SESSION 1: Drivers & Passengers
The first step in improving your team’s performance is to move from being a manager to a leader. Many managers are simply passengers along for the ride. A leader, on the other hand, is a driving force on a team and in an organization.
SESSION 2: Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
In addition to improving relationships with team members, leaders know to keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is the number one goal and focus on your team. To focus on the main thing, you must determine what the main thing is. The main thing might be to increase sales, satisfy customers or retain quality
employees. You may have one, two or even three main things, but the important thing is to stay focused on what is most important.
SESSION 3: Escape the Management Land
The third leadership insight is to escape from management land. In management land, managers assume they know what their employees are thinking. However, managers’ perceptions of their employees’ opinions are often vastly different from what employees really think. You can begin to escape from management land by talking
to people who have recently left your team. These people are more likely to be honest now that they have no stake as a team member.
SESSION 4: The "Do Right" Rule
The fourth step in becoming a better leader is do right by others. Remember, a leader is a person who others want to follow. To achieve long-term success as a leader, you must guard your integrity and do what is right even when no one is watching. When you have a leadership position, more people are watching you than you
think. If they see you act without integrity, they will lose respect for you and may eventually stop following you or they too may begin acting without integrity.
SESSION 5: Practical Application 1
This session involves reinforcement of Sessions 1 – 4 involving interactive group activities, peer-led discussions, and resolutions around real-world work / leadership issues.
SESSION 6: Hire Tough
The next leadership focus is one of the hardest: hiring and firing employees. Anyone who has ever had to fire someone knows how hard it can be. Usually, the person being fired doesn’t think you’re justified in your decision and may argue with you. If you aren’t prepared before meeting with them, this situation can get
very uncomfortable. You can avoid that situation by role playing the conversation with a trusted individual, either another manager or someone from HR. Role play the various reactions and responses the employee may have so that you will be better prepared to respond. Being more comfortable with this
process will help keep you from retaining workers that really should be let go.
SESSION 7: Do Less or Work Faster
Letting Express save you time fits right in with our next leadership focus: do less or work faster. Your time is your responsibility. Blaming others for taking up your time and having a bad attitude just wastes more time. While you can’t control everything, you can begin to take more control over your time. Just
realizing that your time belongs to you is a step in the right direction.
SESSION 8: Buckets and Dippers
There are a lot of different ways to recognize your team’s performance and keep those buckets filled. And, recognizing people doesn’t have to be expensive. Simply involving people in big decisions can reward them for their performance and show that you value their opinion. Send employees thank you notes to their home
address. It will be a nice surprise.
SESSION 9: Enter the Learning Zone
Most people go through life living in the comfort zone. They do the same thing day in and day out. Leaders get out of the comfort zone. Pushing yourself is the only way you’ll grow and become a better leader. You can get out of the comfort zone by entering the learning zone.
SESSION 10: Practical Application 2
This session involves reinforcement of Sessions 6 – 9 involving interactive group activities, peer-led discussions, and resolutions around real-world work / leadership issues.