The Ancient Art of Leadership
Every decade seems to generate a new theory of leadership, but human beings haven't really changed for thousands of years, so leadership is really still the same as it's always been.
The Essence of Leadership
There are some essentials to good leadership which are timeless, and fortunately, not that hard to learn
The Science of Intrinsic Motivation
This is psychology talk for getting people to want to do what you want them to do. People who are motivated from the inside out are incredibly productive, creative and hardworking. They want to be there, they want to work and they want the business to succeed.
The problem is, you can't buy intrinsic motivation. Money just doesn't inspire people to be their best. To get the gold from people we have to hit a bunch of other human needs, and we have to hit all of them, in the right proportion for that individual. That's why programs, policies and cultural initiatives often fail - they aren't flexible enough to allow leaders to respond to the individual needs of their team members.
Intrinsic motivation occurs when businesses empower their leaders to empower their team to empower their lives. An employee who is truly getting the life they want is almost never going to leave the organisation that is giving it to them, and they will work very hard to see that organisation succeed.
The Art of Power Sharing
The fastest way to create lacklustre engagement and low productivity is to strip employees of all power and autonomy. Authoritarian leadership, micromanaging and the rule of fear guarantee team failure - yet so few managers are trained in how to share power with their team while still maintianing leadership. The irony of power is that when we give it away appropriately it is given back to us exponentially.
The Power of Values
We've all seen the posters on the wall declaring the values of the business, and we've all seen the eye-rolling they usually produce in employees, if they notice them at all. Employees operate to their own values, and if we want them to share our values we need to to be respectful and inclusive of theirs and become co-creators in the value proposition of a business.
The Power of Caring
We all care about people who care about us. A business or leader that fails this test, or is tokenistic in its philosophy of care, will suffer the consequences of low loyalty, high churn, poor engagement and low productivity. Caring doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to be authentic.
The Power of Positive Expectations
Whatever our expectations of people are, good or bad, they will usually meet them. It is a rare individual who will exceed expectations (and if you have one they should be promoted immediately). However, when leaders know how to communicate positive expectations in a positive way they will get the best out of their team.
The Program
The Ancient art of Leadership Program takes us back to the basics of human motivation and creative collaboration.
This program is modular so that your business can fit it into your schedules and training needs
Leadership 1: The Basics - 4 hours.
This module is a 4 hour training for leaders, supervisors and emerging talent. The module covers the science of psychological motivation and leadership. It is interactive and gives the participants the opportunity to self-assess their own leadership style for strengths and weaknesses. Participants will finish with an action plan for self-directed improvement and growth as a leader.
Leadership 2: The Next Level - 4 hours
This module covers common problems and issues that arise in leading people, including
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Understanding Personality
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Conflict Resolution
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Motivation Issues
Participants will finish with a suite of tools to respond to conflict and motivational problems across personality types
Leadership 3: Inspiring Innovation - 4 hours
Great leaders create amazing outcomes because they empower people to innovate, problem solve and be responsible for the big picture. There is an intrisic drive in human being to make a valuable contribution and be recognised for it, and tapping into that drive can accelerate a business to the next level. Participants learn how to tap into this motivation in their team.
Leadership 4: Accountability and Vulnerability - 4 hours
The best leaders in the world see themselves as servants to their teams. This requires a level of personal security and vulnerability that few leaders achieve without some help. It requires that the leader be 100% accountable to their team, and this in turns creates extraordinary loyalty and productivity. Participants in this workshop learn how to overcome their own defensive behaviours and achieve the sort of humility and authenticity that uplifts others.
COACHING and CONSULTATION
Adam is available for individual leadership coaching and consultation via face-to-face, video call and telephone. I work with leaders at the deep level to help them identify and overcome their blocks to effective leadership and to become the authentic leader they need to be. Coaching can be provided as an adjuct to participation in the program as needed.
FACILITATOR - ADAM BLANCH
Adam is a psychologist with degrees in indigenous studies and psychology. He has run businesses and led teams for thirty years in the business, social and communtiy space.