Are leaders born or made?

For a long time, many people believed that those rising into leadership roles had been destined to do so, and only the natural qualities they were born with molded them into who they are. This is an outdated concept of leadership, however, as companies are understanding the need to cultivate internal leaders through leadership training development and shape them for their businesses, even if they are not so-called ‘natural born leaders.’

 

What is leadership development training?

Not everyone with the power to lead recognizes their own potential.  Leadership development training serves to bring out leadership qualities a person may or may not realize he or she is capable of. Leadership development begins with understanding what truly makes a good leader:

• Can influence others’ actions
• Earns respect from his or her team
• Able to strategize and make sound decisions that are positively impactful
• Motivates others to perform to the best of their abilities
• Takes accountability for themselves and holds others accountable for their decisions

Leaders can assume many roles, from those with formal management designations down to lateral peers with little to no decision-making power. Leadership training goes beyond a person’s experience or job title to help individuals build upon their capacity to lead others, regardless of their current stake in an organization.

Unofficial and seasoned leaders alike may benefit from leadership training classes to sharpen their communication skills, enhance collaboration and idea share, and earn the cooperation of their team. It is commonly believed that everyone has some ability to lead, but only those who are given the opportunity to develop those skills can benefit from these sometimes hidden talents.

Where leadership training comes into play

Training is a natural occurrence for employees who want to excel at what they do. Team building is part of the corporate game, as everyone understands the importance of having a cohesive team in order to register success. But what about leaders? Should they be miracle workers who never doubt and never fail, landing in an office with their cape and superpowers?

But what about leaders? Should they be miracle workers who never doubt and never fail, landing in an office with their cape and superpowers?

The reality is far from this fairytale image. Leadership isn’t something that just happens, nor is it a characteristic that sustains itself once developed. It takes careful nurturing and ongoing leadership development to maintain the strength of your organization’s leaders. Even the best leaders didn’t make it to the top of their industry without continued investment in their own success.

Leadership training courses and programs are now organized all over the world and are becoming an expected part of the corporate culture for organizations of all sizes and industries. As companies understand the need for well-trained leaders, they are no longer willing to leave the formation of a leader to chance. This may have worked in decades past, but today, no company can afford to wait for the next business executive with the qualities of a natural born leader to simply show up.

Leadership Development Training Programs for a Varied Set of Skills

Another reason why leadership training is important is represented by the need for a varied set of skills. Typically, leaders are required to have knowledge about the field they work in, combined with great communication skills. But this is by far not enough in this day and age.

Even natural born leaders, those charismatic individuals who have the world eating out of their hand, cannot know or be skilled at everything without some form of professional development. Every leader has an opportunity to improve on their weaknesses through training in order to achieve the best results.

For instance, there are courses which teach leaders time management skills, team building skills, organizational skills, executive skills, management skills, and other important teachable attributes. Based on what the company needs in a leader, they will send their potential leaders to the most appropriate training.

Capability to listen

Training for leaders is not just about teaching leaders how to talk better to their team members and how to assess a situation better. Something that is now much discussed is the leader’s ability to listen to what others have to say. Communication is a complex process, and exchanging information can involve team members from the lowest to the highest tiers of the hierarchy. It’s important that leaders understand how to learn and act through listening to others, not just how they respond to what they hear.

Adaptability to change

It is very important for leaders to adapt to new situations and implement changes in the rest of the organization without disturbing the business they are conducting. Change can be implemented through smart team building sessions, where leaders explain to workers why changes are needed and how they are supposed to adapt. By setting an example and goals, leaders can avert many mishaps in a company’s activity and help their team members overcome difficulties. But to do this successfully, they need leadership training to help them become better leaders.

Ability to influence

Part of what makes a good leader is their ability to communicate and influence others. This could take the form of rallying approval for a new idea, getting people on board with organizational changes, or simply influencing workplace conduct and company culture. Influencing others doesn’t always come straight from management. Rather, oftentimes people look at the behaviors set forth by their lateral peers. It is in these cases where developing a team of leaders, managers or otherwise, is especially crucial, as you are cultivating prime examples for others to follow.

Granted, we all learn, think, and act differently. But that’s part of what separates a good leader from others – they have the ability not only to learn and think in ways they are comfortable but also to adapt to new ways of looking at information. And by attending a variety of corporate leadership development programs, your current and future leaders gain exposure to a variety of methodologies, skills, teaching styles, and thought processes that they may never be exposed to on the job. It is this well-roundedness that is responsible for shaping leadership qualities and could end up being one of the most valuable aspects of your leadership training curriculum.

