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Leadership for Success 
in the 21st Century

A Leadership Development Program founded on the principles of sustainability, that really delivers improved capacity to liberate the best in self and others in service to the organisation.



Re-engage With Your Desire To Make a Difference to The Things You Care Most About
Remember when you started working in your current role and you hoped to make a difference to the way things were done – improve things so that you, your team and your organisation could be better at what you do? Remember how exciting it was – that prospect of making a difference to the things you care most about?

But if you are like many of the managers we have worked with you may have discovered its more difficult than you thought.

You may have the sense that you need a ‘step change’ in the way you exercise your leadership – not an incremental change. And you are very likely hampered in this because you don’t know what you don’t know; you already have so little time that trying something new seems an effort; and you may be concerned that this is just another superficial fad like the last program you attended. Invest just a little time here to assess whether we may be able to assist you, as we have assisted many before you.

The Challenge That Managers Face: How To Be More Effective
Over the last ten years, we have worked with hundreds of managers just like you, and discovered common challenges that the Leadership for Success program is designed to equip you to deal more effectively with. These are:

1. Sheer pace and volume of work! The trend over many years to do more with less, has left everyone feeling there is too much to do and no time to do it in. And, at the same time, it seems our world had sped up. It leaves many managers feeling like mice inside an exercise wheel – they are running like crazy, but wondering if they are making real progress.

2. Understanding how to get the best from people. As the pressure mounts, there is a temptation for managers to take on more and more themselves, because developing others takes time. Most managers know they shouldn't be doing this… but really, it seems to take so long, and they are challenged by the ones who are perceived not to be responsive.

3. Deciding how and when to involve others in the challenge for best effect. Many mangers have heard the message encouraging the use of a more participative style, but their experience of practicing this style, is one of time consuming meetings with little progress. These managers need a way to clarify when to use their authority and when to invite participation for best effect.

4. Leading change effectively – continuously! The pace of change within many different spheres (technology, customer expectations, legislative requirements and now environmental concerns) is experienced by all managers. But assisting people to respond with their own change is challenging  and not many managers are well equipped or skilled in this endeavour. And even if this capacity is present, many mangers are still left with a sense that they are not leading the changes they would really like to lead …

The Leadership That Organisations Are Really Looking For
Organisations need managers who encourage and liberate people to be everything that already exists within their potential. These are emotionally intelligent managers, who are aware of what is really going on, even in the most complex situations, and have the ability to inspire development and change.

For many managers this translates into specific desires like wishing to:  

    • Sort the wheat from the chaff – and work on what is really important
    • Develop a team that is as good as it can be– and create an environment within which everyone takes personal responsibility
    • Understand how to help people see new possibilities– and help them see things differently so they can learn new ways and display new behaviours
    • Spread their own sense of inspiration to their people – that they could care as much as management do
    • Step up to the really important and sometimes 'difficult conversations' – listening with compassion and being assertive when required
    • Understand how to influence throughout the organisation –increasing each manager's personal effectiveness
    • Learn how to ‘see’ what is really going on – and make sense of it so that each manager can contribute to real solutions instead of ‘bandaids’
    • Be a part of developing a depth of leadership – throughout the organisation to share the load, and leave a legacy worth talking about
    • Replace that background sense of stress and overwhelm – with a sense of clarity and calm
    • Do all this and have each manger remain true to himself or herself –completely authentic and expressing the values that are held dear

These aims are quite realistic and achievable. But we do not promise a simple or quick solution. What we do offer is assistance to guide the journey to this seemingly utopian place, over a period of time.

Our Solution: The "Leadership for Success" Program
The "Leadership for Success" program is based upon a combined experience of over 50 years in organisations, and has proven to be effective. It was originally created in response to request from one of our most progressive clients, and reflects both an old wisdom and new science. It draws together processes to increase levels of self-awareness, share understandings of what makes people tick and teaches advanced leadership practices developed at Harvard University. It is a leadership program - not a management tools and techniques program.

Our facilitators are thought-leaders in their field, one being the founder of The Partnership (an internationally recognised executive coach) and the other, the Director of the Univeristy of Adelaide's MBA program. Together they provide a depth of practical experience with a deep appreciation of the leading edge theory and model what they 'teach'.

What's Different About This Program?
The defining difference this program offers is a new lens through which to view the world, our organisations and people. This is the new lens that has emerged from the natural sciences since about 1950, and as we apply this to organisations, we shift from viewing organisations as a machine, to viewing them as living systems.

