Coalface Dialogue Services Leadership

Leadership entails visualising the goal, effectively communicating the vision, and persuading people to move together and work towards a goal that they perhaps don't yet see or believe in.

Leaders must excel at dialogue and must be adept at handling interactions with a wide range of stakeholders and motivate them into action. Today's leaders face even greater challenges than before, leading and managing teams across organisational and geographic boundaries, they must also work effectively with many cultures.

Remote teams operate across time zones with little or no face-to-face contact. They must deliver results and present a unified face to the outer world without the mortar of day-to-day interaction which cements traditional teams.

They typically bring together members from different cultures with differing values, experiences and beliefs about how teams should operate. Frequently they also require members to work in matrix relationships and to influence others without formal authority.

This workshop equips participants with the insights, strategies and tools needed to meet the unique challenges of leading a remote team operating in a multicultural environment.

The transition from information technology specialist or engineer to manager is a challenging one. Typically, technology and engineering were attractive because they required strength in analysis, systems thinking and problem-solving in known and predictable systems.

Management is a highly subjective area of human endeavour, full of ambiguity and requiring strong interpersonal skills. Skills in these areas have usually had a lower priority in their previous career and education. This program redresses that balance. It examines all managerial aspects of the IT or Technical Manager's job with particular emphasis on communication, leadership and interpersonal skills.

From this very practical 3 or 4-days skills development workshop, participants will:

• Know the potential strengths and weaknesses of IT specialists as managers
• Identify and overcome commonly encountered obstacles in the transition to a management role
• Apply critical interpersonal skills more effectively
• Develop a personal action plan for continuous professional growth and improvement

Research has clearly shown that one-on-one on-the-job training is the most effective form of learning transfer. In recent years, the skill of performance coaching has received growing attention. Performance coaching simply extends the proven effectiveness of on-the-job learning beyond basic job skills to the broader area of overall performance. Effective performance coaching increases work output, improves motivation, strengthens relationships and reduces turnover.

Many coaching programs focus on developmental coaching. In this program you will learn the distinction between performance coaching and developmental coaching. Whilst leaders and managers do have an important role in performance management, this is not to be confused with other forms of coaching. In this workshop you will explore and understand the roles and goals of the manager as performance coach.

This course provides a solid foundation for effective coaching and enables you to apply performance coaching skills in your day-to-day management role. Your current concept of coaching will be challenged and expanded, and you will find ample opportunity to practise and consolidate new knowledge and skills.