Who Do You Trust?

I recently read an article on leadership that indicated the importance of being careful who you trust regarding telling you how to lead.  The author indicated there are many people who are teaching leadership that have never had to lead a team themselves.  And I know first hand as someone that has taught leadership courses, many leaders are skeptical to take instruction from someone they perceive to be "just an educator."  Since this is a blog voicing a personal opinion, I'll weigh in on this.  

 

Are you Skeptical About Your Leadership Training?

I remember when I was a new leader (sounds like I'm getting ready to tell a story about walking barefoot in the snow to get to school) and attended leadership training courses.  I was hungry for knowledge and read as much as I could while attending as many courses as my employer would allow me to take.  I'd return from a training class and immediately implement something I had learned before I got so busy I forgot about it.  My approach to learning wasn't at all skeptical as I figured a great deal of research had probably gone into whatever information I was receiving.  


I did find however, that the longer I was in leadership, the more skeptical I became of various training courses, and more specifically, various instructors.  I began to question how their Master's Degree made them so qualified to teach this topic when they had never in their adult life led a team themselves.  Being someone that has both the education and experience I can see the value in both.

 

Beware of Bad Teachers

Education and Credentials
The thing to remember about leadership training and coaching is that these people have made it their life work to study virtually everything they can get their hands on regarding the topic of leadership.  I'm guessing if you are busy leading a team, you probably don't have time to do that.  So, these people take all the information, assimilate it and provide you information that you can choose to use or not.  These people are also educators - they know how to deliver information in a way that's interesting (hopefully) and impactful.  They know how adults learn best and are able to integrate techniques into the learning that will fascilitate the learning process.


Experienced Leaders
These are the people that have been there and done that.  They've already made the mistakes and can help you avoid a few land mines.  On the other hand, you might want to talk to a few of their employees and get their perspectives.  You'll find you can be very successful with a variety of styles.  The only draw back to the experienced leader is they aren't always so good about sharing their knowledge in a way that helps you learn.  Sometimes these people are just naturals and have a difficult time describing what it is they do in a way that you can duplicate.


Bottom Line
Take all the information you can get.  Be open to learning from anyone willing to teach and then see what works for you in your current environment.  I found that sometimes the biggest skeptics are actually the worse leaders because they aren't willing to learn.