Leadership is all about communicating vision. And where vision is concerned, you have to communicate five critical things: What the vision is – and why. That the benefits are large, and the risk of failure is shared. That leadership is seriously committed and engaged in achieving the vision. That a plan is in place. That no …
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Many managers think they’re doing the right thing by building controls, metrics, checkpoints, and redundancies. In their view, rules are needed to control human behavior and reduce risk. But let’s take a lesson from ant colonies. One rule of ants is that everyone but the queen is a multi-tasker. A second rule is: “Do what …
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How much confidence should I project to be an effective leader? This is a question I often get when coaching CEOs and other leaders. To help people get a handle on this question, I cite a study in which leaders were asked to rate how many of their decisions each day were correct. They were …
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In an interview in the New York Times, Simon Anderson talks about the way he’s used a democratic approach to help build the corporate culture at DreamHost. (link to the article) “What I always say is: ‘I don’t have an open-door policy. I have an open-mind policy. An open door suggests that you’re coming to …
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I often see managers and leaders falling into the trap of calling a group of people a “team,” thinking that they’re improving morale by inspiring people to think like a team. What this leads to is the following kinds of arguments: “We need to meet as a team! We need to talk as a team! …
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A recent article in the Harvard Business Review discussed what CEOs most want from a leadership coach. (Link to the article: Research: What CEOs Really Want from Coaching.) Two interesting facts stood out. First, nearly two-thirds of CEOs do not receive coaching or leadership advice from outside coaches. Second, CEOs most want to develop their …
Continue reading “CEOs: Their Own Worst Enemies?”
One of the most important things that a manager does is align performance and compensation. Often times it helps to bring in an outside expert. A consultant can look at a company’s performance objectively and design specific measurable goals that will help motivate stronger performance. A consultant can help determine the stretch objectives (for which …
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A colleague was recruited by one of our clients, a large technology company, to be its senior executive in charge of government relations. The head of human resources called me and asked for a reference. I wanted to help my colleague, who I will call Mike (for the sake of privacy). “Mike is very smart, …
Continue reading “The Benefits of On-Board Coaching: A Case Study”
The Straight Talk® survey (GoStraightTalk.com) is a great tool for helping new employees fit in. Once you understand a person’s style, you will be better prepared as a manager to coach them effectively. The basic premise of Straight Talk® is that there are four primary styles of communication: Director, Expresser, Thinker, and Harmonizer. People tend to favor …
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Often times getting the right people on the bus means changing people’s seats on the bus. There is a natural cycle to productivity. People typically learn a new job in the first year. Then they’re highly productive for the next two to five years. But at some point, they start to treat their job as …
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