Leadership Training Basics

Learn leadership training basics and more effectively and efficiently train new leaders

Some employees seem to be natural born leaders, but others may need communication and leadership training to help them live up to their personal and professional potential. Professional leadership training extends far beyond basic management principles. It also emphasizes everything from decision-making to diplomacy to stress management--essentially, the skills needed to create a well-rounded and adaptable leader.

Options for training leadership staff within your company include:

1. Assessing your employees' leadership skills and potential.
2. Sending employees to a professional leadership course.
3. Signing up for online business leadership courses.
4. Hiring a consultant or coach to conduct on-site leadership training classes.

 

Before implementing leadership training programs, evaluate your employees' skills

Maybe only a few of your employees need additional training, or maybe they all need radically different training. By starting with a thorough evaluation of your employees' leadership skills, you can ensure you're investing only in leadership training programs that benefit your employees and your company.
Try: Brainbench offers online testing in over 600 areas, including management and leadership, in addition to custom test development. The Assessment Team also offers online employee assessments and evaluations.

Send company management to a corporate leadership training seminar

Seminars are sometimes expensive, and they require giving employees time off from work, but they also allow participants to focus completely on the training, instead of on that pile of paperwork on their desk or all those phone calls waiting to be returned. Many last two or three days, offering a short-term but intensive training experience.
Try: The American Management Association offers leadership training seminars for employees at all levels, from administrative assistants to executives. Leadership Bootcamp, offered by Academy Leadership, is an intensive three-day seminar designed to help managers become better leaders.

Hire a coach to conduct on-site leadership training seminars

By hiring a coach to come to your workplace, you save the time and expense of sending employees to training, and you can train more employees at once. Many coaches and consultants also offer assessment and evaluation services as part of their training process
Try: The Leaders Institute offers its "High Impact Leaders" seminar in cities across the United States, or on-site at your workplace. The consulting firm Management Concepts also offers on-site leadership and management training.

Sign employees up for online leadership courses, or purchase leadership training software

You can do nearly anything over the Internet these days--including helping employees learn to become more effective leaders. Online leadership courses cover everything an in-person class does, but provides more flexibility, because employees can study at their own pace, both at work and at home.
Try: The University of Notre Dame offers online leadership courses, and Business Training Experts offers "The Leadership Journey" online and on DVD, CD-ROM and VHS.

 

• Before implementing any leadership training programs, make sure the employees you include really want to be leaders. Even if they have great leadership potential, if they don't want to be in a position of authority, no amount of training or coaching can make them as effective as someone who enjoys leading their team.

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