Leadership program by Lepaya

Leadership isn't defined by your position, but by the example you set. At Product League, we believe leadership isn't just about our individual positions, but about setting the right example and empowering our team members to grow.

We recently had the opportunity to sharpen our leadership skills through a six-month programme by Lepaya. This programme has enabled us to better support our team's professional development, and we'd like to share some valuable lessons we learned along the way.

Lesson 1 - Self-awareness
To effectively help others grow, we first need to understand our own core principles: what drives us? We've realised that being honest with ourselves and acknowledging our shortcomings are crucial for personal growth and leadership. By being honest with ourselves, we can create a path for improvement and inspire our team members to do the same.

Lesson 2 - The Power of Open Questions
As experts in our fields, we can teach others how to grow and excel. But we've learned that creating room for failure and encouraging reflection are just as important for a healthy growth culture. By asking open questions that start with words like how, why, what or when, instead of yes-or-no questions, we can encourage reflection and achieve excellent results.

Lesson 3 - Difficult Conversations
Delivering difficult messages in a safe and effective way isn't easy, especially when there are clear cultural differences. We've learned that giving time for reflection and understanding is crucial when delivering tough messages. While people may not always like the message, they'll appreciate our effort to deliver it clearly and with empathy.

Lesson 4 - Context is Crucial
Understanding the individual, their role and the team is essential to helping others grow. As coaches, we provide guidance and support, but we don't fill in the blanks. We encourage team members to discover their own path by asking open questions with the right context, so they're empowered to find their own solutions.

Lesson 5 - Focus and Clarity
Knowing the context, clearly communicating the message and coaching team members in the right direction are essential. But without a main goal, everything can become disjointed and directionless. We've learned that having a main growth goal and breaking it down into smaller, actionable steps helps create clarity about what needs to happen. We support our team in identifying smaller, achievable actions that bring them closer to their bigger goal.

Lesson 6 - Stress and Safety
Stress is a natural part of the growth process and can be hard to manage, especially when time is limited and pressure is high. As coaches, we create a safe and judgement-free environment where team members can share their stress factors. Regular check-ins and a supportive space can significantly reduce stress and foster a culture of honesty and growth.

As leaders within our company, we strive to be honest with ourselves and others. The leadership training we've completed has given us the tools to create a safe and supportive environment that encourages growth and excellence. As an added benefit, our clients also benefit from this approach, since our team members are better able to deliver improved quality and results.

Conclusion

At Product League, we're committed to developing leadership skills that help our team members grow and excel. We believe that by fostering a culture of self-awareness, asking open questions, effective communication, contextual awareness, focus and clarity, and stress management, we can create a high-performing team that delivers excellence in everything we do.