BORN LEADERS—NAD SENIOR MANAGERS ON CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
Nassau, March 30, 2009— Imagine being suspended 30 feet above ground, on a high wire cable, in below freezing conditions. Now imagine depending on a coworker to guide you safely across.
That’s the experience Nassau Airport Development Company senior managers had on a recent trust building exercise at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. At the training, company directors Bryant Bethell, Deborah Coleby, Kevin McDonald and Paula Rigby found out the importance of trusting a colleague’s ability to perform under challenging circumstances.
The training is a part of NAD’s goal of developing a successful leadership model at the airport management company. And while organizations are trimming training budgets during tough economic times, company Vice President of Finance, Stewart Steeves saw the long term benefits of the Banff experience. “Leadership training is essential to maintaining the overall vision of the company,” said Steeves. “Our directors will now transfer knowledge to their managers and the managers to our staff. It was a good investment on our part.”
NAD directors completed the Building Personal Leadership course focused on personality and its impact on leadership style. Several of the directors stayed an additional week in the Canadian Rocky Mountains for the Coaching for Performances training.
For Deborah Coleby, Director of Operations at NAD, being able to coach effectively is part and parcel to the management and leadership process. “Coaching allows managers the opportunity to really connect with employees and assist them in the realization of their goals.” She believes the training will service as a catalyst for change in her department. “It is now incumbent upon me as a leader to assist my managers in this regard.”
Each participant completed a Myers-Briggs and a 360 Degree assessment before leaving for Canada. The Myers-Briggs test outlined specific personality traits influencing leadership style. For the 360 Degree assessment, directors were evaluated by company executives, other managers and their direct reports. What resulted was a comprehensive look at how an individual is perceived in the workplace.
“As a leader you are required to wear different masks. This doesn’t mean that you’re not being authentic, it just means that you are able to adapt and adjust to whatever the situation is you are presented with,” said Kevin McDonald, Director, Maintenance & Engineering. “I am aware of the fact that I can be perceived as pushy. That came through loud and clear with the evaluations. I am now learning to exercise a bit more patience and realizing the importance of sharing the vision with others so that they understand my expectations.”
For Paula Rigby, Controller at NAD, sharing leadership challenges with managers from other organizations was helpful. “It was interesting to see that a lot of the issues relating to your career and trying to find yourself as a leader are universal,” said Rigby. “The main thing I learned is that the change needs to start with me and that trust, not fear, will allow more ideas to flow.”
Listening without judging, creating an environment where direct reports can solve problems for themselves and taking the spotlight off of the leader were all leadership tools discussed during the training.
“The course provided an effective framework for self-study and self-assessment,” said NAD’s Director of Corporate Finance, Bryant Bethell. “Through the coursework, interactive discourse and drama, I was able to more clearly identify my abilities and map a course for continued improvement and success.”
