Enhancing Leadership Skills

Ekeinde OhiwereiInaugural Lead Summit

24th October2015

(c)www.leadsummitbonny.org / 2015

Today’s Realities What is Leadership? What do Leaders Do? How do you measure Leadership? Key Leadership Skills Ways to Enhance Leadership Skills Summary


The world is changing – change is the new constant.

New ways of working in business, governments, education, healthcare.

Stakeholders are more demanding. We have to change how we work and keep

improving. We have a crises of leadership in Nigeria.


Old Way of Working – one job, lifetime professional◦ Qualify, go to work, do your job and come home

New Way of Working – We have three jobs◦ Do your work◦ Improve on how you do your work◦ Keep learning new knowledge and skills

Key Issue◦ How does one balance ‘doing’, ‘improving’ and

‘learning’?


Leaders help a group of people move from one paradigm to another.

Leadership is the ability to influence others, with or without authority.

◦ Peter DeLisle

Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something… because he wants to do it

◦ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Leaders have followers◦ Bill Gore, Founder, W. L. Gore and Associates


Religious leaders Business leaders Academic leaders Community leaders Thought leaders Sports leaders Fashion leaders Etc.


Leading – develop vision, change mindset◦ Moving between paradigms◦ Doing the right things◦ Creating improvement

Managing – organize resources, coordinate execution◦ Working within a paradigm◦ Making things work effectively◦ Creating efficiency

Leadership needs Management to be effective◦ We need to have the right balance – officer/director


Provide direction◦ Where are we headed? – Articulate case for change

Communicate◦ The ‘why’ and ‘benefits’ of the direction - WIIFM

Enable, coach and counsel◦ Develop people, achieve through others

Recognize results◦ And reinforce desired behavior


Provide direction◦ Leaders show the way

Communicate◦ Leaders develop understanding and hope

Enable, coach and counsel◦ Leaders set up people for success

Recognize results◦ Leaders celebrate people doing the right things


Effective leaders create a lasting legacy Even when forgotten, their footprints are

there to see. The best leaders leave paradigms that far

outlive their tenure. Leadership is not about glory

◦ The best leaders are often not seen We can demonstrate leadership at every

level


Apprentice◦ Learns, helps and follows direction

Colleague◦ Independent contributor

Mentor◦ Manager, developer of people, networker

Sponsor◦ Shapes the organization’s direction

Leadership skills are required to function as ‘Mentor’ and ‘Sponsor’


The very essence of leadership is to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate forcefully on every occasion

Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, Notre Dame University

The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack

Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus

The best coaches know what the end result looks like. – if you don’t know what the end result is supposed to look like, you can’t get there.

Vince Lombardi


Business Acumen◦ Understanding how business works

Process and Systems Thinking Strategic Planning and Deployment Stakeholder Building Communication – clear, concise, continuous Change Management Reviewing and coaching Structured improvement methods Learning to deal with Team and Group

Dynamics Managing uncertainty Project Planning and Management Understanding Human Behavior


Business Acumen◦ Understanding how business works

Process and Systems Thinking◦ What are the core processes of the business?◦ Who are the stakeholders, suppliers, customers


Strategic Planning and Deployment◦ Mission – what do you want to do?◦ Vision – what do you want to become?◦ Values – what principles will you live by?◦ Objectives – what do we have to do to be

successful?◦ Strategy – how will we achieve our objectives◦ Goals – what are the targets we need to meet our

objectives◦ Initiatives – actions taken to implement strategies◦ Deployment – making it happen


Stakeholder Building◦ No man is an island

◦ To be a successful leader, you need to build support

◦ You need to turn people from ‘no’ to ‘yes’; from ‘it will never work’ to ‘we have to do this’

◦ WIIFM


Communication – clear, concise, continuous

◦ You need to learn how to use different forms of communication

◦ You need to improve your diction and writing

◦ You need to expand your vocabulary

◦ You need to think about your communication


Change management

◦ Insanity

◦ The only person who enjoys change?

◦ If you cannot change your mind you can’t change anything – George B Shaw

◦ Change management vs management of change


Reviewing and coaching Structured improvement methods Learning to deal with Team and Group

Dynamics Managing uncertainty Project Planning and Management Understanding Human Behavior


Awareness◦ Recognize yourself, others◦ Assess situations, be self reflective

Ability◦ Learn and understand the issues◦ Able to communicate, solve problems, resolve

issues

Commitment◦ Realize you can make a difference◦ Stay on course


Read, read, read Attend courses Discuss the subject with colleagues Practice, practice, practice

Becoming a leader is like learning how to play the violin in public

- Anonymous


You are a leader – are you a good one? Place and increased focus on enhancing

your leadership skills Be on the lookout for examples – good and

bad- of leadership you can use as a model◦ Learn you own style◦ Be focused

Best way to learn to lead is to do it◦ Be on the lookout for your opportunity


Presentation Material Culled from internet resources


Enhancing Leadership Skills

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