Clarion Learning - Leadership Development

Leadership development programs at Clarion Learning are designed and developed for internationally-active managers and executives who wish to lead and coach their group members more effectively to drive change and achieve their defined business objectives both locally and within the global organization. Our leadership development programs are generally designed following intensive discussions with representatives of our client organizations and possibly based upon an in-depth learning audit. However to give you an idea of how a leadership development concept could look, we have generated some example overviews of possible program content based on current leadership development research, theory and best practice. Some of the key development issues could include;

Inspiring shared vision means developing a clear sense of direction individually and for our groups within the existing organizational vision framework. It also means clarifying our own personal values and leadership style and aligning them with defined corporate leadership guidelines. A shared sense of vision enables us to align our group members with business and organizational objectives.

Driving the changes in values and behaviour that the individual, group and organization need to achieve their business objectives is a key leadership activity. Effective leaders understand the process of personal and organizational change and can identify and overcome the obstacles we face in leading change. As leaders we must learn to set the example for the changes we wish to create.

Team leadership means dealing with individual group members with differing levels of competence and commitment. Effective team leaders support and challenge their group members to stretch their performance. If we want to develop our team and be more effective ourselves, we have to do less and coach more. This means leveraging the individual and collective strengths in our group to get results.

We generally recommend that our clients adopt an inside-out and an outside-in approach to leadership development.

Clarion Learning strongly recommends using a learning instrument to support the development of personal self-awareness (a key aspect of emotional intelligence - EQ) as a core element of leadership development. Here we often use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator© or MBTI which ensures a level of complexity and therefore depth in this area. We would however be open to an alternative instrument of your choice. Our consultants are comfortable and experienced in the use of the DiSC® profile and Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument® or HBDI which are simpler but excellent alternatives.

Of course, if your organization is already using a specific instrument to support personal development and growth on a group level then we would probably wish stay to consistent and use this instrument. We would ensure that the Clarion Learning consultants leading the program were accredited to administer and debrief the instrument concerned.

Depending upon budget restraints, we would also recommend offering each participant a personal coaching session with a consultant where the results of the instrument (for example MBTI) can be further explored and linked to the specific business / leadership issues that the individual is currently facing. This executive coaching session also provides an excellent opportunity for the consultants to model the coaching skills and process that would be introduced during the leadership program.

Clarion Learning strongly recommends the use of 360° feedback instruments to support the leadership development process. These instruments give your leadership group a very clear impression of how their behaviour is perceived by members of their organization (including their manager, peers and direct reports) and gives them a chance to check on their ability to self-assess. Generally a 360° instrument will either be developed based on your organizations' unique leadership guidelines or principles or can be derived from current leadership development research, theory and best practice.

Clarion Learning has made good experiences with the Leadership Practices Inventory® or LPI based on the "Five Practices of Effective Leaders" from Kouzes and Posner. We recommend the instrument because the leadership model from Kouzes and Posner is, in our opinion, excellent and fits well with the fast-changing global business environment.

The ideal leadership development program is modular - based on three or possibly four key learning modules distributed over a six to nine month period. Ideally the program locations would be distributed across the organizations sites which allow us to bring in senior executives as guest speakers from a number of different professional, cultural and organizational backgrounds.

Between each module, the consultants will coordinate and encourage peer-coaching (usually based on learning trios) to consolidate and explore the key learning content through "fieldwork". This keeps the learning alive and helps to consolidate the learning network that will be established. The option of including a formal executive coaching session for each program participant would come in addition. The learning modules could therefore include a combination of some the following example program outlines;

Leading for Results
This module aims to establish the learning network, introduce the inside-out approach and explore best practices for effective leadership and building effective teams.

Intercultural Management
This module aims to develop strategies for managing cultural differences at an individual, group and organizational level and support the development of a global mindset.

Leading and Coaching for Performance
This module aims to develop coaching skills to stretch individual performance, introduce the outside-in approach and develop a personal leadership development plan.

Strategic Thinking
This module aimsto engage managers in rigorous discussions around the company’s uniqueness and value proposition, key trade-offs to be made and how all activities “fit” together.

Leading Change
This module aims to identify best practices for managing the dynamics of change at the individual and at the group level and implement sustainable changes in the organization

Effective leaders are not those that get things done by doing them themselves. Effective leaders empower and motivate their team members to get results by working together. The level of collaboration in a group or team is strongly influenced by the leader. The behaviours that a leader outwardly demonstrates are what will, more often than not, show up in the group.

The best strategy for building a high-performance team is to help individuals discover their own strengths and manage around their weaknesses. Effective leaders help group members to use their talent to achieve exceptional business results. The objective of this workshop is to help managers to become more effective leaders by identifying best practice, developing their own leadership style and building teams that get results.

The participants will be expected to do some preparation in advance of the program and describe their current leadership challenge. The workshop will involve case studies, psychometric instruments (MBTI©), learning trios and experiential-based learning activities. The participants will expected to develop and implement a personal learning agenda to support their ongoing leadership development.

This is a three-day workshop for a group of 16 participants working with two Clarion Learning consultants at an off-site location.

International matrix organizations can enable global companies to achieve competitive advantage and implement global strategies while responding to local needs. Their success may well depend upon how well the people involved are able communicate, lead and cooperate across cultures. This requires leaders that are able balance multiple perspectives, manage high levels of complexity and support the development of a global mindset within their own local organizations.

Research suggests that 70% of failures in international joint-ventures can be attributed to interpersonal and intercultural misunderstandings and conflict rather than commercial or financial difficulties. The objective of this workshop is to help leaders manage and exploit cultural differences and cooperate more effectively with international partners.

