- How can we develop leaders in their leadership role?
- What does agile leadership mean for us? How to develop our leadership to embrace digitalization, demographic change or VUCA?
- How can we modernize our performance management and ensure a sound implementation of the system?
- How can we support our seasoned executives to cope with the increasingly complex requirements?
- How can 360° feedback help us develop our leadership culture?
Giving Direction
Leadership is the key catalyst for success in an organization. Leadership means to give direction, to engage and empower people as well as to develop their potential. At the same time leadership is not something static but needs to develop along the changing condititons.
However, leadership is only as good as the leaders in an organization live it. This requires leaders to build a common understanding of leadership, to continuously develop their leadership competence and personality as well as pragmatic leaderhip tools.
We support you to develop the leadership in your organization with consulting, coaching, training and facilitation in the following areas:
The target group may be either the whole management staff or defined target groups (e.g. high potentials or leaders in one part of the organisation). The aim is to develop the leadership competence systematically and sharpen the common understanding of the leadership. The best way to achieve this is a multi-module leadership curriculum. We see a leaderhip curriculm as a platform for the particpants to reflect their leadership in the context of their role, the organization and their team. And as a means to expand their set of tools and approaches to cope with different and changing leadership situations. In a typically monthly or bi-monthly rhythm every module of the curriculum:
- Has 1-2 focus topics,
- Integrates previous experience and develops it further
- Gives insights and new perspectives on leadership with psychologically sound and yet practical theories, models and tools. These are immediately put into practice and applied to the participants´ own leadership situation
- Offers practical training opportunities (e.g. role plays)
- Supports the exchange of experience amongst leaders with peer consulting on concrete leadership challenges of the participants
- Fosters the transfer into practice with concrete practice assignments after every module
With the experience of several hundreds of leadership curricula, we know what works with what organisation, target group or objectives.
It is not always necessary to run a full-flagged leadership curriculum. Especially with experienced leaders the objective may focus on selected topics of leadership where the participants seek new insights and reflection in a structured experience exchange. With our “LeaderChips” or “Leadership Pit Stop” we offer a compact workshop format to invigorate leaders in a mix of workshop and training. Focused – interactive and hands-on. Typical topics for “Pit-Stop workshops” may be:
- Change Management
- Agile Leadership
- Conflict Management
- Conducting effective performance appraisal discussions
- Recruitment and job interviews
In individual coachings we reflect the coachee´s situation in the context of his/her personality, his/her role and responsibilities, and the organization in order to develop viable options with a concrete approach.
Typical Occasions for a coaching:
- Orientation support before or after assuming a new (leadership) responsibility
- Personal growth and realignment of blind spots after feedback from superiors in the appraisal interview, from the team via an upward appraisal/leadership feedback or from the consultant in a leadership assessment
- As part of a leadership programme or curriculum
- "Sparring partnership” and hands-on support during politically sensitive situations or projects (e.g. Change management or negotiations )
Typical approach:
Preparation Session
- Coach with Coachee (if applicable: also with Senior Manager and/or HR)
- to get to know each other face to face
- to clarify the objectives for the coaching
usually 5-10 coaching sessions
- 1-2 h per session
- intervals of 2-4 weeks
- at IFM-offices in Heidelberg (neutral venue)
(Intermediate) Review session
- Coach with Coachee (if applicable: also with Senior Manager and/or HR)
- To review progress and discuss further measures or sequel
perspectivio®Feedback Instruments is our approved and repeatedly scientifically evaluated 360° Feedback tool. We offer the whole range of services:
- customizable online-questionnaire to fit your needs
- conclusive report
- coaching session to discuss the results
- facilitated team workshop involvong direct reports to jointly agree measures for strengths and areas of improvement
See more details in the attached outline: Perspectivio 360 Feedback (pdf)
Performance management is a leadership tool to systematically clarify expectations as well as review and appraise the performance of staff in their function and objectives. Key part of this is the individual performance appraisal discussion or employee dialogue with every direct report. In this structured and documented discussion, manager and direct report together review his/her previous year´s performance in the main tasks and objectives and agree on development needs and measures for the future as well as targets for the next year. In most cases, this is also an opportunity for the leader to obtain feedback from his direct report on their cooperation.
Over the last 20 years we have supported more than 30 companies in implementing performance management systems. From the conceptual design, the company-wide communication up to the training of leaders. Sometimes even in a large-scale implementaton with trainings for more than 3000 leaders in 6 months.
We know the pros and cons of different approaches in performance management. Be it job grades, target agreements, development-oriented qualitative feedback systems or criteria-based rating systems. Be it with or without link to a variable bonus. However, there is no one perfect system. In fact, the success of a performance management system depends on what you want to achieve with a performance management system, what needs you see in the performance culture of your organization and in what direction you want to develop the leadership culture. With our ample experience, we help you realize these objectives in a performance management system that best fits your needs.
But even with a carefully designed performance management system, the experience shows: A leadership tool is only as good as the managers live it. Leaders should not only know the „formal technicalities“ but need to understand the underlying leadership appoach and the objectives of a tool. Therefore, the adequate implementation is as important as adapting the instrument to the needs oft he situation. In one-day training sessions we support your leaders in using the tools to obtain the goals of the change and in conducting really good discussions with their employees.
Leadership is not static, but needs to be developed continually. In this, we support you with our systemic approach to consulting – with us, you are not only the customer, but also the tailor. And we serve as your mirror to reflect leadership and provide the suitable tools and qualification. This means:
You remain in charge
- You and us work hand in hand: As part of the project team during conception, and as internal or external tandem partner during the implementation
Natural leadership comes from the inside (and is supported by the „mirror’s“ reflection )
- Together we develop the leadership guidelines and concrete measures to implement them. To make buzzwords (e.g. agile leadership) turn to practical content
- We create a sustainable process in which leaders take ownership and do not pass the buck to the consultants
We know our trade
- Many years of experience working in and with organizations have taught us what works and how. Be it conception, facilitation, training or coaching
Contact us - we are happy to answer your request!
Dipl.-Psych. Friedhelm Köhler
Senior Consultant
friedhelm.koehler(at)ifm-heidelberg.de
+49 170 3818342