Excellent leadership development training with Corplearning

Lisle, Il- The Corporate Learning Institute announces new team building strategies hoping to rebound in 2011. The new CLI annual ebrochure is now available on the CLI website, www.corplearning.com, and contains many new training programs.

Team building strategies are important for an organization to function efficiently in turbulent times.  CLI has responded with a fresh batch of team training and Experiential learning workshops. The new team building offering include the High Performance workshop as well as innovation training, communication training, problem solving training, time management training, leadership development training and community building and development at work.

Team building activities in your organization should include a realistic assessment of your needs and budget constraints. CLI can help you target the training needed, and avoid unnecessary expenses.  Your strategy should include asking CLI to develop a needs assessment and designing the best options for your company.

CLI begins with the needs assessment process to determine the real needs of your organization and management consultant. Then, CLI works with you to determine the best approach for developing a given team. Time, budget, and skill development needs should center the development process. Finally, CLI delivers the training services and provides a follow-up evaluation as well as next step training opportunities for your company. Contact CLi ay (630) 971-5074 for a proposal today.

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Add to your professional expertise and commitment with experiential learning

Team development is an investment that gives employers an edge over the competition. Team development training can include team building workshops, team coaching, experiential learning, or team training in specific areas. Team development exercises are useful when a team needs to learn about team skills and how to apply them. Team development skills include trust, communication, cooperation, and commitment. Team development exercises can vary, but can include outdoor challenge courses, indoor exercises or even the use of assessment tools. Teams participating in team events often find that they have benefitted from team development exercises, management consultant, far more than they anticipated. Teams often become aware of their strengths and limitations, and find new ways of working together more collaboratively. By learning about their strengths and limitations and Team building activities, a team can begin to leverage its strengths and compensate for its weaker areas. Team building exercises and fun team building events can bring the team closer together and help them focus on a common purpose. Fun team building events can range from indoor to outdoor in application. Often, fun team building events offer a focused activity that allows the team to learn together. Team development exercises like the low ropes or high ropes courses also offer a fun team-building event. The low ropes course and high ropes courses allow teams to challenge themselves in the same way that they are challenged at work. By adding a fun team-building event or team building exercise, the group can process their experience and apply key learning back to work. Once at work, the fun team building event and team building exercises provide a framework for remembering how effective teamwork can be. Team development is a great way to engage, energize, and prepare a team to remain committed to best practices and team building principles.

There are many tips that can be useful in providing team building ideas, team development training, and team development workshops. To build effective teams at work, co-workers can begin to set ground rules to ensure collaboration and not competition. Another team development idea is that teams can post these ground rules in their work area to ensure that people read and follow them. Because the team created the rules themselves, they are more likely to follow them. Team development training is also useful for building effective teamwork. Team development training can include classroom as well as outdoor formats. Team development training allows a group to become aware of effective teamwork approaches and skills. Once a team understands these, they can decide how to use these skills within their own team. For example, team-building ideas inside of a team building training can include the notion that team members have different work style approaches, strengths and weaknesses. Once a team can understands these issues, they can begin to compensate for weaker areas and leverage their strengths. Many times these team-building ideas help a team achieve a more effective performance. Team building workshops help teams because they are informative and interactive as well. Team members receive information and then can take part in team building interactive laboratory experiences. Outdoor team building workshops help teams interact more effectively and with more trust, cooperation, communication and commitment.

ADD TO THE EXPERTISE OF YOUR LEADERS WITH LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS

Preparing for a leadership role has often times been a long and steady process. With the current economic status, employees are finding themselves within leadership roles with very short notice. A lack of preparation and training of these individuals can have detrimental business effects. Leadership training programs can help to alleviate the pressure placed on emerging leaders within businesses through the identification of needed skills, characteristics, and knowledge.

