How Leaders Learn to Lead

Nathan Magnuson — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 10:00:58 +0000

The new three-part video series Jump-Start Your Employee Engagement has now launched. Join communication expert Josh Erickson and myself for three ideas in three days – all in four minutes or less. This video series will only be available for a limited time – click here to enroll.

How do people learn to be leaders?

That’s the question leadership consultant and thought leader Robert J. Thomas answered at a leadership academy event I recently helped organize. Speaking from his book Crucibles of Leadership, Thomas demonstrated that simply taking a course on leadership would do little to transform leadership abilities. In fact, knowledge plays only a small role in a leader’s effectiveness, despite the high price often invested in higher education.

Here is a sample of the elements that transform ordinary people into great leaders.

Experience

The “crucible” of going through challenging experiences (both in life and vocation) has a transforming effect on a person’s leadership ability. I’ve found this to be the case in my own assessment of hundreds of c-suite leaders as well. It’s interesting to note (according to Thomas) that early in life (or career), leaders may find themselves “pushed” into a crucible experience, while later on they tend to “leap.” As they mature, effective leaders learn to recognize, seek and steward the crucial experiences that come their way.

Practice

The half-life of new knowledge is incredibly short. To grow, leaders must form the discipline to transform an “ah-ha” moment into a commitment to practice until they experience a breakthrough. Not only that, leaders are self-aware enough to know the circumstances they need in order to practice sufficiently. To demonstrate this point, the participants in our academy individually identified a skill they practiced to proficiency and compared it to another they gave up. In almost all occasions, talent and knowledge were not the difference. It was the ownership, commitment and supporting circumstances – almost all of which could be recreated in the future.

Purpose

The “why” behind any endeavor usually determines the success of the outcome. But it’s important to note that a specific purpose often changes over time – even for the same goal. What motivates us at age 20 is often different than at age 30. What drives us to achieve initial success may not sustain us to reach the next level. In order to harness the motivation that success (and practice) requires, we need to constantly refresh our sense of purpose.

Coaching

Leadership isn’t “taught” as much as it is “caught.” Teachers, trainers, mentors and supervisors all play a role in developing leaders. But the best leadership “teachers” are the ones who can coach a developing leader to understand the key “moves” that must be made in a given situation. The quality of leadership “teachers” a person has access to varies by the individual. That shouldn’t be an excuse. Thomas posed that “A great student can make a good teacher into a great teacher – and an inarticulate leader into a great teaching leader.”

Community

“No one learns alone,” Thomas wrote in his book. For leaders, that means finding, participating and contributing in communities of leaders who are on a learning journey together. Sometimes these communities are created externally (our leadership academy, for instance). In other instances, leaders must create their own.

Becoming a leader doesn’t happen by accident. Effective leaders are diligent and committed. Still, no one is immune from the serendipity of crucible learning experiences. My favorite quote from Thomas’ book sums it up best: “Sometimes events can conspire to make you a leader.” (Tweet)

So what’s your learning strategy when it comes to leadership?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

New Employee Onboarding: The Honeymoon Phase

Nathan Magnuson — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:00:47 +0000

Dan Miller estimates that the average job lasts about 3.7 years. If your career experience has been at all typical, this means you’ve probably gotten the chance to “onboard” as a new employee many times. The new employee onboarding process can be an adventure, for sure. On one end of the spectrum, it can be the first of many great experiences. On the other end, it can leave employees wondering right off the bat if they made a huge mistake. The reality is that onboarding presents each organization a grand opportunity to make a positive and lasting first impression on new joiners as they embark on their employment journey.

While it’s true onboarding is an art and not a science, are there some strategies positive onboarding programs utilize? Whether you work in HR or not, here are some ways you can create or recognize a quality onboarding program:

Actually be prepared for the arrival of your new joiners.

If you invited a handyman to do work in your home, at the very least you’d make sure someone was home to let him inside. And you wouldn’t invite him in only to leave him sitting in your living room until he got uncomfortable and starting looking for you to find out what work actually needed to be completed. Unfortunately this is the rule in some organizations rather than the exception. New employees show up their first day, are shown to their desk, and have to take the initiative themselves to figure out who their boss is, when their computer will arrive, and what they need to start working on. You may consider having a workspace, equipment, and supervisor to be bare minimum requirements, but having these things lined up already gives you a slight head start.

Deliver a personal and welcoming first impression.

When many people think of orientation, they think of paperwork and boring presentations about company dress codes and evacuation procedures. To make new joiners feel truly welcome, make sure the welcoming coordinator is a first-class host. Make sure the initial presenter brings the energy. And always highlight the vision and purpose of the organization above the administrative details.

Enlist executive participation.

At some point during the onboarding process, have an executive join the fray. The executive might give one of the presentations or simply welcome the new joiners and talk about his or her experience or answer questions. Have the executive share what he or she was thinking during the onboarding process. This shows new joiners that from top to bottom, the organization is glad to have them there. (This is especially relevant considering how relatively few people inform our views of any organization).

Help new joiners build connections quickly.

It stinks being the newbie. Solve this dilemma for new joiners by helping them connect with other new joiners (for starters). Emphasize the importance of building their network, beginning with their “start group.” Additionally, provide them with short-term sponsors or “buddies” not in the reporting chain who can help them get acclimated quickly and answer questions. Provide information on extra-curricular activities or opportunities where it is easy to get to know others in the organization.

Deliver a memorable experience.

A couple years ago I got to observe an onboarding pilot for FBI analysts. On the last afternoon of the onboarding program, they were divided into groups and shown day-by-day news footage of the DC Sniper Case in 2002 and provided real-time tips as they had come in during the case. Each group was then asked by a facilitator to give their input as to what they would conclude and do based on the real-time situation and information. It was an energetic, gut-wrenching, and inspiring experience. Do you think any of those new joiners went home that night to complain about their new lame employer? I bet they couldn’t wait to tell someone what they got to do at their new job!

In the end, no matter how much the talent acquisition function invests in recruiting the “right” talent, not every new joiner turns out to be the right person and not every job is the right fit. But just like two newlyweds should never have severe doubts about the relationship while on their honeymoon, new joiners should never have to question their choice of employment based on the onboarding experience.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

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