What is Leadergrow Inc.?
Leadergrow is a leadership partnering company in the Northeastern United States focused on helping leaders or prospective leaders become more effective. The business is based in Hilton New York.
Why is Leadergrow called a “partnering” company rather than a consulting or coaching organization?
As an experienced business leader, I know the value of outside help when it forms a synergistic bond with the client. Too often consultants sell a specific program. They come in, give a lot of advice, conduct their training and then they’re gone. My business is aimed at helping organizations grow stronger leaders in an enduring way. The most accurate way to describe the relationship is one of partners.
How did the Leadergrow Company get started?
It began at the collegiate level. I am currently teaching at several universities along with corporate work. College was a natural place to start because the need there is obvious.
I observed a gap between important real-life skills and the typical college curriculum with emphasis on technical content like calculus, thermodynamics, or finance. There was no training in the things that define success of working people, like how to manage conflict or communicate effectively. Ultimately, these are the more important skills to know in the real world.
I spent months in college learning to solve differential equations but never saw one in 33 years at work. On the other hand, I needed to deploy excellent political and interpersonal skills every hour, every day, but received no training on these. Instead I learned by observing others or by making blunders and corrections to my own behaviors.
I designed and taught a course entitled, “Leadership and Your Career” for the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. The students loved the material because it was practical information useful on a daily basis. Topics like “Effective negotiating,” “Getting the most from a mentor relationship” and dozens more were of high interest. Since then I have expanded the program at Syracuse and a few universities in the Rochester area. Typical response from students is that my course is one of the best, if not the best course they have ever taken in terms of helping them become more successful.
Why did Leadergrow expand into the corporate world?
Several business associates encouraged me to bring this material to the corporate environment. The concepts are applicable and just as important, perhaps more so. Also, working people have experiences that help enrich class dialog. Students learn from the successes and challenges of others with lively debates or humorous anecdotes.
What makes Leadergrow courses and seminars unique ?
Leadergrow builds capabilities in unique ways based on the background of its founder.
I have two engineering degrees and an MBA in Behavioral Science from The Simon School at University of Rochester. My career for 33 years was with Eastman Kodak where I held numerous leadership positions, including 10 years as a senior leader in manufacturing.
Throughout my career I observed some leaders succeeding easily while others, equally well qualified, floundered. My career was spent in a “living laboratory of leadership” studying books, tapes and courses while developing unique theories of my own. These were put to the test in the real world.
Teaching style is also distinct. My classes are VERY lively and participative with experiential exercises to underscore ideas. Also, I make liberal use of inspiring videos that match the topics being covered. People stay completely engaged in the topics and get high value from each class.
What is an example of a concept unique to Leadergrow training?
The heart of great leadership is building the right kind of environment: one of high TRUST. This is done by carefully understanding the values and vision of an entity and having all leaders act consistent with them at all times.
A problem arises when people interpret actions as not consistent. In most organizations people are somehow punished if they bring up an inconsistency. In an organization of high trust, leaders reward people for pointing out gaffs because it allows correction or clarification to happen and, more importantly, it grows additional trust.
That sounds simple but it rarely occurs. Usually leaders hate to admit mistakes. They believe it weakens their ability to lead and resist employee efforts to push back. This normally backfires reducing trust in the leader. I am so passionate about building an environment of trust that I wrote a book about it titled, “The TRUST Factor, Advanced Leadership for Young Professionals.” The book will be available in June 2003.
What other unique aspects of leadership are in the Leadergrow curriculum?
My work covers over 100 different areas of leadership. Each area has several fresh approaches that allow leaders to see themselves in new ways and avoid the pitfalls made by less effective leaders.
For example, corporate change programs often fail, not because they have bad material but because the environment hasn’t been set up for them to succeed. Poor leaders throw an improvement program at people like putting a pastry in the microwave. Pop in the program, push the button and 2 minutes later out comes a whole new workforce. It doesn’t work that way. You need to understand and prepare the environment before training programs. That is where the Leadergrow ideas really make a difference.
