Moving Forward Together

Buzz Session – Moving Forward TogetherTime: 60 minutesThis session is going to look at the leadership role you as an individual play within your team and how taking responsibility to lead yourself helps the team move towards a common goal.

Interesting quote: A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. — John Maxwell

We are going to look at 15 things successful leaders do and talk through how each of us can demonstrate these behaviours. This will ensure both ourselves and our team are the best we can be.

The goal of this session What you’ll need:

To identify some specific behaviours that successful leaders display and how each of us in the team can demonstrate them too.

Note paperPensHandout:

- 15 things successful leaders do

- Leadership Action Plan

The Aim of this session:- For you to understand how:

Each of us contributes to the success of our team. How adopting some of the successful behaviours that great leaders have, will

help both the team and individuals become even more successful.

Copyright New Chapter Learning Ltd. All rights reserved.

State: Who are some of the most successful leaders in history and what do great leaders do that makes them great?

Let’s take you away from your normal work place for a moment. Think about some of the most successful leaders the world has seen. If I were to ask you to tell me the name of a great leader who would you choose?

Look for answers to include:

A mix of political, military, business and sports figures

Ask what it was about these people that made them great. What made the team choose these individuals as examples?


They achieved great things. They’re known for great actions They were respected for what they did

ASK: Could they have achieved what they did on their own, in isolation, without the support of others in a wider team?


No

Explain: In order for leaders to be successful, they need to be successful through their teams and teams, by their very nature can only succeed if they work together.

Imagine how successful a team could be if each member of that team adopted some of the behaviours that great leaders have demonstrated in the past?

Let’s have a look at ’15 things successful leaders do’ and see how each of us could adopt some of these behaviours ourselves to strengthen our team.


Activity - 15 things successful leaders do and how we can do them

too.

Note for facilitator:

This session has a significant amount of possible content that could be covered and discussed. It’s recommended that this session is re-visited over a period of weeks/ months to break the 15 points down into smaller groups of say 3 or 5 points going forward. That way any changes that individuals decide to take forward are on a more manageable level.

It’s recommended that in the first session you read through all 15 points together and then focus discussions around only 3 – 5 of them, with future sessions building on this one and moving focus onto the remaining elements as well as reviewing successes of adopting earlier points.

Handout: ‘ 15 things successful leaders do’

Explain that we’re now going to read through the hand out showing 15 of the behaviours that successful leaders demonstrate.

From the full list we’re then going to choose 3 – 5 that we’d like to concentrate at this time.

Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be revisiting these behaviours. We will review the successes we’ve seen by adopting the behaviour points from earlier sessions, while building on those points going forward by adopting additional behaviours.

The aim over time, is that everyone in the team will be demonstrating all 15 of these behaviours, with a view to increasing the success of both individuals within the team as well as increasing the success of the team as a whole.

Read through Handout ’15 things successful leaders do’, allowing brief discussion around each point.

Choose 3 – 5 points that you’re all going to work on together.

You need to choose the method you adopt for this decision.

- Chronological order- Vote by team members- Order of importance- Impact of adopting the associated behaviour

Give each team member a copy of the Hand-out ‘Moving Forward Together Action


Plan’

Once you’ve decided on the points you’re going to focus on first1. Recap content of those particular points2. Ask the team for ideas on what that means to them3. What specifically they’d need to be doing to demonstrate that behaviour in

their role.

Get everyone to write the points on their action plan and thinking about their existing skills and behaviours, record what specifically they’re going to do.

Agree Actions

Following the feedback, ask them to come up with:

- One thing they’re going to stop doing.- One thing they’ll continue to do.- One thing they’ll start doing or do differently.

This document could be used as a tool in personal development reviews as well as in the ongoing leadership buzz sessions that build on this one and move the team through the remaining leadership points.


15 Things Successful Leaders Do

1. Make Others Feel Safe to Speak-UpSuccessful leaders encourage others to voice their opinions. They are experts at making others feel safe to speak-up and be confident in sharing their perspectives and point of view.

2. Make Things HappenSuccessful leaders are expert decision makers. They either facilitate the dialogue to empower their colleagues to reach a strategic conclusion or they do it themselves. They focus on “making things happen” at all times. Decision making activities that sustain progress. Successful leaders don’t waste their time on issues that disrupt momentum.

3. Communicate ExpectationsSuccessful leaders are great communicators. They remind their colleagues of the organisation’s core values and mission statement – ensuring that their vision is properly translated and actionable objectives are properly executed. They make it easy for the team to stay focused and on track.

4. Challenge People to ThinkThe most successful leaders understand their colleagues’ mind-sets, capabilities and areas for improvement. They use this knowledge and insight to challenge their teams to think and stretch them to reach for more. These types of leaders excel in keeping their team on their toes, never allowing them to get comfortable and enabling them with the tools to grow.

If you are not thinking, you’re not learning new things. If you’re not learning, you’re not growing.

5. Be Accountable to OthersSuccessful leaders allow their colleagues to manage them. They become accountable to make sure they are being proactive to their colleagues needs. Being accountable to others is a sign that you are focused more on your success than just their own.

6. Lead by ExampleSuccessful leaders practice what they preach and are mindful of their actions and how they affect their colleagues.

7. Recognise & Reward PerformanceGreat leaders are active in acknowledging hard work and efforts (no matter the result). Successful leaders never take consistent performers for granted and are mindful of rewarding them.


8. Provide Continuous FeedbackSuccessful leaders always provide feedback and they welcome reciprocal feedback by creating trustworthy relationships with their colleagues.

9. Properly Allocate and Deploy TalentSuccessful leaders know their talent pool and how to use it. They are experts at activating the capabilities of their colleagues and knowing when to deploy their unique skill sets given the circumstances at hand.

10. Ask Questions, Seek CounselSuccessful leaders ask questions and seek counsel all the time. From the outside, they appear to know-it-all – yet on the inside, they have a deep thirst for knowledge and constantly are on the look-out to learn new things because of their commitment to making themselves better through the wisdom of others.

11. Problem Solve; Avoid ProcrastinationSuccessful leaders tackle issues head-on and know how to discover the heart of the matter at hand. They don’t procrastinate and thus become incredibly proficient at problem solving. They learn from uncomfortable circumstances.

12. Useful Energy & AttitudeSuccessful leaders create a useful and inspiring workplace culture. They know how to set the tone and bring an attitude that motivates their colleagues to take action. They don’t allow failures to disrupt momentum.

13. Be a Great TeacherSuccessful leaders never stop teaching because they are so self-motivated to learn themselves. They use teaching to keep their colleagues well-informed and knowledgeable.Successful leaders take the time to mentor their colleagues and make the investment to sponsor those who have proven they are able and eager to advance.

14. Invest in RelationshipsSuccessful leaders don’t focus on protecting their domain – instead they expand it by investing in mutually beneficial relationships to support the advancement of both their team and the wider business. Leaders share the harvest of their success to help build momentum for those around them. 15. Genuinely Enjoy ResponsibilitiesSuccessful leaders love being leaders for the meaningful and purposeful impact they can create. Their ability to serve others can’t be accomplished unless they genuinely enjoy what they do.In the end, successful leaders are able to sustain their success because these 15 things ultimately allow them to increase the value of their organisations’ brand while at the same time serving as the enablers of talent, culture and results.


Moving Forward Together - Action Plan

Topic to focus on:

Moving Forward Together

What will you stop doing?

What will you start doing?

What will you continue to do?

Know how you can move yourself and your team towards a common goal.


Documents

Moving Forward Together