Is it really worth it?  Seminars and retreats, forums and coaches, hours of additional requirements… does it really make any difference?  

The answer is, only if you do it right.  Here are 3 common mistakes and what you can do to ensure your leadership development program avoids them and succeeds.

1. Failing to identify the objective of leadership training.   Are you working on a culture shift?  Do you want to reduce your churn?  Are you dealing with demotivated teams? Or maybe your C-suite isn’t communicating effectively… Why are you looking for leadership coaching now and what would a positive outcome look like?  Don’t just think about it, write it down, document it and set specific goals.  

Identifying your goals and then being open to your leadership development professional’s  input on those goals will set you up for success. 

2. Misunderstanding the work it takes to change behavior.  Shifting your mindset is not a 4 hour seminar away.  The first step of self-awareness can often take hours of work, and that’s just to recognize negative patterns of behavior.  To affect real and lasting change, it’s going to take some discomfort, some work and practice and dedication to the process.  The results of going deep and examining your inner motivations for behaviors like being controlling or having rage-filled outbursts can lead you to feelings of shame, insecurity or incompetence.  Addressing the feelings underneath behaviors is the way to change those negative patterns… and it’s a tough road.  Anything worth doing well takes effort, and leadership is no different.  If you want fluffy, get an office kitten. 

Opening yourself up to vulnerability and committing to the hard work of personal growth will allow you and those around you to change negative patterns and shift behaviors for good. 

3. Refusing to invest in the “little people” makes everyone feel devalued. Culture, mindset and productivity are all linked to feeling valued and important, heard and respected.  Don’t just invest in coaching for the C-Suite and the high-producers, invest in the company as a whole.  Great ideas come from teams who feel motivated and inspired to make a difference.  Creating space for coaching for every new hire, doing team building for in-tact teams and allotting money for anyone in the company to attend a personal growth seminar are all ways to increase loyalty, accountability and buy-in. 

Letting people know they are worth your time, attention and investment makes them feel valued and respected.  We all commit more resources when we feel we can make a difference. 

Possibilities Consulting focuses on EQ (emotional Intelligence) as the core of our leadership development consulting practice.  We coach entire organizations from the C-Suite to the implementation team on monthly retainers, as well as conducting 1 day in-house workshops. Our 3-day open-enrollment seminars positively impact participants' self-definition, confidence, accountability and motivation.  Our primary goal is to create cultures and environments in which people excel personally and professionally. 

email us at info@possible.co for more information