Creating tomorrow’s leaders

Few…if any of us would follow Ernest Shackleton into the jaws of freezing peril and fewer still would take the words of Winston Churchill and make the ultimate sacrifice. So why do so many leadership development programmes highlight and perpetuate out of date leaders and outdated leadership principles?

Leading in the 21st century is radically different. Where once, the position of leader was the reward for years of technical excellence and promotion; Today’s leaders are increasingly being chosen for their human skills by those who would follow them.

So who are the leaders of today and what qualities inspire current generations across the globe to listen, follow and take action? What are the leadership qualities we seek?

The grace, authenticity and credibility of Barack Obama
The accountability, vulnerability and compassion of Jacinda Ardern
The passion, determination and social conscience of Greta Thunberg
The resolve, humility and moral values of Stormzy

Alongside these qualities, our workplaces have changed beyond recognition, so why do we still promote decades-old, one-size-fits-all leadership models to a rapidly diversifying workforce?

Brace for Impact!

We’ve all crash landed…into adulthood, parenthood and leadership.

Very few leaders I encounter today have had any formal leadership development before they are appointed. Sadly when this happens, their best efforts at becoming inspirational leaders are copying the behaviours and tactics of those leaders above and around them…and let’s face it, those leaders probably did the same before them. We need to let go of the past and look to the skills, mindsets and behaviours which will inspire future workforces to follow…not because they are paid to but because they WANT to.

My leadership development programmes are designed and facilitated to enable leaders to create their own leadership styles, ones which bring forth the very qualities they value to allow others to follow.

We achieve this by:

Wiping the slate clean - Stripping back the layers of models, methodologies and tools to the raw science and experiential wisdom beneath.

Self-Discovery - Accessing deeper authenticity by understanding our own uniques preferences, experiences and approaches.

Understanding behaviour - At the heart of leading are people, and people are a wonderful mash of thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Leaders need to let go of their technical expertise in favour of becoming behavioural experts

Self leadership - Leaders go first, so, learning to adapt, regulate and develop personal behaviours is essential.

Leading others with compassion - Where the rubber hits the road…Bringing everything together in the workplace