This document is a leadership training manual from Blue Globe Inc. intended to prepare leaders in the workplace. It contains 18 lessons on various leadership topics. Each lesson is 1-2 pages and includes questions at the end for the trainee to answer. The manual provides detailed information and examples to support instructor-led leadership training. Trainees are expected to follow along with the lessons and answer the questions to apply their learning.

1. Leadership
Training
Manual
Blue
Globe

2. Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Case Study
Apply your learning
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Appendix
Notes
Evaluation
Reference
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23-26
Page 27-28
Page 29
Page 30
TableofContents
1

3. Introduction
This manual has been prepared by BlueGlobe Inc. and is
intended to be to prepare and train effective leaders in
the workplace.
This manual is to be used as a reference manual
providing detailed information to support the
instructor-based training.
As the trainee, you will follow along with the lessons, by
answering the questions provided at the end.
2
Introduction

4. Jim Towne: Virual Leadership
3
The team has met twice in a face-to-face setting to set
goals and plan. All of the team members are quite
competent technically in their respective areas. Some
team members have a long and valued history with the
company; others have recently become members of the
company through a corporate merger. The team members
have never worked together on any projects previously.
The task of the team is to develop and implement new
technology innovations for all of the business units of
the corporation globally. The team is excited about the
importance and the innovative nature of their assignment;
they respect each other and enjoy being part of this team.
However, the team is having difficulty getting off the
ground, and the members report being extremely
overloaded. Most team members travel to business
sites at least 2 weeks each month. The travel is
important, but it causes team members to get father
and farther behind.
There is one part time secretary for the team, located
in New York. Her responsibility is primarily to organize
travel and meetings of team members. Team members
are working on several projects at once and have
great difficulty finishing any of the projects. One team
member had 500 e-mail messages that have yet to be
read because each team member sends copies of all
messages to everyone on the team. Jim Towne feels
under great pressure to prove that his team can work
and provide a valuable function to the organization.
Jim Towne heads up a newly formed information
technology team for a major international corporation. The
team is composed of about 20 professionals who live and
work in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America,
Africa, and Australia. All members of the team report to
Jim Towne. The team is a virtual team and is connected
primarily using technology (video conference, group
decision support ware, e-mail, and telephone.)
Case Study

5. 1. Which of the characteristics of team excellence are lacking in this team?
2. At what level(s) should Jim Towne intervene to improve this team (internal task, internal relational,
external)? Or should he just keep monitoring the team and not intervene?
3. What specific leadership functions should John Towne implement to improve the team?
4. Relate this case study back to lessons.
Case Sudy Questions
4
Apply your Learning

6. You are their leader, not their friend
Good leadership involves being responsible to the welfare of the group. This means that some members of
the company will get angry at your actions and your decision. Unfortunately, this is inevitable. By trying
to get everyone on your side, or to like you, is impossible. You will end up avoiding the tough decisions,
confronting employees that have not been working up to par, and you will avoid reinforcing high
performance because others may become upset.
Procrastinating the difficult decision, trying not to upset anyone, and treating everyone “equally”
regardless of their performance, will only ensure that you upset the most creative and productive
members of the organization.
It is important to treat employees accordingly, based on their performance in their job. Getting them to
like you will not get work done.
Questions:
1. Why does the author think that people who aren’t categorized as creative or productive are
more responsible?
2. True or false: Being honorable is the most important attribute when being responsible?
5
Lesson 1

7. When they stop talking, you stop leading
This is where the majority of CEOs fail. CEOs tend to build up so many barriers to upward communication,
that the idea of someone on a lower level in a hierarchal structure bringing up ideas or asking for help
can seem ludicrous. The corporate culture of an organization often fosters and defines how communica-
tion between the CEO and lower level employees work. In some cases, the culture defines that asking for
help is a weakness or failure. Therefore, employees often cover their caps causing the organization to
sufer.
Effective leaders make themselves accessible and available to all members of an organization,
regardless of rank. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by the organization and its
employees. An environment should be created in which problem analysis replaces blame.
See figure 2.1 in the appendix.
Questions:
1. Explain the communication model and why communicating to the CEO with your concerns is not productive.
2. Why does asking for help hinder the growth of
employees?
3. Why does communicating up the corporate hierarchy reduce corporate culture?
6
Lesson 2

8. Questions:
1. True or false: Elites are better than Experts?
2. How do leaders adapt to small companies that have grown larger?
Don’t be bullied by the experts
In small companies or start-ups, there is not time for to have employees that are analytically detached. In
other words, they think more about strategy and less about people. They have do not have adequate funds
to subsidize lofty “elites” either. For these organizations, the president answers the phones and drives the
trucks; everyone on the payroll visibly produces and contributes to the bottom-line results. However, as
companies grow in size, they often forget about who “brought them to the dance.” Aspects such as, all-
hands on deck involvement, egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, and agility
are thrown to the wayside.
Real leaders are vigilant when this happens. They are combative and fight to keep the “small business”
mentality alive even when company size, profit and productivity are increasing.
7
Lesson 3

