Tag: Leadership

  • Communication and Leadership

    How does leadership look and sound? Adam Bryan distills thousands of years of leadership experience of successful CEOs in his new book, “The Corner Office.” Practice the following phrases in your workplace. Soon, you’ll feel comfortable practicing the underlying behavior as well.

    1. Passionate Curiosity

    What it looks like: Engagement with the world, relentless questioning of the status quo. What it might sound like:

    • “Why does it work this way?”
    • “What are people’s stories?”
    • “What’s the big picture?”
    • “Why?”

    2. Battle-Hardened Confidence

    What it looks like: A track record of overcoming adversity. What it might sound like:

    • “I don’t blame others.”
    • “I have the ability to shape events and circumstances.”
    • “I don’t quit.”

    3. Team Smarts

    What it looks like: A highly-honed understanding of people and group dynamics. What it might sound like:

    • “_____ has an important point. Let’s listen to him/her.”
    • “What do we need to change to work together better?”
    • “I’m sensing discomfort. Let’s talk about what’s happening here.”

    4. Simple Mind-Set

    What it looks like: Speaking concisely; the ability to ‘connect the dots.’ What it might sound like:

    • “Let’s cut to the chase.”
    • “Here is the core point.”

    5. Fearlessness

    What it looks like: Comfortable being uncomfortable. What it might sound like:

    • “This is an opportunity.”
    • “I’m willing to take a chance here.”
    • “I’m hungry for change and can manage it.”

    All five of these characteristics can be developed through attitude, habit and discipline. If you are an emerging leader, practice the mind-set of these phrases. Soon, you’ll feel comfortable practicing the underlying behavior as well!

    Read more articles about Presentation Skills.

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshop.

  • When Leaders Train: How to Avoid the Pitfalls

    by Guila Muir
    info@guilamuir.com

    Why don’t all leaders make great trainers? Perhaps it’s because they believe that training falls outside their (already large) job descriptions. As a result, leaders often strive to “cover the material” in order to get on with business.

    Yet the ability to facilitate learning, not just to cover the material, is an essential leadership skill.

    “Acquitting Oneself” vs. Facilitating Learning
    To acquit means “to release from duty or obligation;” or to get off the hook. Leaders most often acquit themselves by simply covering the material. They do this by lecturing, even though evidence shows that participants forget 50% of a lecture in just 20 minutes.

    For leaders who want to competently facilitate learning, I offer these tips.

    1. Hook your students.

    In the few minutes of class, you must:

    • Excite: Demonstrate your own excitement about, and commitment to, your topic.
    • Involve: Ask a relevant question to get participants’ hands up, refer to a recent critical incident, or deliver an interactive quiz.
    • Inform: State the training’s purpose clearly. Succinctly describe how the participants will benefit from the training.

    2. Make it Active.

    Include small-group work using case studies, skill practice, or other problem-solving exercises. Honor your participants by supporting interaction.

    3. Design a conscious closure.
    Always build in several minutes at the end to test participants’ knowledge and skills. This ensures accountability-both your participants’ and your own.

    Leaders, challenge yourselves to deliver vibrant, compelling learning opportunities. Forget about “acquitting yourself,” and  include great training as part of your job description.

    © Guila Muir.