Leadership Development Workshops – A Guide To Making Sense Of It All

The world of leadership development is a crazy industry. It is as big as it is confusing. Different entities and trainers take up different approaches to the task, and not any one of them can actually guarantee or quantify the results expected from a particular session. Having said that, this industry plays a pivotal role in creating smart employees that can actually take your organization to the top of your market niche, and you cannot deny its importance. Leadership development workshops should therefore be chosen with the utmost care so that the amount of money and time you are investing in creating a motivated and skilled work force doesn’t actually go to waste.

First off, a health warning. Leadership development covers a range of learning methods, the best of which are designed to help you to build on the leadership skills and qualities that you already possess. This article will help you in decoding some of these diverse training methods, and help you to choose a leadership development workshop that will suit the specific HR needs of your organization.

Group versus Individual development

There is a vast range of leadership development programs that focus on group as well as individual skill building. An organization will require employees who know how to take the initiative in a group setting as well as who know how to lead a team on an individual level. Individual development covers one-on-one coaching and self-development activities (eg. reading, workbooks, e-learning). On the other hand, group workshops require the use of collective activities and the creation of scenarios where every participant contributes to the overall achievement and success of the team. These group contributions are stimulated through well-designed games and activities that allow participants to contribute to the exercise in their own specific way. In my opinion, a mix of both is necessary for an overall successful HR development regimen, but choose the elements that are focused on your needs rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Academic versus Experiential learning

This question happens to spark a debate amongst most leadership development mentors. Those who follow a traditional philosophy, often choose a classroom approach to imparting the management skills they are looking to teach. The contemporary practitioners of the art take a more novel approach and use experiential learning as a means for helping participants to understand the importance of team building and leadership roles. My recommendation is to think carefully about what you want and how you learn best. If you want to develop practical skills - opt for a vocational program. If you want to understand the theoretical basis of leadership first, look for a suitable academic course of study.

No matter what approach you select to achieve your goal, the end result will always be a team of skilled, energized and motivated employees who are all geared up to work towards the growth of the organization as a whole. And that is an achievement worth putting in the effort for.

In case you are looking for more information on leadership development workshops, be sure to visit Mindfulsolutions.net.

About The Author

Mindful Solutions provide leadership and coaching solutions to enhance your company’s profitability. Their resources to train your leaders in more mindful leadership skills and the business value of your organization can flourish even in today’s cost-conscious environment.