We had the opportunity to view Gary Hamel’s video in which he speaks to ‘Reinventing the Technology of Human Accomplishment’ that we found profound and resonated with our experience of coaching executives and managers throughout North American and other global organizations. Gary is a leading management thinker and author and co-founder of the Management Innovation eXchange (MIX). He makes a very cogent argument for management that can be expected in the 21st century. Turn up your sound and enjoy.

This video is a portion taken from the University of Phoenix Distinguished Guest Video Lecture Series. We would enjoy hearing your response. Take care.

When coaching executives who are either updating their résumés or are already into career transition mode, the following executive résumé preparation tips are some that are gifted in our conversations.

• Military versus Civilian Background: try using a functional résumé format with an emphasis on professional development received related to your targeted role
• Education or Foreign Experience: Provide foreign degrees and certifications with their U.S./Canadian equivalent, using position titles understood by the potential employer
• Age: again, use a functional résumé, forget stating your birth date, highlight your past 15 to 20 years of experience, and eliminate graduation dates
• Don’t Have a Formal Degree: describe your “on-the-job” training and development, listing special workshops, seminars and training
• Addressing that “Job Hopper” Impression: here goes with the use of the functional résumé once more, perhaps exclude those early or very short-term jobs, and/or include a number of short-term roles in one of your descriptions
• Work Experience with Primarily One Employer: describe positions of increasing responsibilities, try combining the chronological and functional résumé formats with an emphasis on different challenges and roles, focusing on advancement and promotions
• Don’t Have Experience in the Field Being Targeted: use the functional résumé format here where you highlight your accomplishments that illustrate your related functional expertise and skills that translate easily into your targeted field or industry
• Work History Gaps: be prepared to address any questions related to information you leave out in your résumé, that can be effective if you use the functional résumé format and have very few gaps―don’t apologize, simply provide a simple positive statement of explanation

If you have additional comments or tips around supporting the creation of powerful executive résumés, we would love to hear from you. Take care.

“If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts” Is the advice that William Derisiewicz delivered in his lecture to a plebe class of the United States Military Academy at West Point a few years ago. A colleague had passed a copy of a lecture Derisiewicz gave to these young leaders that I found most profound and absolutely thought provoking.

Although the two concepts – solitude and leadership – on the surface do not appear to be strongly connected, Derisiewicz does a masterful job of illustrating what they truly are and how they are intimately connected. He states that leadership are the “qualities and mind that will make you fit to command a platoon, and beyond that, perhaps, a company, a battalion, or, if you leave the military, a corporation, a foundation, a department of government”. Solitude “is what you have the least of . . . . the ability to be alone with your thoughts. . . . solitude is one of the most important necessities of true leadership.” Derisiewicz makes powerful references to the Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Apocalypse Now and the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad to ingeniously drive home his point.

Derisiewicz feels he needs to forwarn leaders that they will find themselves wrestling with bureaucracies “where what is rewarded above all else is conformity”. He encourages a different kind of leader and feels there is a crisis of leadership in America. What is missing are thinkers . . . “people who can think for themselves . . . who can formulate new direction for the country, corporations, colleges, for the Army . . . a new way of looking at things . . . people in other words, with vision.”

He goes on to invite leaders to learn to concentrate, to focus, which is all about solitude. He encourages leaders to think for themselves
by finding themselves, “finding their your own reality . . . . don’t marinate yourself as leader in conventional wisdom, others’ realities, but rather listen to your own voice and find a new direction, not simply putting yourself at the front of the herd that’s heading toward a cliff.” To achieve, this the leader is encouraged to take the personal time to read books that are based on the writer’s own solitude in thinking for his/herself. Further, he claims “books stand against conventional wisdom of today simply because they’re not from today”.

The intent of solitude is to get to know yourself better. A powerful form of solitude is that of friendship, deep friendship, that may appear on the surface to be counterproductive to the point being made. This involves intimate discussion―uninterrupted talk. This promotes ntrospection―talking to yourself―that can done by talking with someone that you have vulnerably trust with. . . . a very close friend or a highly qualified executive coach and confidante. Here you can truly think out loud with full confidentiality being kept within a
crucible of non-judgment. We all intuitively know that being in solitude is difficult and challenging, some more than others. However, leadership demands this.

Derisiewicz claims that “taking counsel with yourself in solitude’ is the essence of leadership . . . the position of leader is ultimately an intensely solitary, even intensely lonely one . . . . however many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions . . . . and at such moments, all you really have is yourself.”

What is in the challenge of solitude and leadership for you? What are related hidden opportunities and threats? We would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this important subject.

The executive’s job search continues to be getting even more challenging. It is particularly difficult in these extremely challenging economic times. That is exactly the experience of my client Rick who had departed from his executive role with his previous employer about 6 month ago. A former Senior Vice President, Rick was struggling with job search networking, something he had never faced before. Here is how he expressed this in a recent coaching meeting, “How in the heck do I approach potential corporate contacts and what do I say to them when do give them a call?”

After a series of related coaching questions in support of Rick, he concluded some the following from our discussion.

First, his initial contact with key contacts would no doubt be by phone. The objective of which was to set up an appointment to meet. It became clear to him that it was critical for him to make his contacts very comfortable at the outset. When asked how this would be done, he quickly ascertained that it would be important for him to make it clear to each contact that he in fact was not asking them for a job! He felt doing so would put these key contacts at ease . . . important for him to be able to connect. Rather, he concluded, it would be important that they understand that he is approaching them for expert advice only. His ultimate objective was to set up a short informal twenty minute meeting over the next two to three weeks at their convenience and he would communicate that he would fully respect their valuable time in doing so.

Rick was also quite prepared to pick up the expense of potential meetings that might take place over lunch or coffee. He also concluded the need to dress business conservative, no matter how the potential contacts were dressed.

When asked what he might say in these initial telephone discussions, Rick concluded after some excellent dialogue that the following needed to be fully taken into consideration and tailored accordingly on each call he made.

• Mention who referred him and that they felt such contact would be mutually beneficial.
• Quickly summarize who he is professionally, years of experience in his specialty, with which organizations and where he has been most effective in adding value.
• Reiterate that he does not expect that the key contact has or knows of opportunities available, but rather to gain some of the key contact’s insights and advice around industry trends over the foreseeable future.
• Ask to get together sometime over the next two to three weeks at a mutually agreeable date and time for about twenty minutes.
• When the meeting takes place, to again reiterate the foregoing.
• Most importantly, at the end of each meeting, ask the key contact for other potential key contacts, and if any contacts don’t come to the key contact’s mind at that time, that he will offer to follow up within the next or so . . . to keep the momentum up.

Rick felt quite relieved to have developed this plan of action and could not wait to get back to his temporary office at home and start making it happen.

We would enjoy hearing what other suggestions that you might have for Rick and others like him to consider when undertaking their job search campaigns. Thank you in advance.

In a recent blog titled ‘Negative Feedback Is Disengaging and Demotivating to Talent’ by Ken Nowack, he quoted Bill Walsh’s observation that “Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment”. Ken’s blog was so profound that he was kind enough to give us permission to share it with you. Enjoy!

“What would you say to someone if you knew that your honest feedback to a person could influence and motivate this individual to make or not to make a $3 million gift or donation to a charity or non-profit organization?

Would you be brutally honest and share your opinion that the person has a long pattern of being a “competent jerk” and really needs to change their interpersonal approach with others or would you be politically correct and just assume your feedback really won’t make a difference in changing their leadership style? It is also possible that if the person feels overly criticized that they might be unwilling to “give back” to the organization in the form of a monetary gift.

Ahh…the dilemma of feedback!

Just how honest and candid should one be in giving feedback to others?

One question that comes up from raters in 360-degree feedback processes is whether they can be “totally honest” in completing the online questionnaires1. I’m sure in the back of their minds they are also questioning just how much this feedback will really make a difference.

As a vendor of 360-degree feedback assessments it’s not atypical on any multi-rater project to get at least one participant or rater contacting us and asking just how “anonymous” and confidential their feedback will be. We try to explain that leaders don’t typically wake up each morning and spontaneously try out new behaviors and change for the sake of change.

We try to assure raters their comments and ratings will be bundled with others who have been invited by their leader for feedback and that without taking a risk to share their observations, suggestions and feedback what they will see is basically more of the same. We can actually confirm by watching our assessment administration system that some of the less paranoid hang up and complete the online questionnaires and the others choose not to.

Why do Some Raters Decide Not to Provide Feedback?