This lens challenges underpinning assumptions about how many managers currently go about things and is the source of the insights that promise to liberate people’s contribution and change within organisations. We apply these same principles in the delivery of the program, providing a living model of what we offer managers. Participants experience what we teach.

The defining principles and distinctions underpinning this program create a ‘curriculum’ summarised below as:

    • Becoming aware of our own and others’ mental models – the filters or deep assumptions we hold about how the world operates, opens the door to flexibility and innovation.

    • Applying the new paradigm to how we view organisations means we can remove the source of stress about needing to be in control and seek the more powerful outcome of learning how to influence the system.

    • Applying a systemic view to 'managing' people, develops into our principles for Setting People Up for Success (SPUFS) that ensure responsibility is appropriately placed within the system.

    • Emotional intelligence is enhanced through understanding more about our own emotions and responses.

    • Coaching skills that are the behaviours of emotional intelligence.

    • Distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is essential in understanding how to liberate the best from people.

    • Relearning how to develop a deeply shared vision of the future that inspires people and guides decisions and actions.

    • Distinguishing between two types of challenges – those we already know how to solve and those we have little idea about, the distinction between the ‘known world’ (technical challenges) and the ‘unknown world’ (adaptive challenges). 

    • Understanding the nature and dynamic of change – including an awareness of being politically savvy (not Machiavellian)

    • To influence with greatest effect, managers need to be authentically themselves with an awareness of their own personal strengths and passion.

Although many of the topics may sound familiar, when viewed through the new lens discussed above, a new perspective and depth is provided, it becomes a paradigm shifting 'step change' that many are seeking in developing their leadership capacity to the next level.

Organisational Benefits
Not only does the program deliver on the individual and team levels, but it also contributes to organisational outcomes - especially when delivered 'in-house' to a group of your managers. These benefits include: 

    • A constructive organisational culture which values people and knows how to get things done through the talents and strengths of its people

    • Developing a working environment within which people want to stay and to which others are attracted

    • Increased sense of passion at work which liberates energy, commitment and satisfaction

    • Increased organisational capacity to experiment and innovate, so assisting the organisation become more resilient and nimble

    • Greater focus and attention to the things that really matter assisting people bring the organisational vision into reality

    • Reduction of the ‘silo’ effect and greater integration across the organisation

    • Improving the capacity to successfully deliver change initiatives– both the ones that are more within everyone's current range of competencies - and more importantly, those that are outside the current repertoire.

    • An understanding of the principles that underpin a sustainable organisation – environmentally, socially and financially

How We Deliver Leadership for Success
This program is a series of facilitated, face to face, workshops designed to assist managers make the personal changes they need to make, in order to focus on what really matters; liberate the best in their people; influence where they need; and experience liberating sustained change within the organisation.

  • Program delivery is interactive with power point being banned. Every program is different as the contribution from those who attend and their needs are different. We respond to the individuals we work with and that response shapes each and every session around the participants.

  • The program is a series of 13 half day sessions, held every fortnight.

  • Homework – yes there is! There is light reading and more importantly, action to take in between sessions take that integrates learning into the participant’s every day work. In this way, learning is embedded within day to day work as we go.

  • A work book that captures the basic principles and is easy to read – saves hours of trying to work through largely unreadable academic papers or 'padded' text books.

  • Development of your own leadership project to practice what you learn and the opportunity to reflect upon what you have learned in a small, well constructed group of peers. No, we do not allow groups to wallow in ineffectiveness! We ensure you have the skills to develop effective groups.

  • Generous and optional individual coaching (up to 1½  hours each), with a facilitator, on a monthly basis to really get to the heart of what is being learned and assist you make the adaptions you want to make to your life and work.

  • Unlimited email access to facilitators to help you in between sessions as required. This is not just a training engagement for us. We want to ensure you are set up for success and we care about your development and progress.

  • Only 15-20 participants into any one program and there are always our 2 key facilitators in attendance. You can personally talk through anything you want to.

This program is available both publicly or 'in-house'. If you have one or two people who may be suitable, enquire about our next public program. If you wish to invest in leadership development to contribute to a larger movement in the organisational dynamics that are expressed as culture – then let’s talk. It was out of such a situation that this program emerged. Our commitment is to learn about your organisation and tailor the delivery to suit your organisational purpose, language and people. 

