Leadership in the Mirror
A workshop on developing your most effective leadership behaviors

Note:  This workshop can be modified to meet your needs in either a four or six hour format.  For shorter (one hour) sessions, each topic can be presented individually.

It is all about relationships.  While this workshop focuses on leadership, what you learn here you will be able to apply in every interaction you have.  Apply what you learn about yourself here to support you in becoming the best spouse, the best parent, the best co-worker, the best leader, and the best person you can be.

About This Workshop

If you want to take your leadership effectiveness to the next level, look within.  Examine the behaviors you really have control over, your own.  Building trust, influencing others, communicating a clear vision, it all begins with you and the behaviors you model for others.  In this workshop we will spend time looking at ourselves, examining our own behaviors, our own responses, and learning what we can do to increase our effectiveness as leaders. 

We know that most people are basically effective or do well about 95% of the time.  But what about the other 5%, those times when you are really under pressure, when you feel threatened or challenged by others, or when your emotions are strong and you “react in the moment.”  After a particularly challenging situation who has not stepped back and questioned themselves with:

Why did I respond that way?  I could have approached that more calmly, or been more effective.

Why did I say it that way?  I know I could have chosen my words better.

In this discussion oriented workshop we will focus on the most important aspect of leadership, you and your behaviors.

After these moments we do what we do best, rationalize.  It’s ok, everyone knows how much pressure we are under… that’s not the real me… they know I really didn’t mean it.  Let’s just put that behind us and     move forward.  The reality is that all of our behaviors impact our relationships with others, and others seem to be much better at remembering how we responded in that isolated 5%. 

Below are some of the areas we will focus on during this informative and lively workshop:

 Leadership

Leadership is a privilege.  As a leader your success to a large part is determined by the success of those around you.   Does your leadership style develop followers or leaders and how does this impact your effectiveness as a leader and the results you achieve?  What is the real difference between a manager and a leader?  What is it you have to offer that would make people “want” to follow you.  Intimidation, threats and efforts to control others simply do not work for the long term.  In this section we will examine the role of influence, learn how to be the leader that others want to follow, and how this impacts your effectiveness and outcomes.

 Relationships

Most of us do not work in a vacuum, and your talent alone is not enough to insure your success.  We all depend on others to varying degrees and how our teams function as a unit is critical to our success.  We will closely examine the role of relationships, the treatment of people, and the impact this has on your own success.  Treating people with care and dignity and letting them know you value what they have to offer as a member of the team is not a complicated thing.  Learn how to insure your success by insuring the success of others.

 Focusing our Efforts for the Best Results

 Have you ever known someone so focused on the process they loose site of the objective?   Have you ever, as they say, won the battle but lost the war?  Have you ever witnessed or experienced a parent so intent on delivering a lecture and making their point that they lost site of the lesson they wanted to share?  Have you seen those in leadership roles repeat this same mistake?  Here you will learn how to step back, recognize and maintain focus on the desired outcome to insure the best results. 

Differences Between Us

There are differences between each of us.  How do two people look at the same situation or the same set of facts and draw different conclusions?  People look at things differently and people process information differently.   And while the differences between us are in fact potential sources of conflict, it is these differences that are our greatest source of strength for any team or relationship.  Attempting to get people to “do or see it our way” is seldom the most effective approach.  Here you learn the steps to acknowledge these differences, understand them, and finally develop a true appreciation of and value these differences.   

Conflict Prevention

We frequently hear about conflict resolution.  Why spend our energy and efforts on resolving what we likely could have prevented in the first place?  Why put your focus on something “after the fact?”  Learn practical steps in how to prevent conflict from the onset and apply these lessons to all your relationships.

 Emotions

I’ve heard that the average person spends up to 80% of their time in a reactionary mode.  How effective can this be and what kind of regrets can this leave us with?  Learn the difference between reacting and responding.  We will explore the role emotions play in these reactions and share some easy and practical exercises on learning how to consciously choose a response to create the interaction that will improve your communications, your relationships, and your effectiveness. 

Learning to Modify our Behavior

 Nature vs. nurture, heredity vs. environment… How much of our personality is innate and how much of it is shaped through our experiences and interactions with others?   How does our personality impact our communications, our approach to leadership, and our relationships with others?  Can you really change your personality?  How can we learn to modify our behaviors?  In this lively and informative discussion you will be given an introduction to the impact of personality types and how you can use this to the benefit of yourself and everyone around you.