The Self-Made Leader - 25 Activities for Facilitated Personal Development

Mike Woodcock and Dave Francis

Including personal development in a Management Development programme seems like a good idea but where do you start? It can take a long time and special skill to devise convincing diagnostic activities. Awful alternatives range from inappropriate and inexpert psychometric testing to unstructured and pointless shared anecdotes level producing outcomes of 'motherhood and apple pie' obviousness.

• The Self-Made Leader strikes me as a very useful and practical resource in this very tricky area. It is exactly what it says - twenty five possible activities which enable adult learners to explore where they stand and what they want to achieve in the following areas:
• Self -management competence Developed values
• Goal orientation
• Commitment to continuous self-development
• Systematic problem-solving prowess
• Innovation skills Influencing ability
• Leadership competence
• Organising capability
• Commitment to developing others
• Team building orientation
• Capability to learn from experience

Each provides the basis for a workshop session and comes with clear objectives, an indication of the group size it will work with, time guide, all documentation participants would need, an OHP master from which the tutor can deliver what is unhappily called a 10 minute 'lecturette' (the only false note in an otherwise excellent book) and a step-by-step guide to facilitating the activity. Users are free to copy the documentation for every member of their groups, making the book, even at £65, good value for money.

Many of the outputs could usefully end up in a development portfolio for an S/NVQ or other management qualification. More importantly, they may make a real contribution to how managers perceive themselves at work. In a fairly brief introduction the authors give a set of guidelines for personal development facilitators. Their professionalism, sensitivity and practical common sense sets the style for the book. Here are just four of the ten points made:

1. Do not judge; enable people to judge themselves.
2. Remember that your task is to assist people to explore themselves. What they find is their property.
3. Undertake activities that you can handle. Do not use people as experimental animals.
4. Instil a work ethic. Expect diligence and questioning. Do not allow a lax environment to develop.

Publisher and Price: Gower £65.00

Review from 'Progress' published by NEBS Management, June 1999