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5 Ways to Improve Your Team’s Performance

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5 Ways to Improve Your Team’s Performance

There are countless factors that affect performance, and as many methods of gauging the direct impact of those factors. For teams to reap the full benefits of performance assessment, leaders must first establish a set of criteria by which performance can be measured. Identifying and assessing only those factors that are a high priority to your team, allows you to address the most pressing concerns first. In focusing on a select few elements of performance, a much more accurate picture of their impact can be seen.

Right People in the Right Role

High performing teams are composed of individuals who fit seamlessly together. Their skills and capabilities complement one another, allowing them to support each other in achieving common objectives. There are a number of tools that can help in assessing a team’s ‘best fit’. Whether that focus is on individual styles of thinking or approaches to work, the key to both team and organisational success lies in the ability of people to work effectively together. This can only occur when individuals understand their unique contribution and apply those insights to enact change.

Align Your Values

Leadership development training is most successful when teams understand the values that drive them as both individuals and as a  group. Doing so enables leaders to recognise the factors that limit performance and prevent them from reaching their full potential. A team with strongly aligned goals and values are able to make better decisions and overcome challenges far more effectively.

“A team with strongly aligned goals and values are able to make better decisions and overcome challenges far more effectively.”

Create Accountability

The best leadership assessment tools provide teams with the opportunity to reflect on their past performance and identify areas that have limited or contributed to their success. This can be a self-assessment or peer review of performance – ideally, a combination of the two methods is recommended to reveal a more comprehensive and unbiased insight. By holding themselves accountable, teams become better at identifying strengths and leveraging them for greater performance outcomes.

Building Competencies

Identifying key strengths and limitations provides a basis from which teams can further develop their skill sets. Measuring your team’s current capabilities against their aspirational performance goals enables you to concentrate development efforts in the areas that will result in the most benefit for the team and the organisation in the long-term.

Building Effective Goal Setting

When it comes to assessing for high performance, it is useful to set specific targets that can be measured over time. These are different to aspirational performance goals that typically are worked  towards over longer periods of time and where success is measured by progress made. Specific targets are often tied to current projects and have a stricter time frame. Incorporating both types of goal setting can give your team a more tangible measure of performance as they progress towards those aspirational targets.

When looking to improve team performance overall, it is important to understand the current position your team is in. Determining if individuals are in their optimal role, aligned in their values, and regularly measuring their progress can have a significant impact on performance and success. High performance team programs must always begin with an analysis of the current status quo, even when we may already be aware of existing issues. It is only by doing so that we can understand the way forward in a complete and sustainable manner.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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5 Ways to Improve Your Team’s Performance

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3 Characteristics of Effective Leadership Teams

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3 Characteristics of Effective Leadership Teams

ParagraExecutive teams are integral to providing strategic and operational leadership to an organisation. They guide their teams towards achieving goals, developing strategies and overseeing their implementation. An effective leadership team is able to do this by modelling behaviours and setting the cultural standard of the company. The collective functionality of executive teams is rarely prioritised over their strategic role. For organisations that get it right, performance increases at every level and provides a significant competitive advantage.

Authentic Interaction

High performance teams are incredibly intentional in how they interact with one another. Their differences are valued and respected, allowing for more effective communication. They often seek feedback from one another and trust in each other’s expertise and capabilities. Establishing clear expectations for how teams handle difficult conversations is critical to developing effective leadership. 


In addition to having strong communication skills, executive team members must be comfortable being honest and vulnerable. When leaders show up with authenticity, they engage with others on a much more personal level. They demonstrate their dedication to the work and loyalty to one another by driving each other to reach their full potential.

“No individual is solely accountable for the success of the whole team. If objectives aren’t met, the team must address the cause and decide how to correct it or prevent it in the future.

Take Accountability

The most effective leadership teams do not shy away from accountability, from both within the team and others in the organisation. They establish clear expectations around what they need to do, communicate them frequently, and review their progress regularly. Each person on a high performance team understands the necessity of taking personal accountability for their role and why that is important for ensuring team accountability.


Participating in leadership training for performance accountability can help teams to build their collective mindset. While each individual has their own responsibilities within the team, understanding how those responsibilities align with the rest of the team drives greater engagement with common objectives. No individual is solely accountable for the success of the whole team. If objectives aren’t met, the team must address the cause and decide how to correct it or prevent it in the future.

Collective Mindset

High performing leaders function collaboratively, taking an enterprise-wide perspective on their operations both individually and as a team. They serve as role models for the entire organisation in terms of breaking down silos and developing solutions to problems the business faces. Individuals on high performing executive teams put the organisation’s interests ahead of their personal gains.


Executive positions represent a new challenge for leaders to continue to learn and grow. The best leadership development programs enable participants to engage in better performance conversations that result in more opportunities for individual and collective growth. When leadership teams maintain this mindset they are able to drive value beyond the expected level of performance.

Effective leadership teams lead by example. They set expectations by demonstrating desired behaviours themselves. Through high performance training programs, they improve their functionality and set the standard for others to follow. When executive teams are operating at their full potential, performance increases throughout the organisation.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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3 Characteristics of Effective Leadership Teams

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Why Diversity is Important for High Performance

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Why Diversity is Important for High Performance

In bringing individuals together from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, high performing teams offer a broader range of perspectives when it comes to approaching challenges. For this reason, it is important to prioritise diversity when developing high performing teams. Cultivating well-rounded teams creates opportunities for individuals to learn from and about one another, enhancing their personal and collective performance.

Encourages Creative Innovation

If your team is struggling with performance or has reached a point of stagnation, introducing a fresh perspective may help to get them back on track. Diversifying the work styles and thinking preferences of your team can inspire new ideas and encourage innovation. The HBDI® can be a useful tool in understanding the thinking preferences of your team members, the impact it has on their role and how it affects the way they work together. Used as part of leadership development training, teams learn to recognise different thinking preferences and how to use their understanding of them to work more effectively. When teams are able to draw on the capabilities of each style of thinking, problem-solving discussions become more productive as you ensure that the issue is considered in all aspects. This approach often results in more creative thinking and holistic solutions.

One of the challenges of leading high performing teams is establishing a team with a balance of complementary skills and abilities. By broadening the talent pool to include individuals with varied backgrounds, you can harness the talents and experiences that come with different worldviews. This encourages teams to challenge their thinking and expands their collective knowledge and capabilities.

Improved Employee Retention

For companies that operate in a global marketplace, and those that aspire to, having a diverse range of cultures represented within the workplace exposes teams to the nuances of an international market. In advocating for workplace inclusivity you create a much more accepting environment. Teams with greater intersectionality often experience higher levels of camaraderie and cooperation. Such traits are necessary when training to drive performance. Without them, teams tend to lack engagement, motivation, and productivity.

Companies with higher diversity in the workplace are perceived as being more inclusive of different attributes and perspectives. This abstract, yet vital trait can provide your team members with a tangible sense of acceptance and worth. Employees who feel accepted and valued are more likely to be happier in general and desire to stay with your company for a longer period of time.

“Companies with higher diversity in the workplace are perceived as being more inclusive of differing attributes and perspectives.”

Building a diverse workplace allows you to bring out the best in your employees and empowers them to meet their full potential. High performing team programs that engage individuals in a greater range of perspectives, improves their ability to work cohesively and face challenges. Your workplace will benefit as a result, by encouraging innovation, job satisfaction, stronger connections, and better performance.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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Why Diversity is Important for High Performance

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High Performance in Leadership Teams

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High Performance in Leadership Teams

To deal with expanding challenges, greater complexity, and uncertain situations, every organisation is becoming more reliant on better teamwork. The need for collaborative processes across all levels of an organisation has never been greater. We are seeing more and more businesses recognise the value and benefits of implementing high performance development training at the top levels. When senior leaders are able to work in collaboration and alignment with one another, cohesion improves throughout the entire organisation.

Understanding High Performance Leadership

High performance teams consist of individuals with complimentary skills that excel at what they do collectively by making optimal use of each person’s capabilities. They are aligned in their goals and committed to achieving a shared vision. Leading high performance teams focuses on communicating that vision to direct reports and supporting them in meeting objectives. Similarly, high performance leadership aims to engage senior leaders with the greater objectives of the organisation and encourage collaboration between departments in order to achieve those goals.


Developing high performance teams at the senior level ensures that broader business objectives are communicated consistently throughout the organisation. In doing so, you instil a ‘team-first’ mentality and sense of community within your employees. Team members who have an ‘every person for themselves’ approach may function well as individuals, but struggle to succeed as a group. The combined impact of a team is far greater than the sum of its individual contributions. A team’s abilities and experience must complement one another, and ideas improve when discussed.

“Team members who have an ‘every person for themselves’ approach may function well as individuals, but struggle to succeed as a group.”

