ALMOST A DOZEN Managers and Senior Managers working across the country undertook a rapid, phone-app based leadership assessment – a unique tool called LeaderShaper; this provides an analysis of their individual leadership needs, strengths and weaknesses in their specific workplace roles.
Using this analysis, LeaderShape then provided a remotely delivered, 12-hour ALIVE© programme, to develop leadership skills within a team ethos. Feedback from this cost-effective intervention reported significant change in meeting their objectives, including:
- Increased understanding of how to lead (as opposed to day-to-day management)
- Recognition of natural leadership styles and comfort about using a wider spectrum of leadership behaviours
- More awareness and better ability to manage emotions and responses
- Changes regarding the ability to give and receive feedback.
This is an impressive result for such a short programme – and there are indications that this is embedded learning, which will continue to strengthen with time.
When Participants were asked if they would recommend the Everyone’s a Leader course to colleagues. Comments included:
Definitely – all at my level would benefit,I have really enjoyed participating in this programme. The learning has assisted me in my new Team Manager role and I feel I have grown more than I would have done if I hadn't participated.”
The Challenge:
KEYRING Living Support Networks helps vulnerable adults to live independently. LeaderShape designed the Everyone’s a Leader programme for Managers who were geographically spread around the country; its key objective was to enhance personal awareness and understanding of the differences between management and leadership, with a premium on putting leadership into action. It was decided ALIVE© remote delivery would be the best approach.
Accelerated Learning in a Virtual Environment (ALIVE©) is an innovative, flexible leadership programme - combining remote and face-to-face activities, to suit client needs. It takes Managers and Senior Executives through an interactive process, developing deep insights from workplace based learning and a broad range of stimuli, also providing the element of cutting-edge theory. This flexibility allows development across disparate locations and vastly reduces the time leaders need to spend away from their workplace.
Background:
KeyRing Living Support Networks is a not-for-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom. Its main focus is to support vulnerable adults to live independently by helping them integrate into a community, as well as teaching them life skills (i.e. financing, being healthy, staying safe, etc.) KeyRing supports over 870 people in 100 Networks.
Managers needed
- Help to achieve the skills and capabilities outlined in a key document - ‘Leadership Qualities Framework for Adult Social Care’
- Development of ‘Leadership for growth’ – enhancing their capabilities and confidence to identify and act on new opportunities
- Encouragement to build on an earlier programme of work, which had not yet cascaded as hoped.
Intervention:
The ‘LeaderShaper’ – a Smartphone app available on iOS and "Google Play Store" for Android – provided a profile regarding competencies and capabilities in emotional intelligence. The app is extremely simple to use and, with all the flexibility of modern technology, takes just 10 minutes on a phone or computer anywhere a staff member happens to be. The result was a highly personalised report and package of bespoke advice –which Managers or coaches can use immediately to deliver a programme of reflection. The LeaderShaper app also offers specific suggested activities, where there is room for improvement. This is not abstract but concrete, in the context of individual workplace roles.
Following the LeaderShaper assessments, coaching was provided using LeaderShape’s outside expertise, directly addressing the details uncovered in the bespoke reports. Each Supported Living Manager was offered a short tele-coaching session to discuss the outcome of their profile; the three most Senior Managers have been offered a programme of longer tele-coaching sessions.
Managers also used the LeaderShaper app results to coach their line reports. They used LeaderShaper as a fast, effective tool to cascade their ideas and values throughout the organisation. This was the beginning of a journey to grow future leaders and develop teams within KeyRing who can speak the same leadership language.
The programme was based on the first stages of LeaderShape’s ‘Journey to Transpersonal Leadership’ and adapted specifically to address the needs of different tiers of KeyRing staff.
You can read more here about the process of how the programme developed, how ALIVE© Prep, ALIVE© calls and interactive sessions use a range of tools, to focus on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. A major section of the programme concentrates on the coaching style of leadership. This has been found to be most effective in enabling an organisation to grow and be successful – but it is also the least often practised. The programme reviews previous learning and introduces some core techniques that enable a coaching conversation – the practice of active listening, asking open questions and establishing a coaching contract. The assignment asks them to reflect on their experience overall and explain how they will put their learning into practice.
Success Against Desired Outcomes:
The end of course survey showed expectations were either fully or mostly met. Participants said they enjoyed:
- The flexibility to work at my own pace and time
- Interesting content and mix of activities
- Being able to apply the information in practice and ease of use.
Key Learning reported:
- I’m looking forward to introducing coaching contracts and the GROW method into my work practice.
- To practice some coaching skills with my staff and look at how effective coaching can be. To find out more about coaching skills.
- To use structured coaching sessions to help develop both my skills & others
Participants’ intended to introduce coaching contracts into supervisions and allow time for a dedicated coaching session.They wished to develop their skills and use them when having meetings with staff and some even desired to set up coaching sessions as part of the supervision process.
Final comments were:
- I have really enjoyed the course & learnt a lot about myself & some new skills, also areas where I need to develop & push myself.
- I want to be more aware of how I affect other people, and develop my own self-awareness, I didn’t realise how big an impact mine and other people’s moods can affect the people we manage and work with – mindfulness is something I have been asked to work on …. I’m glad it will have an impact on my work as well as my personal life!!
A Senior Line Manager said:
Managers are discussing situations, approaches and responses differently - they actively seek feedback and try new things as a result capabilities and confidence are growing. Exactly what we hoped!"
For further information on how we can help your organisation contact us on +44 (0)330 323 0275. And you can see more Case Studies and see what people say about our programmes in our client testimonials here