9. Questions:
1. Explain how leaders become leaders?
2. True or false: Saying yes to everything will get you far?
Don’t be afraid of a challenge
It is very important to learn from the pros. Observe them and seek them out as mentors and partners.
However, remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their learning and skills.
Professionals can also become complacent and lazy. Keep in mind, leadership does not emerge from
blind obedience to anyone.
Good leadership encourages everyone’s evolution, even those in charge.
8
Lesson 4

10. Details, details, details.
9
Lesson 5
Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can’t be implemented
rapidly and effectively.
Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details. They also understand
something else: an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and complacency, which dulls
everyone’s minds. They continually encourage people to challenge the process. They implicitly understand that the
job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer, but the chief dis-organizer. On the other hand, bad leaders think that
they are somehow above operational details, putting the task on other employees.
See Figure 5.1 in the appendix.
Questions:
1. Why does a leader have to involve everyone’s opinion when
making a decision?
2.True or False: Details don’t matter, it’s the overall picture that
does?

11. Questions:
1. True or false: Never do anything unless you have asked permission to do so?
2. Why is going behind your leaders back the most effective way of getting your ideas
come to life?
What are you waiting for?
“You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.”
Good leaders do not wait for official “blessings” to try and experiment. They are prudent, not reckless.
However, they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you
will inevitably come up against someone who believes it his job to say “no.”
The moral of the story is, don’t ask. Less effective middle managers have endorsed this sentiment. The
point is to think, “If I haven’t explicitly been told ‘no’. I can.”
10
Lesson 6

12. Questions:
1. Explain why looking for more answers to a problem is not effective?
2. True or false: it is not better to take the surface appearance of a
company?
Dig a little deeper
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It is an excuse
for inaction, a call to non-arms. It is a mind-set that assumes, or hopes, that today’s realities will continue
tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. This idea is pure fantasy. In this sort of culture, you
will not find people who proactively take steps to solve problems are they emerge.
A little tip: Do not invest in these companies.
See Figure 7.1 in the appendix
What should a problem solving process look like?
Draw it below
11
Lesson 7

13. Questions:
1. Which one of these will accomplish a task:
a. Organization
b. Plans
c. Theories of management
2. What task does a leader partake in more?
a. Immersing their calendars with deal
making, restructuring and latest management fad
b. Immersing themselves in the goal
of creating an environment where the best, the
brightest, the most creative are attracted and
retained
3. What type of employee are you?
It’s all about the Who
“Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of
management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by
attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
Three types of employees
In a brain-based economy, your
best assets are people. Too often,
people are assumed to be empty
chess pieces to be moved around by
grand viziers. How many leaders
immerse themselves in the goal
of creating an environment where
the best, the brightest, the most
creative are attracted, retained, and
most importantly, unleashed? It is
important to be that leader.
Engaged Employees Not-Engaged Employees Actively Disengaged
12
Lesson 8

14. Questions:
1. Why does having a title such as CEO create more productiveness within individuals?
2. True or false: It is better to have a lower level position but have all the
responsibilities that of higher level positions?
Don’t follow the Mold
Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that ought to
be as dynamic as the external environment around you. If people really followed
organization charts, companies would collapse. In well-run organizations titles are
also pretty meaningless. At best, they advertise some authority, an official status
conferring the ability to give orders and induce obedience. But titles mean little
in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and inspire. Often times,
people will personally commit to certain individuals who, on paper, possess little
authority, but instead possess “pizzazz, drive and expertise, along with genuine caring
for teammates and products. On the flip-side, non-leaders in management may be
formally anointed with all the perks and frills associated with high positions, but they
have little influence on others, apart from their ability to extract minimal compliance
to minimal standards.
See figure 9.1 in the Appendix
13
Lesson 9

15. Questions:
1. Why does job descriptions matter within an organization?
2. True or False: is it good when leaders reinvent their jobs?
3. How can you change your job without overstepping organizational boundaries?
Your position is not your Worth
Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job
descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers will
not challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. But, real leaders understand
that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. Remember in the
variations of team member history in the case study?
Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their
willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually
reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation
becomes not, “How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?” but,
“How much did you change it?”
14
Lesson 10

16. Questions:
1. Explain why choosing management fads are the best way to go when
determining how to manage your organization?
2. True or false: Which is more important, Speed to market or total
quality?
Go against the Stereotypes
Do not chase the latest management fads. The situation will dictate which approach is best to accomplish
the team’s mission. Flitting from fad to fad create team confusion, reduces the leader’s credibility, and
drains the organizational coffers. Blindly following a particular fad generated rigidity in thought and action.
Sometimes speed to market in more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is
more appropriate than participatory discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others
require long, loose leashes.
Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them. They understand that
management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times.
See 11.1 in the Appendix.
15
Lesson 11