Is "Leadership for Success in the 21st Century " For You or Your Organisation? 

  • If you,  or a group of middle to senior managers or emerging high performers, and are looking for a leadership program that has proven capacity to really assist managers learn how to lead more effectively, enabling them to cope with the increasing rates of change and complexity of problems – this might be for you.

  • If you are looking for a way to liberate the innovative contribution you know you and your people have locked inside - this might be for you.

  • If you are seeking how to make the difference to issues you care deeply about – this might be for you.

  • Only might be for you? Participants also need to bring their own willingness to be open to new ideas, share in conversations from their own experiences, and try new things out between sessions. They need to be willing to invest some time and energy – we can’t do it all for them.

This program is for you, if you really wish to develop and extend individual and organisational leadership capacity whilst ensuring managers remain authentically themselves. If you have read this far, then it could be that the "Leadership for Success" program is interesting enough to take the next step.

The Next Step
If so, I invite you to contact me to organise a complimentary  “Leadership Strategy Session”. In this conversation we will explore if this program is a good fit for you and for us, either for you individually within our public program, or as an internal customised program in your organisation. We will talk through your current challenges, what kind of outcomes you would like if you invested in this program and how this program may or may not assist. There is no risk in the conversation – at the very least you will come away clearer about what you are aiming to achieve.

The conversation will be about an hour to an hour and a half and can be done by phone or in person. I would love to speak with you, so just click through here to the form, and make contact today.

Your increased personal and organisational effectiveness may be just a moment away!

With best wishes,





 

Josie McLean
josie@the-partnership.com.au
+61 8 8388 2529

By the way, we are located in Adelaide, South Australia and travel to a nationally dispersed client base.

Feedback from our Leadership for Success Participants

Why I joined the program:
I requested to join the program, which was only being offered to ‘people managers’, but I felt there was a need for me to learn more about how to exercise leadership both within our organisation and with the community to support the changes needed to become more environmentally sustainable.

The program came at a good time for me as I was taking on another team in an ‘acting’ position in areas less familiar to me.

What I learned and changes I have made:
I understand the complexity of the organisation and that leadership can come from all levels in the organisation regardless of organisational position. (I had heard this before – but now I have experienced it.)

I take the time to think about the deeper aspects of my staff and how to interact and utilise their strengths better.

Trying to see the team as a whole, incorporating all of the strengths and learning to delegate towards these strengths.

I think more actively now about mental models and particularly trying to make links to people’s underlying values.

I am attempting to take a broader perspective before launching into ideas, behaviours and actions.

Listening to staff and getting out of the way!!

I have learned to have conversations with team members about what they need to do their work and achieve more towards their own goals and the team goals.

Encouraging team members to think about their own areas of leadership in the team and organisation.

I’m delegating more with greater confidence and I am coaching team members to achieve that work.

Listening more to my staff and other staff trying to understand more about what motivates them.

I am trying to be more aware of how other people are sitting with situations and not let me perception have to be the ‘right’ one.

I can see that I can get positive energy from dropping my inhibitions and being a bit ‘silly’ sometimes!

I am now willing to start on a project without knowing all the steps beforehand… And encourage others to do the same.
Understanding of inner strength and change.

Involving the team in conversations about an issue rather than jumping straight into trying to solve a problem – we have to understand the problem first.

I understand leadership comes form ‘innovative’ people not only from those in ‘power’.

I really like the distinction between adaptive and technical challenges. A lot of the work that I do is about encouraging change in environmental management and particularly requires and adaptive leadership approach.

I am trying to find more opportunities for my teams to share their stories.
I have been dealing with some complex people management issues and have been able to use ‘story’ to make strong connections with people.

I have learned to listen and appreciate others more, as we all have our own story.

Taking time to listen to other people’s stories as this can help me understand complex issues that I am trying to work with.

Results these changes have delivered:

My group has gone from verbalising ‘its not as good as it used to be’ to a self regulating and “willing to challenge and encourage each other’ team…

I feel more confident… with complex issues of teams with different personalities; people management issues; more confident to take risks and make decisions that are out of the ordinary.

I have more courage to provide feedback on issues of concern.

I am less likely to burn myself out.

I am more aware of my own thinking and leadership style and how I can best lead within the organisation… still have a way to go, however it’s a learning process.

I am a much stronger leader who is now able to empower staff and challenge people to achieve more.
Improved team dynamics … and happiness.