Practical Leadership

Post Workshop Activities

Step In
Programme
Practical Leadership:
Step In Post Workshop Activities.

What is this about?

This document both recaps the workshop content and explores how you can continue to
develop your skills by applying what you have learnt in the workplace. As part of the Step In
programme you will need to complete the activities and review them with your mentor.

Objectives:

We will be using a blend of activities and learning content which will enable you to:

 Identify the behaviours of a role model of leadership

 Explore strategies to support you when leading in challenging situations
 Develop your understanding of Situational Leadership theory and leadership
styles
 Appreciate how coaching and delegation help you as a leader
 Embed a Continuous Feedback Culture

Which Leadership DNA strands will this support?

Communicating & Influencing: Communicates and influences openly, having a positive

impact on others.
Team Working & Leadership: Works with others to build an effective team.
Developing Self & Others: Seeks and acts upon opportunities to develop own and
other’s skills and knowledge.
Delivering Business Performance: Takes responsibility for managing self and others to
ensure targets/objectives are achieved.
Making a Difference & Managing Change: Demonstrates an openness to change and
actively looks for ways to improve performance.

A timeless leadership truth:

Great Leaders understand themselves and have a story to tell
Graham Wilson, The Success factory
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100% Authentic!
What Does Authentic Mean?

One dictionary definition is: “not false or copied, genuine, real; having origin supported by
unquestionable evidence; representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself; reliable and
trustworthy.” Rather a lot to ask!.

Very few of us know how to be authentic, let alone have the stamina to learn and integrate it. Being
authentic requires courage. A leader’s title, office, or status is only as powerful as the person who
leads. And the only way to build the brain circuitry to support social intelligence is through changing
your behaviour.

A person willing to grow in self-awareness and self-management will prune habits that undermine
their leadership–and that’s hard work!

Most people have a 'work persona' and a 'personal persona', and you’re so much more powerful
when you can bring your whole self to the work environment.

Authentic Leaders have a moral compass, take an intuitive approach, yet screen and measure
everything with logic and results.

1. We must be able to observe and lead ourselves intentionally.

2. We must model the behaviour we desire; otherwise, there is a disparity that disempowers
leadership.
3. A leader needs to be able to lead others to a higher vision of themselves, each other, and
their team

Leadership requires self-awareness. Think back to your MBTI preferences, which are all about you
being more self-aware and appreciating the differences between your own preferences and those of
others.

Reflective Activity:

How has an awareness of your MBTI preferences impacted on your leadership style?

What are you doing differently?

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The following behaviours make a Leadership Role Model:

1. Demonstrating confidence & leadership:

A good role model is always positive, calm and confident in themselves.

You don’t want someone who is negative, or down, or tries to bring you down.

2. Not being afraid of being unique:

Be proud of the person you have become

Don’t pretend to be someone you are not

Be yourself (be authentic!!)

3. Communicating & interacting with everyone

Good communication means listening as well as talking.

People are energised by leaders who explain why and where they are going. Great role model
leaders have a consistent message and business plan, repeating it over and over until everyone gets
it. They share their leadership philosophy

4. Showing respect & concern for others

You may be driven, successful and smart, but whether you choose to show respect or not speaks
volumes and will affect how others see you. People notice if you are taking them forgranted or
stepping on them to get ahead.

5. Being knowledgeable & well rounded

They are constant learners, and will challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone,
surrounding themselves with smarter people. When team members see you stretching, they learn
to stretch themselves.

6. Demonstrating humility & a willingness to make mistakes

By apologising, accepting accountability and correcting course, you are demonstrating an often
overlooked part of being a role model leader.

7. Seeking to build trust

They are comfortable with collaboration, empowerment and autonomy and know how to build
teams quickly

NB: These are some of the key leadership Behaviours……we are not talking about leadership styles
here. More of that later!
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Reflective activity

Please think of an individual whose leadership behaviours you admire.

What is it you admire about them?

How easy is it to model your own leadership behaviours on theirs, and still be authentic?

What aspects have you still to develop, and how will you do that?

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Potential Challenging Situations
Please complete the table below, scoring each situation depending how challenging you find it.

(1: Not difficult at all; 2: Somewhat Difficult; 3: Difficult; 4: Very difficult)

Situation: 1 2 3 4
Dealing with conflict

Keeping up morale and engagement

Making the hard decisions and then communicating

them
Delegating effectively but can’t because you want to feel
in control
Long term crisis management eg. Covid

Dealing with difficult people

Getting rid of ‘Silo’ working

Reflective Activity: Look at any situation you have scored ‘not difficult’:

Please give a specific example:

How did you deal with it? (Please be honest)

What could you do differently?

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Think back to the previous session ‘Communicating with Confidence’ when we looked at
Assertiveness Skills and Transactional Analysis and also Vision and Shared Purpose in Leading with
Purpose.

