Not simply another training event in a classroom

Check out our latest video with our colleagues at Equine Connection and see Equine Assisted Leadership Development in action. Not simply another training event in a classroom.

The Secrets of Successful Onboarding

Michael Watkins; Picking the right transition strategy; Harvard Business Review (2009) identified that there are four broad types of situations  a new leader may encounter:

·      Start-up –get a new business or product off the ground

·      Turnaround –get a group that is recognized to be in trouble back on track

·      Realignment –revitalize a unit that is drifting into trouble

·      Sustaining success –preserve the vitality of a successful organization and take it to the next level

For best results, a new leader’s own strategy should match the situation they face, however the organization can help the new leader get on the right track from the get go.

In their book First Time Leader George Bradt and Gillian Lewis identify a 5 step process for successful onboarding a new leader using the BRAVE acronym. BRAVE is a leadership framework that helps new leaders successfully build their team by uniting them around a shared purpose.

Behaviors – The actions that make real lasting impact on others

Relationships – The heart of leadership. If you can’t connect, you can’t lead

Attitudes – Encompassing strategic, posture, and culture choices around how to win

Values – The bedrock of a high performing team. Get clear on what really matters

Environment – Setting the context for everything else by understanding where you are playing.

When a new leader actually approaches each of the five components, they’ll do it in reverse order:

1.    Start with your analysis of the Environment. Get clear on where you are going to play, who you are going to compete with.

2.    Then, align your team around shared Values and what success will look like. At this point you know what you want to achieve, and why.

3.    Attitude is all about strategy and the organizational posture and culture that will drive it. Once the strategy is set, execution happens through relationships and behaviors.

4.    Relationships are how you communicate your strategy internally and externally and delegate appropriately. This step also involves acquiring and developing talent, as appropriate.

5.    Finally, Behaviors are what put your strategy into action. It’s the art of getting things done through other people by effective project management.

The end result is an actionable plan that will help the new leader become a leader that produces results – not just a boss that delegates – by inspiring others around a shared purpose and enabling them to do their best work. 

What does feminism look like in 2014?

Jane Joseph Bluegem Learning's VP gives her thoughts on modern day feminism.

"The world dictionary describes feminism as being “…a doctrine or movement that advocates equal rights for women…”  

As someone who is pro women’s rights I feel that, given the above description, I am entitled to call myself a feminist.  However, when I think of how feminist and feminism have been portrayed in the popular press I conjure up images of women in sensible shoes, no make-up and conservatively dressed.  The burn the bra era, although I am reliably informed that this is a myth, of radical and angry women waving banners and shouting at men for offering them a seat or holding open a door. I don’t see myself in that context and I am sure that many people who readily speak up for and are involved in equal rights for women might say the same.

As a woman who finds herself described as being part of the X generation I find myself wondering what does feminism mean for the Y generation, those people often known as Millenials born circa late 1980s to 2000?  Does feminism have any resonance for these young women or has it simply morphed into something else?   

Recently there was a great deal of hoopla in the press because of Miley Cyrus and her ‘twerking’ antics at the VMAs.  I didn’t watch the programme but couldn’t escape the numerous re-runs of Cyrus and her now infamous foam finger.  Personally I wasn’t shocked or upset by what Cyrus did; I had more of an emotional response to married Robin Thicke who was on the receiving end, so to speak, of the Cyrus twerk.  Miley Cyrus when interviewed about her behaviour referred to herself as a feminist.  So hence the question ‘what does feminism look like in 2014’?  

 If Cyrus decides to twerk her way to the top of the charts is that not simply her prerogative? In a Guardian article, 25^th February 2014, Skin from the 90s rock group Skunk Anansie asks where the young pop feminists are and talks about young female pop stars being both “pimp and prostitute”.    A little harsh, maybe, but I ask myself is this the new face of feminism?  Young women who feel unabashed and ready to express themselves in whichever format they see fit.  Young women who make no apology for themselves and expect that they should be respected for who they are and not for what society suggests or dictates that they should be.

I am not saying that capitalising on your sexuality is what modern day feminism has transformed into especially when there are other examples of young women making it on their own terms.  Generation Y women like Jessica Ennis-Hill who worked her way to a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics and Jenny Jones snowboarding her way to an Olympic bronze in Sochi.  However, I do think that apart from being Millenials these women have other things in common.  They have all worked hard in order to take their chosen professions to levels where they are all successfully making their own way on their own terms.

When all is said and done isn’t that what we want from Feminism in 2014, giving women the choice to conform or not, as they see fit and to not being judged in any way differently than a man would in a similar context?

Just food for though, personally, I’m still making up my mind!"

Be a Leader not a Boss - 365

Learn about Bluegem Learning's new integrated Leadership Development Program especially designed for mid-sized businesses in Calgary.

Authentic Vs. Autocratic Leadership

Our colleagues at Equine Connection shared these interesting thoughts on the concept of Authentic Vs. Autocratic Leadership.

Authentic Vs. Autocratic

 

The old ways of having one leader with all of the decision making power is going the way of the Dodo.  Being an authentic leader allows for employees to take ownership of their job and care about the outcome of their decisions.  So are you an Authentic Leader?  Here are some things to consider*;

1. Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine. Authentic leaders are self-actualized individuals who are aware of their strengths, their limitations, and their emotions. They also show their real selves to their followers. They do not act one way in private and another in public; they don’t hide their mistakes or weaknesses out of fear of looking weak. They also realize that being self-actualized is an endless journey, never complete.

2. Authentic leaders are mission driven and focused on results. They are able to put the mission and the goals of the organization ahead of their own self-interest. They do the job in pursuit of results, not for their own power, money or ego.

3. Authentic leaders lead with their heart, not just their minds. They are not afraid to show their emotions, their vulnerability and to connect with their employees. This does not mean authentic leaders are “soft.” In fact communicating in a direct manner is critical to successful outcomes, but it’s done with empathy; directness without empathy is cruel.

4. Authentic leaders focus on the long-term.  Realize that to nurture individuals and to nurture a company requires hard work and patience, but the approach pays large dividends over time.

*Kevin Kruse, What is Authentic Leadership, Forbes Magazine