Investing in mutual
collaboration

Leadership & Team Development


How do I get our team moving (again)?

What could be an effective leadership programme for our managers?

How do we promote the development of self-management in our organisation?

What kind of leadership do we need?

How do we strengthen relationships after a conflict or merger?

 

Organisations are networks of human interactions, leadership and teamwork relational processes. To which everyone contributes. A team only functions when every team member is seen and participates. And a leader is only a leader when others let him fulfill that role. How do you know what kind of teamwork and leadership is needed to achieve your goals? And how do you get there? Or how do you revitalize it: after a conflict for example? Or when a team is stuck in a rut?

 

Leadership and (self) management

Everyone has different ideas on management, and on what constitutes 'a team'. These implicit notions shape your expectations. Building any powerful cooperation starts with clarifying and calibrating those images. What kind of leadership is needed in your organisation in this phase of its existence? What kind of cooperation do you want within your team, given your shared purpose and organisational context? The answers to these questions differ per situation. A period of hardship and setbacks requires different leadership than times of prosperity. No two (self-managing) teams are the same. A joint discussion about what is needed, and how you want to work together, lays a solid foundation for any successful collaboration. Theory and models can help with this, so we use them. But a real dialogue is key.

 

As an exploration

As Kessels & Smit, we clarify your goal and direction from the onset. But the exact route is determined as we go along. Building the bridge as we walk upon it, as the saying goes. That may make it slightly scary at times, but the opposite – making a detailed plan in advance – isn’t really possible in these processes. Instead, we take you on a well-designed journey. In the form a leadership programme or a teambuilding session; during a process of a year or a 24-hour off-site. Regardless of whether we start from a deadlocked situation, or from a growth ambition, we start with the interests, motivations and talents of the people involved. And the goals you want to achieve together.

 

The 'undercurrent'

If there is such a thing as 'truth', then an organisation is full of different truths. Your truth, that of your direct colleagues, that of other employees and the environment. We work from all of these 'truths'. Inviting people to make their voices heard and name the 'undercurrent': the conversations at the coffee machine. We do not shy away from discomfort and conflicting stories. We call that pleasantly disruptive. And living with questions is often more effective than rushing to clearcut, single answers.

 

Finding your own answers

 

As consultants, we sometimes serve as experts, but we mainly see our role as facilitators. We organise conversations and experiences that enable you to find your own answers to your leadership and cooperation challenges and dilemmas. After all, your organisation will have to continue on its own in the future – therefore we invest in new competencies, strengthened mutual relationships and trust. When we leave, this result remains. For you to build on.

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