I confess.
With one of my most popular services in leadership development, I confess that I didn’t know until recently what it’s most important value is to leaders today. 200 people have participated in my “Walkshop” service. A Walkshop is my concept of knowing a leadership story from history, walking to those places to see and hear and smell and think for yourself, and then applying key takeaways to your leadership today. Clients say the Walkshop among the most creative things they’ve done to improve their leadership. As you might guess, I enjoy hearing their positive reactions.
But I must confess to you that only in the past couple of weeks did I finally realize the truly unique takeaway of my Walkshops.
It’s the place of leading.
Whatever you do as a leader—visioning, communicating, inspiring, problem-solving, and countless other things good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant—you lead in a place.
The place of leading has a hundred forms. Indoors, outdoors, an office, a shopfloor, a hallway, a conference room, an open-space layout, a cubicle, a home, a street, a church, a moving vehicle, a basement, a top floor, no windows, all windows, over a phone, or, increasingly, via a digital screen of varying sizes. These are the places of leading. You lead in a place.
Are you aware of how a place affects your leading? Do you understand how your leading shifts from place to place to place? Do you have the best sense of how your leadership in places can change from one period of your life to the next?
In my current Walkshops I guide you to places where, in sequence, leading occurred for one person. Five places mark the real story of the day when 28-year old Benjamin Harrison raised his hand to volunteer to fight in the Civil War. That is Walkshop I (on processing Major Change). Five places mark the real story of the day when 31-year old Benjamin Harrison came home for good. That is Walkshop II (on executing Major Change).
As we move into 2016, I invite you to join me for a special experience of leading in a place. You’re doing it every day anyway. Why not add more insight, perception, and thoughtfulness to your effort? Thanks for considering. All the best, Dan
Email Dan with your thoughts, questions, or comments: dan@historicalsolutions.com
