Danish Media Leaders Study “What Great Bosses Know”

It's always fun to work with leaders from other countries.  We learn from each other.  This week at the Poynter Institute, we're working with 21 leaders from across Denmark.  They represent newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, online media and magazine journalism.

Fortunately, our seminar participants are fluent in English, which is a common second language in Denmark, since my command of Danish is limited to "Velkommen" (welcome) and "Takk" (thank you.)  Clearly, I have a lot to learn!

At the same time, we all share the language of leadership and management.  We share the goal of being a great boss.  That's why we focus a great deal during the week on topics like motivation, feedback, collaboration, brainstorming, managing time and priorities.

We also practice the art of having "difficult conversations."  After teaching managers from across the world, I've learned that no matter the culture, we all struggle with doing them right.  That's why it's such a focus in our sessions -- and takes up a whole chapter in "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW."

We've found that doing these in workshops and seminars, just like "improvisational theater," helps people experience the best and worst ways of handling them.  In post-seminar evaluations, these sessions routinely get the highest marks for being realistic, practical and truly helpful.

I think that's the key to management training:

• Base it on a solid theoretical foundation (not just the teacher's opinions)
• Make it relevant to the daily lives and needs of the managers
• Focus it on helping people do their best work
• Keep it fun and interactive

And those principles stay the same, whether the aspiring great bosses are working in Cleveland -- or Copenhagen!