Session Type: Workshop Accepted by MIG(s): Development Time Allotted: 60 Description: Being stuck in the middle, managers are often the ordinary heroes who run the day-to-day business outside of the spotlight. The boss may offer more problems than solutions. Presenters will share practical insights in and coping strategies on how you can outperform your boss, lead them to higher levels of performance, and fulfill your own upward leadership potential. Abstract: Being stuck in the middle, middle managers are the ordinary heroes who run day-to-day business. Therefore, they possess the power to make or break the organization. In this interactive workshop, you will experience the approach in leadership that your superior will love. And so will you.
When talking about working life at social events, the person most mentioned is your boss. Their shortcomings, inadequate decisions or ambiguous vision statements are criticized intensely. Still being your superior, it seems hard to speak up and come up with alternatives or outspoken criticism. The relationship with him or her even is of highly importance to your wellbeing, job satisfaction and effectiveness.
The strength of each organization depends on the strength and contribution of the individual leaders. Especially middle managers have a key position in organizations. Research and literature on middle managers generally highlights the gloomy aspects of this position. Instead, middle managers need to realize the power they possess to make or break the organization. They are the leaders outside the spotlight. They translate policy and strategic decision from the top to tactic and operational levels within organizations. We will come up with an approach that considers middle managers as highly professional matchmakers.
In our workshop, participants will experience how they can lead their bosses to higher levels of performance. It is by recognizing what you miss in your boss, what you criticize the most, that you will find your own personal needs and strengths. That’s the start for fulfilling these needs by using your own upward leadership potential.
From our work in coaching and training middle managers, we will give you practical insights in and coping strategies on how you can outperform your boss. This workshop is a next step to the approach we started in 2009 in Prague on the dynamics of dealing with your boss. Now, we will elaborate on new PhD research insights from the presenter.
Program
-Introduction:
On upward leadership and middle managers as matchmakers
5 minutes
-Individual reflections through journaling (including Youtube video analysis):
What do you admire and need in leaders?
10 minutes
-Exercise in pairs:
What do you like and dislike about your boss?
15 minutes
-Exercise in pairs:
What does your dislike tell you about your needs and strengths?
15 minutes
-Exercise with four:
What can you say to your boss to improve his/her performance?
20 minutes
-Presentation
The four most loved behavioral strategies to lead your boss.
15 minutes
-Wrap up:
Where do you start to lead your boss?
10 minutes
Learning outcomes
After this workshop, participants will:
-Understand the behaviors of their superior better
-Gain insight in how they influence the relationship with their superior
-Have coping strategies to lead their superior more effectively
-Increase their strength as leader in the middle
-Develop a creative plan to continue the fulfillment of their upward leadership potential
Rick Koster, The Presentation Group
Bio: Rick Koster is working as a trainer, coach, advisor en researcher in personal leadership communication at The Presentation Group. He studied Neurobiology and Policy, Management & Entrepreneurship at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. Next to working at The Presentation Group, he has been a biology teacher for five years at a high school in Amsterdam. Now, Rick gives trainings, workshops and multi-day programs in Europe, Africa and the United States. Central themes are presentation, giving and receiving feedback, leadership effectiveness and personal contact with media. Rick is specialized in non-verbal communication.
Annemarie de Jong, Baak Change
Bio: Annemarie de Jong is director and consultant with Baak Change, a division of de Baak Leadership Institute at the Netherlands. Main focus in her work at Baak Change is on implementing organizational change with the explicit connection between people and business strategy: how to make strategic ambitions fit the behavioral patterns of people in the organizations and vice versa. Together with a colleague she founded Baak Change as a division of de Baak. She works wit international corporations and Dutch companies, so projects take place in Dutch and international context as well. She completed her Masters in Organizational Psychology and Business Administration at Dutch Universities and worked as a management consultant/ leadership development trainer at different Dutch firms, where she developed leadership programs and professional development programs for consultants before she joined de Baak ten years ago. She is working on a PhD thesis on leadership from a middle management position: how to lead your superior effectively? She writes columns for a Dutch Financial Newspaper (het Financieele Dagblad) about career topics.
Return to complete program |