1. Some raters don’t believe that leaders will change anyway (it doesn’t matter if the cause is motivation or ability-the outcome is the same)
2. Some raters are justified in not participating knowing that their boss will actually try hard to identify them and if successful will punish them for their candor
3. Some raters lack confidence about anonymity and confidentiality and don’t trust the 360-feedback process
4. Some raters don’t ever get any follow up after they share feedback from so they see it as a waste of their time

Not long ago, the past chancellor of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), said he and his family would no longer be considering donating a $3 million gift to the school when he planned on retiring after a regent’s negative comments in his job performance evaluation (this probably is another story my old UCLA dissertation chair, Samuel Culbert who is critical particularly of performance reviews would love!).

In a written evaluation by one of the regents who had a role to provide appraisal comments to the Chancellor, this regent wrote that the Chancellor’s claims of being “totally honest and known for his integrity” were false. The regent went on to write about the Chancellor that “he is known primarily as a self-absorbed, self-indulgent bully and tyrant, given to rashly going off at little or no provocation.”

Feedback, whether oral or written, can be either motivating or disengaging. In almost all 360-degree feedback assessments, there is a section for “open ended” questions that are typically reported back to participants verbatim. One dilemma in coaching when using 360-degree feedback is how to handle a situation in which the majority of written comments by raters are particularly skewed towards being critical, negative and judgmental. Ethically, what should you do knowing that the reaction on the part of your client might be received negatively?

Smither and Walker (2004) analyzed the impact of upward feedback ratings as well as narrative comments over a one-year period for 176 managers2. They found that those who received a small number of unfavorable behaviorally based comments improved more than other managers but those who received a large number (relative to positive comments) significantly declined in performance more than other managers. These individuals were more disengaged and emotionally upset as a result of the 360-degree feedback process.

Newer neuroscience research sheds some interesting light on “why” perceived negative feedback is potentially emotionally harmful. Recent studies confirm that emotional hurt and rejection, whether part of social interactions (or poorly designed and delivered feedback interventions) can actually trigger the same neurophysiologic pathways associated with physical pain and suffering3.

As George Carlin once said, “Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second best policy”…..Be well….”

To view Ken’s original blog and supporting references, go to Envisia Learning. Thank you for allowing us to publish this Ken. What are your thoughts and feelings on the foregoing? Your experience? We would love to hear from you!

Susan Robinson, CEO, IRLY DISTRIBUTORS LTD., (center) with Ron Short and Jan Johnson, Principals of Learning In Action (Leaders in the field of EQ)

In a recent edition of BLUEPRINTS, an internal publication of IRLY DISTRIBUTORS LTD., a leading Canadian materials distribution firm, their CEO, Susan Robinson, shared her executive leadership team’s (ELT) year-long coaching experience with all of their members and employees. Susan and her high performance ELT were kind enough to also allow us to  share this article with you.

“In 2010 we spent time and energy on group coaching. We formed an executive leadership team and made an effort to work together better than we had in the past. We had players that had been with our company a long time and others that were new to the business. Overall, we reached to achieve a more collaborative style, not only with our customers and our teams, but with each other.

The group coaching we engaged in was lead by our executive coach, Bob Benwick. Bob lead us through an assessment piece where we evaluated ourselves in five areas. Using Lencioni’s “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” we answered questions which gauged our effectiveness together in the following areas: Trust, Commitment, Conflict, Accountability, and Results.

We also engaged in extensive exercises to build trust between us, assess our commitment to each other, assess our conflict styles, define our accountability and understand what results we want to achieve together.

If you are interested in executive coaching or group coaching, Bob was a great resource for us. He is a Master Executive Coach & Confidante. You can reach him at bob@rwbenwick.com, and his website is www.rwbenwick.com . Bob is also a Professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, School of Business, Business Management Department.”

We would enjoy hearing your own experience of team and group coaching . . . the good, the bad and the ugly. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 Skya Benwick (standing) playing with her brother Woody Benwick (on ground)

A very sweet little girl came into our lives and her ‘forever home’ through the American Brittany Rescue Association (ABR) a few years back. Her name was Skya. She had been rescued from a kill shelter by the ABR. Having been picked up off the street in terrible distress. She was thought to be about 9 years old at the time. Arriving with a seriously torn cruciate ligament, Bev (my wife) immediately put her through surgery and physical therapy. She can be viewed working through her therapy on YouTube. As a result, the quality of her life immediately and positively changed. She loved to run, play and smother her brother Woody (also an ABR rescue), Bev and I with absolute unconditional love. Sweet is an understatement when describing this little girl.

Skya quietly passed away on Wednesday, May 18th, 5:00 PM in our loving arms and hearts at the Village Park Animal Hospital in La Quinta, California. Everyyone who ever came in contact with our little girl adored her affectionate, endearing and playful way. She adored her brother Woody (another rescue from Montana who arrived within a week of Skya). Woody was always alertly protecting her. He too is greatly missing her.

It is truly difficult to share this without an enormous feeling of overwhelming loss. It is with the greatest of personal pleasure and pride that Skya ‘graduated’ from this life’s journey having had the last three years of her life being totally enveloped in love, with an intensity of caring that few of the world’s lonely and lost dogs will unfortunately ever have the good fortune to experience.

The following poem, so kindly sent to us by Nancy Vogel, Director of ABR in Nebraska, very much captures our true feelings and we would like to now share it with you. Thank you Nancy!

WE LOVED YOU BEST

So this is where we part, our dear friend
And you’ll run on, around the bend.
Gone from sight, but not from mind,
New pleasures there you’ll surely find.

We will go on, we’ll find the strength
Life measures quality, not its length
One long embrace before you leave,
Share one last look, before we grieve.

There are others, that much is true,
But they be they, and they aren’t you.
And we, fair, impartial, or so we thought
Will remember well all you’ve taught.

Your place we’ll hold, you will be missed,
The fur we stroked, the nose we kissed
And as you journey to your final rest,
Take with you this . . . we loved you best!

 - – - Kerri Fowlkes

Thank you for taking this moment out to read this short note from our hearts to the world about our sweet Skya. May she run, play and thoroughly enjoy herself with our other ‘life graduates’ on the ‘other side’. Take care!

As a global executive coaching practice we partner with leaders at all levels and disciplines in a wide array of global private and public sector organizations. Part of that coaching with our corporate clients more often than not touches on why they get stuck in certain perspectives and let their ‘Child’ run the show vs. being in ‘Adult’, self-managing and objectively taking care of business.

It typically surfaces as a ‘blinding glimpse of the obvious’ when they discover dichotomy for themselves. It’s typically a life, career and leadership changer when they do make this breakthrough. They learn their ‘Child’ also has a very positive side . . . . playful, laughter, fun, vitality, energy, compassion, caring etc. . . . as well as a negative side . . . judgmental (of themselves and others around them), anger, fear, shame, anxiety, sadness, etc.

We recently caught the following country music video on television that really captured the origins of what the child and what we agree  to early in their lives and becomes programmed when we leave home and create our own lives and careers (in this video more of the positive aspects). To this end, we trust you too will enjoy this music video as much as we. So turn up your sound, listen carefully to a great young country star Chris Young to the lyrics and be prepared to tap your cowboyski toes : ! 

We would love to hear your reactions to these comments and Chris Young’s song. Have a great day!

“I’m thinking that I need to prep my references now that I’ve started my job search campaign. But I’m not sure who and how many I need should I be asked for them. What do you think?”, asked Fred, a senior financial executive. “So how many do think would work for you?” I asked. “Well, how does about three to five sound?” he responded. “Otherwise, what?” I followed. “Well I feel anymore would be overwhelming to those I’d provide them to.” “No doubt, my friend”, said I. As we continued to discuss the subject of his work references, we brainstormed some of the following that solidly advanced Fred’s job search and raised his confidence considerably.

• Fred needed to pick people he knows well, who can talk with confidence about his professional and personal strengths. 
• Choose those associates that are great fans of his, avoiding those who are not.
• Include former bosses who can speak to Fred’s demonstrated track record of results and contribution
• Preferably those references who are in a position to speak about his recent 3 to 5 years of deliverables . . . not old stuff.
• Include those who themselves are senior managers and executives
• Those selected should be articulate and effective at promoting Fred
• He should also consider other key superiors, team members, peers, subordinates, and quite possibly some clients/customers

 ”So once I’ve identified these folks, then what?” Fred asked. “Well, what pops into your mind?” I quickly retorted. “Questions, questions!” he whined, and then with a smile on his face he said, “Well it would make complete sense to make sure my chosen references know my target job market, my experience, skills, strengths and weaknesses.”, said Fred.

“You think?” I mischievously remarked, then added, “how would you go about doing this?” Fred frowned and then smiled again, speculating “I’m thinking about preparing a one page document covering the points we mutually brainstormed, something that my selected referees could refer to if and when approached for a reference check. Yeah, they would probably welcome the opportunity to be in my corner, be pleased that I’ve saved them valuable time, and be in a strong position to communicate my key points in a clear, positive and credible manner. Yeah, I love it!”