The benefits of a leadership curriculum

Ongoing training for skills refreshment and improvement isn’t something that should be reserved for non-leadership roles. While it’s a common expectation of your employees to undergo recertification or brush up on knowledge of certain policies, your leadership team should have those same expectations for their leadership development.

However, corporate leadership training isn’t something you should allow to evolve naturally, nor is it something you may feel completely confident in facilitating yourself. Partnering with a company whose sole existence is to develop and improve your leadership team can provide the ongoing training you want, but might not have believed possible given your resources and expertise.

Investing in a leadership curriculum helps ensure you cover all the crucial areas for managing and non-managing leaders that are most beneficial to your organizational goals. Led by a highly skilled leadership development trainer who understands what it takes to create strong leaders, your employees can participate in corporate leadership training programs that are tailored to the challenges and skills suited for their specific role.

Management Training Curriculum

Though leaders are not always managers, managers must always be leaders. Given the unique roles of managers as automatic trailblazers, they must always be prepared to make decisions, organize teams, overcome challenges, and guide others in the right direction.

With the bulk of your company’s success resting on your managers’ abilities to steer, leadership development crafted specifically with managers at the forefront is an absolute must. Manager training topics could include one or more of the following courses:

Campfire Leadership – Developing Effective Leadership Styles

Everybody has a unique leadership approach, whether you realize it or not. But what you also may not realize is how effective your leadership style is (or isn’t) in communicating with your team.

This workshop serves to help participants understand how your specific approach affects others, as well as the strengths and challenges associated with your methods and how to use your style to everyone’s advantage.

Millennial Connections – Creating Generational Bridges

Working with those from other generations is inevitable, especially given the increasing presence of millennials in the workforce. Age differences can often lead to differences in opinions, and it takes a strong leader to recognize and overcome these conflicts productively.

This workshop helps managers learn to establish connections across generational gaps, motivate teams, and inspire diversity in the workplace. When you learn to capitalize on differences, you prime your team and yourself for success.

Executive Presence for Millenials

Being the newest generation of the workforce, millennials often feel they have much to prove to earn their place. There’s a stigma surrounding the work ethics and abilities of millennials, but this negativity has only fueled this generation’s desire to make their presence known.

Investing in millennials’ professional development places them in a prime position for internal promotions. Managers often have the unique opportunity to develop leaders within their organization, and this workshop can help you understand how to elicit your millennial team’s best qualities and prepare them for a future role in leadership.

Leading Through Change

Change is usually the only constant you can count on in the work environment. Yet despite its inevitability, people are still resistant to adopting workplace change, even when they stand to benefit from it.

This course helps you to help your team cope with and adapt to change. You’ll discover how to earn buy-in from your staff, discuss and conquer the challenges associated with change, and how to plan for and implement organizational changes successfully.

There will always be a strong need for good management in organizations. But even those managers with years of experience leading others will always be able to hone their management skills and continue to earn their leadership role.

Leadership Development Curriculum

Everybody has the potential to be a leader, from the newest employee of the company to the person who makes the coffee. Even without having the authority and decision-making abilities of managers, employees will find that developing their leadership skills can prove useful both in organizational success and in achieving their personal goals.

When companies invest in producing leaders from within, everybody wins. Leadership development classes are taught by a skilled leadership development trainer, and may include one or more of the following:

Superior Presentation Skills

Public speaking is a top fear among many, yet it’s an inevitable part of most jobs. And the better equipped you are at presenting your ideas, the better chance you stand of making important connections with your audience that achieve your expected results.

Managers aren’t the only ones who benefit from strong presentation skills. Anyone who has a vested interest in their personal and professional success will find that the ability to use words that inform and convince is sure to stand out from the crowd.

DiSC Personality Discovery

As much as you already know about yourself, there is always plenty more to learn. And who doesn’t like to learn more about themselves?

Taking the DiSC Personality Discovery can provide insights about yourself you may have never considered. Through a series of questions and scenarios, the assessment results will place you in one of four behavioral categories: Dominant, Influence, Steadiness, or Conscientiousness.

Becoming more self-aware about your own perspective and that of others can help to minimize workplace conflict, understand each other’s habits and points of view, and capitalize on each person’s strengths to work toward a common goal.

How to Begin Your Corporate Leadership Development Programs

The strength of your leadership team is only as good as the investment you make in it. To begin building tomorrow’s leaders, contact us today to learn more about our leadership training curriculum options.

The more an individual can learn about his or her own abilities, the better they can use and develop those skills. And when this happens, both you and your team can enjoy the benefits.