The most effective teams continue to succeed because of the deep trust and mutual respect their members share. This allows them to be creative in problem solving, make high quality decisions, and accomplish results efficiently with few distractions or frustrations. The best leadership development programs will spend considerable time strengthening the personal connections between team members. Leadership teams with strong, trusting relationships repeatedly perform well by relying on one another to achieve what needs to be done and offering support to ensure collective success.

Building high performance in leadership teams fosters a deeper sense of unity and commitment between different departments. This allows for greater outcomes to be achieved by the organisation as a whole. Leadership training for performance does not only benefit the teams that take part. Time and again, we see that investing in creating stronger, more cohesive leadership teams improves performance at every level. Having the support of other leaders and their team’s capabilities, and reciprocating in kind, encourages stronger performance of one’s own. 

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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High Performance in Leadership Teams

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The Long-Term Impact of Developing High Performance Teams

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The Long-Term Impact of Developing High Performance Teams

We often talk about the importance and  benefits of high performance teams for growth and success. In a perpetually changing world, professional development needs to be constantly pursued and prioritised. The impact of developing high performance teams can be both far-reaching and long lasting.

Greater Employee Engagement

Inspired action and ensuring that direct reports can buy into the vision are some of the most important aspects of leading high performance teams. Leaders who are able to capture their team’s collective imagination and motivate them to be more creative problem solvers and innovators, see greater quality output more consistently. Effective leadership development training incorporates the strategy of the business and addresses the limitations that can keep teams from achieving their full potential. By creating leaders who are capable communicators of strategy and motivators, organisations cultivate an environment that drives performance at all levels. 


When employees are engaged with their work and how it aligns with the goals of the organisation, they become more empowered to achieve greater results. Providing opportunities for teams to build upon their strengths and fill skills gaps, allows them to have a more meaningful influence in shaping the processes they use daily. In having a complete understanding of the objectives of the organisation, teams can take ownership of the role they play in reaching those goals.  They establish a personal commitment to them and have an increased dedication to seeing them through.

Deeper Connection and Cooperation

One of the greatest advantages of sustaining high performance teams is that their members experience a larger diversity of knowledge and ideas. They learn to operate cohesively in a highly demanding environment. When there is a lack of cohesion, it causes undue stress and tension between team members and negatively affects performance. There is a necessity of support and cooperation in order to achieve a strong performance and meet targets.

The best leadership development programs include a focus on strengthening the personal relationships within teams. Teams that succeed consistently are respectful of each other’s differences and value the contributions they make. They also tend to be more committed to goals and have a deeper sense of unity that often translates into increased performance. It is this camaraderie that makes high performing teams so attractive to others and why those in them are so unwilling to leave. When a team works well together, particularly when under increased stress, their potential for success is greater.

“When there is a lack of cohesion, it causes undue stress and tension between team members and negatively affects performance.”


Setting teams up for success is a high priority in any development endeavour. The longevity of their success depends on their ability to connect with their objectives and one another. Effective leaders understand the importance of fostering these connections. Inspiring their teams to work collaboratively in service of common goals they’re passionate about, results in higher levels of dedication and performance.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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The Long-Term Impact of Developing High Performance Teams

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The Role of Leaders in High Performance Teams

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The Role of Leaders in High Performance Teams

The collaborative and dedicated nature of high performance teams are key contributors that make them so desirable to have and be a part of. Individuals within these teams possess complementary skills, aligned with the object of fulfilling  shared goals. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that those goals are met, but that is far from the most important role they play in promoting the success of their team.

Provide Support

The focus of high performance leadership is establishing an environment of open communication, trust, and innovation. Cultivating a high performance culture fosters inclusivity, where the contributions of each team member are recognized. Leaders who support and celebrate the efforts being made by their team encourages creativity in performance that results in greater levels of success. They recognise the importance of nurturing talent and provide opportunities for development through high performance team programs. Employee development in succession planning contributes to higher levels of retention and future performance.

Mitigate Conflict

There is no way for even the best teams to operate without occasionally experiencing conflict. While some conflict can be productive, when it becomes disruptive, leaders must step in. Effective leaders are prepared to assist their team in resolving disputes as swiftly as possible. To keep their teams focused and on-task, leaders know that any conflict that arises must be constructive. Conflict management through executive leadership training, can help leaders and teams resolve larger disputes while instilling the skills to do so themselves. Recentering conversations towards solving problems helps foster relationships and unity among team members.

Future Focused

When developing high performance teams, leaders must carefully balance the immediate needs of the business with aspirational targets and goals. Teams are often created with leadership development potential in mind. Observing the skills and behaviours of teams allows leaders to identify high potential talent and provide opportunities for growth and to enhance performance. Training high performance teams in skills that serve their development and prepare them for career advancement, ensures that organisations have the means to continue to succeed as they expand their growth.

The role of leaders in high performance teams can never be reduced to a singular task. They are responsible for ensuring their team’s success while providing space for them to develop the skills they will need as they progress through the organisation. Leaders of the best high performance teams often take a back seat and only step in to offer guidance or support when necessary. 


For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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The Role of Leaders in High Performance Teams

Why Do You Need a High Performing Team in 2026?

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Why Do You Need a High Performing Team In 2026?

Updated November 2026. Originally written by Loren Pettigrew.

HPT ASSESSMENT

Why do you need a high performing team more than ever in 2026? And is the recipe to success different in our current climate? 

Is it because the “great resignation” is here and people have had time to think about what they really want and need from a job? Is it because the competition is bigger, bolder, and brighter? Is it because when we lose our top talent, it costs us a lot more than the loss of IP and hiring and training that new team member? 

It is all of these things and more. The landscape has changed and the need for businesses to perform is more important now, than ever. 

The disruption of basically everything to do with the way we work over the last few years is undeniable, but has it actually changed the fundamentals of building, driving and retaining a team of high performers? I’d like to say no! The modality has changed a little but the underlying principles of getting a group of people to overachieve together and drive high performance has not changed. The same as the principles of a great leader and how to create a great culture have not actually changed in this upside-down world. 

Our teams need great leadership more than ever. People are tired and there is some fragility within the ranks. The cost of losing good people and not achieving our targets and strategic goals feels higher, but the rules and the methods we need to use, have not. 

Yes, we have new technology, distributed workplaces, virtual meetings, and far less physical time in an office with our teams, but human behaviour and patterns have not changed! That is why some of our favourite leadership books from the early 1900’s are still full of gold, and current in 2026. 

There are patterns that we see within high performing teams that we know drive their performance. We work with 1000’s of them across the globe. In fact, we are working with a couple of teams at the moment who have the direct opposite of what I am about to list and, as you would expect, they have the correlating organisational under performance. 

Before we start on that take this assessment to see where your team is sitting: 

High performing team scorecard

Don’t worry, we won’t spam you, we will simply send you your results! It’s interesting to stop and look at where your team and business is currently compared to where you aspire to be. This assessment is the foundation of the work we do with teams, who are trying to go from good to great. The results show us the team alignment and the aspirations of the group. This identifies how much work we have to do to build their performance. 

The Discovery Survey also shows us the level of trust within a team and how aligned they are. We get visibility of the disparity between rankings which identifies the key areas for the team to work on. Those are two of the key components of a successful high-performing team, Trust & Alignment. 

Trust

Trust is a fundamental component of not only high-performing teams, but of any successful business. There is not one team that we have worked with that would not experience an increase in profitability if they increased their levels of trust. Surprisingly, it is one of the things that we find is consistently put at risk by questionable behaviours from leaders, often without knowledge of the impact of their actions. The number of books, articles and strategies around the speed of trust is in the millions and there is a very sound reason for it. 

When there is a lack of trust, it is almost impossible to create sustainable change in a team until trust is built. Mistrust and the assumptions of ill intent more than triple the time it takes to embed new initiatives and “turn the ship” if you will. 

High trust allows for real and robust discussion, smooth execution, far fewer disruptions to delivering results, happier staff, less HR issues and a lower attrition rate. The upside of these things is higher revenue, more time to achieve proactive and strategic objectives and less time in the reactive ‘fire fighting’ space. 

How can you increase trust in your team today? 

  • Have a leadership team that displays consistent behaviours 
  • Have clear communication and transparency 
  • See things and say things, accepting poor behaviour is a quick way to lose the trust of your other team members
  • Do what you say you will, when you say you will, sounds simple but it’s not always! 
  • Set agreed team behaviours 
  • Make sure your mission, vision and values have behaviours with them and they are talked about. They are not just a poster on the wall.

Alignment 

This word is slightly overused just like “un-precedented” and “pivot” over the last few years but it is on point! The teams that achieve greatness and growth, all have high levels of alignment at every level. 

Alignment creates clarity, increases productivity and contribution within teams. Alignment on where they want to get to, how you will get there, and what is involved. 