So there you have it, Fred was now in the position to positively and powerfully move forward with this aspect of his job search campaign strategy. What was the gold nugget in this for you? We would love to hear your thoughts and gain your perspective. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

The following is the first blog Bev and I wrote a few years ago. Because this particular concept is explored with so many of our global executive coaching clients we decided to republish it because of the demand. When the opportunity invites itself to introduce this concept to our executive coaching clients the reaction is initially and understandably skeptical. Then within a very short period of time we typically hear the following feedback: “The 3 Yous’ has literally, substantively and positively changed my professional and personal life! I just wish I had of known this years ago. It would have saved me a lot of personal pain & anguish, not to mention that of my people . . . and my family.” Enjoy the read.

Brad had come a very long way. He had bottomed out as a result of losing his senior leadership position with a large corporation, navigated through a difficult divorce, and depleted most of his hard earned resources. Through shear determination, persistence and hard work throughout our executive coaching, he was able to replenish his burned through assets and reestablish himself in an even more successful and fulfilling career. Brad had achieved the ability to powerfully connect with and truly accept himself. This also contributed dramatically to doing the same with others in his life and in his new leadership role. He discovered his true purpose in life and built the confidence required to address the challenges that will present themselves in the next phase of his personal and professional journey.

In one of our weekly executive coaching calls Brad exclaimed, “You know Bob, I’m now ready to explore a relationship with someone special in my life and I’m not sure what the next steps are. Can we go there now?” What we ended up doing was to work through clarifying what that special lady would be like when she showed up in his life. Having accomplished this, Brad shared that “this was a great exercise to go through, but how and where do I find her?” We discussed this at length, and then I said, “What if you now put this on the backburner for the time being and get on with the life and career you’ve now created.” At first his response was incredulous, and asked “Why did I do all this work to just put it aside.” My instinctive response was, “trust me my friend, that special lady will show up and tap you on the shoulder when you absolutely least expect it.”

I simply trusted my intuition. Because of the deep relationship we had developed during our coaching relationship, he agreed and carried on with his other work and personal priorities. Guess what? Just as you would have expected, he literally bumped into her 3 months later at a social event. In one of our calls at the time, he showed up completely energized, exuberant, over the moon, saying . . . . “She showed up and she’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”  But! Isn’t there always abut involved? Four months into their relationship Brad showed up on a coaching call and was clearly not his normal upbeat self. With some delicate probing, he shared that “my girlfriend and I had been discussing where they might go out for dinner the previous evening. I asked her where she wanted to go. She then asked me where I wanted to go. I said anywhere where you want to go. Then she blew up at me dumped all over me, accusing me of not ever stating my own preferences.”

He went on to say, “I’m not sure this is going to really work out (between us)!” This was toward the end of our call where I typically leave my clients with an inquiry-a powerful question-for them to explore and write their thoughts down to be shared at our next scheduled coaching session. For Brad the inquiry I left was “What’s in the fear my friend?” I simply trusted my intuition and blurted it out. He found this question viscerally intriguing and agreed to work with it. Our follow up meeting was amazing for both Brad and me (I am constantly learning from my clients). I asked Brad, “So let’s visit the answer to the inquiry I left you.” He very calmly and confidently said that “The inquiry turned my life around.”

Now I was actually taken aback and asked him to go on. Brad said, “Do you remember when we explored the concept of the ‘Three Yous’?”. I asked him to remind me. “Well, 

1. The first you is the Spiritual You. It’s the real you. It’s my spirit engaged in a human experience through me. 
2. The second you is the Adult You. It’s the person on the other end of this phone right now who is very capable of taking care of me, my life and career, and those around me that I care and love. 
3. The third you, is the Child You. It’s my little boy, Bradley, who agreed to so many things so long ago when I was growing up that are both helpful and not so helpful now as an adult.  My Child is constantly telling me that I should do this, I shouldn’t do that, I’m not tall enough, smart enough.

My child is at times anxious about the future, fearful about what is happening in the moment, sad at times, and sometimes in shame. As a result the little boy in me tends to get in the way of my making important changes and tries to keep things the way they are. By the way, my Child also gets excited, is playful, as well as adventurous.

 I love this he said. The thing I’ve learned from my coaching is that only I can take care of him when he gets concerned. By going quickly inside myself when my Child is trying to take over and interfere, I’ve learned how to tell him what he most wants to hear. How much I love him that I’ll protect him, and that he doesn’t have to worry about me. He is encouraged to leave things in my very capable hands and go play and enjoy himself while I take care of business. This seems to quickly reduce much of my anxiousness and stress, and allows me to move powerfully forward with the life or job challenge I might be facing in the moment. Yes, I now make sure that I, my Adult self, manages my relationships, and not my Child.”

“I got it” was my response. But what has that to do with your current relationship?” Brad put it very eloquently by stating, “My Child had taken over my personal relationship because he was afraid of being abandoned again!” Assertively, he then declared, “As of this evening, I’m going to share with my girlfriend what I just discovered about myself and let her know that she will be dealing with my Adult from here on in!” Well the bottom line was that he did just that and they’ve now been happily married for a number of years. He has exceeded all the possibilities he created-personally and professionally! I’ve found variations of the foregoing situation with other clients, particularly those operating within organizations.

These organizational relationships include bosses, peers, subordinates and others inside and outside the organization. It might explain in part why people derail in their organizational and personal relationships. Is this something you’ve run into? What’s been your experience? How has this shown up for you? Do you observe this phenomenon showing up in those around you? We would enjoy hearing what your thoughts and feelings are about this? What are your thoughts? What would you like to do with this insight?

A dear friend and a leading organization development consultant and senior executive coach, Leslie Osborn, just published the following blog that she has so kindly allowed us to share with you. You will no doubt find her powerful observations on leadership as fascinating and insightful as we. Enjoy!

“If you’re interested in leadership – here’s a suggestion. Run; don’t walk, to The King’s Speech, in theaters now. Colin Firth just won a well-deserved Golden Globe for Best Actor for an amazing performance as King George VI, the film’s protagonist. It’s a powerful film on many levels but extremely eloquent on the topic of leadership. Firth’s Albert has a stammer – a bad one – that’s anything but “kingly”. He can barely get two words out in public without extreme discomfort for himself and his audience. Because of this flaw, he seems precluded from taking a credible role in the family business – i.e. being a leader for a quarter of the world’s population (the span of the British Empire in the 1930s). All speech therapy cures have failed. The condition is mired in early childhood fears – of his overwhelmingly critical father King George V, of his overshadowing brother, of the family legacy. “Bertie” seems resigned to live with his condition – which while it is painful, has its positive side, in that it allows him to live safely below the radar screen of great public responsibility. 

When the king dies, the weight of the throne falls to the elder brother, David, who is not up to the job. He lacks the will to be a role model for his people and is personally weak. In short order, David relinquishes the throne and flees to marry Wallis Simpson and live a life of style and pleasure, rather than one of duty. 

This turn of events brings “Bertie” up against it. You see the leadership dilemma. He never thought he would have to take on this role, but here it is, and there’s no one else to do the job. The country is on the brink of war with Germany – someone’s got to step up. Bertie is remarkably ill equipped on the surface; he can’t even talk to his people. On the other hand, he has the desire. Some part of him wants to lead and he has great determination. When he meets an unusually gifted and determined speech therapist whose methods begin to peel away the layers of fear blocking his voice, Bertie digs deep, to face his demons. His struggle to accept and ask for help is wrenching and is an important step on his quest to find his power.

The classic leadership journey is all here. The potential leader who doesn’t feel adequate and is at some level afraid of the responsibility. The commitment to serve a cause larger than himself. The struggle to find his unique voice. The willingness to be vulnerable and accept support. The hours of practice and dedication to doing the exercises that will free his speech. And finally – just him, a microphone and the moment of truth.

The story is mythic in scope – as is the personal commitment many leaders make to finding their own voice, and taking the leadership role that’s there to be taken. It’s a reminder that leading often requires us to rise to circumstances beyond our control and do what has to be done, in spite of our very human imperfections and limitations. It’s a reminder of the deep internal commitment that can be needed to change and transcend what’s holding you back, regardless of how it came to be there. The Kings Speech reminds us how very personal real leadership is and should be. It doesn’t come cheap. It can’t be faked. It’s not a recipe. It can be grueling, lonely, hard work. But in the end, it’s a path to growth and transcendence. 

The King’s Speech reminds us, that all real change in human systems, is personal change. Someone, who puts his pants on one leg at a time, even a king, decides to do the hard personal work to shift something inside – and create a new future. This is the real work of leadership.”

I trust you’ve enjoyed Leslie’s thoughts and observations as much as we have. We would love to hear your thoughts, feelings and reactions. Take care.

