Developing Leaders - Methods We Use

Question: How do we develop leadership ability in managers?

Answer: Construct a programme based on sound learning principles that is tailored to the experience, ability and outlook of the audience.

Methodology is as important as content

Great content delivered well is not enough to help individuals change their behaviour. Assuming good content and capable personnel, the structure of a learning initiative and the methods used to convey knowledge will either ensure success or guarantee failure. At Blue Water we design leadership development initiatives choosing from a variety of approaches:

Group Seminars

Sometimes the traditional approach has its place delivering learning to large or small groups. We only use this method as part of a wider blended learning initiative. By itself a group seminar is, in our view, an ineffective method of conveying learning.

Positive Impact Methodology

Our own method is based on observed learning cycles. Small study groups of 5 in a series of half day only workshops, followed by the implementation of monitored action plans.

Action Plans

The challenge with action plans is getting people to do them! Yet practise with theory is essential to achieve understanding. Our extensive experience with ensuring action plan compliance encompasses a range of friendly pressure devices like compliance scoring and tele mentoring.

One to One Coaching

High impact and participant focussed; get one to one coaching right and you can transform individual performance – great goals, great techniques, great results.

Experiential Learning

Physical activity can be a powerful medium for promoting learning. A team exercise, indoors or outdoors, can bring insights that hours of discussion would fail to reveal. The secret is in the debrief and in designing activities to fit with the messages and objectives of an overall initiative.

Project Led Development

By taking a workplace challenge and making it a focal point for a leadership development initiative you can ensure the link between theory and the real world. At the same time you also create a powerful measurement of success.

Measurement of Progress

It is essential to build measurement into leadership development initiatives. The great danger in this area of personal development is that management theory stays as just that, theory! Participants learn to repeat it but never truly understand it. Measurements prove to all concerned what is being achieved by the application of theory. Programme measures must always be an integral part of the design.

Diagnostics

You need to know: What is each individual's starting point? What needs to be improved? What are each individual’s strengths and weaknesses? What progress is being made? What has been achieved?
We use a range of measurement methods – we have six different 360 degree feedback exercises, a range of questionnaires for teams and their leaders, self assessments and personality profiles. You would never use all of these in a single initiative but careful choice of appropriate tools is an essential part of a high performing initiative.

e Learning

We recommend e learning only as part of a blended learning solution. We use it to augment face to face coaching and maintain focus and interest in-between face to face initiatives.

Bite Size Learning

In some environments short interventions of approximately 90 minutes at regular intervals can be effective.

Competency Modelling

Creating a useable competency model for each job role can be a foundation for change. Sometime no such model exists, sometimes one does exist but is not user friendly for those who need to understand and refer to it. A good competency model is the solid ground on which good personal development is based – what is it I should aspire to? What skills should I possess? What development do I need?

NLP

Since a leader excels when he/she can self regulate and influence others at a high level it makes sense to develop these abilities. NLP is a collection of techniques many of which address these issues and have the potential to enable outstanding performance.