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Leadership – 6 Benefits of Leadership Coaching

April 18th, 2011


Your success as a leader depends on you continually growing and developing yourself. As people climb the career ladder, it becomes more difficult to find appropriate leadership development opportunities. Experience can be gained on the job by taking on new responsibilities or challenges. Skills can be developed by attending training courses. Knowledge can be increased in a number of ways ranging from podcasts to taking some form of advanced level education such as an MBA. Developing the personal attributes and behaviours that are so vital to your success as a leader is much more challenging and this is where leadership coaching can help. So what are the 5 benefits of leadership coaching?

Benefit 1: Tailored to your needs

One of the major benefits of leadership coaching is that the programme is tailored to focus on the areas that are most important to you. We all have probably attended events where as much as 25% of the time was spent on areas where you were already highly competent or skilled. As a result, you don’t get all of the benefit you could from other areas because you become disconnected from the course.

Benefit 2: Ongoing programme

Traditional one or two day programmes are excellent in terms of increasing your knowledge and competence but you only get one chance to grab the benefit. Imagine for example you are already a good presenter but want to take your skills to the next level. You could go on a traditional training and maybe get the benefits. Alternatively, you could work with a coach who specialises in presentations over a period of time to really make the improvement you desire without the pressure of having one chance to get it right.

Benefit 3: Focus is on more than just work

A good coach will work with you to look beyond doing the job as being your route to success. For example, you know that being at your best relies on healthy eating, taking exercise and having enough sleep. A coach will help you to make powerful choices on lifestyle issues so that you achieve success as a leader.

Benefit 4: Increased self awareness

Success as a leader requires you to be self aware. You need to know where you perform best, where you need to develop, how you impact on others, how you get others to buy into your ideas and vision to name just a few. Your coach will help you to increase your self awareness so that your performance and the results that you achieve are even better than you are currently getting.

Benefit 5: Understanding your values

We all have values that are important to us. The trouble is most of us have never taken the time to determine our values, write them down and use them as a basis for decisions. As a leader you will have to take many decisions and by having clarity on your values, it becomes much easier to take decisions as you can use your values as a reference point. Coaches are highly skilled at helping people to identify and articulate their values

Benefit 6: Return on investment

The key question people often have about coaching is the return they will get from working with a coach. Extensive research has been undertaken in this area and it is estimated that the return on investment from coaching is 500 to 700%. This might seem like a huge percentage, but let us consider an example to illustrate. Imagine you are a Senior Manager in your organisation and you want to move up to the next level which is a Director. The salary increase is ?15-20,000 per year and you expect to be in that post for the next 3 years. Your extra earnings are ?45-60,000 over that period. Even if you paid ?1,000 a month for coaching for a year you still would have a return on your investment of 400 to 500%.

Coaching is not for everyone but for those who are committed to long term leadership success, it can make a huge impact.

By: Duncan Brodie

About the Author:
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with individuals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability.

With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands first hand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world.

You can learn more about Duncan, Goals and Achievements services and sign up for his free e-course and newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/



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Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Leadership – Billionaire Dr John Sperling

April 17th, 2011


This was one of sixteen well-known prominent business, political, and academic leaders on leadership, entrepreneurship and overcoming adversity, including two billionaire entrepreneurs and several mega- millionaire entrepreneurs, including: Dr. Anthony Bonanzino, Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), J. Terrence Lanni, Dr. John Malone, Angelo Mozilo, Laurence Pino, Dr. Nido Qubein, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow (Ret.), Dr. John Sperling, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar. Five internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews of the Dr. Haller’s groundbreaking leadership and entrepreneurship research and his findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Dr. John Kotter, Professor Jim Kouzes, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

Dr. Haller’s groundbreaking leadership and entrepreneurship research was been recently published by the major German firm, VDM Verlag Dr M?ller AG & CoKG. Dr. Howard Edward Haller’s book is entitled: “Leadership and Adversity: The Shaping of Prominent Leaders.” [on Amazon]

Dr. Sperling was the founder and initial Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of the Apollo Group, Inc., and is now the Chairman and Director. Apollo Group, Inc. owns and operates the University of Phoenix and several other colleges. Billionaire Dr. John Sperling was interviewed at his home in San Francisco, California.

