During the session, individuals will

  • Understand the value of the entrepreneurial mindset for leaders and teams who are charged with driving growth and innovation within their organizations;
  • Receive feedback on 14 characteristics and skills associated with the entrepreneurial mindset;
  • Identify their unique strengths in entrepreneurial thought and behavior;
  • Create a plan to leverage their strengths in service of critical organizational challenges;
  • Recognize the benefits of their own entrepreneurial profiles for accelerating innovation and creating competitive advantage, and;
  • Experience activities designed to unleash entrepreneurial skills and enhance innovation efforts.

Participants will also receive the EMP Development Guide which provides interpretive guidelines, comprehensive developmental suggestions, recommended resources and action planning tools.

Influencing Toward Consensus

Featuring the Storm Warning Activity

Both individual and group decision-making occur routinely in the workplace. This engaging Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) exercise presents participants with the challenge of assessing a hypothetical situation and analyzing the behavior of several fictional characters. Participants first work individually and then as a group to rank order the fictional characters according to guidelines presented in the instructions. Initially, participants plan how to influence the group to their way of thinking, but as a team, they discuss all views in an effort to reach group consensus regarding their final ranking. As they review their interactions, participants will discover that the process and behaviors used as they work together significantly affect the quality of their decisions and the team’s commitment to it.

During this session, participants will

  • Assess individual and group consensus-building skills;
  • Examine the barriers and bridges to effective resolution of differences;
  • Examine how teams can grow through challenging situations;
  • Encourage joint problem-solving, and;
  • Build a climate of trust and cooperation among coworkers.

Leadership and Creative Problem Solving

Featuring the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI)

Teams are often formed to solve challenging problems in the workplace, but they may find that they have difficulty managing each other as they focus on complex tasks. In this workshop, participants explore basic differences in approach to problem solving, creativity and decision making, three key issues in managing change in an organization. Using the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory, participants identify their own problem solving style and assess the styles of others. The resulting awareness enables employees to value diversity of contributions, increase productivity and enhance team collaboration.

During this session, participants will

  • Receive feedback about their preferred style of problem-solving and decision-making;
  • Understand how style differences may impact effective teamwork;
  • Learn to enhance performance through the appreciation and appropriate utilization of differences, and;
  • Recognize that all people are original and creative.

Leadership and Influence

Featuring the Influence Style Indicator® (ISI)

Leveraging influence is one of the ways in which leaders can build and maintain relationships with others and translate ideas into action. Insights gained from the Influence Style Indicator can help leaders understand their influencing styles and build their influencing skills. During this interactive segment, participants will explore their preferred influencing style and gain insight into other styles that may be used more effectively in rapidly changing environments. This influence assessment explores five identified styles and helps participants recognize these styles in themselves and others to maximize their effectiveness.

During this session, participants will

  • Learn five unique influencing styles and identify their own style;
  • Understand when a particular influencing style is most effective;
  • Discover the specific behaviors associated with preferred styles, and;
  • Gaining insight into developing style flexibility.

Leadership, Negotiation & Gender

While opportunities to negotiate exist every day, women frequently avoid them. As a consequence, creative solutions to problems may remain unexplored, and important needs may continue to be unfulfilled. The Leadership, Negotiation & Gender session examines many of the special challenges and constraints that women experience in initiating personal or professional negotiations. Participants will learn new tactics, backed by years of research, which will help them to maximize bargaining power. By viewing negotiation from a mindset of confidence rather than of fear, women can be far more successful in communicating concerns and achieving appropriate, satisfying results.

During this session, participants will

  • Learn a proven 5-step model for Principled Negotiation;
  • Explore gender-based obstacles to productive outcomes;
  • Gather tool and tips to become their own best advocate, and;
  • Discover how to create new possibilities in all aspects of their lives.

Leading Across the Organization: Systems Thinking

Leaders are constantly moving in and out of TopMiddleBottom and Customer conditions. This is true in the organization as well as in our families, communities, voluntary organizations and as citizens of our countries and the world. We are all Top/Middle/Bottom/ Customers. How we manage these conditions is key to our satisfaction, our personal effectiveness and the success of our organizations. In this workshop, participants explore these dynamics and understand that roles drive behaviors—in essence, where you stand, depends on where you sit. The same events are experienced very differently depending on one’s role within the system. This insight allows for better perspective taking and optimal performance.

During this session, participants will

  • Examine methods of thinking and acting systemically;
  • Explore the dynamics of leading across the organization;
  • Understand that building successful partnerships that make successful organizations;
  • Acquire strategies to work more effectively up, down, and across organizational lines, and;
  • Learn the importance of providing leadership that addresses issues systemically rather than personally.

Leading with Emotional Intelligence

Featuring the EQ-i 2.0

Emotional Intelligence has become a very popular and powerful concept in leadership training. This interactive workshop reviews research demonstrating the critical connection between emotional intelligence and high performance. After identifying the key components of emotional intelligence, participants will discover their own strengths through feedback from a self-report assessment instrument, the EQ-i 2.0. Because crucial leadership skills can be developed and enhanced over time, individuals will learn practical tips and best practices for significantly increasing their leadership impact.

During this session, participants will

  • Discover the hidden driver of superior performance;
  • Learn the key elements of emotional intelligence;
  • Assess their own emotional intelligence through the EQ-I 2.0, and;
  • Discuss steps for building essential leadership skills.

