An Eight Step Guide to Developing Your

Leadership SkillsDan McCarthy, Director Executive Development ProgramsThe University of New Hampshire

My background: Leadership Development for RG&E, Kodak, Paychex,

The University of New Hampshire Great Leadership blog and eBook 25 Years of management experience

Today’s session: Less theory and citations; more practical “how-to” You’ll leave with at least one action step for your

leadership development journey

Introduction

1. Motivation

2. Define leadership

3. Assessment

4. Get specific

5. Variety

6. Plan and practice

7. Feedback and reflection

8. Continuous learning

The 8-step Roadmap

you?

Why do you want to improve your leadership skills? Leadership development is a full contact sport No motivation = no behavior change

Action steps: Align with your organization’s purpose Align with your own personal purpose, mission, values Find a reason that will motivate you

Step 1: Have a Darn Good Reason

Step 2. Know What Leadership Looks Like

What is “leadership”?

"There are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept." - Ralph Stogdill

Are leaders born or made?

Height?Gender?

IQ?

DNA?

Birthday?

9

“Leaders”: Born or Made? First born:• Intelligence• Energy, ambition Then, mostly made:• Knowledge• People skills• Experiences• “Learning Agility”

10

Astronauts and Leaders Chuck Yeager (“The Right Stuff”): “I am the sum total of the life I have lived….There is

no such thing as a natural–born pilot. Whatever my aptitudes or talents, becoming a proficient pilot was hard work, really a lifetime’s learning experience. For the best pilots, flying is an obsession, the one thing in life they must continually do. The best pilots fly more than the others; that’s why they are the best”.

To some extent. There are clues….. Authenticity, Receptivity to feedback Adaptability, Comfort with ambiguity Conceptual thinking, Learning agility Deliver results, Self-aware Emotional Intelligence

And methodology: Assessments, Talent Reviews, Assessment Centers

Can you predict leadership success?

But it’s a crapshoot

Read biographies of leaders you admire Read 2-3 leadership books Interview/network with leaders you admire See if your company has a leadership model Develop your own definition and list of 10 traits,

characteristics, and/or behaviors

Action Steps:

Self-assessment is the least accurate!Action steps: Formal assessments

The Leadership Practices Inventory 360

Ask others Stakeholder interview process Watch yourself on video 10/10 technique Listen, say “thanks”, and be on the lookout for blind

spots

Step 3: Assess Against the Target

Improve my ability to listen when I’m in a hurry or under stress”

“learn how to lead change” “Learn to be more strategic” “Improve my presentation skills”

Action step: Pick just one thing Get S.M.A.R.T. about it

Step 4: Get Specific

Exercise Thinking back over your career, choose 3 – 5

development experiences of importance and impact – the ones that resulted in the most learning. These can be on or off the job, at any point in your career. They could be jobs, assignments, projects, bosses, classes, coaches, or other experiences that made you see things in a different way, built skills that you still use today, or significantly changed your behavior.

How Successful Executives Develop

SignificantOtherPeople

ChallengingAssignments

Hardships

OtherEvents

48%

18%

17%

17%

Research from the Center for Creative Leadership

Step 5: Hit the need with a variety of learning resourcesAction steps: Consider a job change Take on a challenging work assignment Take on a challenge off-the job Get help from others: coach, mentor, boss, subject matter

experts Get “feedforward” Take a courses (targeted, feedback, peer learning, application) Read a “how-to” books, subscribe to blogs, videos, etc…

Developmental “HEAT”!

Pick one behavior you would like to changeDescribe this behavior to a partnerAsk for “feedforward” – for two suggestions for the future that might help

achieve a positive change in your selected behaviorListen attentively and take notesThank the personAsk the other person what they would like to changeProvide feedforward – two suggestions aimed at helping the other person

changeSay “You are welcome” when thanked for the suggestions. The entire process

of both giving and receiving feedforward usually takes about two minutes

Find another partner and keep repeating the process until the exercise is stopped

Feedforward Exercise

Action steps: Write it down! Individual Development Plan (handout) Public “declarations” Find a partner Deliberate practice

Step 6: Plan and Practice

Action Steps: Get more feedback: “How am I doing?

Reflection: Start a journal Debrief with a coach, learning partner, mentor

Step 7: Feedback & Reflection

Step 8: Continuous Improvement

1. Motivation2. Define

leadership

3. Assessment

4. Get specific

5. Variety

6. Plan and practice

7. Feedback and reflection

8. Continuous learning

Summary: The 8-step Roadmap

you?

My contact information and resources:

Email: daniel.mccarthy@unh.eduBlog: http://www.greatleadershipbydan.comeBook: The Great Leadership Development and Succession Planning eBook (Amazon, Nook, Ibooks, etc…): $7.99

Twitter: @greatleadership

UNH Executive Leadership programs:The UNH Next Level Executive Development Programhttp://execed.unh.edu/Next-Level-Leadership-Development-NHWomen's Leadership Development Programhttp://execed.unh.edu/Womens-Leadership-Development-Program-NH