Archive for November, 2008

I’m thrilled that StoryCorps has declared November 28 a National Day of Listening. Their campaign is directed at listening to the stories of the people in our lives – and perfectly placed immediately following Thanksgiving. Check out their web site. They even have a tool kit to assist in generating questions.

All of us – whether we’re listening to someone’s story, their frustrations or their joys, can do a better job of listening. Try these behaviors on for size and see if you don’t learn a thing or two as you listen:

1. Suspend judgment: turn off the chatter in your head that is continually judging what the other person is saying;
2. Give the gift of your presence: give in to the moment by being totally available and receptive in mind, body, and spirit;
3. Allow your curiousity to take over: start by asking open-ended questions that begin with the word “what”.

Slow down over this holiday, and enjoy the listening and stories. Then bring your new skills back into the workplace on Monday morning!

From the November 2008 Aspire Newsletter:

As of this moment, there were 167,000,00 Google results for the word, “leadership”. No wonder we’re all confused about what it means to be a “great leader” – everyone has an opinion!

So here I am to confuse and baffle you further with my own opinions about what great leaders do. I’ve thought long and hard about this, read as many books as anyone on the topic, and observed the good, bad, and ugly of leadership to get here. My own top ten list isn’t scientific, but I tried to consider timeless, classic behaviors that support “greatness” in leadership. Just one way to look at it.

I’m open to changing my mind. What do GREAT leaders do, in your opinion?

1. They listen: Great leaders listen for context, emotion and “what’s behind the words”. They are strategic about providing their opinions and know that the best leadership often occurs when they are intentionally silent.

2. They are not afraid to ask questions: Great leaders are not afraid to be seen as not knowing the answers to everything. They are willing to ask questions that they don’t know the answers to. They ask powerful questions in service to other’s learning, and in the process, they learn a lot themselves.

3. They have a positive attitude: They express a positive attitude, even when the going gets tough. This is not the Pollyanna, stick your head in the sand-type of optimism. This is positivity with a good dose of grounded realism.

4. They are humble: Great leaders know that they aren’t perfect. They are willing to admit their vulnerabilities and apologize for their mistakes. They work hard to do better the next time.

5. They let go of the need to control everything: They have learned that when they work too hard to control everything, they almost always end up with outcomes they hadn’t expected, a team that is frustrated and personal burn-out. They coach their followers to achieve the best outcomes. Then, they hold them accountable. Great leaders refrain from meddling.

6. They exploit the word “we”: Great leaders know that they are not responsible for all of the brilliant accomplishments that happen on their watch. The words “We did (fill in the blank)” are a frequent part of their vocabulary.

7. They are genuine: They do the inner work of defining the values that give their life and their leadership meaning. They are not afraid to express these values openly and to model them daily.

8. They encourage their followers to express their diverse gifts: Great leaders understand the power of diversity of thought and action on their teams. They encourage this diversity and know it will serve them and their organizations well.

9. They model “human potential”: Great leaders believe in life-long learning. They are driven to excel. They personally model continuous improvement and strive to work to their full potential. They coach others to develop and work to their own full potential.

10. They are grateful: Great leaders are genuinely thankful for those whom they lead. They are quick to express their gratitude and to do so with meaning.

Here’s to being a great leader!

Abraham Maslow states: “Although human beings are capable of being selfish, lustful, and aggressive, that is not what they are fundamentally. Beneath the surface, at the psychological and biological core of human nature, we find basic goodness and decency. When people appear to be something other than good and decent, it is only because they are reacting to stress, pain, or the deprivation of basic human needs such as security, love, and self-esteem.”

This brief passage, should one be willing to be open to it, provides a lot of thought. What if we could look at those who annoy, anger, or frustrate us in this way? If we knew that deep-down, these people are not evil but rather in pain of some kind? What if a leader’s responsibility were to assist those who are deprived to self-actualize so that they, too, may change and act for the greater good?

I like what Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace has to say about humanizing the workplace. Check out his post at http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/.

copyright, October 16,2008 Business Review

The whispers are out there: “He’s got a coach.”

When said in hushed tones, this implies that a leader being coached is flawed in a big way. Most of the time, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Executive coaching is delivered by a trained coach who utilizes a process and a skill set to help leaders reach their greatest potential. Contrary to some opinions, leaders who are already remarkable have the greatest chance of success in working with a coach.

This makes sense when you consider that executive coaching grew out of the sports arena, where top athletes hire one or more coaches to assist them in gaining the edge they need to win. Tiger Woods has a coach — in fact, I’ve heard he has several — and no one would say he isn’t at the top of his game.

The same is true for leaders. Those who are at the top of their game and looking for the edge they need to be more effective are, or soon will be, working with an executive coach.

Executive coaching is gaining in popularity in all business sectors. A recent study published by the American Management Association indicates that coaching has a role in leadership development that can lead to improved organizational profitability. Half of the organizations surveyed currently use executive coaching. Of the rest, 30 percent intend to implement coaching programs in the future.

Additional information in the report indicates that the largest area of impact for executive coaching is in developing leaders — high performers who need the support of an executive coach to unlock the potential that will help them become great leaders.

Coaching has evolved from the early days of the profession, when it was a last-ditch intervention to help low achievers improve their performance. But experience demonstrated that didn’t work.

If you wait until leaders are mired in the muck of poor performance, hiring a coach is not the right solution. By then, these poor performers have a whole host of things going against them, including their followers, who are fed up and unwilling to give them a break. Instead, executive coaching is now a service for senior leaders and high achievers that allows them to gain an edge in their leadership.

For example, Microsoft recently completed an extended program of coaching. In its program, every leader was carefully selected on the basis of being a high performer who showed great promise of becoming one of the top leaders in the company. Some 250 of these leaders in sales were coached by 40 executive coaches across the globe.

The results of this program have been astonishing enough that Microsoft is planning to expand it to other areas of the company. Microsoft’s willingness to prepare its leaders in this way says a lot about the company. It also says a lot about where executive coaching can make its greatest impact — with leaders who are already high achievers.