What training opportunities are there for leaders?

When we manage to get promoted to a leadership position, many may conclude that this is the end of our career path – there’s no higher career level to attain, no more development no way to achieve better conditions for performing our duties. Gladly, that’s untrue. Becoming a leader does not mean that you run out of opportunities to expand both hard and soft skills, especially in the field of management. What training opportunities designed to develop leaders are worth taking? Read on to find out!

What training opportunities are there for leaders? – table of contents:

1. Leadership – a higher level of management
2. Managerial coaching – to strengthen needed skills
3. MBA studies – combining science with business
4. Leadership careers – training never ends

Leadership – a higher level of management

Over the years, the concepts of team management (leadership) style have undergone numerous changes, due to the emergence of new ways of working, the development of technology, the entry into the labor market of people with a different approach to the performance of their professional duties, etc.

Nowadays, undoubtedly, the most popular belief is that good leaders give orders, take responsibility for the results or make key decisions the ones who lead other people. Such an approach significantly expands the catalog of the leader’s duties to include, among other things, motivating, improving cooperation, and helping to find a path for each employee’s development. A good leader also provides an opportunity for empowerment by shifting some of the responsibility for results onto employees, involving them in the decision-making process.

Companies in various industries are beginning to see the benefits of changing the way they think about leadership positions. For this reason, a rich offer of leadership skills courses is developing (e.g. at universities), which are aimed at ensuring that a leader knows how to, among other things, properly manage a team, take care of the development of employees, make decisions in line with the strategic goals of the organization, or deal with situations where change is necessary. This is undoubtedly a very exciting and practical development opportunity aimed at people in managerial positions.

Managerial coaching – to strengthen needed skills

Managerial coaching is another training opportunity aimed at a narrow group of people in a managerial position. It applies to those already in this role, who care about achieving better results, as well as employees waiting for promotion, focusing on the best possible preparation for the new function. The area of coaching one will develop becomes tailored to the needs of each client – it can aim at, among other things, strengthening interpersonal skills, building one’s position as a team leader, finding a work-life balance or searching for one’s management style.

In a client-coach relationship, the goal is to work together to achieve the effect desired by the manager, but without the specialist giving ready-made solutions. The focus is primarily on the self-discovery of one’s potential and weaknesses.

Coaching also helps to find areas of a leader that need to be strengthened, and then decide to take advantage of a certain group or individual training to improve their skills. After all, even if one is a true specialist in some area of daily operations, he or she can always enhance soft skills (e.g. interpersonal, self-presentation, negotiation, public speaking, and creative thinking). This kind of training is also available for others having executive positions.

MBA studies – combining science with business

Playing the role of a leader does not take place independently of the business organization, and paid (but highly regarded for their high effectiveness) Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs offered by universities around the world are helpful in properly fulfilling this role and pursuing the organization’s strategic goals. These programs focus on providing practical business management knowledge and strengthening the hard and soft skills that every manager should possess, such as economics, managerial accounting, negotiation and team leadership. Acquiring knowledge in these areas enables you to better fulfill your role – especially when the classes are taught by business practitioners and focus on imparting the most up-to-date knowledge possible within the framework of matching the rapidly changing business reality.

What’s more, completing an MBA program opens up new paths for a leader to work in an international environment and, in some countries, to serve on supervisory boards or company boards. These studies for middle and senior executives are also valued for their extensive networking opportunities.

Leadership careers – training never ends

The catalog of opportunities for skill development (especially soft skills) aimed at those in managerial positions is broad – contrary to what one might think. Still, taking advantage of them (within the framework of matching the individual’s needs) requires managers to understand that their efforts cannot be limited only to ensuring that all employees perform their duties daily. Only those who see their limitations and take steps to become better supervisors for their team members will adequately fulfill the daily role, motivating and encouraging more people to do the same.

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