“Little Stella from Thamesmead” showed Alan Sugar just how potent her developing leadership skills were in last night’s final of The Apprentice, when she took the crown and won the £100,000 per year contract.
And, as she admitted on the way home, "who would have thought it?".
It made me wonder, how much more could HR be doing to identify stars within their own organisations?
If X-Factor, The Apprentice, and any other reality programmes teach us anything, it is that there is an abundance of belief and talent out there, but who is tempting it out of Thamesmead?
As Stella prepared for her presentation, she expressed her frustrations when her ‘helpers’ give her feedback – she says that “everyone has an opinion”, and that was all too evident this year. Where developing leadership is concerned, the trick is to know how to channel it. Stella knows how.
Successful individuals influence the behaviour of others because of their communication skills, and this includes self-awareness and knowledge about their own behaviour; they have a good understanding of the impact they have on others, and are able to change their behaviour in order to ameliorate any given situation.
A key ingredient in developing leadership is communication which means sending clear and convincing messages.
People with this competence:
• Are effective in give-and-take, registering emotional cues in attuning their message
• Deal with difficult issues straightforwardly
• Listen well, seek mutual understanding, and welcome sharing of information fully
• Foster open communication and stay receptive to bad news as well as good
• Model qualities like respect, helpfulness and cooperation
What more can be done to make sure that the stars of the business world are being encouraged to perform for your company?
Karen
