Leadership Development Training in Denver, Colorado

I recently delivered a DiSC leadership development training in Denver, Colorado which I have delivered hundreds of times. This time, the training was for a management team. The DiSC is one of my favorite leadership trainings, because in a day, a team can learn a new language, that, if applied, can absolutely change their communication and the way they interact for the better.

The key word in the above sentence is – IF APPLIED. You see, many of the participants in my work shop are there because someone else asked them to be. There are several different ways to participate in professional development – but really it boils down to two attitudes.

Attitude #1: This is great that my employer is investing in me to improve my leadership skills. I’m in – I’m going to get the most that I can out of this training because I am committed to being a good manager and leader.

Attitude #2: This is a waste of time. I have other work to do. Do they really think that one day of training is going to make any difference? Besides, I don’t see my boss “leading by example.” I will wait and see if HE starts doing anything differently. Otherwise this is a bunch of bull.

Obviously there are many variations in the above, but these are basically the two kinds of managers that show up in my workshops. The first leader is empowered and motivated, the second is resigned and apathetic. Which kind of leaders do you have in your organization?

I am a strong believer that Leadership is a path of personal and professional growth. What does that mean? It means that when you have a role in an organization where you are trusted with creating a vision, goals or direction, and/or managing and coaching people who report to you, you have an OBLIGATION to keep growing and learning as a person and a leader. The main elements necessary to take on leadership as a personal and professional growth path are willingness and commitment.  What are you currently and actively doing to grow yourself as a leader?  If you want to do more, check out leadership development training in Denver, Colorado.

Exercise: There is an exercise that I do in some of my workshops that asks participants to think about two “leaders” in their lives. One who inspired them, and one who uninspired them. Then I have them write down the things that each of these people did that made an impact, either positive or negative.

The list often looks like this:

Positive

• Encouraged me to do my best
• Listened to my ideas
• Found ways to show acknowledgement
• Was a visionary, creative thinker
• Created a team atmosphere
• Handled conflict well

Negative

• Didn’t have time for me as an employee
• Belittled or ignored my ideas
• Made decisions unilaterally without input from the team
• Was abrupt and abrasive – intimidating
• Asked me to behave in ways the s/he did not model
• Talked down to subordinates

We fill two pages of flipchart paper with these lists and then I ask the participants, which of these things that leaders did or did not do are task related, and which have to do with dealing with people or relationships?

What we invariably notice is that at least 90% of the things that both effective and ineffective leaders do are in the realm of managing some aspect of relationship. In other words, leadership exists in the realm of relationship – which is based in emotional intelligence.

This is very important because MANY leaders have risen up in the ranks of leadership because they were good at getting tasks done and achieving task oriented results – NOT necessarily because they are good at dealing with people.

The consequence of this is that there are quite a lot of leaders who are good at getting things gone and very ineffective at the relational side of leading. You may even know some! The only way to get better at the relational side of leading is to be committed to learning, growing and, as Steve Covey says, Leaving a Legacy.

This year at Transformative Training we are launching a program called “Transformative Leadership”. This will be a program that individual leaders sign up for because it is very important for those who come to be committed to their personal and professional development and not just be there because someone else asked them to be. Participation will be by application and this will be an opportunity for leaders to take a deep and real look at themselves, their impact on the workplace, and on those around them.

If you are interested in this opportunity for leadership development training in Denver, Colorado, please contact us at (303) 532-4393 or contact@transformativetraining.com. There is a dire need in organizations and in the world for leaders who are committed to growing themselves and their teams to inspire positive change. We want to help you be one of those leaders!

To your growth,

Jeannie Gunter, MA
President, Transformative Training Solutions

303 653-3097

Jeannie works with a wide variety of clients to help them increase their team effectiveness and leadership capacity in their teams. She has worked both nationally and internationally as an organizational consultant, facilitator, speaker and wilderness guide.

With a strong background in group dynamics, over the past 20 years Jeannie has guided hundreds of teams in a wide variety of organizations to successful outcomes in team, personal and professional development.