Leadership Development From the Inside Out
Douglas Ferguson
President @ Voltage Control | Facilitation Academy | Author | Educator
Leadership development is a crucial element in building a top-tier team. Use leadership training programs to facilitate transformation and growth on an executive level.
This article was originally published on voltagecontrol.com
9 out of every 10 CEOS know the truth: leadership development is crucial in growing a top-tier team. By investing in leadership development, organizations and their team members can enjoy improved success by driving productivity, skill fit, retention rates, company culture, and similar metrics. Likewise, leaders that develop their executive prowess from the inside out can confidently and effectively enact lasting change in the organization.
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of leadership development on the following topics:
Elements of Leadership Development
Leadership development is intrinsically tied to the health of an organization. Growing organizations constantly need an ever-strengthening team that can approach new challenges and conflicts in stride. An organization’s approach to how it develops its leaders will predict its level of long-term success.
Each organization has its approach to developing better leaders. Leadership development takes on many forms, from one-on-one mentorship to customized training programs. While each organization’s approach to executive training may differ, the top elements of leadership development are universal.
As you explore the best approach to developing more capable leaders, consider the following elements of effective executive training:
By focusing on leadership development within your organization, you’ll undoubtedly increase your potential for success as well as the quality of the talent on your team.
Strengthening Leaders From the Inside Out
An organization’s approach to leadership development has to start from the inside out. The best leaders directly reflect the heart of a company and lead from within. As you hone in on the individual traits of effective leaders, it’s essential to focus on what makes the best leaders tick. These individuals enjoy higher emotional intelligence, influence, direction, and purpose in their personal and professional lives as a result of harnessing their inner leadership strengths.
According to a study by Jena Frances and Travis Bradberry, 83% of participants with higher emotional intelligence and self-awareness were considered the highest performing leaders. This data reveals that excellent leadership is inherently tied to an individual’s inner strength. Start growing your leadership from the inside out by addressing the individual needs of your leaders first.
Harness your team’s leadership potential by amplifying the following elements of emotional intelligence:
The ability to understand and recognize your emotions through self-awareness is one of the most crucial elements of emotional intelligence. True self-awareness goes far beyond identifying your emotions as it requires you to recognize your actions, how they affect others, and the emotions of those around you. Improving your self-awareness starts with monitoring how you feel, identifying others’ reactions, and properly recognizing each emotion. By honing this aspect of emotional intelligence, you’ll be able to recognize the link between what you feel and how others behave.
2. Empathy
Empathy is another powerful trait of emotionally intelligent leaders. Empathy goes a long way in the workplace as it allows you to recognize someone else’s feelings and develop the proper response based on their experiences. By practicing empathy, you’ll be able to navigate the power dynamics in various social relationships, and that will help you successfully lead your team and gain their respect.
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3. Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is another trait emotionally intelligent leaders share. This motivation extends beyond extra rewards such as acclaim, money, or power. Alternatively, intrinsic motivation is rooted in the desire to fulfill one’s own goals and needs by seeking internal rewards. Intrinsically motivated leaders are action-oriented and can teach their team to reach for the same level of achievement through their leadership.
4. Mindfulness
Mindfulness-based emotional intelligence is a must in the workplace. Leaders that prioritize mindfulness can heighten their external awareness and lead their team in a positive and impactful way. Mindfulness works to alleviate the pressures of work-related stress, allowing leaders to focus on achieving their goals with the time and resources that they currently have.
Leaders can encourage mindfulness by practicing single-tasking. By focusing on one task at a time, teams and team leaders will be more focused and fully present in each moment. This type of active mindfulness helps to alleviate unnecessary stress and distraction that can derail productivity.
5. Psychological Safety
Investing in leadership training will increase psychological safety, allowing your team to feel that they are part of a safe, encouraging, and positive work environment. This sense of psychological safety is essential to creating an adaptive, innovative organizational culture that sets the tone for constant leadership development.
6. Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is another key element in becoming a better leader. It isn’t uncommon for leaders to experience self-doubt, insecurity, or imposter syndrome. Shaping leaders from the inside out starts with identifying and reducing such negative emotions to allow leaders to believe in and champion their innate capabilities.
Building Better Leaders with Leadership Development Programs
Developing your leaders requires a keen focus on shifting your company culture to one that centers on executive transformation, constant innovation, and exponential growth. One of the most effective ways to transform your company culture and a team from the inside out is to invest in leadership development programs.
The most effective leadership training programs help cultivate a team of capable and confident leaders that can also recognize and fortify leadership traits in others. To facilitate leadership development, organizations may choose to enroll their team members in executive training programs or even create custom-made courses themselves.
These training programs are designed to strengthen your team’s leadership capabilities, increase employee retention, and boost productivity as you learn to shape the skills of your team. At Voltage Control, we aim to transform your approach to leadership development with the following training courses:
Leadership Development
Leadership development programs transform one’s leadership potential through human-centered training sessions. These tailor-made courses are designed for C-suite executives, senior and mid-level leaders, as well as individual contributors looking to perfect their approach to leadership from the inside out.
Master Facilitation Certification
Facilitation certification is a game-changing training program that teaches the confidence and skills to help you master the art of facilitation. A master facilitation certification program explores the best facilitation foundation skills paired with the feedback and experience to help you learn advanced methods to lead your team to success.
Change Management
Change management is a crucial aspect of leadership development. Change management training programs teach participants how to facilitate the art of adaptation with their team members and clients. With change management certification, participants can learn the tools necessary to implement change initiatives on a company-wide scale.
Leadership development and executive training programs are the most effective ways to refine your team’s skills and shape the next generation of leaders in your organization. If you’re ready to transform your leadership capabilities and those of your team, consider enrolling in training sessions at Voltage Control. Contact us to learn more about our custom programs for leadership development, master facilitation certification, and change management.