Leadership Training

Manual
2015
table of contents table of contents
Case Study.........................3 Lesson 14........................................17
Lesson 1.......................................4 Lesson 15........................................18
Lesson 2.....................................5 Lesson 16.........................................19
Lesson 3.....................................6 Lesson 17........................................20
Lesson 4.....................................7 Lesson 18.........................................21
Lesson 5.....................................8
Lesson 6.....................................9
Lesson 7....................................10
Lesson 8....................................11
Lesson 9....................................12
Lesson 10..................................13
Lesson 11.....................................14
LESSon 12...................................15
lesson 13....................................16

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Case Study
Jim Towne: Virtual Leadership
Jim Towne heads up a newly formed information technology team for a major
international corporation. The team is composed of about 20 professionals who
live and work in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, and
Australia. All members of the team report to Jim Towne. The team is a virtual
team and is connected primarily using technology (video conference, group
decision support ware, e-mail, and telephone.) The team has met twice in a
face-to-face setting to set goals and plan. All of the team members are quite
competent technically in their respective areas. Some team members have a long
and valued history with the company; others have recently become members
of the company through a corporate merger. The team members have never
worked together on any projects previously.
Lesson 1
You are their leader, not their friend
Good leadership involves being responsible to the welfare of the group.
Trying to get everyone on your side, or to like you, is impossible. You
will end up avoiding the tough decisions, confronting employees that
have not been working up to par, and you will avoid reinforcing high
performance because others may become upset.
It is important to treat employees accordingly, based on their performance in their
job. Getting them to like you will not get work done.
Think of a time you were treated differently than another employee. Think of the
reasons why that may have been.

The task of the team is to develop and implement new technology innovations
for all of the business units of the corporation globally. The team is excited about
the importance and the innovative nature of their assignment; they respect each
other and enjoy being part of this team. However, the team is having difficulty Notes:
getting off the ground, and the members report being extremely overloaded.
Most team members travel to business sites at least 2 weeks each month. The
travel is important, but it causes team members to get father and farther behind.

There is one part time secretary for the team, located in New York. Her
responsibility is primarily to organize travel and meetings of team members.
Team members are working on several projects at once and have great difficulty
finishing any of the projects. One team member had 500 e-mail messages that
have yet to be read because each team member sends copies of all messages to
everyone on the team. Jim Towne feels under great pressure to prove that his
team can work and provide a valuable function to the organization.

Notes:

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Lesson 2
When they stop talking, you stop leading
This is where the majority of CEOs fail. CEOs tend to build up so many barriers to upward
communication, that the idea of someone on a lower level in a hierarchal structure bringing
up ideas or asking for help can seem ludicrous. The corporate culture of an organization often
fosters and defines how communication between the CEO and lower level employees work. In
some cases, the culture defines that asking for help is a weakness or failure. Therefore, employees
often cover their caps causing the organization to suffer.
Effective leaders make themselves accessible and available to all members of an organization,
regardless of rank. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by the organization
and its employees. An environment should be created in which problem analysis replaces blame.
Think about the case study here.
Notes:
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Lesson 3
Don't be bullied by the experts
In small companies or start-ups, there is not time for to have employees that are analytically
detached. In other words, they think more about strategy and less about people. They have
do not have adequate funds to subsidize lofty elites either. For these organizations, the
president answers the phones and drives the trucks; everyone on the payroll visibly produces
and contributes to the bottom-line results. However, as companies grow in size, they often
forget about who brought them to the dance. Aspects such as, all-hands on deck involvement,
egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, and agility are thrown to the
wayside.
Real leaders are vigilant when this happens. They are combative and fight to keep the small
business mentality alive even when company size, profit and productivity are increasing.
Think of examples of this in previous work experiences - how did this impact you?
Notes:
Lesson 4
Don't be afraid of a challenge
It is very important to learn from the pros. Observe them and seek them out as mentors and
partners. However, remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their learning
and skills. Professionals can also become complacent and lazy. Keep in mind, leadership does
not emerge from blind obedience to anyone.
Good leadership encourages everyones evolution, even those in charge.
Notes:
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Lesson 5
Details, Details, Details
Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details. They
also understand that focusing on the details is more important than conformity and com-
placency, which is dull for employees. They continually encourage people to challenge the
process. They implicitly understand that the job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer,
but the chief disorganizer. On the other hand, bad leaders think that they are somehow
above operational details, putting the task on other employees.
Think about it:
What do you do in your everyday tasks that is a characteristic of a good leader? Write a few
ideas below.
Lesson 6 Lesson 7
What Are You Waiting For? Dig a Little Deeper
You dont know what you can get away with until you try. If it aint broke, dont fix it is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant, or the scared. It
is an excuse for inaction. In a culture that lives by this slogan, you will not find people who
Good leaders do not wait for official blessings to try and experiment. They are prudent, proactively take steps to solve problems as they emerge.
not reckless. However, they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you
ask enough people for permission, you will inevitably come up against someone who be- Instead of being inactive, use the problem-solving process below to determine how best to
lieves it is his job to say no. approach issues in your organization head on. Be proactive in order to give yourself ample
time to experiment with multiple approaches and analyze your solutions.
The moral of the story is, dont ask. The point is to think, If I havent explicitly been told
no, I can.
Consider a time in your career when you had an idea for a change or improvement that
was rejected. Write a few notes on what could have happened had you made the change
without asking first.