We wanted to share the model that we often use to define and drive high performance. 

The Integrated Leadership Development Model firstly invites consideration of the ‘field of play’ or Context in which effective leadership is required. This helps to gain clarity about the reality of the organisation, team(s) and their leaders, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and an articulation of its short and long-term aspirations.Once Clarity has been established, Capability must be built to fit. Finally, Contribution means the leader(s) and team(s) contribute in a meaningful and constructive way towards the strategy, the achievement of business results and a focus on people.

How can you increase alignment in your team today? 

  1. Engage in robust discussions to (truly) understand the current situation, including an internal and external perspective.
  2. To borrow a terms from Susan Scott (author of Fierce Conversations), take the time to ‘interrorgate reality’. Don’t make assumptions about what people are thinking or feeling! 
  3. Discuss and agree on an aspirational and exciting future.
  4. Create a strategic and operational plan on how to bridge today with the future aspiration.
  5. Work to create clarity – every day.
  6. Build the capability to get there.
  7. Reward, acknowledge and hold people accountable for their contribution to realising the aspiration.
  8. Build a requisite amount of safety and trust to achieve the above. Otherwise, your conversations and outcomes will be more fantasy than fact.

Wishing you and your team an awesome 2026, full of overachievement and enjoyable work days! 

If you would like to discuss how we can support you and your team to go from ‘good to great’  you can book a meeting with one of our Business Engagement team here:

Book a Consultation

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Why Do You Need a High Performing Team in 2026?

Identifying High Performers

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Identifying High Performers

When building high performance teams, selecting the right people and creating the best fit can be a difficult task. Without having the right framework in place, you risk bringing together a group of people who are unable to work collaboratively, or require hands-on management. Knowing what traits and skills you require of your team is useful in this process. Leadership assessment and profiling allows you to gain a deeper understanding of an individual’s capabilities and performance. This is often a good indication that they will have the necessary qualities desired in high performance teams.

Assessment and Profiling

High performers set themselves apart from others by delivering consistently strong results and often exceeding expectations. This makes performance assessment relatively simple, as there are specific metrics or behaviours that can be measured. Where profiling tools provide an added benefit is in gaining insight into how personality contributes to performance and collaboration. The Hogan assessments reveal an individual’s preferences for how they approach work, how they best interact with others, and respond under pressure. In developing high performing teams, this information is incredibly valuable. It allows you to play to the strengths and dynamics of your team and the relationships they have with one another. Doing so leads to greater long term performance and establishes a culture of excellence.

Observe Behaviour

The most effective way of identifying high performers within your organisation is simply to observe their behaviour. Think of how they interact with others, and whether they regularly seek more challenging tasks. Peer and direct report feedback provides a comprehensive perspective of a candidate’s performance and behaviour in a range of situations. Completing a leadership assessment for performance can provide guidance on the type of leadership training that would maximise the benefit to both the organisation and the individual.

High performers typically:

  • value feedback from others,
  • think innovatively,
  • act as role models,
  • have high emotional intelligence,
  • seek opportunities to challenge themselves,
  • are early adopters of change.

The best tools for leadership assessment are those that go beyond telling you what a person can or cannot do. Strong leadership and high performing teams require more than the ability to hit certain targets. Who a person is, and how they support the success of the team can be a far more impactful measure of performance.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation

Let us help you find what you’re looking for!

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Identifying High Performers

Getting the Most Out of Performance Assessments

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Getting the Most Out of Performance Assessments

In almost every industry today, having strong leadership skills is becoming equally, if not more vital to success than being technically capable alone. Many companies are choosing to focus on developing these skills in their teams to help them become stronger leaders. Determining the needs of your team and how to further their skills in those areas can see a significant increase in performance, growth, and success.

Develop Self-Awareness

The best tools for leadership development and assessment are those that reveal valuable insights into the strengths of your leadership team. The HBDI assessment helps individuals gain a deeper understanding of their own thought processes and how to work effectively with others who think differently. Understanding each person’s unique thinking style preferences, enables them to become better communicators and problem solvers.

Build Adapatability

Understanding key areas of strength and development opportunities within teams helps to form a clear basis from which to make improvements. High performing teams that receive development training are more likely to overcome challenges successfully. Their commitment to reaching their goals enables them to adapt quickly when faced with unexpected difficulties. The ability to adapt and creatively problem solve is integral to maintaining consistently strong performance.

“When each individual is playing to their strengths, the effectiveness of the entire team increases.”

Greater Effectiveness

One of the hallmarks of successful leadership teams is their ability to retain focus on the greater business objectives, while When implemented skillfully, leadership assessment tools can expand your emotional intelligence and strengthen personal relationships within teams. This enhances the organisational culture, making it a healthier, more positive environment. The benefit of engaging with leadership assessment and profiling tools for teams is that each individual discovers where their greatest strengths and passions lay. When each individual is playing to their strengths, the effectiveness of the entire team increases, often resulting in higher employee engagement and productivity.

The most successful leadership training programs address the specific challenges faced within each team or organisation. This is why assessment and profiling tools are so important. Not only do they help us to understand where there may be gaps, but they can also help to identify a person’s untapped potential within their team. Keeping a strong performer in a role they have outgrown, limits the impact their contributions could be having on the overall success and growth of the business. Selecting people with both the skills and passion to succeed is key to creating and sustaining high performance teams.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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Getting the Most Out of Performance Assessments

How Team Coaching Improves Performance

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How Team Coaching Improves Performance

Often when we hear about leadership coaching, we automatically think of it as a one-on-one process designed to help the individual reach their goals. What we don’t usually consider is how executive coaching can be an opportunity for leadership teams to stretch beyond their current capabilities. As is the case in coaching sports teams, coaching a leadership team involves cultivating both individual skills and group talent to improve the performance of the whole team.

Leveraging Relationships

Effective leadership development coaching for teams should harness the shared experiences and existing relationships that exist between members in ways that support collective goals. The role of the coach is to facilitate group learning. To do this, they must understand the dynamics of the team and how they work together. This allows the coach to provide better opportunities for individuals to gain insights and implement new strategies in the context of the team as a whole.

Assessment and Feedback

When individual assessment and feedback is given during the leadership team coaching process, it is in service of improving overall team performance. The advantage of assessing individuals in the context of team performance is that the coaching that follows can be targeted towards achieving team objectives. Not only does this improve the individual’s skillset, making them a better asset to a more high performing team.

“When the strategy is built into the culture of the business, teams experience stronger performance and greater success.”

Provides Direction

One of the hallmarks of successful leadership teams is their ability to retain focus on the greater business objectives, while ensuring that daily tasks are delivered. High performance training helps with this by identifying the group’s key strengths and areas for improvement. Coaching for high performance provides leaders with the ability to create and stick to an accountability framework that is aligned to the organisational strategy. When the strategy is built into the culture of the business, teams experience stronger performance and greater success.

Executive coaching is frequently used by leaders who are looking to expand their skills and improve their capabilities. Coaching can benefit entire leadership teams in similar ways by directing individual performance towards common objectives. In doing so, teams learn to collaborate more effectively, a greater clarity of where the business is going, and how to get there.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.

How Team Coaching Improves Performance

5 Benefits of Leadership Team Coaching

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5 Benefits of Leadership Team Coaching

Organisational success is a cumulative effort of individuals at every level. Their continued growth is dependent on each person understanding their roles, and purpose of their contributions. This is particularly the case in high performance teams who often receive coaching to become more effective and increase output. To build such high levels of performance across an entire organisation requires a leadership team that is committed to bettering their own capabilities, as well as that of those they lead.

Individual vs. Team Coaching

Typically when individuals undertake executive coaching, it is to address personal challenges or to help them achieve personal goals within their role. This can and does often have a great impact on the performance of their team. However, teams may fall back into old habits if that individual moves into another role and is no longer driving those changes.


Team coaching helps create consistency in leadership throughout the organisation. They establish greater clarity and communicate effectively between departments to support each other in achieving company goals. When there is unity amongst the leadership team, the whole organisation benefits from it.

5 Benefits of Leadership Team Coaching

Creates Clarity

Creating clarity among leadership teams is a key factor in determining the success of any business. When those in leadership are able to communicate the broader business objectives with their direct reports, individuals at every level can understand the importance of their contributions. This fosters a greater sense of solidarity amongst teams and a determination to execute higher performance.

“Team coaching enables them to problem-solve collaboratively and execute those ideas together.”

Supportive Environments

Successful businesses rely on the unique role that each department plays in order to reach their objectives. This is why it is important when coaching for high performance to establish company-wide understandings of what those roles are. Leadership teams are empowered to seek the support of different departments for solutions. Team coaching enables them to problem-solve collaboratively and execute those ideas together.