17. Questions:
1. True or false: leaders should put the blame on their colleagues when they do
not pull their own weight?
2. What is the ripple effect of a leaders enthusiasm? Why is it bad?
Glass half Full
The ripple effect of a leader’s enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and
pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. Do not
stoically accept the organizational performance incompetence with a “what, me worry?” smile. Rather,
a gung-ho attitude that says, “we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the
best.” Spare the grim litany of the “realist,” and give the unrealistic aspirations of an optimist.
16
Lesson 12

18. Questions:
1. What would make a good worker?
2. True or false: During the recruitment phase, the length, degree and prior title
within the resume are what you should focus on?
You are the talent Agent
Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, seeing around corners. Also
look for loyalty, integrity, a high-energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done. More often
than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and prior titles.
A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one is today, what
they can contribute tomorrow, or how well their values mesh with those of the organization. You can train
a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly readily, but it’s a lot harder to train
someone to have integrity, judgment, balance, energy, and drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the
deck in their favor in the recruitment phase. (Note the employee’s skills in the case study).
See Figure 13.1 in the Appendix
17
Lesson 13

19. Questions:
1. Effective leaders who use the KISS principle have visions that are:
a. Lean
b. Compelling
c. Not cluttered and buzzword- laden
Keep it Simple
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to
offer a solution everybody can understand. They understand the principle: keep it simple. They articulate
vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing
alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword laden.
An effective leader’s decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous, conveying an unwavering
firmness and consistency in their actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint. The result: clarity
of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in organization.
18
Lesson 14

20. Questions:
1. True or false: The formula P=40 to 70 stands for the number
you need to go with your gut feeling?
2. True or false: when deciding to take action, you should wait
until you are 100 percent sure?
Don’t be Afraid
Don’t take action if you only have enough information to give you less than a 40 percent chance of being
right. But, do not wait until you have enough facts to be 100 percent sure, either. By then it will be too late.
Excessive delays in the name of “information gathering” breeds “analysis paralysis.” Procrastination in the
name of reducing risk actually increases risk.
19
Lesson 15

21. Questions:
1. True or false: Does having commander make all the decisions
always right?
2. How should a company be run?
Who’s right?
The “commander” is always right, and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proven otherwise. Too often, the
reverse defines corporate culture. Many leaders have kept their corporate staffs to a bare-bones minimum.
Shift the power and the financial accountability to the folks who are bringing in the beans, not the ones who
are counting or analyzing them.
20
Lesson 16

22. Questions:
1. True or false: Taking leave shows that you are unable to keep up with
the workload?
2. Explain why workaholics are better than individuals who take many
vacations.
3. What is the perfect work enviornment?
Have fun while being the Leader
Have fun in your leadership. Do not always run the organization a “breakneck”
place. Take leave when you’ve earned it. Surround yourself with people who
take their work seriously, but not themselves: those who work hard and play
hard. As a leader, you should seek people who have some balance in their lives,
who are fun to hang out with and laugh with (and at themselves), an who have
some non-job priorities which they approach with the same passion that they do
their work.
See Figure 17.1 in the Appendix.
21
Lesson 17

23. Be the Leader
Questions:
1. Why is being in command lonely?
2. What does it take to be the best leader?
Whether you are the CEO or the temporary head of a project team, the buck stops here. You can encourage
participative management and bottom-up employee involvement, but ultimately the essence of leadership
is the willingness to make the tough, unambiguous choices that will have an impact on the fate of the
organization. Even as you create an informal, open, collaborative corporate culture, prepare to be the leader
or prepare to be lonely.
22
Lesson 18

24. 23
Appendix

25. 24
Appendix

26. 25
Appendix

27. 26
Appendix

28. 27
Notes

29. 28
Notes

30. Training Conference Evaluation
1- Strongly Disagree
2- Disagree
3- Neutral
4- Agree
5- Strongly Agree
1. The pre-training PowerPoint presentation was a helpful basic intro to leadership training
1 2 3 4 5
2. The narration along with each slide was clear and helpful
1 2 3 4 5
3. The graphics on each slide were relevant to the information provided and were not distracting
1 2 3 4 5
4. The case study was helpful in providing a real life scenario that related to the information
being introduced
1 2 3 4 5
5. The Training packet was clear, easy to follow, and understandable
1 2 3 4 5
6. The leadership principles presented were relevant and applicable to the questions in the packet
1 2 3 4 5
7. The case studies provided in the packet were relevant to our objectives
1 2 3 4 5
8. The trainer was well versed in leadership principles
1 2 3 4 5
9. The trainer explained concepts in a clear and concise manner
1 2 3 4 5
10. I feel confident I can apply my newly learned skills to my job at BlueGlobe
1 2 3 4 5
29
Evaluation

31. Achieving a Work Life Balance [Infographic]. (2013, April 25). Retrieved from http://visual.ly/achieving-work-
life-balance
Leadership Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse © 2004 Sage Publication Inc.
(Thousand Oaks, California)
Powell, C. (Presenter). (n.d.). A leadership primer [Lecture].
30
References

32. Produced by BlueGlobe Global
Services
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