Essential Leadership Skills for the New Manager

Did you just take over a new leadership position, or are you about to?  Is your time limited, but you need to know the essential leadership skills to make your new team successful?  If so, then this course is for you.  

As a Colonel with 26 years active duty in the U.S. Army Infantry, I have a lot of great tips, tools, and techniques to share with you about how to take charge, establish authority, lead teams, and get things done.

In this course I’ll show you the key leadership skills you need to have to lead effectively, from your first meeting with your boss, to setting your vision, and organizing your team for action.  By the end of the course you will have the leadership skills you need to lead your new team, and will be confident in your ability to take them where they need to go.

Course Design:     

This course will expose you to cornerstone concepts and skills that you can apply to your work situation immediately.  Most videos are short (6-8 minutes), get straight to the point, and include a down-loadable leadership guide that summarizes key action items, and shows you how to apply them wherever you work.

Several assignments help you apply the course material immediately, and in a way that you can use in your own personal situation.   

Course Description   

The course is divided into five modules, each with a specific focus.  The modules are arranged in a logical sequence that supports you as you take on a leadership role, from the first meeting with the boss and team, to building trust, setting team goals, and establishing a positive, productive team culture.   

Module 1:  Get Ready  

• Prepare for your first meeting with your boss and lay the groundwork for a successful working relationship

  
  

• Boost your trust levels with your team on day one; use the six components of trust to elevate trust across your team  

• Master simple non-verbal techniques that communicate your confidence to others  

• Use motion to attract and hold attention, and to add power to your spoken words  

• Downloads:  New Boss Interview Guide; Building Your Trust Account Guide  

Module 2:  Establish Authority  

• Identify competencies where you fall short and develop a plan to get smart while developing the trust of your experts  

• Engage with your team on that first day in a way that calms their anxieties, garners respect, earns trust, and sets a positive tone for the future  

• Connect with teammates in a way that grows trust, reduces fear, and helps you learn where you can have the greatest impact  

• Gain the confidence of the team with an early victory, while avoiding four common pitfalls  

• Break out of the peer group you now have to lead by using nine proven techniques; engage the support of your friends to establish yourself in the leadership role  

• Downloads: Building Competence Worksheet, Initial Team Meeting Guide, Teammate Interview Guide, Quick Win Planning Guide,  

3.  Communicate Effectively  

• Get connected with the right network of people to strengthen your leadership position  

• Employ passive and active approaches to open up communication within your team, lift the mood of meetings and encourage positive action in others  

• Improve your working relationship with your boss using nine effective approaches that will quickly mark you as one of the more mature leaders on the team  

• Downloads:  Networking Checklist, Working With the Boss  

• Accurately assess anyone’s motivational state based on five criteria, then use 18 action ideas to help them accomplish more and strengthen loyalty to the team  

• Understand the pitfalls of a coercive leadership style and how you can magnify your results with a positive approach  

• Add eight reward tools to your leadership kit that can have a greater impact than money  

• Recognize the four stages of team development and match your leadership style for the best effect; lead in a way that accelerates your team through the stages  

• Downloads:  Hierarchy of Needs Guide, Rewarding Without Cash Guide, Team Development Guide

4.   Set Direction  

• Understand the five qualities of a good vision statement, use two simple techniques to craft your own, and put it to work for your team  

• Put the power of strong goal setting skills to work for you using five criteria that will help you and your team achieve results  

• Build an effective plan to achieve your goals using a simple technique that produces specific, actionable tasks that your teammates can execute  

• Delegate with clarity and efficiency so that you keep your leadership focus clear, the work gets done, and your team gets stronger  

• Downloads:  Establishing the Vision Guide, Goals Guide, Delegation Tracker  

5.  Build the Team