6 Responses

1. Leadership Development
   Hi Gail,

   I desgingned and sourced an 8 month 1st line management development programme back in ’07 which has proved to be rather successful (we are now into the second year of the programme). Please feel free to contact me at karl.joseph@mma-insurance.com if you would like to discuss this further.

   Kind Regards,
   Karl Joseph

2. Spelling Mistakes
   Apologies for the spelling mistakes below (I’m in a bit of a hurry).

   Karl

3. Engagement & Ownership
   Hi Gail

   I run various programmes like this with my corporate clients and I think a couple of the keys are:

   1. It will be important to engage employees and make sure they buy into the programme and understand its benefits. I’m glad to hear you’re doing some research and perhaps you are including in this some interviews or focus groups to gauge what kind of help might be appreciated.

   2. The Leadership Programme (probably not surprisingly) has to start with the Directors. Although this sounds obvious, you may be surprised how common it is for Board management to make decisions to train their Managers, but the example really has to feed down from the top so that it demonstrably becomes part of company culture.

   3. I’ve found a blend of seminars and 1-2-1 coaching to be a good mix as people need to carry through the learning they get from the seminar programme into their daily routine if benefits are really to be reaped.

   Good luck with the programme. I hope these few pointers help and if I can be of any further help, I can be reached on annie@breathingspaceforbusiness.com

   Warm Wishes

   Annie Lawler

4. Fast-track Leadership
   Hi Gail,

   Interesting and exciting indeed! But opens you up to exposure if it doesn’t quite go according to plan! Scary!

   I’d support the guys who have already commented – and add the following:

   1. Start with the end in mind. What skills, attitudes, knowledge or behaviours do they need to display at the END of the programme?

   2. How will you measure these?

   3. Once you have determined the measures you will use at the end of the programme, use these to measure them today.(You’ve just done a gap analysis)

   4. Break down the gap analysis into ‘hard’ skills (learning how to use MS excel, internal processes, systems, etc) and ‘soft’ or behavioural skills (influincing, negotiation, communiction, etc).

   5. Consider using a blended approach. Remote/e-learning for knowledge gain (facts, figures, systems, methodologies, etc) and face 2 face for skill development – practice putting the knowledge into effect via role-play, simulations, etc)

   I’ve just completed this same exercise for a global blue-chip (3,500 strong). If you’d like any further help, drop me a line.

   Regards

   Steve Brand
   steve.brand@ontrackinternational.com

5. Leadership programme
   Hi Gail, Sounds like a steep learning curve in some areas! I would concur with the comments below particularly making it blended. One thing to consider is making sure having identified those to fast track that those left behind are catered for in rerspect of development. You need to consider 360 appraisal ( again having agreed areas to measure) coaching mentoring and work placed assessment/development plans,etc. Are you doing it in-house? Independence can be a big issue particularly when conducting selection procedures.We are currently running a programme in an organisation with 3000 employees. If I can be of any assistance please ring/e-mail rob.mcphun@psyton.co.uk

6. Leadership Development Models
   Hi Gail,

   I have extensive experience in running leadership development programmes using the Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Model called (EQi).

   They are incredibly effective and I can give you tons of feedback on the success of using this model and any advice you need to help you get the most out of your chosen programme.

   Feel free to drop me an E-Mail and I will be happy to put aside some time to chat through my experiences with you.

   Look forward to hearing from you.

   Gary