Three Things Leaders Really Do.

In today's complex and fast-moving world change is inevitable. Change comes at a fast pace, requiring leaders to cope and manage it in order for their organizations to survive and remain competitive. The more change there is, the more leadership is needed.

According to John P. Kotter, author of What Leaders Really Do, both management and leaders must make decisions and develop relationships in order to accomplish what they want. Each must ensure that employees get the job done, but each one accomplishes this in a different way. According to Kogger:

Managers plan, budget and set targets. Leaders create a vision and articulate it in a way that is compelling and establishes followership.
Managers organize, staff, delegate and monitor. Leaders align a person, which requires strong communication skills to articulate the vision in a way that inspires people to follow.
Managers monitor results, plan, organize, control and solve problems. Leaders achieve the vision by motivating and inspiring others, appealing to their needs, values and emotions.

While these three skills are essential, strong leaders must go beyond them in order to be effective. They have to remove confusion, establish clarity and set a clear direction.
They must combine their sense of direction with a powerful self-confidence, overcoming paralysis.

With a sense of direction and self-confidence they must possess the skills and essential tools to keep moving forward. They do this by leading through conflict, hiring the best people, providing feedback, delegating authority effectively and creating accountability.

But all these skills can go by the wayside if leaders don't have stamina and vitality. Leaders who lack the energy can become unbalanced and burn out, causing undue pressure on their organization and their personal lives.

Helping leaders become fit to lead their organization is the purpose of the Institute for Leadership Fitness™. The Institute provides aspiring and high-potential leaders with a unique and integrated leadership development experience. Combining tool-based workshops, professional coaching and leadership assessments, the Institute introduce new tools in each of the four components of leadership fitness: clarity, confidence, effectiveness and vitality.

Participants attend four full-day workshops, one every 90 days, during which they are introduced to 16 different tools and processes over the course of a 12-month period. In addition to the four skill-building workshops, each participating leader is assigned an executive coach with whom he or she works throughout the program to create and execute a customized development plan. Three leadership assessments and access to The Leadership Fit� Online are also part of the Institute. Over 250 leaders have already benefited from this 12-month leadership development program.

As a Certified Leadership Fitness Coach and Authorized Licensee of the Institute for Leadership Fitness™, I am pleased to announce the next Institute for Leadership Fitness™ in Phoenix, beginning September 15, 2011. We invite you to begin your journey on the path to leadership fitness! Call or email me with any questions you have about our program and how you can enroll and start your path to Leadership Fitness.

Thanks and take care,
Signature

Danny Valenzuela

Associate Certified Coach (ACC)

Certified Leadership Fitness Coach