University College London (Photo credit: stevecadman)
We are discussing John Adair’s framework for developing leaders as described in his book ‘How to Grow Leaders.’ Adair’s fifth principle is about education for leadership.
Senior managers can take steps to develop and grow new team leaders. These may include selecting the right people, giving them training and providing them with chance to take on extra responsibility in the workplace.
There is a missing factor and Adair identifies this as the process of education for leadership:
‘Although the two overlap, often considerably, there is a useful distinction between training and education. The former focuses on the systematic development of skills with a specific role in mind. The latter is more to do with the whole person and encompasses areas such as values, attitudes, beliefs and ethics.’
I previously discussed an organisation that sends their new team leaders on a two-day course when they are first appointed to understand the principles of leadership and effective communication. Their approach to new team leader development is wider than this, however. Continue reading →