and are They ideas and achievements, delegate authority team-oriented, sharing power. people’s do not micro-manage the work of others. Fosters Mutual Understanding Communicating well with all people in the organization is the hallmark of good leadership. In order to communicate well a leader must be a able to skilled active listener, hear deeper rather than only the surface level of communication. They are the intended meaning, able when questioned. They without negative and willing to encourage feedback explain “why” consequences, relate to individuals at all levels and are More than having an open accessible. door, they are ready and interested to listen. Effective communicators also have the objectivity to without taking blame. listen to complaints Figure 1: Leadership Development Initiative Emergence of a Learning Cohort Approach Based on this feedback, the Steering Committee revised the plan so that leaders at the same level throughout the provincial organization could meet, share, and reflect on leadership development together in peer-based groups. The was developed, learning cohort approach loosely based on theory of communities of practice (COP), which are of Wenger’s “groups people who share a common concern or passion for something they do and interact regularly to learn how to do it (Wenger 2001). were groups of leaders with LDI learning cohorts better” similar accountabilities who came together for about three workshops per year to learn about new processes, theories and approaches to leadership in order to deal with real issues in the organization. The learning cohort approach was thought to bridge organizational units/departments by bringing leaders together from all divisions in the organization to learn together and work collaboratively toward common goals. It was expected to increase dialogue and engagement among leaders and staff and enhance performance, improve peer and team
people’s ideas and achievements, delegate authority and are team-oriented, sharing power. They do not micro-manage the work of others. Fosters Mutual Understanding Communicating well with all people in the organization is the hallmark of good leadership. In order to communicate well a leader must be a skilled active listener, able to hear the intended meaning, deeper rather than only the surface level of communication. They are able and willing to explain “why” when questioned. They encourage feedback without negative consequences, relate to individuals at all levels and are accessible. More than having an open door, they are ready and interested to listen. Effective communicators also have the objectivity to listen to complaints without taking blame. Figure 1: Leadership Development Initiative Emergence of a Learning Cohort Approach Based on this feedback, the Steering Committee revised the plan so that leaders at the same level throughout the provincial organization could meet, share, and reflect on leadership development together in peer-based groups. The learning cohort approach was developed, loosely based on Wenger’s theory of communities of practice (COP), which are “groups of people who share a common concern or passion for something they do and interact regularly to learn how to do it better” (Wenger 2001). LDI learning cohorts were groups of leaders with similar accountabilities who came together for about three workshops per year to learn about new processes, theories and approaches to leadership in order to deal with real issues in the organization. The learning cohort approach was thought to bridge organizational units/departments by bringing leaders together from all divisions in the organization to learn together and work collaboratively toward common goals. It was expected to increase dialogue and engagement among leaders and staff and enhance performance, improve peer and team