Leading Under Pressure

Featuring The Attentional and Interpersonal Style Inventory (TAIS)

Most of us would readily agree that concentration directly affects performance whether you are an Olympic athlete or an organizational leader. When stress and pressure are added to the mix, the ability to concentrate becomes even more critical. What distinguishes the top-notch employee in the current business climate is resiliency and the power to perform even under high levels of pressure. The Attentional and Interpersonal Style Inventory (TAIS) provides feedback about concentration styles to help leaders significantly improve performance.

During this session, participants will

  • Understand different concentration styles;
  • Increase self-awareness about performance strengths and weaknesses;
  • Decrease mistakes made in high-pressure situations;
  • Recognize and develop areas requiring additional skills, and;
  • Learn tips for reducing stress and increasing resiliency.

Leveraging Your Leadership Strengths

Featuring the Strengths Profile

Many of us spend considerable energy attempting to fix our weaknesses while focusing on what is wrong with others and with ourselves. This session uniquely explores what it means to “play to our strengths” and to learn what is right with us. According to research, the process of identifying strengths is the smallest thing we can do to make the biggest difference in productivity and fulfillment for individuals, teams and organizations.

During this session, participants will

  • Identify and leverage personal realized strengths in leadership roles;
  • Examine the difference between unrealized and learned strengths;
  • Learn to practice the 3:1 positivity ratio that sustains a successful life;
  • Appreciate the power of leveraging team strengths, and;
  • Understand how to manage weaknesses.

Leading with Resilience

As the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared stress to be an epidemic of the 21st century, leaders are typically experiencing high levels of stress in a very complex and volatile environment. This interactive session will explore different aspects of resilience and will provide the business case, the science, and specific practices for building and recovering energy.

During this session, participants will

  • Review some of the most recent research from the field of neuroscience;
  • Learn to manage stress and maintain resilience while solving often ambiguous problems;
  • Acquire powerful tips from experts that can be put into action right away, and;
  • Engage in an activity to promote resilience.

Mastering Conflict Dynamics

Featuring the Conflict Dynamics Profile-Individual ® (CDP-I)

Research suggests that managing conflict is one of the most common developmental needs for leaders and mangers. This finding isn’t surprising given how pervasive conflict is and how detrimental conflict can be for individuals, teams and organizations. This session features the Conflict Dynamics Profile-Individual (CDP-I), an assessment instrument that enables participants to understand how they behave when faced with conflict in the workplace. The CDP-I measures both constructive and destructive responses to conflict. The CDP-I also examines “hot buttons,” which are behaviors in others that can irritate or frustrate an individual and lead to conflict.

During this session, participants will

  • Receive feedback from the CDP-I on how they behave during conflicts;
  • Learn how to maximize the opportunities and minimize the harmful effects of conflict;
  • Discuss the costs and benefits (yes, benefits!) of conflict in their organizations, and;
  • Discover the link between effective leadership and productive conflict management.

Participants will also receive the developmental guide, Managing Conflict Dynamics: A Practical Approach, which provides tips for both improving behavioral responses to conflict as well as cooling down hot buttons so they become less likely to trigger conflict.

Mastering Conflict Dynamics PART 2: Perspective Taking Workshop

Offered as a stand-alone session or as an extenuation of the Mastering Conflict Dynamics session, during the Perspective Taking Workshop, participants will complete the Perspective Taking Worksheet detailing a conflict situation they face. The worksheet steps the participants through the behavioral components of Perspective-Taking and enables them to view the conflict situation from “the other side.” Small groups then participate in a consulting activity that adds more perspective to the situation and helps focus on the most beneficial actions for resolving the conflict. This program segment is instrumental in transferring classroom learning to the workplace.

Understanding Leadership Styles

Featuring the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Self-awareness is a critical competency of superior leaders as they need to understand how their personal preferences influence the way they lead and the way they shape their organizational culture. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most frequently used tools in leadership development programs around the world as it reveals strengths and weaknesses of one’s own approach and stimulates acceptance of others who are different. Armed with this understanding, leaders are able to adjust their styles to influence others efficiently and effectively. The results are often used to create a common language to reduce conflict, streamline processes and to enhance problem-solving. The MBTI is based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types.

During this session, participants will:

  • Learn to increase productivity through the appreciation and appropriate utilization of differences
  • Identify and leverage leadership strengths
  • Participate in group activities designed to improve communication and reduce conflict
  • Understand how to tailor influencing strategies for others with different preferences

Interested in Learning More?

LDI offers custom approaches to building leadership capability, fostering team development, and supporting positive change.

LDI’s Virtual Workshops can be delivered as standalone sessions or integrated into a series of leadership modules to meet the needs of a group, team or an entire organization. Please contact us or call LDI Client Relations at 800.753.0444 with any questions or to register by phone.

Notice

Please note that all registrations are subject to LDI’s Transfer, Substitution & Refund Policy.

Travel Information & Program Materials

  • Eckerd College’s Location and Details on Travel Arrangements
  • Proper Dress Attire for the Program
  • Program Assessments and Pre-Work

Questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at (800) 753-0444 or (727) 864-8213 or email us at ldi@eckerd.edu.