The world of work has become increasingly complex. Leaders in corporations and organizations are embroiled in an unprecedented era of financial turmoil. The Great Recession has left leaders looking for role models, certainties, and tools to negotiate the many unknowns of this era. Leadership development training and experiential learning can offer a fresh look at leadership skills, uncover blind spots, and like the leader to others experiencing the same conditions. Leadership training is available in many modes, on line, classroom, through self help books and even through on the job training. Leaders who feel alienated, stressed out, or in need of more resources can benefit from leadership training. Leadership training can also be applied to those individuals who have “fell in” to leadership roles without the proper training and/or background.

Leadership development training can infuse leaders with the energy and focus that they need to continue to be productive. Leadership training is designed with the individual in mind. Leadership training often includes an assessment of the leaders’ strengths, weaknesses and leadership developmental needs. It can also include tips and strategies on how to negotiate in difficult times. Many leadership training sessions include practice sessions so that leaders can “try out” new behavior in a simulation. Finally, most leadership training programs allow leaders to develop a personal leadership development plan. This plan helps the leader to carry forward critical learning points back to the work place. The leadership development plan reinforces the leader’s ability to make needed and useful changes in their leadership approach. This allows them to become more effective leaders. Leadership training involves not only current uses of instruments, assessments, coaching, and discussion to try and instill change, it also looks towards the future and how businesses are changing concerning which skills and abilities will be relevant for a long time to come.    

Leadership training can also include team leadership training, Team building events, which allows leaders to understand how to develop a teams’ ability to produce effective work together. Team leadership training provides leaders with an understanding of how teams operate, or their dynamics, an appreciation for roles that team members play, and how to effectively lead the team toward optimal performance. In short, leadership training is a necessary and vital component in today’s leadership support needs. It allows leaders to develop the right set of skills, the right attitude and approach to complete in today’s marketplace. Leaders who are effectively prepared make a more successful impact on the individuals and groups that they lead, and allow others to do their best work.   

Enhance the productivity of you organization with the expertise of a management consultant

Management Consulting regards to the practice of helping organizations improve their performance through an analysis of current business problems which may be plaguing their efficiency, productivity, sales, morale, etc. This approach aims at solving such problems by providing developmental plans for improvement concerning every relevant and readily changeable business issue. Something that is prevalent in management consulting is organizational management consulting, development of coaching skills, technology implementation, strategy development, and or operational improvement services. Consultants typically bring in their own methodology or frameworks to help them guide their problem solving approach. The use of customizable consultant tools and frameworks helps clients pattern their approaches directly to their immediate and long term needs.

Generally a management consultant use different approaches for management consulting. One can think of management consulting on a continuum which encompasses having expertise at one end of the spectrum and facilitation on the other. In an expert approach to management consulting a consultant take the role of leader, guiding the organization through its problems while providing solutions to be implemented by the organizations. For this it’s imperative to have good communication skills too.  In a facilitative approach a consultant takes a step back and aids employees of an organization to find solutions to the organizations problems.  Most management consulting firms usually focuses on working on an axis where they put the kind of work they perform on one axis and the kind of industry they work with on the other.

Management consulting has developed rapidly at a growth rate that exceeds that of the 1980’s and the 1990’s. Currently you can find for different types of management consulting firms such as large diversified organizations which offer a wide range of services. Medium-sized information technology consultancies that blend boutique style with some of the services that large organizations offer. There are also management and strategic consulting firms who offer primarily strategy consulting, executive coaching and business intelligence models to any industry. Lastly there are boutique firms which are often quite small and have areas of expertise; such consulting firms often focus on one area of work as well as one industry. These types of firms, while not plentiful on resources, do provide key services as their products and methods are usually customizable to fit within organization’s most pressing needs.

Management consulting is becoming more and more prevalent in business, but also in non business fields such as government, non-profit agencies and other are turning to the advice of management consulting.  Another trend that has risen in recent years and mainly in bigger organizations is internal consulting. Organizations have adopted to set up consulting firms within their organizations in order to promote organizational effectiveness. Internal consultants may have a better grasp on organizational culture and needs which may alleviate some of the time spent introducing problems to outside consulting services.