Builds Emotional Intelligence

Leadership development training creates more empathetic and emotionally intelligent leaders. This allows leaders to examine their biases and consider different perspectives. They are better prepared to have difficult conversations and overcome conflicts while ensuring that individuals are treated fairly, with a sense of belonging and of being valued.

Improved Performance

Leaders who engage in high performance team programs learn to help their teams work more effectively and efficiently. Coaching leaders drives collaboration and encourages innovation by nurturing skills that allow teams to contribute their collective expertise towards common and measurable goals.

Instills Trust

Team coaching is most effective when used as a tool to address the specific needs of an organisation. It demonstrates to all employees that their leadership team is committed to enacting the desired changes, and not simply making statements. This facilitates a connection amongst both employees and leaders. The mutual trust and respect this creates allows teams to be more innovative, creative and productive.

Providing executive coaching to leadership teams creates a lasting impact throughout an organisation. Many of the benefits of leadership development programs interconnect, often resulting in a more positive workplace culture. When individuals experience greater levels of clarity, empathy, and trust from their leaders, efficiency and performance increases.

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5 Benefits of Leadership Team Coaching

How Healthy Conflict Benefits Teams

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How Healthy Conflict Benefits Teams

How Healthy Conflict Benefits Teams

High performance teams are critical to an organisation’s success. A leader’s role in developing these teams is to continue to involve them and support their performance. There is a perception that high performance teams are free from conflict, this is simply not the case. Rather, it is their ability to freely express ideas, disagreements, and challenge one another that allows strong teams to succeed again and again.

Create Space for Conflict

TexHealthy teams are rarely silent. In fact, silence may be a signal that your team is hesitant or afraid to speak up. Strong teams build ideas on each other. They hold space for debate and challenge ideas to come up with solutions that will provide the maximum benefit. As a leader, you create the culture by reinforcing the value of your team members and ensuring their voices are heard. Engaging in a high performance program can be an opportunity for leaders and teams to develop healthy debating habits. Healthy conflict can result in greater innovation and performance.

Conflict Builds Trust

For teams to sustain high performance, they must learn how to overcome conflict productively. Leadership development training allows teams to establish collaborative problem solving skills. This requires them to trust in one another’s capabilities and expertise in order to succeed. From here, stronger personal relationships develop that are based in trust. When future conflicts do occur, they are overcome much more efficiently and without personal attacks that can derail progress.

“For teams to sustain high performance, they must learn how to overcome conflict productively.”

Conflict that Matters

High performing teams have clearly defined roles and expectations that increase productivity. Not only are individuals aware of their own responsibilities, every team member understands the role each of them plays in achieving their goals. This is important for developing high performance and to eliminate occurrences of blame shifting. Conflicts that arise in these teams are about the work. They happen only because every team member is dedicated to producing high quality results.

Conflict is an unavoidable part of life, and it is certainly unavoidable in high pressure environments. Participating in a high performance leadership development program gives teams the opportunity to air disputes and gain the skills necessary to overcome challenges together. Healthy conflict leads to stronger teams, capable of achieving far beyond expectations.

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How Healthy Conflict Benefits Teams

Why High Performers Leave

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Why High Performers Leave

Why High Performers Leave

Last year saw a significant increase in high performing talent leaving high level positions in what became known as ‘The Great Resignation.’ The corporate landscape has seen a fundamental shift in how many businesses operate, and employees have preferred the flexibility this has afforded them. Retaining top performers is integral to the success of teams and businesses alike. By looking at some of  the reasons behind the exodus, we can ensure that we are providing value to our employees and our organisations.

Limited Career Advancement

When individuals are consistently performing at a high level, or making oversized contributions to the company without being considered for advancement, they may not envision a long career there. This can be incredibly frustrating, and they will seek greater opportunities elsewhere. If it is a simple matter of there not being enough high level positions available, then it is worth considering alternate ways to provide growth opportunities.

By discussing what their career goals are and how they can achieve them with your organisation, demonstrates your interest in their success. Providing high performance training to further enhance their skills prepares them for leadership development opportunities in the future while strengthening their current contributions.

“Prepare [high performers] for leadership development opportunities in the future while strengthening their current contributions.”

Disconnected From the Work

Even when productivity is high and results are being achieved, top performers can be disconnected with the work they’re doing. If efforts are not made to re-engage them, they may feel ‘stuck’ and start looking for a more challenging or exciting role. High performance team leaders are responsible for inspiring and motivating their team members to exceed expectations.


Having a clear vision of team goals is one of the most effective ways of provoking engagement in others. Leadership training programs can provide leaders and their teams with the opportunity to develop the strategy for achieving goals together. This allows individuals to take an active role in shaping the direction of the team. They form a personal connection to the work that drives them to be more innovative and higher performing.

Losing high performing talent is difficult, no matter the reasoning. Organisations are strengthened by individuals at all levels who participate in leadership development programs. Providing growth opportunities and supporting the career goals of top performers can have a considerable impact on the rate of retention within your business.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.

Why High Performers Leave

The Impact of Executive Coaching

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The Impact of Executive Coaching

The Impact of Executive Coaching

Even in good times when businesses are booming and employee engagement is high, senior executives face a lot of pressure. Not only are they tasked with setting the direction of the organisation, but they must also foster commitment to the team so that the organisation can move forward successfully. However, in an era of turbulence or rapid change, leader responsibilities  become  more complex. In such challenging times, inspiring leaders are needed more than ever.

Executive Impact

When a company is experiencing a period of uncertainty, prioritising executive coaching can be an important step in overcoming difficulties. During times of change, the strategic decisions they make affect the direction of the business. Engaging in an executive coaching program  provides leaders the opportunity to better manage stress and their own mental health in the face of uncertainty. This allows them to improve their decision making and effectiveness.

“Prioritising executive coaching can be an important step in overcoming difficulties.”

Executive coaching programs are also an effective means for leaders to grow in their personal development. A newly appointed executive may benefit from being mentored by someone with experience in a similar position, as they are becoming familiar with the role. Coaches offer support to individuals, often resulting in increased confidence,  resilience, and leadership excellence.

Team Impact

Coaching for leadership excellence has a far reaching impact across the entire organisation. Executives who engage in leadership development programs enhance their ability to lead with clarity and better prepare them for overcoming challenges. This extends to their teams, allowing them to regain focus and energy to succeed.

A leadership training program that involves team coaching, can greatly increase their cohesion and productivity. Teams are able to build better relationships and develop innovative solutions. Team coaching mitigates miscommunication and conflict by providing a dedicated space for individuals to share their ideas, thoughts, and experiences. To successfully achieve organisational goals requires a team-focused approach. Coaching allows teams to identify and overcome obstacles as a group.

“Build stronger, more resilient teams that are all to support the goals of the organisation.”

Executive coaching is an investment that benefits far beyond the individual who receives it. Their experience with coaching provides them with the skills to better lead and grow their team’s success. By affording coaching opportunities to teams as well as individuals, you build stronger, more resilient teams that are able to support the goals of the organisation.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

The Impact of Executive Coaching

The Difference Between Coaching and Managing Teams

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The Difference Between Coaching and Managing Teams

The Difference Between Coaching and Managing Teams

Coaching has become the top desired skill of leaders by both employers and direct reports. The ability to motivate and inspire others is a key factor of most effective leadership styles. When successfully applied, coaching can boost intrinsic drive, and encourage teams to take calculated risks and make innovative decisions.

Coaching vs Managing

When it comes to managing teams, emphasis is more often placed on being directive and providing specific instructions. This is useful when certain tasks require a procedural approach, though issues can arise when this is applied to all operations. The expectation for employees becomes one that seeks permission before taking action, even if this has not been the manager’s intention. It is simply inefficient.

“Coaching focuses on collaboration and empowerment.”

Coaching for leadership excellence is a much more effective leadership style as it focuses on collaboration and empowerment, rather than instruction. The leader as coach will guide their teams towards solutions instead of providing answers. When leaders implement executive coaching skills, efficiency increases, resulting in higher levels of productivity and quality.

Key Coaching Skills

Listening
Listening is one of the most powerful tools that many managers often under-utilise. Effective coaches and leaders understand the importance of ensuring that the voices of their team members are being heard. They learn through leadership development training, that by listening to their direct reports, their personal relationships become stronger, they communicate with clarity, and performance and innovation increases.

Motivation
Leaders of successful teams make a conscious effort to provide space for members to operate self-sufficiently. Executive coaching programs help leaders  to unlock the potential in others to drive engagement and improve performance. Great leaders are capable of inspiring passion in others that encourages them to push boundaries and achieve greater results.

“Great leaders are capable of inspiring passion in others that encourages them to push boundaries and achieve greater results.”