John Sperling was born in poverty in the Ozarks. As a young child John suffered physical injury, psychological trauma, and was raised in a home where his parents were always fighting. John candidly commented that he was regularly abused by his derelict father. If fact, when John’s father died (when he was just 15 years old), John said he was “very happy.” Dr. Sperling said of his father’s death, “It was the best day of my life.” John overcame his early adversity, as well as impossible odds and facing multiple battles in his lengthy and successful entrepreneurial journey.

Professor John Sperling saw major unfulfilled educational (and business) opportunities that the traditional academic community was ignoring. He tried to work within the existing university system, but after meeting repeated resistance, Dr. Sperling literally walked away from his position as a professor at a major public university to pursue his entrepreneurial dream.

Dr. John Sperling’s very successful entrepreneurial venture, University of Phoenix, was challenged on a number of fronts because the University of Phoenix was a “for-profit” University, which the regulators believed it was educational heresy, immoral, and thought should be illegal. Sperling had to battle every educational and other regulatory body that his vehement enemies could launch against him. Dr. Sperling summed up the long list of those attacking him and the University of Phoenix, as everyone from every where, “including two regional accrediting agencies, the state legislatures in both in California and Arizona, the FBI, and various law enforcement agencies, plus multiple civil and criminal law suits.” While the journey was difficult for John, the University of Phoenix and the Apollo Group ultimately won the various battles, disproved their false charges, and was victorious in all the law suits.

In the beginning, Dr. Sperling used his fledgling company, the University of Phoenix (and it’s precursor) to help other well-established, traditional, “old school” Universities to successfully create and foster intrapreneuring ventures in adult college completion program for working adults, including bachelor’s degrees. Two of these successful intrapreneuring ventures supported by Dr. Sperling’s company, the for-profit Institute for Professional Development (prior to his creating the University of Phoenix) were done with the University of Redlands and St. Mary’s University, both these well-established and respected Universities are in California.

After relocating his firm to Arizona, and creating the University of Phoenix, Sperling began to focus his companies’ efforts into building their own brand in business bachelors’ and masters’ degrees, and other degree completion programs for adults. The University of Phoenix’s now has a full range of academic programs, including several Doctoral programs.

Dr. John Sperling’s life story is a true story of achieving the American Dream, that of being a successful entrepreneur! His life’s story is a real “Horatio Algier” story of going from poverty and parental abuse, then suffering the major regulatory and political attacks on his business from all sides, to going on to become a billionaire and accomplished entrepreneur!. John Sperling went from a semi-literate dyslexic kid, who barely graduated from high school, to someone with a master’s degree from U.C. Berkley and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.

Dr. John Sperling is a focused, driven and successful entrepreneur who created the University of Phoenix, in spite of all the major opposition from Academic Regulators, bureaucrats, politicians, traditional “non-profit” academic institutions. Dr. Sperling led the charge and took all the arrows to create a for-profit revolution in higher education. Sperlings significant early contributions to the growth on entrepreneurial ventures in creating new adult degree completion programs at established Universities has launched the growth of a wide range of adult degree completion programs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and through out the world. For more information on Dr. Sperling and his entrepreneurial journey and his entrepreneurial contributions, check out his autobiography. Dr. Sperling does an excellent did of telling his entrepreneurial story, as well as his long intense journey from extreme poverty to significant wealth in his “A Rebel with a Cause” (2000).

For full disclosure, Professor Haller taught both undergraduate business and MBA (Management, Marketing and Strategic Planning) courses (both classroom and online) for the University of Phoenix, from 2004 to 2008.

