The aim of the Leading Teams Emerging Leaders program is to inspire individuals within organisations (who have been identified as emerging leaders or who aspire to take up leadership roles in the future) to develop their leadership skills in an active learning environment.
Lisa Croudace is the Senior Manager of Product Strategy, Business Transformation Program at BT Financial Group. Lisa undertook the Leading Teams Emerging Leader program last year and we recently spoke to her about how it assisted with her leadership development.
Why did you decide to undertake the Emerging Leaders program?
“My General Manager and I were discussing the focus areas for my career development, including broadening my leadership capabilities. He was aware of the Leading Teams Emerging Leaders Program and suggested it could be a good fit.
I decided on Leading Teams because we were both keen for me to get involved in something a little bit different. A 1-2 day course is often great, but the learnings are sometimes gone almost as quickly as you take them on, once you’re back in the day to day grind of it all. The structure of the EL course, with meetings every 4-6 weeks across a 6 month period offered a unique opportunity to digest the previous session’s learnings, assimilate into behaviours, then revert to the same group to go a little deeper. The relationships you can build through a program like this also go far beyond a more traditional 1-2 day program.”
What were the key learnings from the program?
“I’ve gained a much greater awareness of the impact that my behaviours and interactions can have on those around me – whether or not I am “leading” in a formal sense.
The Leading Teams analysis of interpersonal relationships – from the initial “grunt,” through to a genuine, personal (yet professional) conversation in which you are vulnerable, really resonated with me.
We delved deep into what makes a truly “great team,” defining an agreed set of behaviours and outcomes – an exercise I have since used with my own teams with great results.”
How did you find relating with other participants?
“Fantastic! The program provided the opportunity to build strong, supportive relationships with like-minded people, whom I admire and respect. They are now friends, informal mentors and sounding boards. I have the EL program to thank for bringing us together.”
What have you found out about yourself since completing the Emerging Leaders program?
“I can pack so much more into life than I realised! There’s a lot of power in being very clear in what it is you want in life, figuring out exactly what it will take to achieve that, then turning it into a plan. I aim to sit down every 6-9 months with a lens across work, professional development and personal goals, to articulate exactly what I want to achieve and how I will do it.”
What was unique about the Leading Teams approach?
“The format of the program and the group interactions. The extra time over a long period, combined with the course-work, which encouraged open and honest communications.
How did you integrate your learnings from the program into your day-to-day roles?
“An integration with day-to-day happened naturally, as the key learnings were reiterated and built upon over an extended period.”
