AMA VICDOC Spring 2023 - Magazine - Page 34

FEATURE
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
SOUNDS LIKE
A GOOD IDEA...
BUT HOW DO
I START?
-
ASK:
How do I lead?
Who am I as a leader?
What am I doing right
now that seems to be
working well?
REPORT DR ANNA CLARK, PHD
LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT AND COACH
M
any professionals seek
leadership development as
their careers progress and
they take on senior roles
with more complex responsibilities.
Investing in leadership
development can increase
effectiveness and satisfaction at
work – by creating awareness of
the potential in leadership roles to
develop and nurture both self and
others, processes and structures
to support the desired way of
working and outcomes. Therefore,
it is both an investment in oneself
– and one's skills and capabilities
– and in the other people around
you, your teams and organisation
as a whole, as the benefits flow
to others working with you and
the organisational climate more
broadly.
There are a plethora of
opportunities and methods for
embarking on professional and
leadership development, from
business school courses to micro
certificates to coaching and
mentoring. So, where and how
should you start?
After more than a decade
working in leadership
development, I believe that
while there are many useful
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entry points for people wanting
to develop their leadership
capabilities, the key is to start in
a way that immediately embeds
your learning and development
goals in your current day-to-day
work. So, whether you decide
to read a leadership book, join
a webinar, enrol in a leadership
program or one-on-one coaching,
what’s important is that you
can meaningfully translate any
learning into your daily work.
For example, if you are keen
to improve your skills in giving
feedback, can you find or design
a suitable conversation with a
colleague or staff member where
you can practise some new skills,
and where you feel safe and
supported to ensure that you can
learn from your efforts and make
sure that both you and the other
party benefit? And can you design
a way to practise this regularly,
so it becomes a sustainable habit?
My point is that the ‘input’ from
a book, talk, program or coaching
conversation is only part of the
work – the rest is translating that
experience into learning, and then
into reliable and effective regular
practise in your workday.
The reason it’s so important
to ground your learning in your
current role and day-to-day work is:
1 It ensures that you work on
what’s relevant to you in your
role right now.
2 It ensures one can apply
and practise new skills and
behaviours in the work setting
immediately, i.e. one can put
learnings into practice
straight away.
A specific starting point should
be where you are now – who you
are, and performing the core
responsibilities of your current
role. This allows you to plan some
development work in a way that is
securely anchored both in terms
of the person you are (and current
skillset) and the work you need
to do. Indeed, self-awareness is
generally regarded as fundamental
in leadership development,
because we bring ourselves into
the role, and think and act in ways
that is the product of our history
and experience. It’s important to
understand how your experience
contributes to effective –
and perhaps ineffective –
leadership behaviours.

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