Wherever we look there's a leadership programme being promoted or a new tool, coach, book or theory. The marketplace is flooded with solutions to this long debated paradigm and it's easy to see why people flood to those that promote self development. But whilst self development is really important for our own well-being and growth this work is not addressing how to lead well but giving you tools in confidence to do so. However you may still be repeating the same issues over and again when you’re not conscious of the role and purpose of good leadership and what you need to be aware of.

In HR we see this all too often; people have done the work, had the coaching, read the book and been on a leadership programme, yet they are still struggling with their team. People are still causing issues and there's a huge lack of diversity in their business. But why?

The root begins with what you are seeking from these solutions: Psychological or philosophical support? All too often people avoid good HR, not recognising its role in people and development of the business you operate in. It's no wonder therefore when you look to find a programme, coach, book or tool to support you with leadership, you look for the philosophical solutions of how to develop yourself and your own personal growth. 

But at the heart of the leadership paradigm and its core principles is to build a community with a shared purpose.  So how can you truly achieve this when the leadership programmes or coaches you are working with are not addressing the psychological behaviours of the community you manage and the flow of communication and work. Flow is key to good leadership but flow can be interrupted by many issues, from sickness to inter team differences.  Leadership is not easy and finding ways to create cohesion in this journey takes work, but if you don’t understand the HR issues that peak when it's not tackled well, why bother doing the philosophical work at all? 

In our experience, whilst this work by all means makes a difference, it isn’t enough as these issues appear time and again. 

So what is key to good leadership? Our top leaders understand their behaviours - their psychological impact - and that empowering rather than micro managing or holding on too tight works. They know that they must lead from the front, taking the blows when it counts but communicating and feeding back the good, the bad and the ugly in a way that is both adult and non judgemental to ensure the best results.  But more than that they recognise when the team is flagging, where issues are not something to be ignored but nipped in the bud early. They understand how to handle sickness; the longer term and frequent bouts. They know that people can be different and yet diversity is powerful and together a diverse team will speak both the language of customers but broaden team knowledge and provide unity. And they understand how to delegate and trust their team to produce and deliver.

All this is not something you’ll find in a coaching session, a confidence building programme or any other book or tool. All of this is gained when working with HR to understand the teams needs, how to lay boundaries effectively and how to ensure people thrive at work. When its done well, you reach flow and your leadership role is successful. 

If you’d like more information on our programme get in touch. Ours combines both the HR with the coaching to give you a perfect blend to the development of self and other. We think it's the answer to the debate in a way no other is currently tackling.