Active Leadership for IT Professionals (AA-GALECIT100)

Intense competition coupled with flattened hierarchies, multi-dimensional teams and a diverse working environment characterize today's business climate. This reality requires an equally diverse set of leadership practices and skills for anyone responsible for getting results with and through others. Recent studies confirm the leader is the prime factor for creating a productive work environment and contributing to higher employee retention.

The Active Leadership for IT Professionals program provides the concepts and the practices of Leadership in a high impact learning-environment to help leaders effectively coach, empower and lead individuals and teams to higher levels of performance.

This course made CIO.com's "10 IT leadership development programs to help you level up" list.

Whether participants choose to participate in the face-to-face classroom, virtual classroom or the On-Demand digital version of the course, the topics are the same. The approaches will vary to suit the learning modality.

1. The Context for Leadership

• Consider the balanced approach to leadership - Strategy, Systems, Social and Self
• Understand the business context for stronger leadership
• Reflect on the results of your leadership assessment (The Active Leadership Profile)
• Learn about KUBA - Know, Understand, Believe and Act

2. Introduction to the Active Leadership Model

• Learn and Ability and Motivation and the three Leadership Styles
• Apply the Active Leadership Model to two case studies
• Begin to consider your own team members and complete an assessment of their Ability and Motivation

3. The Power of Communication

• Essential communication factors for all people leaders
• Assess your own Personal Needs and the impact on others
• Assess others' Personal Needs and identify implications to your leadership style
• Ask really good questions and listen actively
• Use facts, episodes, and feelings to appeal to others' long-term memory
• Assign tasks considering others' Ability and Motivation and Personal Needs

4. Coaching

• Provide the time and attention required for team members to develop their skills in the jobs they do now
• Complete a coaching survey by rating the quality and quantity of the coaching you and your team members receive today
• Apply the Foundational Principles of Coaching
• Assess progress using the same combination of leadership styles as when the work was assigned

5. Provide Feedback

• Understand how/why both positive and constructive feedback are important motivators that enhance performance
• Use the four-step Feedback Loop to deliver positive or constructive feedback
• Apply the Principles of Recognition and Reward
• Clearly identify performance gaps and understand how to conduct difficult conversations

6. Making Choices

• Make commitments to what you will do next as a leader

7. The Coach's Toolkit

• The Active Leadership tools in review

• Assess personal leadership behaviours and attitudes that impact the performance of others
• Plan and deliver clear, concise communication to direct, guide and engage employees
• Understand what people need in order to change a behaviour or practice
• Determine how ability and motivation impact performance and outcomes, regardless of the task
• Explore three different leadership styles and when they should be used to maximize the performance of others
• Match the appropriate leadership style to individuals and specific tasks
• Explore how the foundational principles of coaching impact coaching results
• Differentiate between "coaching for job" versus "coaching for career"
• Provide behavioural feedback that recognizes and rewards employee performance
• Use a consistent approach to providing feedback that reinforces desired behaviors and helps achieve performance improvements
• Assess performance gaps and improve task performance
• Coach, reinforce and create a motivational climate for employee growth and retention
• Create a personal development plan based on assessed leadership strengths and development needs

Pre-work is required for this class, including two assessments:

• Active Leadership Profile (self and others assessment)
• Personal Needs Assessment (self assessment)

A three-week timeline is necessary to complete the pre-work and assessments prior to attending class.

Do you have more questions? We're delighted to assist you!

IT Managers, IT Professionals and Business Managers with team members or charged with leading teams.