Where are you in the three stages of leadership?

When I’m out on my travels, networking or delivering our training and development programmes, I always meet one or two people who find leadership difficult. Sometimes it’s because people are afraid of taking on the additional responsibility. Other times people find it a challenge because they aren’t aware of how their behaviour comes across to others. They keep making the same mistakes, for example being rude and abrupt or talking more than they listen.

The interesting thing is that these people don’t fall into a certain age bracket, gender or background. Leaders of every type and level can experience a crisis of confidence or a lack of self-awareness.

Here’s a real-life example…

I once had a colleague who worked the hours they wanted. When asked, they always had an excuse, saying that they’d worked late the day before so they had a right to come in late the following morning. Eventually the day arrived to present them with objective evidence of their behaviour, but their line manager procrastinated over taking action and the employee ended up raising a grievance against them. The situation turned messy and the issue of the employee’s lateness was never addressed.

The leader in this example wasn’t confident having difficult conversations. In the end, hesitancy backfired on them. It didn’t have to turn out this way. Everyone can improve and be clear, confident and consistent leading their team if they open themselves up to development.  

Three levels of leadership experience

Over my years as a trainer, I’ve encountered three main stages of leadership: new, aspiring and experienced. It doesn’t matter which bracket you find yourself in. I’ve witnessed leaders at every level benefit from learning and development. Helping people to grow at different stages of their careers is one of the most rewarding aspects of Zest for Life’s work.   

Which of these stages are you at?

The new leader

You’ve been promoted - congratulations! You’re happy and motivated to perform to the best of your ability, however you’ve never had the responsibility of leading a team of people. You feel a little bit ‘thrown in at the deep end’ and would like to build your knowledge and confidence to lead others.

Your biggest downfall: Struggling through situations you don’t know how to handle, unsure whether you’re doing the right thing.   

The aspiring leader

You have big ambitions! Perhaps you’ve been in your current role for a while and are ready to take the step up to a leadership position. Maybe your employer has recognised your potential and is encouraging you to seek development to prepare you for a role leading others.

Your biggest downfall: You presume your organisation will provide opportunities for growth and development to get you where you want to be.

The experienced leader

You’ve been leading a team for several years and acknowledge that there are areas of leadership where you could improve. As the generations in the workplace shift, you want to keep your skillset up to date to keep managing and developing your team effectively.

Your biggest downfall: You put off your own development to focus on other priorities  in your role.

Everyone deserves the chance to learn

Whether you’re an aspiring, experienced or a new leader, you want to do your role to the best of your ability and achieve excellence in everything you do. This is where many leaders are let down by their employer. Not every organisation has huge training budgets or the luxury of an in-house learning and development function. In fact, some organisations don’t prioritise people development when they can afford to do it.    

It’s unfair not to support or offer guidance to your team to reach the required standards of behaviour. If you notice declining standards, it’s likely that customers, suppliers and your own colleagues are seeing that drop off too. These people are actively wondering why you are not doing something to improve the situation.

Burying your head in the sand is not the answer. Putting things off only makes the situation worse. In fact, examining behaviours that are difficult to work with is something we touch on in our programmes!

If you want to become a great leader you may have to take control and seek growth and development outside your organisation. That’s where Zest for Life can deliver for you and your team.

Leadership skills for life

Leadership skills are life-long skills that benefit all aspects of life. From disciplining the children to managing home improvements, becoming a more effective leader will help you to get ahead personally and professionally.     

Zest for Life’s Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense open course is designed to teach you leadership principles that will stay with you forever. You will always find the answer in your course workbook!

Our open leadership programme is a practical, fun and thought-provoking training delivered over six full days of in-person learning between April and June 2025. It all kicks off on 10th April 2025 at The Riddling Rack in Newton-le-Willows and places are available at a special introductory price of £850+VAT.

Don’t hesitate like the leader in our example. If this is the year you will focus on your own development, take action now! Book your place or download the pdf for full course information.