“Leaders are born, not made” was how the old saying went. While some people seem to be natural-born leaders and others seem happy being natural-born followers, according to experts from the Sonoma Learning Systems, anyone, regardless of innate ability, can be trained to be a leader.
“It’s vital to companies and organizations today to develop leadership at all levels,” said Jeni Nichols of Sonoma Learning Systems.
Nichols and her team from Sonoma Learning Systems are nationally recognized experts in leadership development and training for business and government. Last week, they held their widely esteemed Leadership Challenge Workshop. Held three times a year, the Leadership workshops attract executives and mid-level managers from private industry to supervisors from government institutions. “Not only do our workshops help companies and institutions be competitive by quickly adapting to change and maintaining peak performance, but we often hear what a positive impact the experience has on the personal lives of the participants,” said Nichols.
The Leadership Challenge is designed to develop leadership skills that inspire, motivate and help people lead with courage, integrity and respect. Over 1,500 have attended the three-day workshops that utilize fast-paced, experiential, interactive, feedback-rich learning techniques to develop and enhance leadership skills. According to Nichols, Leadership Challenge has had a profound impact on companies and organizations of all sizes.
“Bank of America came to us; they wanted to encourage innovation and experimentation,” recalled Nichols. “But often people in the banking business are not inclined to take risks. So their managers took our workshop to learn how to think outside the normal parameters and to lead others to new ways of doing things.”
The successes of Sonoma Learning Systems’ workshops are not only due to the scholarship and insights offered but also their creative instructional approach. Real-world scenarios translate leadership theory into practical workplace use, and communication development exercises are used to make leadership learning fun.
For example, at last week’s session, the format of TV’s “American Idol” program was used to enhance communication skills. A panel of “judges” critiqued the performance of an attendee who was challenged to give a talk that would motivate a team or help others teach a specific principle of leadership.
“We believe in a self-discovery learning process,” explained Nichols. “One of the strengths of our workshops is that it offers the opportunity of participants to share their challenges and insights. By interacting, they come to a greater understanding of how to apply leadership in their own specific field of endeavor. Plus it makes learning much more enjoyable too.”
Sonoma Learning Systems’ next series of Leadership Challenge Workshops are scheduled for March 26 through 29 and, as in previous years, managers and executives from across the nation will travel to Sonoma to learn leadership techniques from the experts at Sonoma Learning Systems. Ironically, Nichols said Valley businesses and organizations have yet to take advantage of the leadership training her company offers.
“Historically we have served the needs of Fortune 1,000 companies and major institutions but now we would like to reach out to local organizations and individuals and offer the community what we know would benefit us all,” said Nichols.
Log on to www.sonomalearning.com for more information.