Feedback
How a leader provides feedback has a large impact on their team’s receptiveness to it. Clarity in feedback is integral to growth for both individuals and teams. It is one of the most important executive coaching skills for leaders to implement. Providing feedback is a coaching opportunity that equips recipients with a clear basis from which to further develop their skills.

Effective leaders are able to combine their management abilities with their coaching skills. They understand how both skillsets are important to building successful teams and leadership excellence. Doing both will help you make the most of your employees. They will be happier, more engaged, and more productive.

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The Difference Between Coaching and Managing Teams

The Importance of Performance Management

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The Importance of Performance Management

Businesses need effective performance management to align their employees, resources, and systems with their strategic goals. While the components of a good performance management system are straightforward, integrating them into a company’s fundamental operating system can be difficult. Performance management processes, both formal and informal, aid in this effort.

Individual Growth

The perception of performance management is often negative and can be seen as a tool to correct poor performance. While that can be the case, seizing regular performance management as an opportunity to recognise an individual’s achievements increases motivation while enhancing job satisfaction. This is frequently shown to result in further high performance results and employee retention

These discussions can also be an opportunity for individuals to illustrate their contributions, as well as convey their desire for advancement and growth prospects. Leadership development training for individuals is not only an investment in their career, for employers, it also allows them to identify strengths and provide opportunities for them to excel in those areas.

Organisational Growth

High performance team management allows leaders to reinforce alignment with company goals and ensure that key targets are achieved. Conflicts between teams and leaders can be significantly reduced through effective performance evaluation procedures. Beyond performance, roadblocks, strengths, and areas for improvement can be discussed to dissolve frictions. This builds trust and clarity  that fosters a positive workplace environment while contributing to increased performance.

“High performance team management allows leaders to reinforce alignment with company goals.”

Ongoing, organisational success is a direct result of the collective efforts made by high performing teams. By engaging teams in leadership development programs, they are better able to overcome challenges that may be preventing them from achieving their objectives.

High performance development is important at all levels of a business for both individual and organisational growth. Growth strategy that includes the implementation of leadership courses for individuals and teams, increases engagement and performance. This results in sustainable success and consistently high performing results.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.

The Importance of Performance Management

What Makes High Performing Teams Different

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What Makes High Performing Teams Different

What Makes High Performing Teams Different

Businesses that cultivate a high performance culture experience consistently higher levels of productivity and success. The teams that perpetuate this culture are made up of highly dedicated, skilled, and hyper-aligned individuals. Communication and connectivity are paramount in their ability to deliver strong results time and again.

Stronger Personal Relationships

High performance teams are often defined by their ability to collaborate effectively in service of common goals. Investing time to foster personal connections among team members has a direct impact on productivity. Team development training can help to increase trust, making it possible for these connections to form. Building authentic relationships within teams allows them to speak openly and honestly about successes and can work through challenges or conflicts without fear of developing animosity.

One of the largest contributors to building strong, trusting relationships is vulnerability. An in-house Dare to Lead™ program provides the opportunity for individuals to share their personal experiences and address the specific challenges they face as a team.

“It takes both vulnerability and courage to be ourselves…”

It takes both vulnerability and courage to be ourselves, often especially in the workplace where the expectation to be ‘professional’ usually means we avoid personal topics of conversation. Industry leading teams know that to be successful, they must be able to trust one another both personally and professionally. Their strong personal relationships support innovation, collaboration, and performance.

Ongoing Development

High performing teams achieve outstanding results consistently because they establish a culture of learning and development. They adapt when faced with challenges, and look for ways to improve practices. Teams become more productive and effective when they are given the opportunity to expand their knowledge. When leading teams of high performance, it is important to provide such opportunities to ensure that your team is prepared with the right skills to overcome them.

The best leadership training your team receives will not be limited to a one-off occurrence. Immersive development that integrates into daily practices, will ensure that newly acquired skills are reinforced. As the business and industry evolve, it will be necessary for teams to further build upon their skillsets in order to continue to produce high performance. The ongoing development of any team is integral to maintaining their high levels of success.

What makes high performance teams stand out is their collective dedication to their goals. Far from indicating a stoic or robotic environment, leaders of high performance teams work hard to encourage personal connection and ongoing development. The success of their team is dependent upon how well they are able to collaborate and solve problems. Engaging in a leadership development program can help individuals build this into their leadership style and create a more positive and productive workplace.

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What Makes High Performing Teams Different

Leadership development programs

3 Steps to Build Adaptive Leadership

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3 Steps to Build Adaptive Leadership

Adaptive leadership is required in managing the response to any crisis. The pandemic that has affected businesses over the past 2 years has made this clearer than ever. The constantly changing business landscape means that we will continue to be faced with unexpected challenges that can often demand swift resolution. To build an effective adaptive leadership style, there are several skills leaders need to ensure success.

Preparation

When faced with crisis and uncertainty, it is important to consider what the effects on your operations could be. Anticipating what your future needs will be in less than optimum circumstances, allows you to prepare strategies to help you mitigate potential negative impacts. Executive leadership training can help participants develop this aspect of adaptive leadership through real-world and simulated experiences. This also reduces the potential for being caught by surprise and making decisions rapidly that may not be sustainably successful. 

Communication

Effective change management is determined by the support of direct reports and their ability to implement new practices and strategy. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that changes are communicated unambiguously to all employees. This may even mean holding frequent discussions to answer questions and provide clarity prior to the initial implementation.  Reiterating strategy as part of day-to-day operations, instills it in actions, making transition smoother and more successful. 

“It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that changes are communicated unambiguously to all employees.”

Accountability

One of the most difficult challenges of change management is evaluating the progress and success of new initiatives. Incorporating senior leadership development as a part of the change management strategy provides the opportunity to regularly review progress. Necessary adaptations can be made to practices that aren’t achieving the desired results. By holding ourselves and others accountable, the potential damages of ill-fitting strategies can be mitigated and replaced by improved actions.

The ability to adapt as a leader and as a business is one of the most important skills needed to succeed in a constantly shifting business environment. Leadership development programs enable individuals and teams to establish the skills and tools to build their adaptability. Familiarising yourself with a wide range of leadership styles is an important aspect of executive coaching. It allows us to draw on a larger skillset and overcome challenges by assessing them from a variety of perspectives.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

3 Steps to Build Adaptive Leadership

2022 Leadership Trends

3 Leadership Trends to Take into 2022

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With the year’s end now just weeks away, many of us are reflecting on how a second year amidst a pandemic has affected business, and how we can further build our best leadership practices within this new status quo. Which trends have proven most effective? What changes are we still struggling with? How will we cope with future challenges?

Adaptive Leadership

What were once unprecedented challenges, are now something we now consider an everyday part of life. An adaptive leadership style has been a key factor in reaching this stage. The ability to overcome unexpected challenges is one of the most important skills for leaders to develop. When teams and businesses are met with unfamiliar difficulties, they turn to their leaders to provide stability. Learning to drive change management can help leaders to navigate through periods of uncertainty.


Positive Company Culture

Remote and hybrid working will continue to disrupt workplace operations, even as we adjust to our ‘new normal.’ Reinforcing a positive workplace environment is one of the most important actions we can take to ensure that remote team members do not become isolated or ostracised from the rest of the group. Senior leadership development provides participants with the tools required for combating the specific challenges of leading virtual teams. As leaders, we must be particularly cognisant of incorporating emotional support for all team members as the business landscape is reshaped.


Succession Planning

Executive leadership development is becoming a higher priority for many businesses as a means for ensuring organisational success. Leaders who coach other individuals in leadership, and companies that offer leadership training programs to their high potential talent, see an increase in both employee retention and productivity. This allows businesses to build their vision for the future into current practices, making them much more successful.


The impact of COVID-19 has greatly altered the way in which we operate and lead businesses. This is sure to continue as we once again begin to disrupt the practices we have gotten used to. The prevalence of change within all industries is the driving force behind innovation and growth. As we’ve seen, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of adaptive, cultural, and developmental leadership trends for enduring uncertainty, as well as laying the foundation for success in the future.

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3 Leadership Trends to Take into 2022

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What Leaders are Doing to Combat the Great Resignation

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The global pandemic and increased time spent working from home, has given us all the opportunity to reflect on the importance of developing a positive work-life balance. For many, this reflection has affected the way they think about their career and even question the value of work in their lives. Dubbed the Great Resignation in the US, COVID-19 has seen millions of people from all levels of the workforce make the decision to leave their jobs. Experts believe that this trend will begin to affect Australian businesses as recently reported on the ABC, Buckle Up, The Great Resignation is heading Australia’s way.Even as more and more organisations return to the office, there is a hesitancy from many individuals to do so. This is leading to them seeking reduced responsibilities or exiting from the workforce altogether.

How can organisations retain top talent?