Billionaire, Dr. John Sperling, like most successful entrepreneurs, would never quit. He is still Chairman, and fully engaged in, actively running the University of Phoenix and the Apollo Group, Inc.

Dr. Haller’s upcoming entrepreneurship book and “real world” case study, which is entitled
“Entrepreneurship Success: A PRIME Example,” which is due out in late 2009.

Copyright 2009 ? Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.

By: Dr Howard Edward Haller

About the Author:
Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.
Chief Enlightenment Officer
The Leadership Success Institute
http://www.TheLeadershipSuccessInstitute.com
HowardEdwardHallerPhD@gmail.com

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D., is an accomplished serial entrepreneur, successful serial intrapreneur, seasoned senior corporate executive, university professor, university board trustee, former university board president, academic scholar, an award winning published author, screenwriter (Member of the Writer’s Guild of America, west), and Professional Speaker (Member of NSA) delivering Keynote Speeches and Seminars on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, Servant-Leadership, Leadership and Adversity, and Innovation.

Dr. Haller is currently the Chief Enlightenment Officer of The Leadership Success Institute and Executive Coach Mentor to Corporate and Non-Profit Senior Executives. He is a well-known Professional Speaker, Published Author, Entrepreneurship Mentor, Senior Executive Coach, and Intrapreneurship Coach. Professor Haller is currently active as a serial entrepreneur, involved in several ventures ranging from super high definition sign advertising to internet marketing training. Dr Haller serves on the Board of Directors of companies, including Internet Marketing Training Centers, Inc., American Realty Capital Advisors, Inc, and CPM, LLC.

Dr. Haller is the author of two published books: “Leadership and Adversity” 2008 & “Intrapreneurship Success” 2009, both published by VDM Verlag Dr Muller AG & CoKG. (available on Amazon.com)



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Leadership Studies Produce Better Managers

April 16th, 2011


The business world today highly values managers who can be leaders, and formal leadership studies will give you an edge over the competition. The first step you should take is to find good business schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities offering courses in leadership.

To earn a certificate or degree in business management commonly involves learning the foundations of leadership – its history, theory, application and development. Courses can cover topics in organizational management, including consulting, design, intervention, and evaluation. Courses can also involve subjects in communications, conflict resolution and negotiation skills.

If you are seeking to attain a business degree with an emphasis in leadership, your class subjects will be a bit more varied and in-depth than a standard certificate program; and of course, will be longer in course duration. A good business degree program will include instruction in organizational research, analysis and problem solving, effective project management and team building, sociology, and the various technological aspects of the field.

Graduates can apply their education toward numerous occupational fields that require effective leaders. Just to name a few careers requiring leadership: counselors, public speakers, managers, politicians, physicians, business entrepreneurs, and many others.

If you want to learn to be a leader, be sure you get some good leadership courses [http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/2/leadership_schools.html] under your belt. Contact colleges and universities on our website today and submit a request for more information today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on our website.

Copyright 2008 – All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

By: Michael Bustamante

About the Author:
Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Find Leadership Studies [http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/leadership_studies_schools.html], as well as Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.



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Paper Clips And Learning Through Reading

April 13th, 2011


Many a book that supposedly teaches the art of leadership simply sticks to just reheating purely theoretical research and social surveys and adding a dab of advice here and there. There’s really not a whole lot about how to lead that can be learned from those sorts of documents.

The best teacher when it comes to leadership is experience. But in today’s world, which only seems to be moving faster and faster every day (and in which, let’s face it, bosses are getting more impatient for results and less patient with those who can’t deliver or improve fast enough), you really can’t blame would-be leaders and leaders alike for wanting to be better, faster, in ways that circumvent the old experiential process of learning.

It goes without saying that the most experienced leaders- those who’ve really ‘been it’ and ‘done it’ – have quite a bit of vital experience to share about the art of leadership. And it would be good for both newbies and veterans alike to learn from these battle-scarred colleagues of theirs.