All in all management consulting is becoming an established industry within the consulting world, and has proven to be here to stay because of all the value that it provides to organizations.

Polish Your Leadership Qualities with Executive Coaching

There are myriads of times when the managers or the team leaders of an organization has to deal with situations that they are not well equipped or learned to address which may include making some major changes within the organization or solving a serious conflict between two employees. During such times the managers become anxious which creates a situation of chaos or disharmony within the organization. For those inexperienced or less communicative managers, it’s the perfect time to consider the executive coaching as the perfect solution to their problem.

With the help of the executive coaching you can learn leadership and managerial skills, enhance your decision making capabilities, creativity, employee relationship, and learn the basics and the modes of stress and time management and many more. With the increased efficiency and effectiveness of the individuals and the teams you can easily achieve your business goals. Although you may have to invest some money for it to hire a reputed and expert institute to furnish the executive coaching classes, but you can rest assured that the end result will be highly positive an your investment will be worth every penny.

Leadership and managerial qualities are not imbibed in someone and has to be learned and adopted over a period of time. Even if a person has all the experience and the certificate to prove them capable of the post of the manager, still their work handling capability, employee communication style, work division methods and so on cannot be ensured to be perfect. In such cases where managers or team leaders are facing problems with their work and are not able to function with the best of their capability the Experiential Learning mode is the ideal way to eliminate all the problems and to become a good leader.

Executive Coaching is imperative to remove all the roadblocks and to enhance the performance and the success pace of an individual. In case of a business owner, executive or professional, it could virtually entail the difference between success and failure of their business house. When a manager is able to polish his/her strategic thinking, communication and decision-making style, he/she is finally capable of operating to his/her fullest executive potential and positively affects the employees and other people around them. With the help of a management consultant you can take the right step towards success and to ensure perfect management system in your organization!

The Corporate Learning Institute Aims to Be Chicago’s Choice Business Consulting Firm

Lisle, Illinois, April 21, 2010. Chicago Business Consultant firms The Corporate Learning Institute (CLI) has announced plans to develop their portfolio of clients. “We are aggressively marketing to new clients in and around the Chicago area, as well as nationally,” explained CEO Tim Buividas. “In this marketplace there is great uncertainty, pessimism and no urgency for results, so we are beefing up our services to send a message out there, that it is time to demand that innovation, urgency and altruism return to the marketplace,” Buividas added.  

While it is true that many companies have perished, downsized or at least been adversely affected by the market conditions, some companies have thrived. “Take for example the case of Aldi Foods, most frozen food companies and low-cost stores like Wal-Mart,” Buividas noted. “We can all take a lesson from these. Providing excellent services or products on an affordable financial scale is good business. At CLI, our advantage is that we offer a variety of organizational development services on an affordable basis, delivered by exports in the field,” Buividas concluded.

CLI has scaled back on their pricing and has maintained a busy practice. CLI President Dr. Susan Cain offers additional information about their success. “We provide good value for the money. We have a client whose motto is ‘Good work Begets Good Work’, and I think we ascribe to that too. It is important to offer a variety of services, customize them to fit the needs of the client, and cost-out those services on an affordable basis. This has allowed us to expand like Aldi, Wal-Mart and others in the current marketplace,” she noted.

However, expansion is also dependent on the services that are needed in the current marketplace. CLI offers three services areas; social networking event, training services and strategy and coaching services. “We are expanding in the training and strategic areas, more than in the social networking activities we offer,” Buividas explained. “Most companies are being very diligent about reigning in expenses, and are hiring us to develop and deliver targeted training that they currently need,” he concluded.

CLI maintains meeting offices and an outdoor adventure campus at its offices based at the Marriott Hickory Ridge Conference Hotel in Lisle, Illinois, and 15 miles west of Chicago.