Communication is Key

The necessity of adapting to remote operations has shown employees that flexible working conditions are not only possible but sustainable over the long term. Accommodating for more remote operations comes with its own set of challenges for leaders of such teams. A development training program that focuses on leading virtual teams can address the specific challenges of communication, the use of technology and team well being that affect them can be a great asset. 

The success of virtual teams hinges upon their ability to communicate effectively over a variety of mediums where an instenaious reply is not guaranteed. This means that information and ideas must be presented with careful clarity in order to avoid misunderstandings. Establishing a communication plan that includes providing regular feedback on performance, is integral to ensuring that all team members understand their role and how they are contributing to achieving objectives. 

Embrace New Technology

The ability for remote teams to exist is thanks in large part to the advancement of technology over the past century. Where office spaces were, and often remain, necessary in order for employees to have access to computers and tools required to get work done, it would be difficult to find a home today that doesn’t have at least one working computer. The prevalence of modern technology has meant that businesses are no longer limited to hiring exclusively local talent. Similarly, high potential employees are able to seek opportunities with companies with interstate or international offices without having to relocate.

Virtual leadership development has seen a significant increase over the past two years. Many companies prefer to have their training programs delivered this way as it is less disruptive to daily operations. The accessibility of online training programs also makes it possible for a greater number of participants to be included. Companies who actively provide opportunities for remote employees to develop and progress in their careers are far more likely to retain those high performing individuals who will go on to drive the business forward. 

There has been a great culture change in attitudes towards the importance of mental health in recent years. This has certainly been particularly prevalent since the beginning of the pandemic. Today’s workforce places a higher value on job satisfaction over job security than has previously been seen. The onus is on employers to provide fulfilling and flexible workplace environments in order to entice employees and garner loyalty.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.

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What Leaders are Doing to Combat the Great Resignation

Personal Values

The Importance of Understanding your Personal Values

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The Importance of Understanding your Personal Values

For many individuals today, fulfillment in their work is a driving factor in their decision to take on a leadership role. The same is true of those in existing leadership positions. We often hear directors and hiring managers discuss a person being the ‘right fit’ for a role. What we hear discussed less often, is whether or not a role is the right fit for the individual. You may have the talent and capability to perform well in a leadership role however, when the company’s values do not align with your own, it can be difficult to engage with not only the work, but also your team.


Understanding your Personal Values

Getting clear about what your personal values are can help to provide guidance in what it is that you are looking for in a company that you want to work with. Our values indicate what is most important to us and what motivates us to achieve greatness. A personal values assessment helps to identify our most strongly held beliefs. This understanding will give you a greater insight into whether or not you would feel satisfied working for a particular company. When their values do not align with yours, you may face resistance in attempting to implement strategies. While the company you work for defines policies and certain rules, it is your own values and priorities that determine your personal leadership strategy and how it will be achieved. 

Better Working Relationships

People who share the same values as those they work with are much more successful in achieving results compared to those with conflicting values. Having shared values doesn’t necessarily mean that you will share the same opinions as others, but it does mean that you share similar goals and intentions. Discovering your team and personal leadership values helps to build more effective working relationships. Sharing connected values enables individuals to more easily relate to one another, communicate ideas more effectively, and overcome difficulties much faster.

More Committed Employees

When an individual’s personal values are aligned with those of the company, their motivation and engagement with the work increases. They know that their contributions are important to the overall success of the organisation, and so are more dedicated to performing at their highest potential. Senior leadership assessment can be a useful part of the hiring process to determine how an individual will support the company’s vision and values. The alignment of individual and company values leads to greater success for both parties because their priorities are each focused on achieving the same end result. 

Better Decision Making

Our values are what contribute most to the decisions we make. Developing leadership excellence teaches us that it is important to draw on our personal experiences and beliefs in order to lead more effectively. A clear understanding of our values allows us to make better decisions in the face of uncertainty. When faced with difficult choices, asking ourselves which option most aligns with our values and what we are striving to achieve can be a guide towards the choice with the greatest chance at success.

Leadership assessment tools are integral when training for leadership excellence. They afford us the opportunity to reflect on the things that matter most to us and how they affect the way we lead. For individuals, understanding your personal values lets you know that the decisions you make are in service of your goals. Organisations also need to have an understanding of the personal values of their employees to ensure that overall growth and success can occur. 

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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How Coaching Leads to Excellence

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Executives have understood the benefits of coaching in achieving personal goals for decades, and we are now seeing these benefits extend towards teams as well. Coaching as a leadership style can be much more effective with today’s workforce than traditionally authoritarian leadership. The value of coaching has become increasingly important to individuals and organisations as a whole for enhancing team performance and achieving success. 

Develop a Strategic Plan

To successfully reach the goals you set out to achieve, you need to develop a strategic plan. This is true both of personal, team, and organisational goals. The strategic plan is your road-map that guides you towards specific targets and milestones. Senior leadership training and coaching can be useful tools for identifying those targets, as well as the skills you and your team will need to achieve them.

The path to achieving success may rely on the integration of a leadership development program to mitigate challenges caused by potential skills gaps. Team coaching for leadership excellence can help to embed new skills to drive change as well as provide a safe space to discuss real-time results and conflict. This ensures that difficult conversations are constructive, allowing for problems to be resolved sooner, and performance to increase.

Coaching Leadership

In high performance teams, the role of the leader is more often one that supports rather than manages. The leader as coach is responsible for maintaining team focus on goals and outcomes, while individuals ensure day-to-day tasks are completed. A leadership excellence program enables executives to better coach, grow and develop people within their team while simultaneously improving performance. This allows for more manageable accountability for both leaders and direct reports.

Executive leadership training improves organisational performance when delivered across all levels of a company. The skills you embed in current teams and existing leaders does not only result in increased short-term performance. High potential talent and individuals who will become future leaders gain integral skills needed for elevated positions, contributing to their personal, as well as company growth.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and high trust organisation.

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How Coaching Leads to Excellence

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5 Reasons to Consider Executive Coaching

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5 Reasons to Consider Executive Coaching

The business landscape of today has seen a significant shift in focus towards company values and workplace culture. In order to be seen as an employer of choice for current and potential employees, leaders must take up the challenge to create such environments. High potential talent are striving to build their careers with organisations and leaders who center people development in their business growth. Senior leadership training can play an integral role in developing the traits that skilled employees are looking for.

Improve Interpersonal Relationships

Workplace culture is defined by the people within them. The culture is only as strong or impactful as the personal connections between individuals. It is particularly affected by the relationship between leaders and their direct reports. Leaders who engage in executive leadership coaching often discover that their self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and emotional literacy improve alongside the tactical skills they set out to achieve. These ‘soft-skills’ are some of the most important for building strong interpersonal relationships. 

Leading Change

These connections become increasingly important during times of change or transition. The benefits of executive coaching allow leaders to develop more effective change-management capabilities. When faced with uncertainty, employees require support, communication, and consistency. Meeting those needs through implementing coaching skills has many trickle-down benefits as executives, leadership teams, and their direct reports build stronger roadmaps through change that not only preserve, but enhance performance.

Gain a Competitive Advantage

Establishing a coaching culture within your organisation creates space for growth and innovation that attracts clients and employees alike. Supported development of high potential employees is desirable for individuals building their careers, while reducing turnover and retaining top talent. 

Improve Goal Orientation

Individuals often seek an executive coaching program to help them better define and achieve their career goals. The coach’s role is to assist the individual in identifying what is preventing them from reaching those goals. Strategies are then created to work towards overcoming obstacles and filling any skills gaps that may be contributing to their stagnation. In building these skills, participants can considerably reduce the time taken to achieve success.

Become a more Effective Leader

Effective leadership is the result of strong working relationships and the ability to inspire and influence behaviour. Developing leadership excellence helps leaders to connect teams to their vision, that then translates into successful action and performance. For this to occur, long-term goals must be clearly defined and regularly communicated. Consistent focus on the larger objectives mitigates delineation, allowing for continual progress to be made.

The most successful organisations utilise coaching for leadership excellence to motivate high performance at every level. Personal connections, as well as a connectedness to business strategy, creates an environment that allows innovation and people to flourish. Top performers are retained who will go on to lead future high potential talent, and propel the business forward.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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Leadership Excellence

The Importance of Leadership Excellence for Performance

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The Importance of Leadership Excellence for Performance

The consistently changing market, customer, and technology landscapes of today’s business environment has demonstrated a shift away from traditional hierarchical leadership structures. Emerging organisations have a different business paradigm, meaning that to remain competitive, existing organisations can no longer rely on the leadership of an individual or small executive team to meet the challenge. The talents, skills, energy, and ideas of the entire organisation must be harnessed to see continued success. 


