Frequently asked questions

To some extent the traits required to be a successful leader exist within all of us. Naturally more so in some, but the ‘leadership gene’ is also nurtured through life experiences and the influence of role models.

Our research shows that leadership can be developed through new experiences, raised awareness and coaching. Like any skill, leadership must be practiced, it’s an art that can be learned through evidence-based coaching and development activity.

As leadership coaches and consultants, we spend a great deal of time in conversations with business leaders across a variety of industries. We know how vital it is that leaders first pay attention to their own development in five specific leadership practices.

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model has evolved over three decades, and is still evolving. Over 1.3 million surveys have been analysed, and over 500 dissertations and research projects have been based on The Five Practices.

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model has been measured and validated by the Leadership Practices Inventory – one of the most widely used leadership assessment tools. Ongoing research confirms that leaders who engage in The Five Practices are more effective and more successful.

Leaders set direction, strengthen others, and find new ways to take their business forward. But none of this has impact if people don’t believe their leader is credible.  They simply won’t follow and will take their talent elsewhere.

Talented employees only choose to engage with leaders who make genuine and human connections with them – leadership is a relationship.

People want to work for leaders who they can trust, whose perspective they value, who are open-minded and who do what they say they will do.

The best leaders create great workplaces and the context for talented employees to do their best work.

Our research shows that leadership behaviour accounts for 87% of why employees feel engaged at work. This emotional commitment drives effort. Corporate executive board research tells us the search for a high performing work force is synonymous with the search for emotional commitment.

The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) meets rigorous criteria for psychometric testing, making us confident that it us understand what it takes to be an effective leader.

Studies also confirm the relationship between The Five Practices and measurable outcomes like satisfaction, employee commitment, and sales performance.

Research shows the effectiveness of leadership coaching is not so much a matter of techniques or approach; it’s linked to the quality of the relationship between coach and coachee.

In our experience the client–coach relationship is the key factor in how results are achieved. This is why we invest so much time in developing our coaches to truly understand the nature of leadership, The Leadership Challenge model, and the importance of fostering relationships based on trust.

In short, our coaches have lived and operated in the real world.

Organisational change begins with individuals changing their behaviour. For real change to occur there needs to be both personal and organisational commitment – individual change is at the heart of positivity in business.

Many organisational change programmes don’t appear to take into account the idea that some of the leadership team may themselves be resistant to change. They may not even be aware of the problem, or see themselves as part of the problem. Our coaching addresses this.

Leaders, facing the unfamiliar challenges of profound change, may need coaching more than anyone else.

This is because the most senior people in organisations are under huge pressure and will have little time to devote to developing key members of their senior team. Those they put in charge of driving the required change might not share the chief executive’s vision.

One role of our coaches is to help leaders who resist change but are responsible for leading that change as a member of an executive group.

Becoming a facilitator is the first step to building your skills and expertise in delivering The Leadership Challenge Workshop to participants and delegates.

If you’re interested in achieving the highest level of proficiency in all aspects of The Leadership Challenge, we invite you to find out more about becoming part of our Certified Masters community.

In our experience the best facilitators and coaches are learners themselves. They challenge themselves to be the best they can, and achieve this with the support of others. It takes a real sense of personal commitment to push yourself to grow and challenge yourself to develop mastery.