For more information about Chicago Business Coach please visit:-

http://www.corplearning.com/

Corporate team building

Next, a timeline will be created in order for the changes and development to take place. A method will be determined for examining the results of the coaching, and schedule will be set up to determine when the results will be analyzed. From here, the session will close and follow-up dates will be established. There should be a clear plan of action, and a timeframe in which this will occur, and a way to measure the results and set up further actions. Throughout the coaching, it is important for several things to occur between the coach and their coachee. First, the coach needs to choose a time and place which is appropriate to their coachee. They must be specific, and stay on purpose throughout the session. Both parties need to engage in active listening in order for proper results to occur. Corporate team building is also based on the similar mantra and is highly beneficial for enhancing the skills of the team members and motivating them towards the improvement of their work.

The main take-away from coaching is that the coach should inspire the heart throughout the session. Along with this, they need to model the way for their coachee, as well as inspire a shared vision, and enable them to act upon it. At any point in time, the coachee should also feel ready to challenge the process if they see fit. The purpose of coaching is to work together to create a plan; coaching is not one-sided.

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Numerous Assets of experimental learning and Coaching

The three main types of coaching are intervention, skill-based, and development. Intervention coaching occurs when the individual is thought by others to be in need of improvement and development by means of an intervention. Usually this person is experiencing struggles, which are obvious to the world around them. The Executive coaching in this instance does not seek out help via coaching, but more they are recognized for being in need of coaching, and a coach will be assigned to them, or the coachee’s job may be in jeopardy. Intervention may address personal habits that are interfering with an individual’s full success; or it may focus on awareness development, new practices, and new points of view, which will guide actions and behaviors for the person being coached.

Skill-based coaching occurs when an individual actively pursues a coach in order to learn new skills. Because of the ever-changing market and fast-paced work environment today, it is important for individuals to continue to learn new skills in order to keep up. Individuals also may want to learn new skills just for their own personal knowledge or interests. The Chicago business coach in this instance may be more of a content expert in specific areas and will guide the coachee through the process of Leadership development training to develop new skills and habits. Individuals also have the opportunity to sharpen up their current skills, and may discover new interests in the process.

Development coaching occurs when an individual really seeks to develop and grow themselves in a certain area, in multiple areas, or in new roles. The individual may wish to further develop skills they may already possess, develop personal characteristics or abilities, or just develop a more precise plan for their future. Development coaching can inspire and empower individuals, and aid them in setting up an action plan for their careers. Through development coaching, coaches will guide individuals and help set goals and a vision for what they would like to see in the future. Overall, development coaching really sees individuals through in optimizing their performance through experimental learning.

Once a type of coaching has been established, the coaching process can begin. Usually the session will start in a relaxed, open, and friendly manner. The coach will ensure the coachee knows that this session is not meant to be disciplinary in any way. From here, the coach can explain to the coachee the nature of the discussion they will have, and the coach will explain the current state of the situation based on their own perspectives. The tables then will be turned on the coachee and their perspectives will be given based on the current situation. Once both sides have been explained, there is a consensus on the current situation and from here the coaching session can be built upon. The coach and coachee will then paint a picture or a vision, or define a future state that is an improvement over the current state. The coachee will also be asked for their input on the future state, and again, an agreement will be made on this vision. After these discussions have occurred, a final summarization of the coachee desired future state will be made, as well as any support actions, or action plans.  

The Corporate Learning Institute Announces Expanded Strategic Planning Consulting Services

Lisle, Illinois, April 21, 2010. Before it can be a foregone conclusion that corporate strategic planning does not work, the Corporate Learning Institute (CLI) of Lisle has developed a new series of services designed to help organizations tackle what they call “the new normal”.

Susan Cain, CLI President, offers these insights into effective strategic management. “First of all”, she notes, “Organizations are focusing on shorter horizons than ever before. They are often developing multiple horizons to deal with the many business scenarios that could affect their future. So most clients are fully engaged in tragic development, but in different ways,” she stated.