Why you need leadership excellence

Effective leadership is integral to any successful organisation. Leading high performance teams requires the skillful application of influence and inspiration of others to transform potential into reality. In developing leadership excellence leaders understand how to wield their influence in order to inspire enthusiasm and passion for projects that lead to more engaged and productive teams. When organisations have effective leadership practices in place, an organisational culture develops that is open in its communication. Everyone understands the vision and objectives of the business, and has the opportunity to share ideas on how they can be achieved or improved. People feel a part of the conversation and that they are an important part of building the success of the organisation.

When these conversations are constructive, they have a valuable and positive impact. Effective leaders are able to bring out the best in their teams by encouraging personal investment. Offering high performance training to individuals at every level of the organisation not only demonstrates your investment in their development, it invites them to do the same. As individuals enhance their own capabilities, tailored development programs can ensure that you instill in them a clarity around the values and vision needed to achieve organisational goals. 


Using leadership excellence to drive performance

High performance team leaders understand the importance of providing space for teams to reach their full potential. Individuals who have held decision making positions within high performance teams will be better equipped to take on greater responsibility as the needs of the organisation evolve. Training and experience in high pressure environments ensures that future leaders have the skills needed to keep up with the rapidly changing business landscape. 

Developing emerging leaders through high performance training not only increases the longevity of your organisation’s leadership, it also improves individual’s performance in their current positions. The best high performing teams are frequently shown to have had resources invested in their development. The return organisations receive on this investment occurs repeatedly as individuals progress in their careers and development. 

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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The Importance of Leadership Excellence for Performance

Spheres of Influence Explained

Spheres of Influence Explained

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Spheres of Influence Explained

Spheres of Influence Explained

A person’s ability to influence the beliefs and behaviors of others is fundamental to the success of their leadership. There are countless factors that contribute to the specific areas in which we wield any influence. We will each naturally have certain areas in which our influence will be stronger than others. The Spheres of Influence demonstrate this at three core levels – Control (at the centre), Influence, and Concern. The further from the centre we get, the less precisely we are able to affect other people and systems.

Sphere of Control

The Sphere of Control is the smallest of the three and contains everything that we can have a direct impact upon. Often as leaders, we are put in a position that seemingly affords us a great amount of control over the people and environment around us. This is simply untrue. Each of us can only control and be responsible for one thing –  ourselves. The Sphere of Control contains only what we think, what we say, and what we do. In training for leadership excellence, we develop the ability to recognise that which falls within our control with more certainty and greater clarity. When we learn to take control over only that which we can, we become more effective leaders.

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Sphere of Influence

Next is the Sphere of Influence. It contains all that we are able to affect but not directly control, including the actions of some people and systems you operate with. Effective leaders are careful to build influence with trusted colleagues and direct reports in order to successfully implement their vision. Developing leadership excellence allows leaders to understand the importance of the relationships they have with their team for their collective success. It is about using your position of authority to inspire passion and drive in others to achieve shared objectives and goals.

Sphere of Concern

Finally, the Sphere of Concern is the largest and contains everything that you might be concerned about yet cannot control or influence. This includes individuals in other departments or teams, systems we cannot affect, or even the weather. It does little good for us to spend time and energy focusing on these things, particularly when we do not possess the ability to alter them. Effective leaders will, of course, need to be mindful of how external factors impact their performance, but their focus will be on the work they are doing and the actions they are taking. 

An important component of leadership excellence is our ability to identify which elements in our lives belong to each of the Spheres of Influence. The leadership excellence program discusses this framework to help participants balance their focus on each sphere and develop more effective leadership. Current and aspiring leaders who undergo this type of executive leadership training will have a stronger impact on the performance of their team. Great leaders understand the importance of focusing their efforts and resources on the things they can directly Control and Influence will lead to greater long term success.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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Spheres of Influence Explained

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5 Reasons for Building Leadership Excellence

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5 Reasons for Building Leadership Excellence

Great leaders empower and inspire us to perform at our best. Effective leadership allows space for direct reports to flourish and make valuable contributions towards both their personal and organisational goals. Senior leadership training provides the opportunity for leaders to develop and leverage their ability to influence the behaviour of others that improves performance. 

Increase Productivity

Leaders who regularly practise leadership excellence understand the value of encouraging self-sufficiency in their teams. Their primary  role is one of motivation rather than instruction. Teams are able to drive their own success with the support of their leader. Effective leaders inspire passion and pride within their team to increase productivity and achieve results. A leadership excellence program helps participants to create a framework that allows teams to be independently motivated and high performing.


Better Decision Making

Training for leadership excellence builds higher levels of emotional intelligence. This gives leaders a greater perspective when it comes to decision making. Developing our emotional intelligence is advantageous to mitigating risks or potential negative consequences of our decisions. Understanding how our emotions affect our choices allows us to gain insight into the driving forces behind the behaviour and decisions of others. As leaders, we must support others in recognising their own unconscious emotional biases to allow space for more informed decision making.

Retain High Performers

An investment in leadership development training significantly reduces the likelihood of losing your top performers to other opportunities. Identifying high potential talent and nurturing their development can ensure future, long-term success. Programs that focus on refining and implementing business strategies help participants connect and commit to the goals of the company. Providing leadership training to high potential employees supports career pathways,  succession planning, and increases retention.

Builds Confidence

Confidence is an important pillar of effective leadership. Leaders must have the confidence in their own knowledge and capabilities, as well as that of their team members, in order to drive success.  Both established and aspiring leaders experience self-doubt from time to time. Unfamiliar challenges and changing business landscapes can create uncertainty. The benefits of leadership excellence provide us with the groundwork for figuring out how to overcome these challenges. We may not have the exact answer to a problem, but we are able to rely on our ability to source the solution and lead teams effectively. 

Implement Effective Leadership

One of the benefits of leadership excellence is developing the capability to uncover your personal leadership style. There are a number of different leadership styles, each with unique benefits and disadvantages. Understanding your personal ‘life-story’ and how to use it as a tool for leadership, builds a connection between you and your team. Leveraging this connection can help you to hone a leadership style that your team will best respond to.

Building leadership excellence creates more effective leaders and higher performing teams. Strong leaders are able to connect their personal experiences to their leadership style and inspire confidence and motivation in others. Their role is to support and develop the skills of their team members to foster an environment that values growth that leads to increased performance.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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5 Reasons for Building Leadership Excellence

lifestyle inventory assessment

Getting the Most from Leadership Assessments

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Getting the Most from Leadership Assessments

Before embarking on a leadership development journey, you need to understand what the changes you want to make are and why it is important to make them. We can not get to ‘point B’ if we do not know where we are at ‘point A.’ Completing a leadership assessment survey provides us with clarity about our current capabilities. We can identify areas for improvement and create a pathway to help us achieve our goals. Reviewing our competencies will allow us to track our progress in real time and make ongoing, valuable change that make us better leaders.

As an Individual

A leadership assessment can reveal insightful nuances about an individual person’s behaviour and way of thinking. When developing leadership excellence it can be helpful to understand these nuances so that training programs can be tailored to suit the individual’s thinking preferences and so, be more effective. Leadership assessment tools like the HBDI® and Everything DiSC® look at leadership through a personality based lens. The decisions we make are intrinsically biased by the ways in which we prefer to operate. Knowing what our unconscious biases are allows us to mitigate their impact, or leverage them at times they can be most effective. Knowing which traits we avoid is also useful in providing us with a place to start our learning. Effective training programs will be able to frame these limitations in ways within the scope of the individual’s preferred leadership and learning style. This makes the skills they are still developing more accessible when approached from a place of familiarity.

As a Team

The importance of leadership assessment at an individual level should extend to benefit the teams being led. There is a great value in assessing the leadership capabilities of an entire team. It is of course important that the members of a team get along and work well together. But there is also a risk that a lack of diverse perspectives will lead to stagnating performance. The benefits of leadership assessment for teams is that it discloses areas where there are gaps in skills and ways of thinking. Understanding each other’s thinking preferences makes us better communicators and effective problem solvers.  Building balanced, well-rounded teams provides more opportunities for collective growth.

Showing Up

It is not enough to simply fill out a survey about your skills and be done with it. You have either chosen, or have been asked, to complete a leadership assessment because you want to know yourself better. This includes accepting the areas in which you lack strength, and being willing to put in the effort to improve those skills. The best leadership assessment tools can, and should, surprise you in some way. Recalling why it is important for you to undertake this assessment holds you more accountable to yourself, your team, and helps you ‘show up’ in your leadership as someone open to opportunities for growth.

Assessing leadership excellence creates a space for individuals and teams to deepen their understanding of themselves and how they show up to face challenges. It allows us to form stronger relationships and improve performance through harnessing the differences in where our strengths lay.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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Getting the Most from Leadership Assessments

individual values assessment

5 Benefits of Leadership Self-Assessment

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5 Benefits of Leadership Self-Assessment

Conducting a leadership assessment can give you an objective idea of your capabilities and talents as a business leader. Having a strong understanding of your competencies allows you to capitalise on your strengths and mitigate the impact of potential skills gaps. The benefits of leadership self-assessments reach far beyond the individual to improve interpersonal relationships and organisational performance. 