Describe a recent problem youve faced in the workplace, and how you could apply the
problem-solving process above to finding a solution.

Notes:

Notes:

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Lesson 8
It's all about the who
In a brain-based economy, your best assets are people. Too often, people are assumed to be
empty chess pieces to be moved around by grand viziers. How many leaders immerse themselves
in the goal of creating an environment where the best, the brightest, the most creative are
attracted, retained, and most importantly, unleashed? It is important to be that leader.
What type of employee are you?
Lesson 9
don't follow the mold
Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that ought to be as
dynamic as the external environment around you. If people really followed organization charts,
companies would collapse. In well-run organizations titles are also pretty meaningless. At best,
they advertise some authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and induce
obedience. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and
inspire.

On the flip-side, non-leaders in management may be formally anointed with all the perks and
frills associated with high positions, but they have little influence on others, apart from their
ability to extract minimal compliance to minimal standards.

Notes:
Notes:

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Lesson 10
your position is not your worth
Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One
reason that even large organizations wither is that managers will not challenge old, comfortable
ways of doing things. But, real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is
becoming obsolete. Remember in the variations of team member history in the case study?
Effective leaders create a climate where peoples worth is determined by their willingness to
learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most
important question in performance evaluation becomes not, How well did you perform your
job since the last time we met? but, How much did you change it?
How can you change your job without overstepping organizational boundaries?
Notes:
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Lesson 11
go against the stereotype
Do not chase the latest management fads. Flitting from fad to fad create team confusion, reduces
the leaders credibility, and drains the organizational coffers. Blindly following a particular
fad generated rigidity in thought and action. Sometimes speed to market in more important
than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is more appropriate than participatory
discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long, loose leashes.
Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them. They understand
that management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the
right times.
Think about a time in the past where you went against what was considered the norm.
Notes:
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Lesson 12
Glass half full
The ripple effect of a leaders enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism
and pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their
colleagues. Do not stoically accept the organizational performance incompetence with a what,
me worry? smile. Rather, a gung-ho attitude that says, we can change things here, we can
achieve awesome goals, we can be the best. Spare the grim litany of the realist, and give the
unrealistic aspirations of an optimist.
Think of a past leader you had that was optimistic. How did this impact you?
Notes:
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Lesson 13
You are the talent agent
Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, seeing around
corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high-energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to
get things done. More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and
prior titles.
A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one
is today, what they can contribute tomorrow, or how well their values mesh with those of the
organization. You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly
readily, but its a lot harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, balance, energy, and
drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor in the recruitment phase.
(Note the employees skills in the case study).
Notes:
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Lesson 14 Lesson 15
Keep it simple Don't be afraid
Be a great simplifier: Collect information before making decisions but be sure not to wait too long or it might be too
late!
- create solutions that are easily understood
- establish easy to conceptualize goals and values Dont forget the definition of Analysis Paralysis: when procrastination in the name of reducing
- develop clear visions and priorities risk actually ends up increasing risk.
- make your decisions neat and firm

You always want to be working toward clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity
in organization.

Think of an aspect of your job that you currently view as over complicated: how could that
be simplified?

Notes:

Think of a time that you waited too long to make a decision, what would you do differently
looking back?

Notes:

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Lesson 16 Lesson 17
Who's right? Have some fun
You are! We have high level and expert staff for a reason, because you know what youre talking When the time is appropriate- its okay to have some fun in the workplace. Both you and
about! your employees should focus on working hard but balancing work and play is something we
encourage
Be sure you are listening to your employees and that they have the opportunity to defend their
point, but the default assumption should be that you know what you are talking about. Have
confidence in your decision making skills and the knowledge behind them.
Design a fun and appropriate activity for your workplace that all of your employees can be
An employee is questioning your newest workplace initiative. How can you handle this involved in
situation?

Notes: Notes:

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Lesson 18
Command is lonely
In a position of power, sometimes the leadership position can feel lonely. But remember, you are
never alone! In order to combat these feelings, here are some steps you can take to become more
involved with your employees while still maintaining your authority:

Encourage participative management

Make it clear that bottom-up employee involvement is welcome
Create an informal, open, and collaborative corporate culture

If you are feeling lonely in your position- what are some ideas of how you can combat these
feelings without breaking any workplace protocol.

Notes:

Produced by BlueGlobe
Global Services
Copyright 2015

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