TLC Leadership Development

 

TLC Management Development

Is there a difference between leadership and management?

Well – yes.

Most experts agree that leadership is “about doing the right things” while management is more about “doing those things right” (Peter F. Drucker).  So the distinction is to do with range and scope – leaders tend to look further out than managers.  Leaders are concerned with longer range vision and strategy while managers focus on the day to day tasks associated with strategy implementation.

Does the difference matter?  Probably not.  And that’s really the more important question.  In our experience both leaders and managers should be concerned about strategy – where you are heading and how you’re going to get there.  Both leaders and managers need to inspire their people to get aligned with the strategy and to empower them to come up with innovative ways to implement the strategy.  Both leaders and managers need to keep the vision in sight, authentically praising their people for work well done – work which brings the organisation closer to its strategic goals.

The former chief executive of Tesco, who stepped down in March 2011 after 14 years at the helm of the retailer, recently commented: “The key to organisational success is for people from every rung of the corporate ladder to take responsibility.”  Sir Terry Leahy went on to say: “Leadership matters everywhere.  The great thing we always tried to achieve at Tesco was to have thousands of leaders, not just one.  It might simply be somebody working in a depot who steps forward when there’s a problem with a delivery and takes it upon themselves to sort it out.  You’ve got to empower people to take responsibility at every level – that really is the kind of leadership that works.”

So, when it comes to leadership development and management development, we recommend a common path.  This is how you want your leaders and managers to behave after any leadership or management training programme – you want them:

-  being authentic and modelling the way

-  inspiring people towards a common vision

-  challenging the process to continually find a better way

-  enabling others to act

-  recognising and celebrating success

-  being open to learning and helping others to embrace change and learning

-  building trusting relationships with all key stakeholders

While TLC are experts in developing these behaviours, we offer you a model for leadership that starts with Self.  After all – the most meaningful application of all these behaviours is with oneself.  If you can lead and manage yourself in the ways described above, then its likely that others will follow you.  You don’t need the formal title of “leader” or “manager” for followership to develop.  (By the way, a lot of you will see management skills as things like:  planning and organising skills; time management; giving and receiving feedback; communication skills; having difficult conversations; etc.  Not us.  At TLC we believe these key skills should be learnt at all levels of the organisation – it is just as important for individual contributors to possess these skills.  Vital if you’re aiming to be a high-performance organisation.  Too expensive?  That depends.  TLC can help you to explore low cost and scalable development approaches for front line workers.  Talk to us about telephone coaching, workshop webinars, buddying and action learning).

Take a look at our model of leadership: 

ME as a resource – i.e. being my best:  A leader needs to develop and harness their inner resources – self as resource: intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual to enable them to be the best leader they can be.  The challenge is to make choices and commitments to continue developing themselves to have greater impact as a leader – as well as creating a vision for their own way of leading, and encouraging others to lead.

My RELATIONSHIPS as a resource – i.e. enabling others to be their best:  A leader needs to get the best from the people they interact with – direct reports, line managers, senior leaders, peers, customers, suppliers, partners and other external stakeholders.  The challenge is for a leader to behave in ways which enable others to be their best.

My ORGANISATION as a resource – i.e. getting the best from my organisation:  A leader needs to able to step back and look at the organisation as a system – to understand what is helping or hindering the delivery of what is expected – so they can be resourceful in overcoming any barriers and blockages in a pragmatic and creative way.

My EXTERNAL WORLD as a resource – i.e. bringing the best from my external world:  A leader needs to engage with his or her external world to align the business within the marketplace to maximise competitive advantage, align the business/functions behind the strategy and to engage and empower others to ensure company success.  The leader needs to maximise and learn from the external world as a resource.

So when you’re looking to develop leaders and managers, we offer you the above model for both.

Are our programmes accredited?  Not as a rule, but if that’s important to you we have experience of arranging accreditation with ILM or CMI.

Are our programmes bespoke?  Absolutely.  Every implementation starts with TLC seeking to understand your business context and the TOWS you face (Threats & Opportunities <External>, Weaknesses and Strengths <Internal>).  We look at whether you can leverage from strengths to minimise threats and maximise opportunities.  We balance your weaknesses by keeping them in perspective with your threats and opportunites.

Although leadership and management skills suggest distinct mindsets and practices, they are often to be found in the same individual – the reason why some people demonstrate leadership behaviour more of the time lies in how our beliefs affect our behaviour.

Our work centres on awareness.  Increased awareness of others equips managers with the tools to understand and master their impact on others, whilst self-awareness enables them to let go of old and familiar behaviours, patterns and limitations which restrict their vision, their self-belief, and – ultimately – their performance.

Leadership is about leading people, teams and the organisation – and, most challengingly, leading one’s self.  Our concept of organisational leadership is based on our understanding of inner leadership – which can be developed through self-awareness and self-exploration.  Inner leadership enables leaders to explore their world with integrity, vision, flexibility, awareness and with full access to the creativity and behaviour required to truly make a difference.

Our work develops leaders who are able to model values in action, align teams behind a transforming vision of the future, innovate their way around problems, and create climates which view every challenge as an opportunity for success.  To spot leaders that we’ve worked with, look for their followers.

Related services

  • Organisational needs analysis/training needs analysis
  • Diagnostics, assessment using 1:1 interviews and focus groups
  • Behavioural assessments
  • MBTI, FIRO B and psychometrics
  • Competency frameworks
  • Talent Assessment
  • Talent Development
  • High Performance Teams
  • 1:1 and Group Coaching
  • Performance Management
  • Action Learning Sets
  • Using buddy coach relationships
  • ROI Learning