Increase Self-Awareness

Learning more about yourself and the way you lead has a direct impact on your leadership effectiveness. An honest assessment of your leadership capabilities will reveal ways you can build upon your strengths and help you to confront weaknesses. This is not only key for your personal development, it will also increase your team’s trust in you and boost your credibility. It can be difficult for direct reports to offer candid feedback to leaders, so increasing your own self-awareness will have a greater impact on developing and sustaining leadership excellence. 


Create Goals

No matter what stage of your career you are in, a leadership self-assessment can provide insight into your abilities as a leader. There are a variety of tools that will help you to understand your strengths and performance in different areas. In developing this understanding, you will also discover the areas in which you need to focus future learning to be able to take on new challenges. For those with aspirations of becoming senior leaders, this can provide clarity and specificity on the experience and leadership training required to reach their career goals.

Progress Tracking

A lifetime career in leadership means that you should regularly be reassessing your own leadership skills. As the business landscape changes, so too should our approach to leadership. It is beneficial to both you and your teams that you stay ahead of current strategies and teachings. Undertaking leadership assessments at different stages throughout your career ensures your development remains aligned with your goals, and may even open up new opportunities that weren’t previously possible.

Clarify Development Plans

Leadership assessment tools play a critical role in the progression of organisational success when utilised as part of a leadership development plan. Assessing leadership excellence across all levels of the organisation helps executives to identify gaps within the talent pool, as well as those with the potential for senior leadership development. Opportunities for development can be prioritised to have the greatest chance of success. Leadership assessment allows individuals to gain a better sense of the part they play in the success of the organisation, and how they might expand their scope in the future.


Improve Working Relationships

Gaining clarity on your own styles of leadership and performance makes it easier to recognise in others. You can meet them where they are to develop personal connections and trust. More effectively influence their behaviours by adapting your approach. Understanding your own ‘life story’ and how to use it as a touchstone for leadership allows you to form meaningful relationships with your team and improve overall performance.

While it is important for current and aspiring leaders to gain insights into their leadership capabilities to excel in their career, they should also be aware of their impact on team performance as well. The best tools for assessing leadership excellence will have benefits that stretch beyond the individual. Role-modelling a desire to improve both personally and professionally, leads to increased levels of trust and productivity throughout organisations.

For more information about The Leadership Sphere and how we can help you unlock performance through leadership, by supporting your leaders at every level of the organisation with leadership development, executive coaching and high performance team programs please visit our website or call us on 1300 100 857.

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5 Benefits of Leadership Self-Assessment

GROW Model

What is the GROW Model?

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What is the GROW Model?

The GROW coaching model was developed by coaching pioneer Sir John Whitmore and has been used for over forty years. It is a structure within which executive coaching may be conducted to aid leadership development. The coach is an objective facilitator whose role is to assist their client in identifying the best options available to them that will serve their goals, without offering specific advice or direction. It is up to the client to discern what is best for themselves. The use of the GROW model as a tool for leadership excellence within teams differs slightly from this because as leader, you will have some expertise that allows you to guide your team through options to avoid ones that could bring harm. The GROW coaching model is a four-step lens through which options are analysed and decisions can be made; Goal, Reality, Options, Will.

Goal 

The purpose of many coaching relationships is for the coach to help their client get clear on their goals, and identify strategies to help them reach them.  The focus of the Goal stage is on the solution and what the coachee wants to achieve, rather than the problem being addressed. Often, leaders will have a broad idea of what this looks like, though they may have difficulty articulating what needs to be done in order to succeed. An executive coaching program  provides leaders with the opportunity to explore their goals thoroughly and help them to establish specific targets they are then able to work towards.

Examples of Goal questions a coach might ask are:

  • Where are you going?
  • How long will it take to get there?
  • What are the benefits of achieving your goal?
  • How will you measure progress?

Reality

The Reality stage is used to frame the identified goals within the context of the coachee’s current situation. The executive coach helps their coachee to understand the problem they are trying to solve, and how doing so will impact themselves and those around them. It is an opportunity for the leader to  view the situation from alternative perspectives. The solution to certain problems can begin to emerge as a result of speaking aloud about them. Developing this style of thinking through senior leadership training will have considerable benefits for team problem solving once the new strategies are implemented.

Some useful Reality questions are:

  • What is happening now?
  • Who else is affected?
  • What steps have already been taken towards reaching your goal?
  • What may be preventing you from reaching your goal?

Options

Once goals have been set and the current reality has been examined, we can then begin the process of exploring what options are available. It is particularly important in this stage of the executive training  program, that the coachee leads the discussion. The coach must of course be able to provide clarity and guidance, but they can not make the final decision. The objective here is  for the coachee to come up with as many possible solutions that could help them succeed.

Questions asked during the Options stage should be open ended in order to drive discussion:

  • What are the options?
  • Who could help you with this, and how?
  • Where can you find more information?
  • What else could be done?

Will

By the time the Will stage is reached, the coachee should have a clearer idea how their goal can be achieved. It is here that specific actions must be committed to, that will make achievement possible.  The coach’s role now, is to help the coachee determine which of the options discussed should be taken up. Typically, the coachee will already have made the decision for themselves but will still benefit from assistance in building and committing to a measurable and actionable strategy. If the coach senses a hesitancy to commit, revisiting the Options is necessary for clearing roadblocks and finding the best way forward.

Examples of Will questions are:

  • What action are you going to take?
  • How are you going to do that?
  • What will keep you motivated?
  • What could prevent you from taking action? How will you overcome this?

The GROW model is an important part of building a coaching culture within teams and organisations. It helps groups and individuals to identify strategies for reaching their goals, including how to overcome obstacles they may face. A leadership excellence program that teaches the GROW model encourages meaningful conversation as a part of the problem solving process. It should also be noted that the model is not meant to be followed as a rigid structure. The GROW model is a framework that aims to prompt discussion that leads to effective solutions. While Goals and Reality will typically be explored first, coaching conversations can move between all four elements.

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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What is the GROW Model?

Authority and Leadership

The Difference Between Authority and Leadership

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The Difference Between Authority and Leadership

The ability to successfully influence the behaviour of others is entirely dependent on the source. Influence via authority may at first appear to be an obvious example, the influence it yields may not have the desired outcome. Conversely, influence affected by inspirational and self-modeled leadership is far more likely to result in the desired action being taken. While there can be overlap of these two concepts, it is important to remember that they are not mutually inclusive. Confusing one for the other may have damaging effects on team performance.


Authority

In many workplaces, a person’s authority often stems from the title or position they hold within either their team or the organisation. This is often the case when there is a clear distinction between the person ‘in charge’ and the rest of the group. Managers and executives may use the power their title gives them to make and enforce decisions. While necessity sometimes calls for this, a manager who makes uncompromising demands of their team regularly may also find that performance diminishes or that there is high employee turnover.

Having authority over another group of people does not grant you dedication or respect from them on the basis of your title alone. Authority is merely the right to use the power your position allows you. It  can be a necessary tool in leadership and developing high performance. However, a reliance on authority over more influential leadership skills, will only alienate your team from their goals. Training for leadership excellence shows us how to overcome the mindset that authority is equal to leadership. 

Leadership

Where authority is bestowed upon a person in a certain position of a hierarchy, leadership is a characteristic that can be found in people regardless of their position. Those with strong leadership qualities are often able to motivate and inspire others simply by setting the example for them to follow. When this kind of person also happens to be a manager, the result is often high performance teams. A manager or executive who asks for the support of their subordinates to implement decisions will have a greater chance of meeting collective goals than those who order tasks to be completed.

Leading high performance teams requires some relinquishing of authority to ensure that achievements are reached through a collaborative process. Building and sustaining leadership excellence means that leaders understand how to have a more impactful influence on team behaviours because they take the care to engage on a more personal level. Important challenges are solved with peer consultation and individuals are empowered to put strategies into action. 


Finding a Balance

People often confuse the terms authority and leadership because we have historically considered authority as a defining trait of leadership. However, attempting to influence behaviour through authority alone can be met with resistance and changes take longer to accept. 

Gaining the respect and trust of colleagues is understood by great leaders to be a privilege. By forming a personal relationship with their teams, leaders earn the authority their position provides. High performance training programs aim to develop trusting relationships within teams that lead to increased productivity. Leaders who use their positional power to support, coach, and further develop their teams will gain followers who chose to be led. While it is true that authority is a necessary aspect of managing a team or running an organisation, it is not always the most important.

As a leader, how do you overcome the limitations of authority?

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About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.

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The Difference Between Authority and Leadership