Effective Leaders Keep Learning
As a leader, Mike McGahan CLV Group have witnessed some of the greatest and most powerful leaders. It is up to the individual to decide what they will take away from a program. A professional trainer can help to train, coach, cajole, urge, and hopefully motivate.
Invariably, at the beginning of my training sessions I ask participants what they hope to accomplish by attending these programs. Some “spit out,” as if trying “impress me”, all sorts of clichés and cliches. Some offer me introspective solutions, usually listing just one or two of the most important things. Others still attend these programs, but they seem to believe that they don’t need to be there as they already know everything about being a leader.
People who believe they don’t need more leadership training are not likely to reach the highest levels of leadership. Many people believe that they have enough experience and are therefore able to lead effectively. Although experience can be beneficial, it only works when it is constructive. It happens all too often that, regardless of how many times someone has done something, it doesn’t make them an expert.
As a youngster, I was part of the school’s tennis team. I watched many players who were more consistent, played more matches, and still had poor results in competitive tennis. I defeated many players who had better skills, served faster, were faster, and were athletically more talented than me. I often defeated players with higher skill levels, faster serves and more athleticism. However, I still had a better record in matches because I had the “mental toughness,” attitude, gamesmanship, and gamesmanship to exploit my opponent’s weaknesses. This often frustrated a better player into making many unforced errors. The same goes for leadership. If a leader is merely focusing on his skills and not thinking about the attitudinal aspects, such as how well he presents a public speech, conducts a meeting, or prepares documentation, it can be detrimental to his ability to maximize his chances of success.
A leader is someone who has to learn constantly and adapt to new circumstances. A leader must be ready for any eventuality, have a good plan and motivate others. True self confidence is needed. This doesn’t mean being pompous, but allowing one to quickly assess the situation and make informed decisions. This only happens if people are willing to learn, listen, and work hard to achieve excellence and continuous improvement. It is difficult to find a person who will accept this approach, but it is the only truly winning formula.