May 22, 2023

Below is a lesson from the Arbinger Institute on 7 steps to develop a leadership mindset within your work team, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Inspire excellence: 7 steps to develop a leadership mindset within your workplace

Arbinger Institute

Many frontline managers get promoted into leadership roles without any training to be a leader or people manager. These leaders need to be trained to understand the impact they will have on engagement, retention, turnover, accountability, and results—and how to lead in a way that produces the right outcomes in each of these areas—or they become a liability. Their ability to self-assess, create efficiencies by leveraging the talents on their team, and manage a remote, hybrid, or on-site workforce, is critical to individual, team, and organizational success.

Great management skills don’t emerge overnight, but there are some things you can do starting today to develop a leadership mindset within your team. 

Leaders aren’t born, they’re made

Leadership is a skill that can be learned. It’s not about “being in charge,” it’s about influencing and inspiring others to do their best work. As a leader, you are accountable for the team’s success—and that means giving people opportunities to grow and develop their skills so they can contribute in the way most needed by the organization. Great leaders create an environment where people want to come together as a group and do amazing things together. As a manager, it’s your job to develop this leadership mindset in your teammates from day one. 

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

•  Leaders aren't born. They are made.
• Leadership is a skill that can be learned. It’s not about “being in charge,” it’s about influencing and inspiring others to do their best work.
• Great leaders create an environment where people want to come together as a group and do amazing things together.
• Steps to develop a leadership mindset within your team:
  1. Lead by example with the right mindset - When you’re in a position of authority, it’s your job to exemplify the way others should take ownership of their work and their impact on their teammates. Executives at companies that took the time to address mindset challenges were four times more likely than those that didn’t to rate their change programs as successful.
  2. Turn employees into high-performing leaders - Creating opportunities for people to lead projects, initiatives, and workstreams is a great way to develop an employee’s leadership mindset before promoting them into a management position. Create leadership opportunities for employees:
     • Assign special projects
     • Encourage cross-functional collaboration between members of different areas/departments
     • Allow employees to lead team meetings or events
     • Offer stretch assignments that allow employees to work outside of their comfort zone.
  3. Encourage employees growth as leaders - give them opportunities to try new things, and fail. Be patient with them when they make mistakes; this will help develop empathy within your organization as well as provide valuable lessons learned for future projects/initiatives/etc. Provide ongoing feedback that focuses on their impact and how they can improve.
  4. Give employees the tools to make their own decisions - Using tried and true leadership tools, you can give employees the freedom to make their own decisions while also ensuring they’re adhering to a framework that’s proven to be effective.This gives them more flexibility to problem solve on their own while also evaluating other factors like their impact on others. How investing in tools help team members build leadership skills:
     • Improves decision making
     • Increases efficiency
     • Enhances consistency
     • Fosters collaboration
     • Builds employee confidence
  5. Help leaders recognize their impact - When people feel like they’re a part of an organization that truly understands them, they’re more likely to do their best work. According to Great Place to Work, people are three times more likely to look forward to coming to work when they feel heard and that they belong. 
  6. Invest in leadership development training - Training and development are important for all teams, but it’s especially crucial for leaders. In fact, research suggests that an investment in leadership mindset development can result in a 25% improvement in business outcomes. Leadership requires a unique set of skills that can be sharpened through training and coaching. Truly effective leadership training will unlock a new level of self-awareness in your team members, helping them to be more effective and empathetic managers. 
  7. Offer ongoing coaching - Leadership coaching isn’t a one-and-done initiative, and considering the impact managers have on their employees, it should actually be a top priority.
• Invest in your future leaders to ensure ongoing success of your organization.