How can you use any of that theory to help with your reflection below?

Reflective Activity: Look at the situation you have scored the ‘most difficult’:

Please give a specific example:

How do you deal with it at the moment? (Please be honest)

What could you do differently?

Some points to remember, no matter what the situation:

• Give your team as much good information as the situation allows

• Keep them updated
• Keep them focused on what they can do, rather than what they can’t.
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This way, you can lead your team to success, rather than manage their fears!
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Tips for leading in a crisis:
Be clear and honest/ real and transparent in your communication with your team. Although not
always easy to hear, it will only strengthen them

Show empathy, and demonstrate you are listening to how your team is feeling.

It takes patience to lead in tough times

Work diligently to rally your team, each member will flag at different times, but also be human.
Your team understand that and need to see it. Allow them to feel that they are supporting you too.

Find the lessons you can learn and celebrate the wins, and successes, no matter how small

Lean into your vision and shared purpose. It’s what unites you and will help to carry you forward.

You need to role model the positivity your team are looking for. No matter how negative you might
be feeling, your team needs to see hope. Not false hope or foolish, naïve optimism but try to find the
opportunities in the challenges. In difficult times teams look to their leaders as a beacon.

Project calm! Remember fight or flight, and take deep breaths

Managing Conflict:
Of all the issues that people tend to avoid, managing conflict ranks at the top of the list. Most people
see conflict as indicative of a problem. Disagreement feels uncomfortable and threatening.
When there is no open conflict, we carry on as though things are alright, even if, deep down, we
know they are not.

If asked, most of us might say conflict is about winning and losing….getting your way at the expense
of someone else.

On the other hand, if you are someone who absolutely hates conflict, you might even say that it isn’t
really necessary because it causes more upset and problems than it solves.

Engaging with conflict:

There is one main reason to engage in conflict, and that is to reach a resolution. Without resolution,
conflict merely becomes an opportunity to recycle old arguments, disagreements and opinions.

Nothing moves forward;

Feelings get stirred up and reinforced

Engaging with it, gives a chance to get to the heart of the problem, rather than only focusing on the
surface or obvious issues.

Most conflicts have core causes and once those are addressed, engaging with conflict becomes an
option to choose, rather than run away from.
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Some tips that can help:
o Recognise it is normal! All high performing teams will have their share of conflict and
disagreements
o It is not feasible or healthy to ignore it or avoid it!
o Think about communication style when navigating through conflict situations
o It is not a sign of failure, and supressing it is not a viable option
o Take time to address interpersonal disagreements between team members, as they can
adversely affect a team’s performance and erode psychological safety. That then makes it
very difficult to have constructive disagreements about work related issues.
o Deal with it as soon as possible: otherwise it is likely to escalate
o Conflict can be very positive! It can generate new ways of looking at things

Reflective activity:

Identify any areas of conflict that need to be resolved (past or present). How can you apply
the tips above?

Please reflect on the outcome. What have you learned?

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Dealing with Difficult People:
Often we associate conflict management with the management of ‘Difficult People’……..inside our
heads. Our thoughts go round and round as we inwardly accuse the other person of all sorts of
things. We also make a long mental list of what the other person needs to change in order for there
to be less conflict.

And because we know exactly how everyone should behave around us, when they don’t, and do
things we don’t like, we’re quite capable of thinking that they are doing it deliberately!

How could they not know that what they are doing is upsetting me?

Some of the not so helpful options that we can take around conflict and difficult people:

• Avoid conflict as much as possible

• ‘Evidence collect’
• Talk to the wrong people
• Be right while the other person is wrong
• Let them have it between the eyes!

None of these strategies help in any way to resolve conflict or deal with ‘the difficult person’
effectively. They might make us feel better, or at least justified in our feelings and actions, but they
do not change the situation and will definitely make it worse.

Pause for thought!

It is essential you reflect on your own management style and the impact your
behaviour has on others.

Please think about a member of your team who you experience as difficult.

What is it they are doing that is triggering those feelings?

How much of what you are doing is the cause of their behaviour?
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Other points to consider:

It’s you! Not them!

If you find someone rubs you up the wrong way, someone you find really difficult to deal with, then
it is almost certainly about you and not them! Look to yourself first, instead of immediately placing
the blame on him or her for being difficult…..and wanting them to change to make it better for you!

You are responsible for how you feel, not them!

If you make them responsible for how you are feeling, you are giving a lot of your power away, and
are in grave danger of making yourself a victim. And in those circumstances they are in control of
the relationship, whether they know it or not.

Yes, there are people who bully, and take every opportunity to humiliate you or someone else, but
you can still choose to be a victim, or you can take charge of the relationship, and manage them,
instead of letting them manage you.

