One of the key ingredients of great leadership is the ability for a leader to develop a high degree of self awareness. It is not possible that an organisations culture changes without a preceding behavioural leadership change. Leadership Coaching and Mentoring is about highlighting this awareness for Australian leaders and for them to recognise and prioritise this important connection.
The leadership mantra “For an organisation to change, I must change” is most certainly ringing true as the pressure to create the right culture becomes more of a pressing issue for Australian leaders. They want more from their people given the current economic climate and leadership coaching and mentoring is now called upon to assist in making this happen.
It is for this reason that leadership development and training is more about aligning leadership behaviour to that of constructive cultures. It is uncanny when diagnostic analysis indicates the parallel between the thinking and behavioural styles of leaders and the behaviour of people led by them.
This connect further cements the responsibility of leaders to not only have more self awareness but also to emulate the culture they want to create by role modelling that behaviour. This requires a specific focus in the leadership training and development process.
The first step is to identify the current culture that exists in the organisation and the preferred culture that is to be created.
The second step is a leadership behavioural analysis. This will identify the current behavioural styles adopted by the leader and highlights which are constructive and which are counter productive behaviours.
The third step is to connect the leadership behaviour to the current culture and determine the behavioural changes that are to be made.
The fourth step is to ensure the leadership training methodologies will produce the desired results. This will naturally depend upon the effectiveness and influence the leadership coaching and mentoring program will have on the particular leader.
There are many leadership coaching and mentoring programs on offer and it is a worthwhile exercise to take time in finding the right one. Ask colleagues or connections in other organisations about who they have used and if they have any recommendations. Talk with a few suppliers about their processes and strategies.
The challenging aspect in this leadership development process is for leaders to take on the accountability and promise to walk the talk on the road to creating the preferred culture.
Many find it a daunting and pressurised task to have the awareness and mindset that their behaviour is not only being observed continuously by employees but also that it gives them tacit permission to do the same.
For this reason leaders need to be supported, encouraged and managed throughout this leadership development process.
It is lonely at the top but the difference one person makes to many far outweigh the challenges of the coaching and mentoring journey.