Leadership Development Book Introduction

Goal: Ghostwrite the introduction for an unpublished book on leadership development.

Approach: The client didn’t have the time to convert his notes into the introduction. We discussed the book’s major points and the conversational tone he wanted. I organized and expanded on his notes to create this introduction.

Highlights:

  1. The leadership team will grow faster and healthier in an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual respect, not hierarchy and power.
  2. When the facilitator speaks less, the group contributes, creates and learns more.
  3. By relinquishing control over the learning experience, the facilitator empowers participants to use the team’s ideas in the rest of their daily lives.

Developing your leadership team

Inviting staff to participate.

First, introduce the idea to the entire branch. You want a group of volunteers, so cast your net wide. Make an announcement at a regular group meeting. Do you meet with your staff before opening each morning? A perfect opportunity. You could post an announcement on the staff bulletin board. (I’ve included one that you just need to complete, copy and tack up).

Another option is the viral approach; invite your hand-picked group, but leave it open to the rest of the branch. Build excitement for the idea. Get your energetic members on board early; their enthusiasm will help generate buy in with their co-workers. I go so far as to ask; “Can I count on your leadership to help get this idea off to a great start?” We all love the feeling that we’re an important part of a group. Start fostering that feeling from the beginning and the energy will multiply.

However you introduce the idea, offer a simple summary that will create curiosity for your morning presentation. Something like “We’ll be studying and applying the leadership principles used daily by the most successful people in the world.” Hint at the benefits of participating to kick start recruitment. The announcement poster will get you started.

Choosing the right space.

Where will your leadership team meet?

You need a space large enough to hold the lessons, but quiet enough to minimize distractions and foster authentic conversation. Ideally, team members regularly visit this space. Maybe the break room?

You’ll be using easel paper together. It’s best for that easel paper to be left in plain view in between lessons. That way team members can consult the latest lesson developments or note their thoughts and observations for next time.

Reducing distractions means all cell phones must be silenced. Here’s an excellent opportunity for you to lead by example. Team members may even appreciate having a half hour of uninterrupted time at the start of their day.

Once you choose a space, think about how you want the team to use it. How can you structure the space to encourage participation? I strongly recommend a ‘round table’ format rather than a traditional classroom setting. A round table style (the table is optional) will encourage team members to talk amongst themselves, rather than relying on you as their conversational mediator. (It also reduces your work; nothing wrong with that!) We want to create a ‘student-centered’ atmosphere (more on that later). This format will foster community and rapport, multiply the benefits of the group’s participation and help bridge the gap between the lessons and the rest of the workday.

Morning meeting times are ideal. Provide coffee and you’ll have an attentive, energetic group. Having said that, if your group can’t meet in the morning, choose the time that allows everyone to engage in the sessions.

Cultivating the right team meeting atmosphere.

How do you prefer to learn?

  1. In a dimly lit lecture hall where you’re expected to listen quietly, take notes and save questions for the end, or
  2. In a relaxed, conversational setting where you’re encouraged to ask questions as they come, offer your own ideas and take charge of your learning experience?

Did I even have to ask?

We all learn better when we’re relaxed, engaged and feel welcome to ask even the simplest question.

How can you create such a learning environment?

Develop rapport with and within your team. Initially, they may perceive you as an authority figure. That approach may serve you during the rest of the workday, but the leadership team will grow faster and healthier in an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual respect, not hierarchy and power.

You already know a great deal about how to develop rapport. You wouldn’t have gotten where you are today without strong interpersonal skills. Some of the following ideas may not be new. Nevertheless, give the list a quick skim for some helpful reminders.

  • Learn something about every team member. You collected lots of useful information with the application. Study and use it. People may be skeptical of your interest. You’ll quickly win them over by bringing up details later on.
  • Share some personal trivia; something from outside the workplace that you’re comfortable with the group knowing. (Hobbies and special interests are acceptable. Some tiny fallacy or guilty pleasure is preferable. You’ll help everyone else feel more comfortable to open up.)
  • State your goals. Just because you’ve already done this at the first meeting doesn’t mean you can forget about them. Repeating goals reinforces their power to help focus your energy.
  • Have fun! Play an introduction game. Offer silly prizes. Tell jokes. Play (innocent) pranks. Lighten up. Laugh. You and your team will loosen up and focus better.

Rapport is a crucial component of a successful team experience, but it can’t do all the work alone.

On respect

To maximize participation, everyone must feel comfortable to share his and her thoughts, regardless of how they may sound. Only in a supportive and open environment will quieter members open up.

Create an atmosphere of mutual respect. Convince shy team members that their ideas are important. The team’s success relies on universal participation.

Ask the group to develop a list of qualities that characterizes a respectful atmosphere. Everyone needs to agree on the principles, maybe even sign their names, to be effective. Keep this list visible at every meeting.

I suggest that you establish that:

  • there’s only one speaker at a time.
  • all ideas are welcome. (Great way to foster creativity and initiative.)
  • confidentiality is key. Some of the best ideas started out sounding the craziest. Encourage participation by eliminating the worry that those coveted ‘crazy’ ideas might be leaked out.

Facilitation

Starting your leadership team will take time and effort, but keeping it going will require a whole other skill set.

You don’t want to just talk at your staff for 30 extra minutes every week, right? No one likes to hear his voice that much. Ok, maybe Hugo Chavez or your boss.