Two senior associates, Debbie Robbins and Frank Wagner recently published the following superb article in the Huffington Post that I believe you will find both interesting and intriquing titled ‘It Takes Human Contact to Create Success’. Enjoy.

If you made a list today of your top 25 business relationships and asked yourself, “How much full-on human contact have I had with these people this year?” we (Frank Wagner and I — Frank is also a top leadership and executive coach, an expert on leadership behavior) think you’d be shocked to discover that 95 percent of it may be solely digital: e-mail, Facebook, texting or Twitter. Frank and I have stopped tweeting each other the number of times weekly we beg our clients to simply pick up the phone! We recently sat at a business dinner where, despite the opportunity for unimpeded face time, the two executives at the heads of the table were texting one another while we ate!

Up until 1990 the phone was the equivalent of e-mail, and CEOs were always telling their employees to hang up and have meetings. Now it’s a win to get to voice contact. What’s so powerful about full-on human contact is that it engages all aspects of our ability to access information and make informed decisions. Most meet-ups will include writing, reading, seeing, hearing, speaking and doing. 

Yes, technology has expanded our network of relationships. People brag about how many friends they have on Facebook or the size of their network on LinkedIn. Yes, technology has expanded our capacity to communicate in writing. Twitter has made communication almost ubiquitous and omnipresent. Yes, technology allows our thoughts to be transmitted instantaneously at the speed of our wireless networks. It’s easy. It’s seemingly efficient. That is the good news. 

The not-so-good news is that the side effect of all this technology is the loss of genuine connectedness. As humans we have always found in-person interaction meaningful, rich and complex. Face-to-face relationship-building also deflects the possibility for miscommunications and misunderstandings. With less physical data to interpret because of the heavy use of digital communication, more and more problems are arising between colleagues and consumers. 

Psychology Today did a great piece about a social psychologist and Northwestern University law professor named Janice Nadler, who paired Northwestern law students with those from Duke University and asked each pair to agree on the purchase of a car:

Researchers instructed each team to bargain entirely through e-mail, but half the subjects were secretly told to precede the negotiation with a brief getting-to-know-you chat on the phone. The results were dramatic: Negotiators who first chatted by phone were more than four times likelier to reach an agreement than those who used only e-mail. In the study, which appeared in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, subjects who never spoke were not only more likely to hit an impasse, but they often felt resentful and angry about the negotiation.

Our personal favorite is the famous New Yorker cartoon that shows a dog sitting on a chair in front of a computer. He turns to his doggie friend sitting on the floor and says: “On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog.”

Be honest — electronically, you do not really know who the person is on the other end of your digital exchange. You can’t hear their voice, which is robust with clues. You don’t know how they are receiving your words or even when they are getting your message in physical-time reality. You can’t assess their body language or observe their responses. The sense of professional “intimacy” we depend on is, at best, only utilizing 10 percent of our communication cues, tools and competencies. The more we rely on e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and texting as our primary ways of communicating, the less likely we are to be known by those with whom we are interdependent for our success.

What to do:

1. Assess who is important to you in your professional life, those people with whom you will need a relationship strong enough to weather any storm. 
2. Consciously monitor how much e-mailing, texting or tweeting you rely on for building these relationships.
3. Make sure that at least once a month you either speak with these people by phone or see them in person! The latter is better, even if it entails travel.
4. When you do connect in person, leave enough time to communicate in greater depth so that it really strengthens your relationship. Enjoy yourself when you get this chance to be up close and personal (it is contagious).
5. When you are in human contact, keep any electronic devices far enough removed so that these devices do not interfere with the conversation. Even the slightest eye movement to see who is texting, e-mailing, etc. gives the other person the impression that someone else is more important to you.
6. Find media-free time each week to counter your addiction to staying connected online. You will probably find out you like it.
7. Stay vigilant in your efforts; technology is amazing, but it is also seductive.

When babies aren’t physically touched, they develop severe emotional challenges. E-mail does not qualify as touching, even if your fingers are on your computer or mobile key pad.

We would enjoy hearing your observations and insights. In the meantime, take care!

These are whitewater economic times and the job market is certainly reflective of this. Many executives are either out on the street looking for work or anticipating to one degree or another that very possibility. My client Ross, a former executive with a large international bank, just happen to be in the job search campaign mode himself . “So, what is it that I really need to pay attention to when I’m provided job search referrals to follow up on as I engage in my strategic networking?” he asked.

“What’s the purpose of your networking”, I inquired. “Simple, I want to get out there, meet as many people as possible and dig up hidden job opportunities. Essentially accelerate my transition into a new job . . . one that will be a good fit. I don’t want to rely on the formal job market where I’m competing directly with everyone else!”, Ross responded.

“Well, how we take a few minutes to brainstorm some ideas around this?” I put forward. “I’m game!”, Ross quickly responded. After a twenty minute exchange, the following sums up what ` we created.

• Be highly proactive in following up and contacting referrals from your colleagues, friends, family, etc. . . . don’t delay
• Research the organizations and the persons you’ve been referred to . . . very thoroughly
• Develop and ask powerful questions based on your research
• Listen very carefully to both what each contact says as well as their non-verbals
• If appropriate, ask for permission prior to taking any notes . . . review them shortly after and deepen your learning 
• Develop a standard referral meeting assessment document to identify take-aways, insights, and any activity needing follow-up
• Remember each of your contacts’ time is valuable and limited . . . fully respect this
• Don’t hesitate to request additional referrals each and every time you engage each referred contact . . . make this a regular practice
• It’s critical to thank each contact at the end of your information referral meeting and express your sincere appreciation
• Immediately follow up with a written note, email . . . this is a MUST 
• Note that what is shared with you by the contact is always held in complete confidence
• Always secure a contact’s permission to use that contact as a future reference as you proceed with your strategic networking 

Ross did a super job in contributing to the creation of the foregoing list. Certainly a testament to his commitment to accelerating the success of his job search campaign. If you would like to add to this list, both Ross and I would be most interested in hearing your suggestions.

Jim, an executive with a large mining firm, asked a question in a recent coaching meeting relating to his search for a new position, “What do you know about working with search firms?” My initial response was that they can be a very valuable resource if you know what they are about and how to work with them.

There are essentially two approaches that an executive can take in their job search strategy. The first is working with the informal market using social networking . . . . where most of your opportunities actually exist. The other is the formal market which is where there are far less opportunities and where everyone and their uncle are competing with you. One area of the formal marketplace that is available to work with are retained search firms. These usually include retained executive search firms, contingency recruiters and employment agencies. Jim’s focus would definitely be on working with retained executive search firms.

By the way, the fee for retained search firms is normally paid by the hiring organization and can range between 24 to 40 percent of the first year’s starting compensation for a particular position.

When it comes to retained search firms, few executives seeking jobs actually obtain such positions through retained executive recruiters. However this aspect of the formal market is well worth including in your job search. Know that executive recruiters  will typicallyonly give you serious consideration if you meet the job specs required for a search that they currently have underway, if they specialize in your industry, if you are currently in a ‘hot profession’, or you’re considered an ‘expert’ in your field.

Some quick tips I shared with Jim should he decide to include retained executive search firms in his job search strategy include:

• Executive recruiters are not magicians . . . you need to be realistic!
• Honor executive recruiters very limited time.
• Understand the business relationship between executive recruiters and their corporate clients.
• When you receive an offer let the executive recruiters know.
• Going around a recruiter to a potential hiring organization is an absolute no-no!
• Know that the executive recruiter is in the ‘drivers-seat’ at all times when working with a corporate client who has retained them.
• Be positive, precise and realistic about your professional background and aspirations.
• Understand the search time-lines that executive recruiters are working with.
• Immediately follow up with a thank you communiqué after each and every in-person interview.
• Ensure you clearly understand the position your being considered for . . . . is it what you really want?
• Work with multiple executive recruiters . . . check out the Directory of Executive Recruiters.
• Always have a fresh, up-to-date professional resume . . . your professional brochure . . . and have it ready to go.
• Constantly keep your executive recruiter list up-to-date, letting them know of any significant changes in your search . . . including acceptance of a job offer.

I trust you will find these insights and tips Jim and I discussed of some value. Any related thoughts, feelings, experiences or suggestions you may have would be most appreciated. All  the best with your job search campaign! Take care

Madison, a senior vice president with a pharmaceutical firm and client for the past eighteen months, started off our executive coaching discussion, “Bob, I’ve been approached by a global health care agency through a large executive search firm and I’m extremely interested in the opportunity they’ve presented. They want me to meet with the CEO next Thursday and honestly I haven’t been interviewed for quite some time. What might be a make or break question that I could be asked?”

“Well, if you were interviewing a candidate for a position reporting to you, what interview question would you probably  initiate the discussion with?” I asked her. “Well, something like “Tell me about yourself.”

