Many people assume that ‘Leadership’ is a subject more for the board of management or for the owner of a company, than for a first line supervisor. At iSolon we believe that leadership is essential at all levels within the organisation. That is why we tailor the content and duration of each programme to the precise requirements of both the participants and the organisation. We have even designed and delivered a programme for one person.
“John was of enormous value in helping us kickstart our Leadership Programme. He led well received sessions with the Board and then with the whole senior management team. He challenged our thinking and perspective and really helped move us on.”
Steven Green, Senior HR Manager
For many the precise difference between management and leadership remains elusive. At iSolon we subscribe to the following, as stated by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman in their excellent book, ‘First Break All The Rules’[1]:
“Great managers know and value the unique abilities and even the eccentricities of their employees, and they learn how best to integrate them into a coordinated plan of attack.
This is the exact opposite of what great leaders do.
Great leaders discover what is universal and capitalise on it. Their job is to rally people toward a better future. Leaders can succeed in this only when they can cut through differences of race, sex, age, nationality and personality and, using stories and celebrating heroes, tap into those very few needs we all share.”
Both roles are about inspiration. A manager should inspire each person individually with something that connects with their personality and work life demands; a leader should inspire the whole team by developing a sense of community and a worthwhile goal.
EVERY MANAGER HAS A LEADERSHIP ROLE
and EVERY LEADER HAS A MANAGERSHIP ROLE
Therefore we offer three levels of participant engagement:
- Foundation Level for supervisors and junior managers
- Advanced Level for middle managers
- Executive Level for directors and senior managers
Our leadership programmes focus upon these three goals:
- How to develop and instil a sense of community and identity
- How to develop and communicate a worthwhile goal to get the engagement and emotional commitment of followers
- How to change attitudes and behaviours to align with the direction of the organisation and the pace of change
The content and duration of each programme is directly proportional to the seniority of the participants. The more senior, the longer the programme. At the most senior executive level, we recommend regular short sessions over a period of months, more akin to executive coaching. But at all levels we address the real-life challenges facing our client, either individually or organisationally.
We have delivered hundreds of Leadership Development Programmes over the past 12 years to participants drawn from the Americas, EMEA and AsiaPacific. Although many organisations use English as their main language, we can deliver them in other languages or incorporate translators into the programmes.
Many of the participants have used our programmes as a springboard to higher level work. This is what the CEO of FUGRO NV, a Dutch Company with annual revenues of about €2.5bn has to say about us:
“Over the past four years our growth as a company has been rapid with now some 14,000 employees based in 75 offices around the globe. As a highly technical company working around the world, our success has been largely driven by the quality, commitment and performance of our people, many of whom have substantial post-graduate qualifications. Nearly five years ago we identified iSolon as the company we wanted to work with to provide us with a foundation framework of leadership and management skills. Our experience with John and his colleagues during that time has proved highly beneficial to over 600 of our most promising talents who have attended the development programs. We have been delighted with their service and continue to leverage their expertise.”
Klaas Wester, President and Chief Executive Officer
[1] ©Gallup Organisation