A solid direction in an organization is paramount to its long-term sustainability. With direction, key goals can be achieved, productivity can soar, and people will better understand their roles in the organization. However, how do you create that plan in order to move forward? Corporate strategic planning can help you to create your vision and goals for the future. This planning, usually done by senior level management, can shape the future for many years to come. To create this planning, there are several things that you can do. First, it is important that leaders have the skills necessary to meet and effectively plan the company’s goals. For those organizations that are looking to develop those skills for their leaders, leadership development training is an excellent way to create, develop, and optimize those skills. Once leaders are aligned, it is often easier for them to take on the importance collaborative work of planning their strategy.

Next, hiring a Corporate Strategic Planning Consultant can also help an organization by providing a fresh pair of eyes to consider strategic options. For example, consultants can play a key role in breaking out of groupthink and striking new and innovative directions for a given company. CLI starts any strategic engagement by conducting a needs assessment, then moving the organization toward effective approaches in rethinking their vision, mission values, strategic objectives and approach. Corporate strategic planning is an essential part of any organization and with the right tools and preparation, the organization can, and will, thrive for years to come.

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Improvise your skill more through executive coaching

Companies in Chicago and everywhere face unique challenges on a daily basis, especially when the economy is bad. While more traditional methods such as power and control and command and compliance were used to motivate employees to tackle these challenges, companies are now seeking different methods, which focus on empowerment of employees in order to maximize their potential. Hamlin, Ellinger, and Beattie claim in their article “this new paradigm of management calls for new facilitative behaviors that focus on empowerment and employee development” (2004). A new approach being used in order to empower and develop employees is individual coaching. This paper will focus on what coaching is, why it is important in a down economy, the different types of coaching, the process involved, and a brief look at how the Corporate Learning Institute approaches coaching.

One might ask, what exactly is coaching? Zeus & Skiffington claim that coaching is “essentially a conversation within a productive, results-oriented context (2001). They further note coaching is mainly about learning, reinventing oneself, and is where change and transformation happens. Coaching is more than just about asking the right questions and getting the right answers, but more about a collaborative alliance between a coach and their coachee. Coaching is also unique in the fact that it operates on the emotional plane in the sense that by recognizing and understanding feelings, that different behavioral possibilities can be realized. Coaching can be seen as a basic process, which aids individuals in maximizing their potentials and their performance.  

Aside from what actual coaching is, what is a coach? Frederic Hudson notes in his handbook of coaching that a coach is “A person who facilitates Experiential Learning that results in future-oriented abilities. The coach is a trusted role model, advisor, wise person, friend, steward, or guide. A person who works with emerging human and organizational forces to tap new energy and purpose to shape new visions and plans, and to generate desired results. A coach is someone trained and devoted to guiding others into increased competence, commitment, and confidence” (Hudson, 1999). A coach has the unique ability to see what others may not see, via their high attention and listening skills. A coach is in the position to step back from the situation so that they have enough distance from it to gain perspective. Chicago Business Coach have the ability to help people see the difference between their intentions and their thinking or actions, as well as aid others in breaking through patterns of collective illusions and self-deceptions caused by defensive thinking and behavior (Hargrove, 2008). Essentially, coaching is consistent feedback to create a continual change and reinforcement of behavior in order to reach a desired result.

Coaching has become an increasingly popular route in Chicago and elsewhere for personal development. A study by Manchester Inc. indicates coaching has a return of six times its investment (Nyman & Thach, 2009, p. 19).  Individuals often have a plan for their future but are unsure of how to properly execute it. They have ideas and ways they wish to grow and develop, but might need assistance maximizing their potential. Coaching is an important tool individuals can use to gain guidance, generate ideas, and create goals. Coaching is also a positive way in which individuals can experience a boost in their confidence by taking progressive steps in their career. Coaching can also bring out new interests in people, and teach them new skills. Individuals often find coaching a refreshing challenge, and feel empowered after their sessions. Now it can be decided what kind of Executive Coaching the person needs. Each individual and situation will call for a different type of coaching session.