“Bingo!” I said. “That’s the number one interview question asked, or something very similar to it. So, what is you think or feel you need to do when asked this?” Madison quickly came back with, “Make sure I know not only what to respond with, but just as importantly . . . if not more . . . is how I should respond.”

Our coaching conversation then focused on the following key points that were intended to be in service of  Madison powerfully presenting herself, particularly when asked that very high probability inquiry, ’Tell me about yourself question’. Madison concluded that she needed to develop both a 3 minute or less response and a “laser 30 second” version with the following key elements specifically in mind. Further, she clearly understood that her reply needed to be clear, concise, and consistent with the key aspects of her professional background.

1. Who Madison is professionally
2. What her current position is
3. Her clear ‘reason for leaving’ statement
4. An succinct overview of her personal background and education
5. A summary of her professional history
6. An overview of her personal and professional strengths
7. Her level of interest in the opportunity!

As our executive coaching meeting came to a close I asked, “What’s your take-away. . . the gold nugget . . . from our discussion today?”.

“Well, it’s pretty clear now that I not develop and memorize a canned self-presentation, but rather practice to the point where it gets into the marrow of my bones. Then when asked the question, I need to simply trust myself and speak in the moment with the key points we talked about in mind. Although I expect it will come out different each time, the critical pieces will always be covered. I think they call it being unconsciously competent at it. Thank you for asking.”

“I love it when you talk to me that way!” and jokingly kidded her.

Has the foregoing been helpful to you? What are some other key interview questions you’re concerned about? I’m always interested in hearing about your thoughts and feelings on our blogs. Take care.

“Well, I guess if I get some 360 feedback that will help address some of the leadership challenges I’ve been experiencing.”, said Eduardo, a Senior Vice-President with a major EPC (engineering-procurement-construction) corporation . “I think it would be a good start Ed. However, 360 feedback is where the rubber hits the sky. Feedforward is where the rubber hits the ground.”, I responded.

“So what is feedforward?”, Eduardo inquired. “Well, it’s essentially getting suggestions from those impacted by your leadership, your stakeholders, around what it is you can start, stop and/or continue doing . . . what it is you could change . . .  about your leadership behavior that would help them do their work more effectively and fundamentally enhance their overall contribution. Does that make sense?” I asked. Eduardo’s responded, “Absolutely! However, if I did get feedforward from my stakeholders as you put it, how would I know if I’m being successful when doing it?”

“What I offer comes from our collective experience of coaching executives and leaders worldwide, and it is also  based on the research , findings and experience of one of the world’s leading management and leadership thinkers and his associates, Marshall Goldsmith. Keep these basic key points in mind if you want to engage in a successful stakeholder centered leadership coaching initiative. Of course there’s more involved, but these will get you going in the right direction.”

• Choose the behavior you want to improve – improve the leadership behavior that is important to you and be confident that you will indeed improve
• Truly want stakeholder input – pay undivided attention to and  geniunely hear your stakeholders’ messages/gifts
• Appreciate the feedback/feedforward –  take your stakeholders’ input seriously, be willing to respond to the input they provide and take the opportunity to reflect on what it is you are hearing
• Don’t give in to superstition of “negative” self talk - do a levelheaded cost-benefit analysis and commit with a decision on what leadership behavior you  truly want to develop
• Appreciate the help from all your stakeholders - commit to improve and, again, be confident you will improve
• Actively work on what you commit to improve - make every attempt to demonstrate your success and try to reduce the likelihood of a return to your old habits
• Eagerly gain your stakeholders’ insights - actually learn from their experience of you and focus on producing related measureable results

With the support of a highly experienced senior executive coach and confidante to partner with throughout the stakeholder centered leadership coaching process, success and fulfillment is well within reach, not to mentioned the strategic advantage created for your organization.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this. What specific leadership behaviors do your people need from you in order for them to be more powerful contributors? I would enjoy hearing any of your thoughts and feelings on this subject? Take care.

Here’s a gift of 5 actions you can start right now in service of strengthening your Leadership capabilities!

1. Build greater trust. You do this by ensuring that you follow up when you say you will. Lack of follow up, putting promises on the back burner because your busyness is the priority, or dismissing the promise to follow up as not really that important can dramatically erode trust. Instead of espousing intentions to follow up, commit to doing so and DO IT, whether you are managing up or down.
2. Put on your big set of listening ears. People want to be listened to, they want to know that you care. Practice harnessing your energy that hungrily wants to take over every conversation and anxiously move things into action. Just decompress for a moment a really listen to your staff, customers, peers, team members . . . hell, even your boss. If you want to develop high contributors, they need space to be heard and acknowledged . . . by you!
3. Increase your self-awareness. How are you showing up for others as a leader? Don’t know! Contact your Human Resources people, Organization Development professionals or your RWBA executive coach to be in service of your finding out what processes, instruments or other support might be available to help you understand yourself better and leverage that knowledge into stronger top and bottom lines!
4. Be a better relationship builder. Vertically, horizontally, and diagonally . . . throughout the organization.
5. Model great leadership to others. You’ve got to walk the talk. Your direct and indirect reports emulate the leadership that they experience with you. Are you proud of everything that you do? If you had to pick one leadership behavior to work on, what would that be? How can you assure you can successfully change that behavior?

Most importantly, have fun with these thoughts and enjoy yourself!

“What happens if you walk out the door and get hit by a bus?” It is not unusual when dealing with leaders in our coaching conversations when a question similar to this surfaces. There’s usual a bit of chuckling involved and an exchange of humorous comments before we get down to where the client wants to go . . . the serious five-sixths of the iceberg below the surface of the initial discussion. There is a tendency for some leaders (not you of course) to feel infallible and indestructible. This can get in the way of building greater capacity in those who report to us.

The metaphor of ‘the bus’ comes in many forms. If a version of the bus does in fact unexpectantly run over you (note Schultz’s Law: Murphy’s an optimist), then who is able to seamlessly step into your shoes should you find yourself temporarily out of the game . . . on the sidelines as it were? Are you ready my friend for such an event? Quickly filling the leadership pipeline is one of your major responsibilities . . . your organization should not expect less! As an executive coach who works with clients around the world, I have the slight luxury of a broader perspective of organizations . . . both private, public and not-for-profit sectors. In fact, this year to date I have seen three key senior leaders be unexpectedly moved over to the sidelines in their respective organizations. One leader, a Vice President – Operations, recently reflected on just such an experience. They shared just how thankful they were for the executive coaching support that was in service of their ability to see the value of changing their leadership behavior of shifting from a high need for absolute control to that of developing a greater capacity in others to grow, develop and increase their skills and abilities to take on increased accountability and delivery of high quality results . . . not to mention dramatically enhanced levels of professional and personal satisfaction. The value of succession planning for this particular leader has taken on a whole new level of importance, not to mention for the organization. 

Letting go of the reins of control can be exceptionally challenging for any leader, yet the return on the invested time and resources for the leader, key staff, other stakeholders and the organization typically exceeds all expectations when (not if) the inevitable reality of an unplanned highly stressful event occurs and readily takes the leader out of the game.

Should the inevitable surface for you, are you or your organization able to operate at you’re the most effective levels? Are you truly able to successfully step back and confidently address the presenting issue when temporarily sidelined? I would be most interested in hearing your thoughts, your truth, when the bus comes screaming through your world.

One of the most common frustrations that I hear from my executive coaching clients often centers around the need for change and to remain a high performance organization even when to outsiders (and some insiders) there is a sense that the organization is doing very well. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great stated that the enemy of great is good and the experience of my clients reflects precisely that.

Often we focus in on the ability of the leader and the leadership team to create a sense of urgency to support and drive the change. This is easy to create when the organization is losing money and market share in a very public way. But how do you create it in a profitable and stable organization. Waiting for the crisis to become more evident is not always a good plan (ask music stores about iTunes or Blockbuster about NetFlix). The key comes down to creating a meaningful sense of urgency within the organization.

Weighing in on this issue is respected Business thought lead John Kotter in his recent book “A Sense of Urgency“. To assist his readers, Kotter discusses three distinct states: complacency, false urgency and true urgency.

Complacency is the known quantity that we all have bumped up against and have to deal with in our own way as it blocks, both actively and passively, action designed to move the organization and the culture forward.

False Urgency is often the unrecognized issue. Because the people involved often are very active it is frequently mistaken for true urgency. These characteristics lead to high levels of activity with little productivity attached to it . . . where people tend to be reactive and defensive rather than proactive and curious, and lack clear direction or planning in their actions. This leaves them feeling overworked and frustrated which is not conducive to achievement and positive change that is being sought.