What characterizes the traditional classroom or seminar setting? How much interaction and participation do you see there? What direction do the participants face? Who listens more than speaks, and vice versa?

In the traditional ‘lecturer-centered’ setting the teacher leads the class through the material. Participants sit passively in their seats, hopefully listening or otherwise doodling, texting or dozing. This lecturing causes more daydreaming than learning. I’m sure you have similar fond memories from school days.

The leadership development sessions will be most effective when your staff ‘buys in’ to the idea. You’ll get more open conversation and debate. You’ll see more folks implementing and experimenting with the ideas between sessions. You’ll see more initiative and instances of staff keeping one another accountable. How will we achieve this?

With a ‘student-centered’ setting.

Think of yourself as a facilitator, not a lecturer. Participants need to face one another, not you. They should speak directly to one another. The facilitator invites questions and guides the learning process rather than leading.

Knowledge cannot be forced. The facilitator is there to help guide the group, not lead it. When the facilitator speaks less, the group contributes, creates and learns more. This is a departure from the traditionally authoritative role. It’s precisely what will help the group open up and take initiative; first in the sessions and later in the regular workday.

Let’s look closer at the difference in your role for the student-centered leadership development team:

Lecturer vs. Facilitator

  • Provides the audience the materials while maintaining control. vs. Guides the audience through the materials, relinquishing control.
  • Gives the ideas to the audience in the form of lecture and handouts. vs. Helps the audience arrive at the ideas through questions and provocation.
  • Dictates conclusions. vs. Promotes consensus.
  • Retains authority as the leader. vs. Relinquishes authority to the group and only uses it with the group’s consent.

Can you think of any more distinguishing features? Don’t skip this question. The more effort you invest in the planning phase, the greater the return down the line.

Lesson topics will cement fastest in their minds if they feel that they’ve developed the idea on their own. Heck, they may even arrive at the leadership principles in an unexpected, but perfectly valid way. ‘Personalizing’ it will engage them in the meetings and encourage them to practice outside of class. That will resonate positively in your office, and in your staff’s personal lives.

Bridging the divide between idea and application.

By relinquishing control over the learning experience, the facilitator empowers participants to use the team’s ideas in the rest of their daily lives.

While it may be difficult for you to take your hands off, it’s not up to you to keep everyone on task and practicing. It’s not in anyone’s interests for you to monitor excessively. Each participant must take responsibility and the initiative to make the principles work for her or him. This maintains the student-centered approach, and it will help the team members take ownership of the ideas, personalize them, and incorporate them into the way they get things done.

Sniff, sniff. The sweet smell of initiative!

Kick ownership up a notch and encourage team members to ‘monitor’ one another for implementing the leadership ideas. Set aside the first few minutes of each lesson for team members to recognize exemplary action and implementation of the leadership ideas. No reason to focus on “who didn’t do what”. It’s much healthier for the team to build on recognition of positive examples. Positive thoughts and actions promote more of the same. Create a positive feedback loop; the skills they practice in their personal lives will become habit while on the job, and vice versa.

Encourage team members to take what they learn out into the rest of their lives. The leadership team’s primary goal may be professional development, but the ideas readily apply to the ‘real world’. As members enjoy greater success with these principles they’ll become more enthusiastic for the next team meeting.

That first meeting.

Try to establish the meeting time in the morning. Bait your team members with breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a sunday brunch, but an immediate incentive will deliver more curious ears.

As they get their fill of fruit, muffins and coffee you’ll have an awake group attentive to your message; you are offering personal and professional development.

In that first meeting, it’s important for everyone to get on the same page. Invest some time describing the format of the meetings;

  • 30 minutes maximum,
  • consistent weekly meetings,
  • ‘student-centered’ atmosphere,
  • regular attendance (You could even incentivize this. The three best attendees get to go out to lunch with the facilitator, or receive some other prize),
  • a supportive atmosphere.

      • Review your expectations (perhaps formulated as a group?); punctuality, authentic participation, intent to apply concepts in the office, willingness to implement the ideas in their personal and professional lives.

      While it’s important for team members to participate, personal privacy is paramount. There’s nothing to be gained from pressuring a team member to share how s/he implemented these principles in her/his personal life. Encourage sharing by modeling for your group. Share how you’ve used one of the principles in your own life.

      Emphasize that the lesson topics should be implemented over the next 2 to 4 weeks. The ideas discussed will not have the same value if they are just treated as conversation topics. They must be turned into action to take root and bloom successfully. We’ll go through the first lesson plan and accompanying homework assignment together to give you ideas for your facilitation.

      Spend some time addressing questions like “What are your professional and personal goals?”, “What would you like to learn in this group?”, ” Where do you want your career to go?” and “What was your favorite learning experience in school?” Give participants a few minutes to pair off and flesh out their answers. Afterward, participants could even introduce one another and 1-2 appropriate answers. Don’t skip this step; it’s a great way for your leadership team to build rapport for the months ahead.

      Building rapport starts now; the facilitator goes first. Team members will be more willing to participate if you break the ice and share a little about yourself.

      If you want the job done right…
      This may seem like a lot to add to your already swollen schedule. You’ve already made a tremendous effort to get where you are today. Invest time and energy in your leadership team now, you’ll reap dividends of the same in the future; better customer service, more confidence in your key staff, and less to worry about around the office.