When it comes to difficult people, it is entirely subjective. It is worth you considering that there are
people out there who find you as ‘difficult’ as you find your ‘difficult person!

The good news is that you have the power to change the communication, and by that I mean change
what you do and what you say. What you do, what you say and how you say it will all create changes
in the dynamic between you and the other person.

Things you could try:

• Work out what is really going on
• Deal with things as they arise
• Avoid blaming
• Build bridges
• Set clear boundaries
• You don’t have to go it alone
• Stop colluding
• Walk away

You are always going to have difficult people in your life. You will find people difficult and someone
else will find you difficult, but with a bit of practice, you can ensure that they don’t rule your life,
your thoughts and your feelings!

Change comes from you!

There is an excellent guide you can download for free from cipd.co.uk called:
A Guide to Dealing with Conflict at Work

Amongst its key takeaways are:

• Managing Conflict is an integral part of your role as a manager.
• Good people management is fundamental to fostering positive working relationships.
• It’s about good communication, and providing ongoing feedback, effective coaching and
development.
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And remember, BHC has some excellent guidance on the processes you should be using in
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performance management situations.

The Skill/Will Matrix: (From ‘The Tao of Coaching’ – Max Landsberg)

Guide: Delegate:
Lacks skill needed, Skilled, confident &
but confident & willing
willing
Will

Direct: Inspire:
Lacks skill needed, & Has the skill needed,
confidence & but lacks confidence
motivation

Skill

This matrix/model demonstrates how you will need to flex your leadership style, depending on
which quadrant the individual is in.

Ultimately you will be working to move folk up into the top outer quadrant: Delegating

Vertical axis – low will to high will (enthusiasm/confidence)

Horizontal axis – low skill to high skill (ability)

Directing: could be new staff member, person in new job role – flag up importance of a good
induction here, to highlight expectations

Guiding: your people with potential, but perhaps a little over confident in their abilities. Involve
them and guide them, without squashing their enthusiasm

Inspiring: find out why confidence or motivation is low, and remind them of ability, and help them to
re-engage with the shared purpose

Delegating: where you want your people to be

Will equates to confidence and or motivation. Both are more difficult to build than skill. You must
decide how much direction and how much support to match level of skill/ability and confidence/
will.

The following activity is inviting you to look at the individuals within your team, and identify which of
the four quadrants they are in from a skill/will perspective. By doing this you will be able to assess
what kind of direction, guidance or support will be most appropriate.
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Which quadrant?

Direct:

What do you need to do to support these individuals more effectively?

Guide:

What do you need to do to support these individuals more effectively?

Inspire:

What do you need to do to support these individuals more effectively?

Delegate:

What do you need to do to support these individuals more effectively?

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Ten Delegating Tips
Here are ten delegating tips that will save you time and get you the help you need:
1. Ask For Help
That means asking for help, don't demand.

2. Clear Purpose
Make sure the person has a clear picture of the purpose of any delegated work and knows what
kind of results you expect. Take the time to talk it through, explaining specifically what you're
looking for. Encourage questions.

3. Give Information
Give the person all the information and other resources they'll need to complete the project.

4. Set Realistic Deadlines

Set a realistic deadline that's agreeable and workable for both of you.

5. Be Available
Keep yourself available for questions and when necessary, ask for periodic progress reports.

6. Offer Help and Assistance

Don't assume a person will be able to complete a delegated task without any additional help or
assistance from you.

7. Have a Good Attitude

Never give a person a task you yourself aren't familiar with. And, don't toss a pile of papers on
somebody's desk at 5 PM and say, "I want this done by tomorrow morning." This can be grounds for
mutiny.

8. Encourage Initiative
Give the person the opportunity to be imaginative and take the initiative.

9. Give Praise
When the project has been completed, give lots of praise and credit for a job well done.

10. Keep track of delegated work

Delegating a job to someone else doesn't mean you can forget about it. Put the person's initials
next to the item on your things-to-do list and enter the deadline you've both agreed upon on your
calendar.

Development Activity:

Please identify an activity or task that could meaningfully delegate to a member of your team:
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Bearing in mind the top tips mentioned, how are you going to successfully delegate this? What
are the steps you will need to take?

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Please reflect on what the outcome was?

What are the 3 main things you have learned?

What will you do differently next time?

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 Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own
performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching
them……it is a facilitative approach.
John Whitmore, 1992

The GROW Model (another acronym) was devised by John Whitmore, and is a wonderfully simple
cycle/structure to support any coaching discussions you have. You can change the ‘we’ to ‘you’.

