To be a good leader takes self-awareness but often we get stuck in our ways.
To move past old habits a new and outside perspective is often required. I took this course to gain further perspective on how to develop and approach management and leadership roles.
Before I took the course, I didn’t have a specific approach to leadership.
I’d try to “read” the individual and model my leadership techniques on their personality. You can think of this as “authoritative personality mirroring”.
During the course, I felt elevated.
What was unique for me about the course was that most, if not all of the other individuals in this course were much further along in their careers than I am. To be able to work with them in the breakout rooms and speak openly and gain their perspectives on topics was invaluable to my ever-growing basis of knowledge and perspective. I was offered guidance that I would not have been able to gain elsewhere.
By the end of the course, though I haven’t made a complete 180 in attitude and performance, the measurement techniques in this course put a lot which was previously unclear into perspective for me.
How the course is structured.
Eric leads the sessions with his “Drop the mask. Ditch the Dude. Kill the bear,” approach. He’s real, open, and interested, but still, straight to business without beating around the bush.
I found the webinars to be fun and engaging yet still entirely focused on development. It takes a lot to keep my full focus for extended periods of time, but the structure of the course kept me 100% there. The PowerPoint presentation wasn’t there to lead the course, it was there to keep the participants engaged. This was unique because often people overload their presentations and lose engagement while the audience is focusing on the display. This course introduces an idea, engages the participants through quick exercises, then unleashes perspective in breakout rooms with other participants that produce thought provoking conversation. Also, the small size of the course helped with the exercises and conversations had in both the main session and breakout rooms.
The course material was easy to apply to my current role.
One of the big benefits I got from the course was Perspective! Perspective! Perspective! During the difficult conversation session, I presented to my breakout room a difficult conversation someone else had to have with me. Just by writing it down and saying it out loud to others helped me get in the other person’s shoes, something I hadn’t done before for this specific incident.
I used the Leadership Dashboard with a new intern. This helped me immediately understand how to work with him and how to keep him engaged in the most beneficial way to his development and our company’s needs.
I learned from the other participants in the course that the key to being a good leader is being open about expectations and the metrics we use to gauge others.
How to get the most from the course.
Do the exercises before the course and read through the content beforehand if you can. Be ready to think quickly and respond with vigor. Put thought into each homework, it’s worth the effort.
Listen to the podcasts, they’re great and offer perspective for each session. You will only get out of the course what you’re willing to put in, so just engage.
I recommend this course because of, again, perspective! The best way to continue personal development is through gaining a new perspective.