The participants will be expected to do some preparation in advance of the program and provide input on some challenging situations. The workshop will involve experiential-based learning activities, case studies, learning instruments (IDI or ICS©) and group discussions. The participants will be asked to develop a specific action plan to improve the cooperation in their own international group or team.

This is a three-day workshop for a group of 16 participants working with two Clarion Learning consultants at an off-site location.

Effective leaders inspire shared vision, create change and unleash talent in their groups. Leaders do not need to know all the right answers. They do need to ask the right questions. At work many executives rely on telling others - directly or indirectly - what to do and sometimes how to do it. As a coach it's important to have a broader range of approaches. Having people with exceptional coaching skills allows an organisation to transfer attitudes, knowledge and skills quickly and effectively and so drive change and stretch performance in today's fast-moving global business environment.

Leaders that are successful in building high-performance teams that get results - both now and in the future - learn to adapt their leadership style to the specific situation and individuals involved. The objective of this workshop is to help leaders use their coaching skills to motivate, develop and consistently stretch the performance of individual team members and so create exceptional business results.

Objectives

At the end of this learning event participants will be able to:

adapt their leadership style to the situational context
build competence and commitment with team members
deliver constructive and motivating performance appraisals
motivate team members to get results
coach individual team members to stretch performance
describe and develop their individual leadership style.

Content

Situational leadership - the adaptive leader
The performance management cycle - what must go right?
Best practice for performance appraisals and objective setting
Motivating and influencing others through positive psychology
Coaching skills, models and mindset
360° feedback on personal leadership behaviours and debriefing
Developing a feedback culture.

Learning Methodology

The participants will be expected to come prepared to be coached through a specific situation that they are currently facing at work. The program will involve case studies, small group discussions, 360° feedback and experiential-based learning activities. The participants will develop their personal leadership plan based on personal reflection and feedback from within and outside the group.

Workshop

This is a three-day workshop for a group of 16 participants working with two Clarion Learning consultants at an off-site location.

Strategic Thinking

" It is more important to know who you are than to know where you are going, for where you are going will change as the world moves around you." - Jim Collins, "From Good to Great"

A business can outperform its competition only if it can establish a difference which customers actually perceive as adding value and are prepared to pay for and which the organization can maintain. The strategic leader understands that to be competitive, you have to be different. The essence of successful strategy is selecting, implementing and executing activities differently than rivals do. The challenge in a fast-changing global business environment is to determine your strategy, stick to it in the face of adversity when necessary but also be flexible enough to respond immediately to changing market conditions. The strategy challenge and responsibility lies clearly with the executive and strategic leadership team. Proactive leaders who are willing to make choices are essential.

The key objective of this workshop is to begin bring leaders together with an experienced and recognized strategy expert to engage in robust dialog to stretch and challenge your thinking. We believe many of the "answers" are there already, awaiting only the right questions to unlock them. These choices include rigorous discussions around the company's uniqueness and value proposition, key trade-offs to be made and how all activities "fit" together.

At the end of this learning event participants will be able to:

clearly describe how the external environment, stakeholder expectations and the organization's core capabilities have shaped the business strategy.
communicate their organization's unique value proposition to customers, employees, shareholders and business partners memorably and succinctly.
review the current business strategy, identify appropriate strategic options and set strategic objectives and targets with key performance indicators
implement the business strategy by introducing key initiatives in the areas of systems, structures, people and culture.
apply the business strategy to provide direction and focus, guide day-to-day decision-making and make choices / trade-offs in their own group or team

Content

External and internal drivers of strategy
Formulating the value proposition
Linking strategy and performance through balanced scorecard
Reviewing the strategy with gap analysis
Identifying strategic options
Strategy and change
Implementing a business strategy and plan

Learning Methodology

The participants will be expected to do some preparation in advance of the program and describe some key strategic choices they are facing. The workshop will involve experiential-based learning activities, dialog with senior executives, lecturettes, group activities and discussions. The participants will be expected to commit to a specific action plan or initiative to implement a strategic objective in their own group or team.

Workshop

This is a three-day workshop for a group of 16 participants working with two Clarion Learning consultants at an off-site location.

Leading Change

"Behaviour change happens mostly by speaking to people's feelings." - John Kotter

The pace of change is ever increasing and yet the ability of our organizations to lead effective change processes is still limited. Research carried out by The Global Future Forum in 2002 has found that as many as 58% of top executives in the Fortune Global 500 admit their organization is ineffective at managing radical change. Implementing change has become the most important challenge for businesses trying to compete in a turbulent world and experience shows that the core issue is never strategy, structure, culture or systems but simply changing the mindsets and behaviour of people.

Effective leaders of change are able to identify the mindsets and behaviours that are desired and then focus on positively reinforcing the desired behaviours at the individual level. The objective of this workshop is to help leaders implement sustainable changes in their groups and the organization by focusing on emotions, mindsets and behaviours.

Objectives

At the end of this learning event participants will be able to:

describe the stages of the change cycle and provide leadership practices critical to transition from one stage to the next
ecognize that emotions are a natural part of the change process and manage emotion effectively (in themselves and others)
overcome barriers and resistance to change
develop action steps to lead their group members through the change process and create sustainable business results.

Content

Understanding personal and organizational change cycle
Eight steps to achieve organizational transformation
Leadership practices in a fast-changing environment
Establishing a sense of urgency when business is good
Generating momentum to reach the "tipping point" of change
Influencing mindsets and behaviour through positive reinforcement
Moving from a "push" to a "pull" approach to change.

Learning Methodology

Workshop

This is a three-day workshop for a group of 16 participants working with two Clarion Learning consultants at an off-site location.