There are different sorts of questions to support the coaching approach:

Closed: can be answered with a yes or no (Good for fact finding)

Open: cannot be answered with a yes or no (Begin with how, where, when, what)
Questions of clarification:
 What do you think the main issue is?
 What do you mean by…….?
Questions that probe assumptions:
 What are you assuming?
 When is that the case?
Questions that probe reasons:
 How do you know that?
 What difference does that make?
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Hypothetical: …..if you were able to do that, what would it look like? (Good for expanding thinking)
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Development Activity:

Please have a coaching discussion with a team member using the GROW Model as the
supporting structure.

What did you notice about the discussion?

What was the outcome?

What have you learned? 18

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Remember the Cycle of Competence/Incompetence!

Unconscious incompetence requires feedback, to raise awareness

Once we are aware, we can choose the appropriate development to move us up to conscious
competence.

Now consciously competent, the danger will be that we become so used to our competence, we
stop thinking about what we are doing and slide back down to being unconsciously incompetent!

Reflective Activity:

Please give a specific example of how this cycle has applied to a situation of your own.

What can you do to minimise the risk of becoming unconsciously incompetent?

Pause for thought:

Feedback makes us ‘aware’
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Coaching makes us ‘Self-aware’

Summary of what a Continuous Feedback Culture is, and it’s benefits:
Continuous Feedback is:

• Integral to performance management and employee engagement.

• Continuous feedback practices play an important role in increasing employee productivity.

Some companies follow annual performance reviews, but then may have a problem with
employee engagement because there is no frequent communication happening among the
employees and the managers. Goals are reviewed only on an annual basis.

• Continuous feedback paves the way for learning opportunities, so that employees can
constantly try to improve their capabilities and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Managers will get to know what strategies work best and what don’t.

Benefits:

Employee engagement
Continuous feedback drives employee engagement by making it more employee centric and growth
driven. Continuous conversations help in terms of providing constructive feedback to employees and
motivate them to learn and grow. Employees can share their ideas and get guidance from their
superiors when they face issues. Continuous feedback acts as a platform through which employees
as well as managers can monitor their progress on employee goals.
This builds trust between employees and managers.

Goal management
With continuous feedback, organisations can drive high performance by reviewing goals on a real-
time basis. Moreover, continuous feedback helps in measuring goals periodically, leading to a high-
performing work culture and healthy goal management. With continuous feedback, managers can
set SMART goals with employees and communicate the business objectives.

Collaboration
Continuous feedback improves peer recognition. Peers can give instant feedback to the others and
appreciate them. This creates a positive feedback culture where everyone collaborates with each
other and works towards their company’s objectives. Moreover, peers can help each other when
an employee faces issues fulfilling those goals.

Employee recognition
Bringing in employee appreciation and peer recognition will instantly lead to employees feeling
valued and motivated to contribute more to the organisation. When we bring in recognition
through continuous feedback, it ensures that the workplace culture is fun.

Employee Development
Employees can work on their interpersonal skills and the skills required for their job. This happens
through feedback received from managers and peers. Feedback helps employees get an overall
perspective about themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and can be used as an opportunity to
learn.

Continuous performance
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Performance reviews, accompanied with continuous feedback, help employees to track their
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progress on their goals on a regular basis.

 Development Activity:

What steps are you going to take to embed a continuous feedback culture within your
Home/Hospital?

The next page has some prompter questions for you to think about and discuss with your mentor,
followed by the Mentor Sign-off sheet

We would be grateful if you would scan the QR code below, and answer the short Survey Monkey
Evaluation. Your feedback is very import to us  Thankyou
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Step In Post Workshop Activities

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https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QYFWZHZ
Mentee Review Prompter Questions

How can you show your line manager or mentor what you have
learnt and how you have developed?
Use the following prompts to discuss what you have learnt and how you have developed
your leadership behaviours:
Behaviours of a Role Model of Leadership:
 What I am going to do more of to demonstrate these:

 What effective behaviours am I going to demonstrate when

o Leading in a crisis
o Dealing with conflict
o Dealing with difficult people

Situational Leadership and Skill/Will Matrix:

 What it is and how I am going to flex my leadership style (give examples):

Delegation:
 How I am going to delegate more effectively

Coaching:
 How/who am I going to coach?

Continuous Feedback Culture:

 How I am going to embed this further within our Home/Hospital?

My personal development outcomes:

 The results I have achieved so far:

 Further development identified:

This is how I will continue to develop my leadership skills:

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 Mentor Sign-Off

Practical Leadership

Name - Mentor

Name - Mentee

Please Note: this must only be signed off when you are satisfied your
mentee is applying their new skills in the workplace

Start Date Sign-Off Date

Sign-Off Checklist

□ Are you satisfied they have met the learning objectives?

□ Are you satisfied the required activities have been completed?
□ Have you observed any of the skills being used in the workplace?
□ Has the mentee identified areas for further development?

Please forward completed Sign-Off Form to:

Leadership.Facilitator@Barchester.com

Thank you 
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