True Urgency is that rare state where people are fully engaged with a deep personal connection to the issue. It is easy to engage the mind with a well presented and factual business case. To create the deep personal connection you need to engage the heart of the person. This is best accomplished through the use of a story or example which creates a personal attachment to goals. It also creates a strong personal motivation that ties the individual to achievement of goals. It is stories that enroll the person in the desired goals and compels them to action.

Kotter provides a number of tools that can be used to help make this transition and to identify times when complacency and false urgency exist. The bottom line, you as a leader need to act with true urgency each and every day!

Bringing all this back to our executive coaching clients,means that they need to be self aware and curious about their own role. It can be easy to personally feel that once a particular task is done that the foot can be lifted from the gas pedal for a bit and a deep breath is in order. This is often observed as rationale for feeling that the worst is over and that one’s guard can be let down. Are you guilty of the same thing in your position or in managing your career? What messages are you sending to the organization that may be undermined by your behavior? How are you shortchanging yourself and your organization if you don’t act with a sense of true urgency each and every day?

This is where the executive coaching relationship can have its maximum impact and value for each of our clients. The ability of our executive coaching to support you to hold you, the client, accountable for creating true urgency. The ability and to enhance your self-awareness as leader in ways that avoid self-subvertion, but rather to be  in  true service of moving your and your organization’s agenda powefully forward.

For many of our executive clients the biggest learning has come from identifying the blocks that they create for themselves and as a result creating strategies for overcoming them . . . establishing true urgency in their lives. Once these blocks are removed you,  the client,can quickly begin reaping the competitive advantage, both personally and corporately. This comes from living and acting with a sense of true urgency!

I have just one question to leave with you, “What would you be able to create in your personal and professional life by coming from a place of true urgency in all you do each and every day?

There are three kinds of executives – those that make things happen, those who watch others make things happen, and those who really don’t know what the hell is really going on! That’s what was recently shared with my executive coaching client, Beau, who is currently “between jobs” as the saying goes. “So what is it you really want?” I asked him.

“Bottom line, I want to thoroughly enjoy whatever it is that I decide to take on. I want a strong sense of fulfillment . . . truly feel that I’m being instrumental in advancing the success of the next organization and the people I lead. I want it to be extremely rewarding both personally and professionally. So how do I make that happen?” asked Beau.

“Well where do you think you should start” I asked. “I’m thinking I’ve got to begin reviewing my life and professional strategy first?” Beau quickly inquired.

“Absolutely. So let’s brainstorm some ideas that will be in service of your building a solid career transition strategy. Once you’ve got clarity around this, it will simplybe  a matter of your  making it happen and regularly updating it. I appreciate this is certainly easier said than done. But, then that’s why you’ve engaged me as your executive career transition coach for . . . partnering and being in service of your holding yourself accountable for making it happen, and quickly.” I retorted.

The net result of my conversation with Beau was the development of what he referred to as his Career Positioning Strategy. It essentially included some of the following key components.

• Career Objective – when he wanted to have his marketing approach organized; target date for securing his preferred position, etc.
• The Position - nature of the next role, organization level, preferred organization situation, breadth of responsibilities, etc.
• The Organization – its size, growth mode, industry, reputation, etc.
• The Leader –  his/her perspective, style, level of autonomy offered, valuing of Beau’s knowledge/skills/abilities, etc.
•  The Culture – internal/external orientation, customer philosophy, industry respect, centralized/decentralized decision making, mechanistic/organic structure, customer orientation, fit, etc.
• Geography – local/regional/domestic/global/etc. preferences
• Compensation – preferred base/benefits/incentives/deferred income, etc.
• Professional Strengths – Beau’s unique industry experience, global culture experience, experience in special situations, languages, etc. “ Potential Obstacles?Beau’s geographic limitations, competition, etc.
• Other Alternatives – different size organizations, other types of organizational situations, consulting, teaching, entrepreneurial opportunities, etc.
• Next Steps – immediate tactics to consider, reason for leaving statement, personal commercial, marketing tools required, research, strategic networking, etc.

Through our coaching relationship he thoughtfully and planfully fleshed his thinking, feelings and wants around the foregoing as well as a number of other critically related areas. Beau was able to put a solid “game plan” together . . . his career transition strategy . . . and begin in earnest and with considerable confidence to build the critical capability to successfully market himself and advance his career strategy . . . make his plan of action really happen!

What in the foregoing were takeaways for you? Where is it you may want to concentrate on in crafting and advancing you own career transition strategy quickly and confidently? I would enjoy hearing what surfaced for you. In the meantime, take care and all the best with your career endeavors.

The CEO, who I have been coaching over the past four years, called and said, “I think it’s time that we expand our coaching arrangement!” “So, what do you have in mind?” I asked. My client responded, “Well we’ve been engaged in a series of strategic planning events where frankly the rubber has been hitting the sky. Now it’s time for the rubber to hit the ground? We need to make those organizational changes that will assure our strategic success, starting with our Executive Leadership Team!”

My client continued by stating, “A primary objective that we need to quickly address is how we operate at the Executive Leadership Team level. To me Bob, our ELT is the number one team in the organization. All of our other line and staff teams, although very important, are secondary to the ELT. For us to achieve our strategy, the ELT needs to be high-performing. My direct reports don’t appear to get this concept, and if this situation continues, we’ll never achieve our current strategy! We appear to be a high-performance team in waiting!”

Together, the CEO and I co-designed an approach that would support the ELT in accelerating their growth and development. We co-designed a diagnostic method that would produce critical baseline of data and information on the ELT’s effectiveness. We did the same for presenting the foregoing results in a positive, non-threatening, supportive, and motivating way.

Because the CEO is a very big picture, strategically oriented individual and the balance of the ELT members are very here and now, data driven individuals (which spoke volumes in and of itself), the data and information collected was presented in a way that fully met their need for facts and numbers that would allow them to move forward as quickly as possible in order to strenghten the ELT’s ability to work more productively together and produce the necessary results.

Our design and process incorporated in part the key concepts developed by Pat Lencioni with a focus on further strengthening the ELT’s ability to:

1. Create Confidence in Each Other – this included the ELT’s comfort level with each other at a profoundly emotional level, a deeper knowledge of each other beyond what they thought they knew, including their personalities and preferences, levels of openness, and the ability to safely be authentic, open and candid with each other.
2. Manage Differences Between Members – the ELT’s capability to be frank with each other in a non-threatening way, call a spade a spade, not take things personally, and to integrate each other’s needs in the development of strategic business plans and actions that would powerfully move the organization forward.
3. Take Full Responsibility For Making Agreements Happen – out of an integrative approach to managing differences between each other, ELT members became individually and collectively much more able to step up and take full responsibility for commitments, these being recapped at the beginning and end of each and every ELT strategic and operational meeting.
4. Hold Each Other’s Feet to the Fire – each and every ELT member understands that they are fully accountable for delivering on their commitments as well as collectively tracking each others’ progress. This means not just being accountable to the CEO, but more importantly holding each other accountable. To this end they do not hesitate to challenge each other when commitments are not being met, acknowledging and championing each other, all in service of each other’s success and ultimately that of the organization.
5. Focus On Both Top and Bottom Lines – the ELT exclusively focuses on achieving specific strategic and operational top- and bottom-line results that have been fully committed to. They place their departments, career aspirations, or ego-driven status completely behind the agreed to collective results that define the ELT’s and the organization’s strategic advantage and success.

The journey with the ELT still continues. Momentum being built is truly wonderful to observe. Authenticity between the ELT members continues to expand and deepen. The connection between the organization’s bottom line and top lines is being much more clearly and concretely realized, and at times with amazement by ELT members. The motivation to move forward with each ELT coaching meeting continues to escalate (and quite frankly was a real concern for me at the beginning of this particular intervention). Oh, the places they’re now going!

If you have had similar experiences, I would love to hear about them. If you’re interested in exploring possibilities with your leadership/management team or project group, let’s talk. In the meantime, let me leave you with this inquiry: “What are the possibilities for team/group coaching from your perspective?” Your comments and observations would be most appreciated. Take care.

We received a call the other day from Tony, a CEO of a major oil and gas company, who shared with us that he was quite concerned about one of his key executives. He said that Frank  had been recently promoted to replace a key member of the ELT (executive leadership team) who had retired about nine months ago. He bluntly stated, “Frank doesn’t appear to be working out the way I had hoped and is quite frankly derailing! Can we explore the situation and help me better understand why some leaders derail and and some don’t? What can I do about it?”

These are not uncommon questions that are raised by our corporate clients from time to time. In our executive coaching conversation with Tony, it was noted that The Centre for Creative Leadership found that approximately 50% of high potential managers and executives derail. Contributing to this is the fact that the initial technical and problem solving skills that had fomerly served a number of these derailed leaders well now can’t be relied on to address the increased complexity of operating at a more strategic leve, nor the resulting demands placed on their leadership that are typically changing from day to day, never mind month to month, or year to year.