For more information about Chicago Business Coach please visit:-

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Team Building Training Consulting

In a day and age where many companies are looking to for their employees to cooperate instead of working independently, team building is essential. In many cases, effective team building can be achieved through many different team-building events. A successful team-building consultant can dramatically affect your company’s productivity for years to come. However, if a consultant offering team-building events does not properly facilitate due to a poorly structured team-building event, the result could be worse than not performing a team-building event at all. That is why it is so important to have a professional consultant that specializes in this field to help organize and run your events.

A professional consultant can help for many reasons. First, those who have team building training best accomplish some of the most important qualities that a company is looking to improve upon, such as cohesiveness among group members, enhanced problem solving, generation of ideas, and improved morale. These organizations have been performing these activities for many years and know what does, or does not, work. Second, the knowledge that these companies have can be used to design a team-building event that is not only unique to your company, but also unique to the certain aspects your company is trying to improve. Many of the people who run these companies specialized in corporate team building, and know the ins and outs of how they work. This knowledge allows them to understand a company’s specific problem and find the best way to solve it. Finally, a professional organization can take care of all the details that would bog down a member of your company. Many of these organizations already have locations, restaurants, and possible lodging already lined up if a company needs it. This ends up saving the company valuable time, and money, for other things.

How do these all affect effective team building training? All of these components are necessary in order for an event to work properly and successfully. In addition, with these components, Effective team building can be achieved, along with all the benefits that come along with it. That is why effective training in this vital field is so crucial.

It can be useful to consider a case study in how effective team building consultants work. Usually, an effective consultant will begin with a needs assessment process to determine the real needs of a client organization. Then, the consultant will work with the client to determine the best approach for developing a given team. Time, budget, and skill development needs should drive the development process. Finally, the consultant will deliver the training services and provide a follow-up evaluation and next step training opportunities. Hiring a Team Building Consultant can help your organization become a more effective performance-based organization.

For more information about Experiential learning activities please visit:-

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strategic planning consultant

In addition to skill building, leadership development consultants also provide coaching and mentoring services. Coaching is the process of offering skills and performance feedback in a one-on-one situation. Leadership coaches can provide the support and information needed by a leader as they move up the corporate ladder. Leaders can depend on coaches to help them discover blind spots, work toward attaining goals, and learn critical skills. Many leaders rely on a formal mentoring relationship with a leadership consultant to drive effective performance results. A mentoring relationship is different from a coaching relationship. The difference lies in the level of expertise of the leadership consultant and strategic planning consultant. Most mentoring relationships are based on the expertise of the mentor. Mentors typically come from areas of expertise that the leader needs. For example, a leadership mentor can help a leader navigate the terrain in a given sector.

Developing leaders in today’s marketplace is an important task, as a leadership shortage is predicted within the next ten years. The need for consultants to help develop leaders is an important undertaking. Bur emerging leaders as well as veteran leaders can benefit from leadership consulting. Emerging leaders benefit by developing new skills, and veteran leaders benefit by refreshing their pallet of skills. Many leadership consultants tailor their training to fit the needs of the specific leaders. For example, a leader may need emphasis on one area over another. An excellent leadership consultant offers tailor-made training to fit that particular need. Often, the training can be delivered in the classroom, on the internet or in written format. A workbook often complements the training to allow the leader to record thoughts and skills as they develop.

Sometimes, a skills needs assessment helps a consultant determine the best way forward. A personal development plan can help guide a structured process to help improve leadership skills for the leader. The process of benchmarking helps the consultant and leader determines when goals are met. Together, a leader and consultant can form a strong bond that helps to drive the development of the leader forward. This paper has reviewed the important need that organizations have for leadership consultants. It has reviewed the work that consultants do in terms of both training and coaching or mentoring.

Experience the metamorphosis of your team with a corporate team building consultant

The growing competition in the business arena today requires that highly motivated people offer their “best” management skills to their organizations. In a rebound economy, it is essential that employees find a foothold in their organizations by feeling engaged and energized by the work they do.