Books like Never Steal a Paper Clip are thus invaluable even for those whose interest in learning to become a leader is merely casual. They showcase lessons gleaned from real-life experiences and impart these to their readers so they can get a taste of what ‘real’ leadership is like.

Never Steal a Paper Clip adopts a novel approach in teaching how to deal with common leadership problems. It distills time-tested insights into twelve maxims or lessons, each one beginning with “Never”, to teach us what not to do in order to become great leaders. In many of them, specific examples of actual people whose experiences exemplify each maxim, those who learned the maxims ‘the hard way’, are mentioned to bring life to the point and provide specific examples.

By: Samantha Johnson

About the Author:
Samantha Johnson is the marketing manager of BusinessSummaries.com. BusinessSummaries is one of the world’s leading providers of business content for corporations and business book summaries for executives, managers and businesspersons. Cut down on reading time and still stay on top of the latest business trends and ideas from the business gurus. Visit us at http://www.bizsum.com



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Education & Technology – Then and Now

April 13th, 2011


If anyone ever wants to know whether education technology, specifically video, works in the classroom, all one has to utter in response is: “Conjunction junction, what’s your function?” or “I’m just a bill on Capitol Hill.” It’s unlikely you’ll find anyone born after 1955 that doesn’t remember at least a concept or two from the Schoolhouse Rock series that was originally produced between 1973 and 1986.

We’ve all had the experience when we hear a familiar song and immediately recall a moment from our past connected to the song. It was proven long ago, and Schoolhouse Rock is an additional testament to the fact, that when both audio and visual elements are added to educational concepts, students are engaged at a deeper level and more likely to retain that information.

In the words of Hannah, a child interviewed during a research project on how video enhances learning, “A lot of us watch TV, and we remember TV,” she said. “When the teacher tells us to read directions in a book or when she’s trying to explain things, I don’t always understand. But when she shows us, I understand it more.”

The practice of using education technology and enhancing curriculum with audio-visual elements grew rapidly during the last half of the 20th century. In the last ten years or so, however, the technology explosion has produced enhancements in communication, entertainment, and information retrieval and has sent children’s education in different directions.

In light of this, does video still have a place as part of our education technology tool set? Of course! A good educational video, whether delivered via VHS, DVD, or from a website, when used appropriately in the curriculum, still provides the following benefits:

o Appeals to Multiple Learning Styles – Different videos can explain a single concept in completely different ways which increases the likelihood of the student learning what is being taught.

o Appeals to Multiple Teaching Styles – The use of videos as part of education technology allows teachers a variety of ways to cover the curriculum.

o Connects Concepts to Applications – Teachers can use situations portrayed in the video to inspire students to come up with their own examples of the concept being taught.

o Students Gain Deeper Understanding – Students having difficulty with a particular concept can repeat viewing a video, by themselves, at their own pace, until they develop the necessary understanding.

o Attention Leads to Retention – Attentiveness increases when students are presented with concrete, visual images that are fast-paced and interesting. Naturally attentive students become more knowledgeable and perform better on assessments.

A year after the research project involving Hannah, she could still remember the concepts taught through video and the teachers were convinced student performance had improved. And, if you can remember even one of the concepts taught by Schoolhouse Rock, the case for using video is made.

By: Kimberly Stohlman

About the Author:
If you want more information on using videos in the classroom “The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the Classroom” and want to start experiencing the benefits of using video effectively in your classroom, your next step is to download a FREE copy of “The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the Classroom” right now.

The small company I work for is committed to creating quality educational videos for classroom instruction. From the earliest script stages, all subject area content, images, and music are intensely reviewed and selected for meeting appropriate grade level, curriculum objectives and standards for our proprietary productions. The videos we distribute are also screened to meet our high standards.
Teachers in the 21st century classroom will be better educators if they understand how to use multi media in their lessons, if they understand the processes that research has shown to be the most effective for improved student performance, and if they know how to find quality video resources that will enhance their lessons.

http://www.schoolvideos.com



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