Further, research has indicated that those leaders who are in fact successful in their leadership roles exhibit some of the following characteristics:

1. They tend to be highly flexible and responsive to change
2. They have a powerful ability to navigate through ambiguity and complexity
3. They pick things up very quickly and in a variety of circumstances
4. They are able to coach, facilitate, coordinate and develop their teams in a variety of circumstances with many different types of people
5.  They are highly grounded, self-manage themselves and work with others well under highly stressful circumstances
6. One of their mottos is ‘Feedback is the breakfast of Champions’ and thus constantly seek it out from those all around them
7.  They are quite aware that their strengths when overused in fact become their weaknesses, and those identified become their primary focus of professional/personal development
8. They readily acknowledge and champion their people, no matter how small the contribution or how challenging the initiative(s)
9. They are able to authentically share their thoughts, feelings and wants in equal amounts with their staff, colleagues, boss(s) and customers/clients, encouraging reciprocation, and do so with a strong sense of empathy and compassion toward others

Leaders having the potential for derailment include: the overly ambitious, the perfectionist, those who go it alone, over-managing, over-loyal to the organization, those who are over-controlling and 0ver-results oriented, single minded, too focused on technical detail, unduly personable and relying solely on relationships to get things done, having excessive fire in the belly, having too many things on the go, overly dependent on others, won’t be pushed off the mark, caught up with escalating-commitment, the constant need to be right, and loves to scrap with others beyond having constructive differences. 

To avoid derailment or to rerail, the leader needs to learn thoughtfully and constructively how to develop the team; strengthen strategic thinking and decision making; clarify specific expectations around deliverables and follow up; be self-aware and self manage under stress while at the same time being empathetic towards others; creating the right balance between collaboration, independent action and delegation; manage strategic alliances, assure functional strategic alignment and effectively manage differences vertically and horizontally. 

What’s been your experience? What have you learned as result and what did you do with it? What have you done with these insights? We would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the subject. Take care.

 ”Bob, I can’t tell you how scary the future is!” stated Jim, CEO of a leading oil and gas process equipment engineering firm. This was said with a strong sense of anxiety. “I thought that we would have already started to come out of this economic mess. From the latest I’ve been hearing, the upcoming year is forecasted to be as challenging, if not more, given the global economy. We’ve kept outselves out of the red so far, but have an ever pressing need to assure that we come through this upcoming year with minimal damage to our ability to be on top of the recovery curve when it actually arrives! That’s my mandate from our Board!”

“Given that, what’s in survival and readiness for your organization?” I asked. “Quite frankly I’m running out of options and that’s what I would like to explore with you. Are there any other ways I might approach this?” Jim replied.

“Well, as you know in our coaching relationship I don’t provide advice, counseling, consulting or therapy. However, that doesn’t stop us from brainstorming some creative approaches and cherry-picking those ideas you think and feel will work for you. I’m never attached to what it is I share with you. Choose what will work for you.” I stated. “Hey, that’s just what I want!” Jim quickly responded.

In our following coaching exchange, a key piece discussed was to encourage Jim to step back and look at his oganization in it’s entirety. Support him in breaking it down into sub-components that could be viewed individually, but with the full understanding that each component still has a significant effect on the whole organization. A powerful framework shared with him  in our coaching conversation was McKinsey & Company’s 7-S Model used to diagnose organizations and establish a base from which to make necessary organization design changes that would help Jim deliberately work toward assuring his firm’s strategic success.

Although there’s really no best approach, Jim did confide that this particular model was most helpful in ensuring the organization is in an ideal position to positively respond to the business world around it. From our conversation he learned that there are seven key aspects to his organization that are critical, maximizing his organization’s effectiveness at the individual, groups/team and system wide levels. Again, McKinsey & Company referred to this model as the 7-S Framework that was reviewed with Jim as follows.

1.  STRATEGY:   “ What are the sources of sustainable competitive advantage (e.g. cost, quality, service, technical leadership) Jim’s firm has? “ What are the key strategic priorities (e.g. penetrating new markets, new product, development, speed-to-market, improving customer service) Jim’s firm has?

2.  STRUCTURE:   “ What’s the basic structural form of Jim’s firm? “ How centralized or decentralized is Jim’s organization? “ What is the relative status and power of each of the sub-units of Jim’s organization?

3.  SYSTEMS:   ” Does Jim’s firm have the systems it really needs to run its business (e.g., does it have a system for monitoring staff and customer satisfaction?) “ What are the management systems that Jim and his executive leadership team use to run his organization? What ones do they pay the closest attention to?  Need to pay the closest attention to?

4.  STAFFING:   ” How does Jim’s organization recruit and develop its people? (e.g. formal training, coaching programs/services, stretch programs, developmental assignments, etc.) “ What are the demographic characteristics of Jim’s executive leadership and lower management teams? (e.g. background, education, age, gender, nationality, professional identity, experience outside the firm, etc.) “ Where are the strongest leaders found in Jim’s organization (e.g., in which functions)? The weakest? 

5.  SKILLS:   ” What business activities are Jim’s organization distinctly good at performing? “ What new capabilities does Jim’s organization need to develop, and which ones does it need to “unlearn,” to achieve strategic advantage and compete in the future?

6.  STYLE:   ” How does  the top leadership team make decisions? (e.g. in formal meetings, informal conversations, in the field, with staff, with customers, in product development, etc.) “ What are the demographic characteristics of his leadership team? (e.g. background, education, age, gender, nationality, professional identity, experience outside of his firm, etc.) “ Where are the strongest leaders found in his organization (e.g. in which functions)? The weakest?

7.  SHARED VALUES/GUIDING PRINCIPLES:   ” Do people in Jim’s organization have a shared understanding of why the firm exists? “ Do people in Jim’s organization have a shared understanding of the mission/vision of the firm? “ What types of issues receive the most and least attention by Jim and his executive leadership team? (e.g. short run versus long run, internal versus external, etc.) “ How do people in Jim’s organization describe the ways in which his firm is distinctive? (e.g. focus on quality, emphasis on people, importance of customer satisfaction, etc .)

“This is exactly what I was hoping to get our of today’s coaching conversation. You don’t even have to ask me if I’m up to answering these questions and submitting them to you by our next coaching meeting.” Jim enthusiastically offered.

“I’m quite excited for you my friend, and frankly I can’t wait to hear what you come up with and how you think and feel you ‘need to be‘ as CEO in supporting where your organization needs to go from here!”

I invite you, the reader, to let us know what your key ‘take aways’  are from this discussion with Jim. What piece(s) would you like to personally cherry-pick and run with. As always, I’d love to hear your reactions and contributions to this coaching discussion. Take care!

Any transition to a new role, while exciting and an acknowledgement of what the organization thinks of you, is a time of anxiety for every newly transitioning leader.
A few of the common errors of a new role leader include trying to do too much too soon, failure to understand the de facto culture/sub-culture, and/or misinterpreting the expectations of their superior. Danger lurks ahead….. in the form of mistrust by others, leader fatigue, compounding anxiety with over preparation, and possibly the creation of an unsafe environment for employees.

As stress intensifies for the new role leader, can you really be making the best decisions for the organization as a whole, your team and yourself?

Stress has a tremendous effect on performance levels, particularly at a time when a leader is under the magnifying glass. Stress studies have demonstrated that it’s effect alters the ability to learn, to remain agile, and to make effective decisions.

I have worked with leaders who admitted that they have hardly slept in three months and leaders who existed on a pop and pizza diet. It is rewarding as an executive coach to support leaders in these circumstances and be part of the process that allows them to gain back a feeling of balance and control, rewarding them with restful nights rather than a continuum of midnight note taking sessions.

With invested and targeted support, these leaders can bring about greater contribution to the organization in a shortened time frame as they learn to manage their stress, embrace the transition, garner early credibility and move powerfully forward with their leadership.

What is the cost to an organization of not readily investing in the transitioning new role leader?  This is not just about the leader’s transition. You have to take into consideration the transitional impact on those who surround the leader and the cost to the organization when their performance falters as a result of how the new role leader shows up for others.

Some thoughts for effectively supporting senior leader new role transitions in your organization:

• Identify communication gaps and improve communication of support and development programs
• Appoint an “ambassador of programs” who can effectively inform, steer, co-design, and co-manage a transitioning individual’s action plan
• Gain commitment of senior leaders to provide face-to-face time with newly promoted leaders, ensuring relationship building, clarity of expectations, and constructive feedback sessions 
• Provide senior leadership networking opportunities 
• Encourage formal and/or informal mentorship 
• Ensure strategic alignment to the overall succession strategy of your organization 
• Utilize psychometric assessments in the early stages to increase leader’s self awareness 
• Design or contract for an accelerated leadership transitioning program that can be self-directed and facilitated by an executive/leadership coach 
• Implement usage of a senior leadership 360° assessment for a transitioning leader at an 18-month interval, with a smaller version of the assessment redone at 24 months.

