Leadership - it's not just having the right stuff

Nonprofit blogger Tera Wozniak Qualls recently started a conversation on effective leadership in the social sector. If you have thoughts or experiences to share on the topic, please visit her site.

Reading this post and the responses made me remember the time a caring supervisor suggested that I get formal leadership training. This was only a few years ago, and what a great suggestion it was. She had taken a course herself, and gotten a lot out of it, and thought I would benefit, too.

At the time, I was convinced I already knew about leadership. The organizational-dynamics courses I had in business school delved into the science and psychology of management quite deeply.

But I figured something more inspiring and hands-on could be a good thing, so I enrolled in a week-long workshop*.

Because of that course, I became convinced that *everyone* who supervises should get formal leadership training. This is not knowledge that people automatically acquire as soon as they get a promotion into management.

Work experience counts for something. But I've seen managers working 20+ years, who think they're really 'experienced', and yet wonder why all of their reports quit on them. Have an MBA? Sorry, that doesn't magically make one a great leader, either.

The most memorable thing I got out of the training is that employees require investment. I have supervised a number of people, and I've sometimes felt like it’s a chore to have to make time for a conversation to address a problem, provide someone additional training or hunt down some extra resources that may help them in their job. But it is TOTALLY worth it.

Employees need training, honest and consistent feedback, a viable reward system, and a sense that what they do is important.

*The course was offered by Academy Leadership (www.academyleadership.com), but there are other good programs out there as well. Whatever you choose, it should be something concentrated, preferably lasting multiple days, away from your place of work and its distractions. You'll get more benefit from something highly interactive that encourages discussion.