Four ways to supercharge your leadership development

17 June 2015 -

Professor William Scott-Jackson’s recent CMI webinar on how to supercharge your leadership development, held in association with Citrix, was packed full of wisdom

Ben Walker

Much of leadership is a rare – but simple – art made complex by overthinking and poor processes. On 17 June, leadership guru Professor William Scott-Jackson used a CMI webinar, held in association with Citrix, to cut through the waffle and show delegates how to supercharge their leadership development. With 406 super-engaged guests online and plenty of audience questions, it was a memorable session.

1. Remember that leadership is simple

“Think of the worst boss you had and the things they did that you most hated and never do those,” Scott-Jackson recommended. “Then think of the best boss you ever had and the things he did and always do them.” Scott-Jackson chose an image of Compare the Market’s meerkat to make his point. “His catchphrase is: simples!” Scott-Jackson reminded us.

2. Know that nice people prosper

Behaviours and positive attitudes are key to successful leadership, Scott-Jackson said. Great leaders often have brilliant interpersonal skills, he stressed. And he added that he best way to enthuse your team is to be enthusiastic yourself. He cautioned against “psychopathic” over-enthusiasm however: “That is bad!”

3. Recognise you sometimes have to sack the successful

Scott-Jackson once fired a colleague who made 55% of the revenue for his company – because the individual was “septic”, and caused a contagion of bad feeling among staff.

4. Avoid letting your boss judge you

A majority of the 406 delegates on the session asked their team – or studied their team’s results – to determine whether they themselves were effective leaders. Only 2% asked their boss. That’s exactly right said Scott-Jackson – who argued that the classic system of having a boss appraise managers is wrongheaded: it’s the team they are leading who should judge them.

Click here to download a recording of the webinar.

Professor William Scott-Jackson is chairman of Oxford Strategic Consulting