Under 35s Development Course Event- Leadership
The start of 2012 brought with it the fourth topic for those on the CCF’s flagship Under 35s Development Course. The participants gathered for a weekend in Buckinghamshire with guest speaker for the weekend was Audrey Curry (BA, MBA, CEd), who is the Assistant Vice Principal at Stranmillis College, Belfast. All attendees were challenged in their understanding of and beliefs on leadership.
Audrey started off her session by outlining the key fact, “Leadership is everyone’s business”. She stressed the need to see leadership as something that everyone can do and at anytime, rather than a position that one holds at a certain period of time. Audrey then explained that “leaders do not always seek the challenges that they face”, it is the “challenges that seek the leaders”. This point was perhaps one of the most enlightening moments during the weekend. Followed on from this Audrey explained that what is important are the choices made by leaders once events do happen.
Throughout the weekend Audrey introduced and explained the five practises that are needed within successful leadership: ‘Model the Way’; ‘Inspire Shared Vision’; ‘Challenge the Process’; ‘Enable others to Act’ and ‘Encourage the Heart’. After discussing each practise in detailed, she gave the participants time for reflection and opportunity to apply each practise to their lives. For example, after learning about the first principle, ‘Model the Way’, attendees were asked to reflect on who their leadership role models were. The key being to choose ‘real’ role models that reflected personal values rather than people from the Times 100 List. Following on from this, the groups were then asked to reflect on what characteristics are needed or desired in a good leader. Some of the qualities selected were: humility, accessibility, relational, confidentiality, shared objectivity, integrity, and sharing and giving responsibility to colleagues.
Audrey went on to stress that the importance of leadership is people. Without followers, there is no leader, and that leadership is about relationships. The attendees were again asked to reflect on what lessons and points they wanted to take away from the weekend’s teaching on leadership. They selected the following points as crucial either in their own leadership positions or to help them asses their own places of work:
- The ‘Do What You Say You Do’ Test (DWYSYD)
- Openness and transparency
- Transactional vs. transformational leadership
- The difference between managing and leadership
- The importance of acknowledging team work
- You can lead people through your behaviour without a ‘formal’ position (referent power)
- The fact that sometimes in leadership you need to ‘walk away lovingly’
