All
performance reviews would indicate that employees who have better leadership
skills are rated better and their professional growth is much higher than other
employees. Realizing that, I decided that to excel professionally, I should
have some leadership training.
But
before I discuss my foray into leadership
training, let me define the term ‘leadership’ for you. Merriam Webster
dictionary has a simple definition of
leadership – ‘capacity to lead’. This means that leadership involves
inspiring people and motivating them to do the work you want them to do. Although
this analogy may sound disparaging to some, good leaders are like master
puppeteers. They pull the right strings and breathe in life into the beautiful performers
of their show. Moreover, good leaders, like puppeteers remain in the background
but their art is reflected in the excellence and coordination of the teams they
lead.
Now
since we have established the meaning of leadership, let us look at ways to
build leadership skills. At the time I decided I needed some leadership training, I already had a
full time job and still trying to make ends meet. There was no way I could just
leave my job for further studies. So I decided to look into online leadership degrees. The main
thing that drew me to these programs was the convenience – I could study at
whatever time suited me and from anywhere I wanted to. In my case, respective
choices to both were after work and at home.
Online leadership degrees are
not any easier than regular degrees. In fact, the amount of motivation it needs
to study at home on your own is a lot more than what you would need for just
making it to class every morning. Neither is the curriculum any easier.
In
fact, the coursework was pretty rigorous and we had weekly online forums where
ambitious and competitive students put forward real life questions and debated
on various issues of interest. The program did indeed prepare me for a
leadership role in my company and a better salary!
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