You have a lot to choose from. Leadership courses, coaching, mentoring, management education, etc.
The question is do you need any of these?
Companies often hesitate to spend money. They don't believe in training. After all, their managers "figured" it out." So, why bother with supporting others?
Indeed, leadership courses might not prepare you for everyday leadership challenges. Yet, they can help you lead yourself and communicate better.
Here are five things to consider before deciding.
1. Why do you want to take a course?
Leadership education is accessible. We are happy to see so many options out there.
Yet, people started to brag about how many certificates they had collected. Are they also good leaders? I don’t know.
As a result, there is a sense of pressure to jump on the bandwagon and get one as well. But tell me why do you want a leadership course?
Because your company provides it? Because it looks good on your CV? When external factors are involved, you may think twice before spending your bucks.
Take a leadership course when you are ready to improve yourself. You want to learn something new. You feel you need to practice your communication skills.
Not just because someone told you to do so. You will pass it through and forget about it.
2. You do the work.
There is an idea that a leadership course will do it FOR you. Now that you have completed the course, you can call yourself a leader. Haha! If it was that easy!
Sweet, but trainers, mentors, or coaches won’t make leaders of you. It is you who need to work on it. Starting with self-reflection and discovering where your mindset and emotions sit.
Expecting you to take an online course and then you are ready-made is false.
Ready-made art. Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Many courses are passive and self-paced. Nothing is wrong with self-paced learning, but it is much better to have a group of friends and discuss topics out loud. My recommendation is always to search for interaction.
Leadership is not isolated. The more you talk about it and practice it, the better leader you become.
3. The length of course: So what now?
I like two days of leadership courses. It is a condensed time for people to get out of their routines and think differently. But what happens when they return to their teams?
For a month, they tried to change things. Yet, with time, the excitement fades, and nothing has moved forward. It is a lost opportunity.
When considering leadership courses, consider a long-term investment. Money & time. Two days are the blink of an eye. How will you support your development further?
You need regular doses of tips, case studies, problem-solving training, and reminders to keep learning fresh and actionable.
“How will you sustain your leadership journey after the course is done?”
4. What you can’t learn on a course.
Hush hush. Come closer. Right. Let me whisper it to you:
“Not even the best or most expensive leadership course can prepare you for every situation you encounter.”
You need experience to see how you react and how you can react next time. I guarantee you will meet weird and toxic people. Now you say I would do this. But when you have a toxic colleague on your team, it is different.
Courses need stories and cases. Not just articles and academic best practices.
That is why linking what you deal with every day with what you have learned is the most effective long-term strategy. Share stories and learn from mistakes.
5. Find one you can relate to
When you choose a leadership course, you might pick a prestigious institution or a leader with 30+ years of experience.
Here is the catch. Not every super-experienced and seasoned trainer is the right fit. Why? People who led others in the 80s or 90s, even the early 2000s did not have to deal with all the challenges you have now.
You know the saying:
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
You might be much more comfortable with someone five years ahead of you instead of someone who is 40 years older than you. Relatability creates trust and that is what matters in every leadership course.
To Take or Not to Take a Leadership Course?
If you can, try it. Even if you do not lead a team, leadership is as much for individuals as for team leaders.
Plus, there is usually free lunch included! 🥪😀
Don't forget to think about how to continue your journey after the course is over. What will you do when your mentor is gone?
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Topic: Feedback