I was delighted to hear that a recent delegate on our 12 month Management Development Programme had sent out a testimonial to her network, talking about 10 takeaways from the training.
We don’t often blow our own trumpet, we tend to focus on helping others rather than helping ourselves, however, this is such a lovely piece to read it seems a little daft to keep it to ourselves.
So with gratitude to Kelly Vickers at Meet Cambridge, here is what she had to say about training with us.
10 Takeaways from Leadership Skills Training.
I came to Meet Cambridge 13 years ago as a Marketing Manager and over the years, as the business has grown, so has my role. Beyond recognition.
Now, I am one of those lucky people who loves their job – but mine is not an orthodox role – I can’t think of anyone who would share a similar job description and when I try to describe what I do, it’s a bit of a challenge.
What is it I do? Well, I prioritise, remember (my colleagues and husband might challenge this), plan, make decisions, imagine new things, learn new things, learn new things off by heart, I solve problems and (most of the time) I maintain focus.
These brain functions are scientifically demonstrated to be mentally exhausting. (Argh, that’s why I’m so tired!)
But really, it’s all about people – connecting people.
And so, in the name of professional development, last year, I embarked on a voyage of leadership skills discovery, with a difference, with Your People Potential (formerly Namasté Culture).
I found the experience extremely invaluable, personally and professionally and I thought it worth sharing.
Over 12 sessions, we covered everything from motivation to problem solving, decision making, management of time, stress and conflict to coaching and delegation.
What I learned, is that the key to it all is communication. Good communication.
And that sounds easy, but it’s really not.
Here are 10 things I learned about good communication and leadership that I’m trying to practice in real life.
Active listening with my ears, eyes, heart and mind.
Problems are problems; not people. People are not difficult, they have different opinions to me; personality is not the same as behaviour and we fall out over perception, not truth.
Debating is not the same as arguing; some people enjoy debating, for them it’s sport – some not so much. (I’m the latter.)
I am responsible for making myself understood. I must check that I’ve been understood, reflect and refine and measure the success of my communication by the outcome.
I have a choice and sometimes it’s perfectly appropriate to say no.
Eat the frog; avoid distractions, make a later appointment and stop unnecessary meetings.
Decide: Do it, delegate it, dump it or defer it. It’s not possible to multitask; it is possible to lots of things in quick succession, but ultimately, I can only do one thing at a time – well.
Coaching is not therapy, counselling, mentoring, training, coaching or managing.
Sometimes it’s good to hand over the wheel. Delegate effectively, review skills and wills, get explicit buy in, give authority, and responsibility, support and say thank you. Hold to account and don’t do it yourself, because it’s easier or quicker; even if it is!
With my team, I will try to encourage experimentation and roundtable appreciation.
I am enormously grateful to David Lynch for his coaching skills and willingness to share his life experiences; to Jacqui Kemp for all her support and to my fellow managers who shared the journey. Oh .. and to my very tolerant guinea pigs. You know who you are.
Your People Potential work with organisations to help get the best from their people at work. Their philosophy is simple – respect your people, they are your success story. They promote wellbeing at work by providing training and support, using their expert knowledge in the fields of psychology and HR to improve engagement and create positive working environments.
Kelly
I am grateful to Kelly for such a great testimonial, and also to David, for doing such a great job of delivering a challenging programme over 12 months, for encouraging everyone to learn and reflect and to grow as managers in their people skills. Thank you David, it’s great having you on the team! Jacqui
