Introduction

• Definition of leadership
• Leadership
  • Leadership and effectiveness
  • Leadership qualities
  • Leadership functions

Characteristics

• Introduction
  • Identifying the leader
  • Trust
  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Foresight
  • Mutual attraction
  • Relationships
  • Support
  • Empowerment
  • Credibility
  • Winner mentality
  • Leadership expansion
• Influence
  • Introduction
  • Position
  • Leadership styles for learning
  • Who?
  • How?
  • Personal traits
  • Selling
• Confidence
  • Introduction
  • Development part 1
  • Development part 2
• Personality traits
  • Personality - general
  • Personality - action
  • Myers Briggs Type Indicator
  • Myers Briggs Type Indicator uses
  • FIRO B
  • OPQ
  • Pathology
  • Style spider
  • Style spider - choices
  • Leadership styles - adverse behaviour
• Motivation
  • Introduction
  • Douglas McGregor X and Y theory
  • Abraham Maslow
  • Frederick Herzberg
  • Key problems
  • People part 1
  • People part 2
• Be positive
  • Issues and action
  • Be clever
  • When in trouble
  • Project management
  • Change management
  • Communication
  • Self discipline
  • Change
  • Attitude

Strategy

• Long term
  • Long term investment
  • Direction and vision
  • Communication
• Strategy
  • Introduction
  • Selecting
  • Recording
  • Developing
  • The schedule plan
  • Overview
  • Part of leadership
• The vision
  • Introduction
  • Preparing
  • Personalities
  • General
  • Practicality
  • Stakeholders
• Change
  • Progress
  • Problems of change
  • Freeze to freedom

Personal development

• Introduction
  • Proactivity
  • Proactive behaviour
  • Personal direction
  • Personal direction - generating ideas
  • Skill development
  • Delegation
  • Values
• Time management
  • Prioritise
  • Prioritise - basics
  • Timing
• Problem solving
  • SWOT analysis
  • Forces
  • The problem
  • Insight
  • Insight development
  • Problem solving basics part 1
  • Problem solving basics part 2
• The three C's
  • Introduction
  • Action focus part 1
  • Action focus part 2
• The emerging leader
  • Emerging leaders
  • The boss
• Training
  • Introduction
  • Selection
  • Opportunity
  • Follow the leader
  • Follow the leader - adverse behaviour
  • Chess the middle game
  • Standards

General

• Communication
  • Open questions
  • Meetings
  • Agenda
• At the top
  • Letting go
  • Continuity
  • Top of the ladder
  • Loneliness at the top part 1
  • Loneliness at the top part 2
  • The Top team
• Structure
• Life transitions
• Balance
• Open questions
• Business
  • CEO
  • Chairman
  • Mergers and acquisitions
• Leaders and managers

Top of the ladder

Nose bleed

It takes a long time to develop your leadership skills. During this process you spend much of the time looking up to good quality leaders and gazing downwards as you help and train other potential leaders. The biggest test arrives when you reach the very top.

There are no more leaders to look up to and everyone looks to you for the lead.
Suddenly you are the centre of attention and everyone hangs on your every word.
People appear to agree with your every thought. Casually mentioned activities are implemented.
You have become all powerful.

This can be very unsettling.
This can cause some problems.

Perks

Perks are easy to come by when you are right at the top. These can range from a car parking space to excessive bonuses.
One of the reasons you have become successful as a leader is the trust that you have built up over the years. It is very easy to let all of this go by getting carried away with the perks you can receive from your position.

Influence

At the top it is easy to underestimate just how big your influence is. People are easily influenced by your opinion.
This forces you to be careful of saying something out of place. You will be put on a pedestal and may find it hard to live up to your image.

Vision

You have reached the top and the perks are attractive. The business seems to be doing OK, so why change anything?
If you are a leader with no vision you and the company will just stagnate.

Knowledge

As you are now at the top of the tree you have gained a lot of knowledge but you don’t know it all.
You will have many weaknesses. It will be easy for you to give orders and just blame someone when it all goes wrong.
This is not going to win you many friends and company efficiency will be affected.
You must build a team around you that complements your own weaknesses so that the company can function more efficiency.

When you are right at the top there is no one you can turn to for advice.
The first time you know you have made a mistake could cost you your position.