10 Secrets of Highly Effective Leaders
10 Secrets of Highly Effective Leaders
Over the last 20 years of working with CEOs, Directors, Managers and Team Leaders I’ve observed that the most effective leaders take a series of steps that others don’t - steps that every people leader could take to immediately elevate their leadership capability and career.
I’ve built a leadership program based on these 10 ‘secret steps’, called Elevate in 90-Days.
This practical, fast-paced and easy-to-implement training addresses self-leadership, building teams, running effective one-on-one sessions, establishing a strategic leadership calendar, mentoring, communication, building your brand, career planning and more.
The program is delivered over 12 weeks in 20-minute weekly lessons via a dedicated training portal, with a focus on learning, implementation, support and built-in accountability
The ten secrets are delivered over 12 weeks:
Week 1. Elevate your passion, purpose & potential
Self-actualisation, driving your career & your development. Activities include purpose clarity, craft your WHY (Simon Sinek), values activity, self-reflection questions, high level goal setting.
Week 2. Establish your strategic recurring leadership calendar
Calendar system to secure time for strategic thinking, capability and career planning, 1:1 time with various people (direct reports, management, stakeholders, mentors) & key meetings (quarterly, monthly, weekly).
Week 3. Drive your leadership capability development planning (+ competency self-assessment)
Leadership competency self-assessment to build awareness of expected leadership skills and identify strengths and areas for development.
Week 4. Feedback is a gift
A system and worksheets to seek out feedback from key people in the business to build awareness, certainty and capability.
Week 5. Delivery planning and managing expectations
A system to plan out delivery on a quarterly basis and secure buy-in from management and team.
Week 6. Elevate your leadership with a simple strategic communication strategy
Monthly email communication system to build visibility of self and team, celebrate achievement, build relationships across the business and provide vision.
Week 7. Embed a system for 1:1 meetings to engage, manage and lead
How to establish a template for effective 1:1 meetings (with reports and direct manager) to address both leadership and management activity.
Week 8. Meetings that engage and align your team to deliver
Part 1: Strategic meetings calendar
Part 2: Leading with meetings
Week 9. Develop team leadership awareness and capability – assessments x 2
Elevate team leadership skills.
Week 10. Build your network, knowledge & brand with mentors
A system for engaging multiple informal mentors across a year.
Week 11. Elevate your career planning
Career reflection, mindset shifts required, success path planning & leadership ladder, revisit activities from week 1.
Week 12. Summary to revisit and embed the learnings
Summary and completion report.
Want to view the full Elevate in 90-Days overview?
"The combination of coaching, team coaching and coaching skills training over recent months has supported our leadership team to move to the next level. We are more aligned, focused and have a better understanding of how to be effective leaders. Thank you for your support."
Stuart Draffin
GM Planning and Development, City of Stonnington
"Through coaching sessions with Rachael I have been able to quite quickly achieve clarity and a sense of purpose around what my goals are. This has made it a lot easier to make decisions on where I should be focussing my time and what career decisions I should make. The clarity has provided a sense of relief by taking away the ‘noise’. I would not have achieved this without Rachael providing guidance and gently challenging and interrogating my thinking."
Kym Myall
Director Risk Assessment and Intelligence, Australian Tax Office
"As a HR Business Partner I have engaged Rachael’s coaching services periodically over the last 5 years. This has included Rachael coaching individual staff (40), delivering goal setting workshops and facilitating team coaching with great success. Rachael has a unique and vibrant way in which she engages an audience and individuals to set and achieve goals and it is always a pleasure working with her."
Donna Durston-McKenna
HR Business Partner,
Southern Health
"Being on a journey with Rachael is like standing in front of a mirror with a warm hand on my shoulder. Rachael listens intently to every word and takes nothing for granted. She searches for gaps in my facade and won’t let me walk away from where she knows I need to go. And when I get there, she is right by my side. Rachael is direct but kind. She is bold but nurturing. And simply, she makes it her business to see people discover their best selves."
Donna Maloney
Manager Business Partnering, Department of Transport
"Coaching for me is about staying at the top of my game in every aspect of my life. With such a demanding career, whilst being successful at what I do, coaching ensures I prioritise my relationship, my kids, my health and my downtime, in ensuring my life is a success."
Prakash Menon
Director Myer Logistics, Myer Ltd.
"Rachael has worked with a number of colleagues at various organisations for me. Rachael has the ability to take the people ‘out of their comfort zone’. She will ask them to assess, challenge and stretch themselves. By doing this she gets results. I have seen great growth in these colleagues as a result of the sessions they have had with Rachael."
Fleur Delves
Victorian Manager, PKL Recruitment
"The coaching, enthusiasm and insight Rachael provided me throughout my journey, has not only enabled me to discover a great deal about myself but more importantly made me conscious and able to refocus on how I can progress positive change. I have felt comfortable and inspired since our first meeting and the momentum continues today. A motivating learning experience for me – Thank you."
John Karabatsos,
Manager IT Market Interface Solutions, Australian Energy Market Operator Ltd
"You are a legend. Thank you so much for facilitating our goal setting day. I was really pleased with the outcome. I admire the way you ran the day and your perceptiveness to the different personalities. You really do have a gift with people. Thank you again."
Regina McInnes
MD, McInnes Property Management
"Rachael opened my mind to possibilities I hadn’t even considered. The sessions helped me explore my values, understand my personal and professional purpose and be confident that I can make the right choices to balance what I initially felt were conflicting aspirations. Thanks Rachael."
Charles Boorman
Program Planning Specialist, VICRoads
"Just a quick note to let you know how much we appreciated and enjoyed your presentations at our recent WCN networking breakfasts. You might be interested to know that at the May breakfast we had a record attendance with over 160 guests and that you are the first speaker we have asked back due to such an overwhelming interest. The response has been phenomenal and the evaluation forms 100% positive! You will be a tough act for others to follow. "