Can your organization afford to falter in its role to more effectively support transitioning leaders? Is there an opportunity to step back from the status quo and examine the question: How could we transition our new role leaders better and assure their and our organization’s success? Let me know how you feel and what you think. Take care.

It’s not unusual in our executive coaching to come across comments such as “I’m fed up with his micromanaging!”, “I want to make sure they do it right!”, “I need to make sure my group doesn’t make any mistakes!”, “I’m tired of solving everyone else’s problems!”, “I have to stay on top of them!”, “As the head of this organization, I’m getting exhausted working 24/7!”. The litany of comments like this are endless.

We find that leaders often don’t hold their people ‘Big’. Allowing their staff to tackle the concerns they own and to learn from the consequences of their decisions, using this learning to grow, become even stronger performers and contributors, and as a result more satisfied.

What happens more often than not is that the leaders not only holds themselves ‘Small’, unfortunately they also hold their people ‘Small’. Meaning, they interfere by giving them ‘solutions’ to their presenting problems, not allowing them to stumble, fall, get up and try it again until they successfully work it out, allowing them to mature as individuals and professionals.

It’s similar to raising a child. If you insist on ensuring they not run, fall, eat a little dirt, bump their heads, experience life . . . what normal kids do . . . this will only contribute to retarding their growth and development. We’re not talking about letting them get into serious trouble. That’s a given.

Rather, it’s about letting them experience normal day-to-day challenges and allowing them to learn from the consequences of their choices. From these life experiences they mature and grow into healthy, reasonably well balanced adults (god willing).

The same is true for leaders working with their staff. The choice is about either holding people ‘Big’ or holding them ‘Small’. The benefits of the former are clearly obvious once we think about leadership in this way.

Recently a good friend and colleague, Jake Jacobs, and I had a discussion on this very topic. Jake is a leader in the field of organization development, a noted author of cutting edge books on large-scale real-time strategic change and the Principal of The Winds of Change Group out of Marina del Rey, California. We continue having very rich conversations around potential synergies between Jake’s large-scale work and our executive/corporate coaching. You’re invited to listen to our most recent conversation on the subject of leaders holding their people ‘Big’ or ‘Small’. Enjoy!

    Click here to listen to our discussion!

 What’s been your experience on this? What are your insights? How might you leverage your learning? What is it you would like to do with this? We always enjoy getting your thought and feelings. Take care!

We often work with executives and leaders who experience enormous amounts of stress at work. As they say, ‘the closer to the top you get, the closer to the door you get’. In the compensation world, their total compensation is influenced by the size of the ulcers that go with the job. It’s also referred to as being in the grip. We’re sure you’ve  gotten our point .

Naomi Quenk wrote a wonderful primer called ‘In the Grip: Understanding Type, Stress, and the Inferior Function’ based on the personality type theory developed by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. As Naomi mention’s in her work, Jung’s theory was refined and put into accessible form by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs, who developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory.

As part of working with and addressing the issues when each of us feels caught In the Grip, it behooves us to take a little time to answer some questions. Being completely authentic and honest with yourself goes a long way in helping you deepen your understanding of the way you think, behave and remedy the causes that trigger in the grip  reactions. When you partner with a qualified executive coach, you’ll receive amazing insights and the ability to extricate yourself from this potentially devastating situation.

Naomi puts forward that there may very well be times when you feel or behave quite differently from the way you normally do. In other words, the way you see and react to everyday events at work is so unlike you that others you work with would describe you as “not being yourself,” “someone else” or simply “in the grip”. So here’s the invitation, try to think about how you are when you are most like yourself and how you are different when you are least like yourself by answering the following suggested questions from Naomi:

•  What are you like when you are most yourself? That is, what qualities best describe you or define you as an individual? For example, you might describe yourself as typically optimistic, careful with details, concerned about others, future oriented, and so on.  
• What are you like when you are not yourself-how are you different from your usual way of being?  
• What events or circumstances are likely to provoke the reactions and changes you experience?  
• What can you or others do to help the return process?  
• What can you or others do to hinder the return process?  
• What aspects of your work life are most satisfying and energizing?  
• What aspects of your work life are most dissatisfying and stressful?  
• How do you typically deal with chronic stress?   
• What new things have you learned about yourself as a result of your out-of-character experiences?

We have worked with many executive clients who have successfully addressed being caught in the grip.  Because of the great results  they’ve been able to experience, we thought you too would find the foregoing of interest. What was your take away? On a scale of 1 – 10 where is your stress level (1 = none, 10 = let me out of here!)? What’s your next step? We would enjoy hearing your thoughts and feelings. Take care.

With Christmas coming up, Justin, a client who had been a senior executive with a leading hi-tech firm,  raised a big concern now that he is  ’between jobs’. “I’m not really sure what to say when I connect with colleagues, friends and family over the holiday and I’m asked something like “So whats happening Justin? What happened with your job?” I know I’ll probably hear this question a number of times!” Justin was just starting up his job search. It was obviously quite important for him to be able to handle this question with confidence, no matter who would be asking him.

“So what is it you feel you want to do when these questions come up?” I asked. “Well, I definitely want to respond to them truthfully, make sure what I say is acceptable, particularly when I’m in interviews.  I’ll need to respond truthfully and in a way that’s acceptable to my former and prospective employers.”

“Sounds good. Would developing a statement that briefly explains your reason for leaving make sense?” I asked. “Absolutely, I’m quite anxious to be ready and able to deal with any questions like these that may come up.” Justin responded.

“Well whatever it is you develop, I invite you to make sure it’s short and to the point! I’d also encourage you to discuss what you do create with your wife and other family members, or anyone else for that matter close to you, as they will likely run into other associates, colleagues, and important people in your network and be confronted with the same question, “What happened with Justin?” In this way they can respond as comfortably as you and make it a lot easier to take care of these situations and support you by sharing a consistent and positive message.”

“So when you’re trying to develop your statement, what are the key points you believe you need to consider?” I then asked.

“Well whatever I come up with, I think needs to be short and to the point! I also feel it should be as positive as I can make it.” he responded.

“I believe you’re right on. There’s another key point that I would throw in for your consideration. Try to ensure that whatever you do come up with is not only truthful but very easy to explain” I went on.

“What are some of the key reasons for leaving you’ve come across with some of your other clients who’ve faced the same challenge?” asked Justin.

“Hmmm . . .  some of them included the existence of different leadership style, a new boss with a different operating approach, restructuring, downsizing, reorganization, a substantively changed role, buyout. These are a few very legitimate reasons that have been shared with me.” was my observation.

Finishing off our coaching session, “My request of you is to begin drafting your own reason for leaving statement by starting to jot down some of the key points you would like to include in it and then let’s take some time in next week’s scheduled coaching session to review your draft and flesh it out. Will that work?”  “I’m thinking about it already!” Justin responded anxiously.

I know you’re more than capable of coming up with a solid reason for leaving  statement. Once done, you’ll be able to use it as part of your Personal Commercial when in information-referral meetings, engaged in strategic networking, in employment interviews . . . the opportunities will be endless until you nail down the opportunity you really want.”, I went on, ”It’s not if, it’s when it will happen. Trust me.”

“OK, what’s a Personal Commercial?” Justin put forward. I ended our conversation “We’ll visit that at our next meeting as well. In the meantime my friend, you and yours have a happy holiday! Take a good rest because you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you with success definitely at the end of it!”

What were the gold nuggets for you in this coaching discussion? If you were coaching Justin, what would you have asked him?

By the way, if you or someone you know is currently in the midst of a career transition experience and are one of the ready few who would like to join an exclusive coaching group of like minded members focused on being in service of each other’s future success and fulfillment, then  go to Exclusive Group Coaching or call us at 1.866.952.6224. We’re there for you. Take care.

Every now and then a gift is given to the world, and that is just what Paul Hawken gave us in an unforgettable commencement address to the Class of 2009, at the University of Portland. It was recently passed on to me and I want to gift it forward so you too can enjoy his powerful message. Enjoy.

“When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there.

Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation . . . but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seat-belts, lots of room in coach, and really good food – but all that is changing

There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn’t afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.”.  For the rest of the address go to http://youarebrilliant.org/. “ It is well worth the few additional minutes to read the balance of this wonderful commencement address. Then I invite you to gift it forward!

Paul Hawken is a noted visionary and entrepreneur whose many books can be found on Amazon.com. We would enjoy hearing what your gold nuggets are from reading his comments and observations. Who are you becoming? What are you willing to change? What’s next?