 How can organizations ensure that employees are not just working at marginal levels, but are challenged to perform?

The answer focuses on the need for effective leadership, transparent expectations and skill building for performance effectiveness. A corporate team building consultant can help your individuals and teams achieve more than by working alone. It is imperative to introduce an unbiased consultant who can coach and develop individual contributor, team and leadership performance potential. 

Even in a tough economy, many organization today adopt the practice of hiring a Team Building Consultant who works towards helping teams achieve their goals.  These may include:

    * Improving communication skills of the team leader and members.

    * Making the workplace more friendly by giving increasing trust and collaboration.

    * Motivating a team to give them the strength to achieve all their targets.

    * Getting everyone "onto the same page", including goal setting for future projects.

    * Teaching the team self-regulation strategies to promote self-discipline. 

    * Helping the team members to know their strengths and weaknesses.

    * Leveraging the strengths of team members to achieve goals.

    * Improving team performance and increasing their productivity.

   

It is important to find the right team building consultant for your organization. The consultant should match your value system, and understand your organization’s culture. There should be an immediate connection that you feel with your consultant, a sense of trust and a down-to-earth approach that they use with you and your projects. Other things you should look for in an excellent team building consultant includes transparent communication and honesty. A good team building consultant has an excellent track record and a trail of recommendations. There are identifiable stages of work with a good team building consultant. The first stage is called he needs assessment, and allows the consultant to understand the context and issues that they will be addressing. The next stage is the contracting stage, where the consultant and client work together to identify priorities and create a road map of services to achieve identified outcomes.

Team building consultants help your organization by decreasing the time it takes to achieve targeted goals, and increasing gains made by improving performance and productivity.

The State of Leadership Development Consulting

Maximize the potential of your leaders by providing the opportunity for leadership improvement. Leadership development consulting includes two components: leadership skills training and leadership coaching and mentoring. Leadership skills training are critical to help potential leaders understand their leadership style as well as skills needed to close performance gaps. An external leadership consultant offers organization insights from outside the organization. These can include performance skills such as communication techniques, conflict management, project management, financial planning, strategic development, and talent management.

In addition to skill building, leadership development consultants also provide coaching and mentoring services. Coaching is the process of offering skills and performance feedback in a one-on-one situation. Leadership coaches can provide the support and information needed by a leader as they move up the corporate ladder. Leaders can depend on coaches to help them discover blind spots, work toward attaining goals, and learn critical skills. Many leaders rely on a formal mentoring relationship with a leadership consultant to drive effective performance results. A mentoring relationship is different from a coaching relationship. The difference lies in the level of expertise of the leadership consultant and strategic planning consultant. Most mentoring relationships are based on the expertise of the mentor. Mentors typically come from areas of expertise that the leader needs. For example, a leadership mentor can help a leader navigate the terrain in a given sector.

Developing leaders in today’s marketplace is an important task, as a leadership shortage is predicted within the next ten years. The need for consultants to help develop leaders is an important undertaking. Bur emerging leaders as well as veteran leaders can benefit from leadership consulting. Emerging leaders benefit by developing new skills, and veteran leaders benefit by refreshing their pallet of skills. Many leadership consultants tailor their training to fit the needs of the specific leaders. For example, a leader may need emphasis on one area over another. An excellent leadership consultant offers tailor-made training to fit that particular need. Often, the training can be delivered in the classroom, on the internet or in written format. A workbook often complements the training to allow the leader to record thoughts and skills as they develop.

Sometimes, a skills needs assessment helps a consultant determine the best way forward. A personal development plan can help guide a structured process to help improve leadership skills for the leader. The process of benchmarking helps the consultant and leader determines when goals are met. Together, a leader and consultant can form a strong bond that helps to drive the development of the leader forward. This paper has reviewed the important need that organizations have for leadership consultants. It has reviewed the work that consultants do in terms of both training and coaching or mentoring.

The CLI has provided executive coaching and team leadership training. For more information about leadership development training, please visit: corplearning.com