So you want to be a better leader? Maybe you want to develop the leadership potential in a staff member. What is the best way to development leadership skills? Most research suggests that the best way to become a better leader is to lead. Experience is by far the best teacher. A commonly held belief in human resources development is the 70-20-10 formula. 70% of leadership development comes from experience, 20% from relationships and 10% from training.
How do you use experience to develop as a leader? Cindy McCauley from the Center for Creative Leadership identifies some types of experiences to add to leadership experience to promote growth. These might include:
1. Taking on unfamiliar responsibilities
2. Getting involved in new projects and new directions
3. Working to solve inherited problems
4. Dealing with problem employees
5. Taking on high pressure, high stakes assignments
6. Working with external relationships outside of camp
The goal is to create challenges, push boundaries and stretch as a leader. Experience can be a great teacher but not if all we experience is what we're comfortable with and already have the skills to handle. What new experiences can you tackle or assign to staff members to promote grow as a leader?
