Coaching for Leaders

Past Coaching for Leaders podcast guest Tiziana Casciaro and her colleague Julie Battilana in Power, for All: “The last and perhaps most widespread misconception is that power is dirty, and that acquiring and wielding it entails manipulation, coercion, and cruelty. Literature and film abound with ghastly examples: Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and Iago, Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, and Frank and Claire Underwood in House of Cards. We can’t look away, but we can’t abide the thought of being like these characters either. Power fascinates and repulses us at the same time. It seems like fire: Bewitching, but capable of consuming us if we get too close. We fear it could make us lose our minds, or our principles. The shepherd in the Ring of Gyges transforms into a manipulative murderer, while Tolkien’s One Ring turns its wearer gradually evil. In reality, there is nothing intrinsically dirty about power. Although the potential to be corrupted by it always exists, its energy is equally essential if we wish to achieve positive ends as well. When a third grader convinces her classmates to participate in a fundraising campaign to benefit a not-for-profit organization that cares for kids with disabilities, she is exercising power constructively. So is the manager who persuades the corporate office to give his team the resources they need to do better work in better conditions.” #leadership #management

Delayed defensiveness is still defensiveness. A lot of us have been taught that “good” leadership means having an open door, asking for feedback, listening well, and asking curious questions. And if we do all that… Then we have permission to explain ourselves. On this week’s episode of the Coaching for Leaders podcast, Joel Pérez, Ph.D., PCC invites us to do better. He reminds us that criticism doesn’t need to be addressed in the moment. Instead, humility starts with a leader being curious and saying thank you. Joel is an executive and leadership coach, speaker, and consultant who is passionate about helping leaders and organizations achieve their goals and develop a posture of cultural humility. He is the author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility. Key points from Joel: 1. While humility starts with an individual, it must move beyond them to improve the organization. 2. Maintain high standards while avoiding perfectionism by discussing how mistakes get handled in advance. 3. To prevent a sense of urgency from rushing a bad decision, consider who’s missing from the conversation. 4. Listen, ask curious questions, and say thank you when receiving criticism. 5. Criticism doesn’t need to be addressed in the moment. Consider reflection, other data points, and responding more in a future interaction. The full transcript, notes, and audio are linked in the comments. Your turn --> What helps you practice humility? Comment below. #leadership #management

Final day! I'm closing the doors to applications for the Coaching for Leaders Academy at the end of today, Friday the 14th. If you've been considering our Academy, now's the time to apply. Growth-Minded Colleagues. Expert Guidance. One Goal: Movement Find a link to details and the application in the comments. #leadership #management

Who’s your Chief Reminding Officer? Most leaders recognize the importance of a vision – but few find a way to get their teams moving on it. When Brooks Bradford, Jr. set his leadership goals last year, this was one of the three he identified: Aligning on a goal. His team at Hydrokinetics was already running a successful organization, but Brooks saw an opportunity to do more. His aim? Keep the key vision pillars at the forefront of all interactions and model the way for field personnel. The hard part? Repetition. He said this on the podcast: “You keep repeating the vision and the plan. Sometimes it feels like it's just falling on deaf ears.” Patrick Lencioni says that part of leadership is being the Chief Reminding Officer. If you’re a leader with a vision that people need to move towards, the Chief Reminding Officer is you. Brooks kept at it. Then this happened: “There was this moment, a few weeks in that I had one of my managers come to me and said, ‘Hey, you've been talking about this, and I did x, y, and z because you had been saying that. Is that good?’ I was like, absolutely. It's good. That's exactly what we want! It gave me the realization that this is working.” Trying something once? Easy. Sticking to it? Way harder. That’s why the Coaching for Leaders Academy is about consistency over intensity. Leaders often thrive early in their careers. But new responsibilities demand a different set of skills that require us to shift how we work. Relying on what worked previously sometimes means we struggle to articulate a vision consistently. If you’re ready to get moving, the Coaching for Leaders Academy will help. Applications are open now through Friday, March 14th. See the link in the comments. #leadership #management

Years ago, Donna Hicks had a conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She recounts the dialogue in her book, Leading with Dignity: “I explained to him that so many of the people I have worked with in international conflicts influenced my thinking because they commonly reported that they felt ‘the other side’ had stripped them of their dignity. Their fight was about regaining their lost dignity.” After I said that, he gave me a look I will never forget. He tilted his head, scrunched up his face, and said, ‘What are you talking about? No one has the power to strip us of our dignity! How do you think we got through apartheid? Knowing that our dignity was in our hands, and in our hands only, sustained us in those darkest moments.’” That insight became foundational to her work. On this week’s Coaching for Leaders podcast episode, Donna joined Dave Stachowiak to explore how to bring out the best in people. She is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR). She is the author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict and Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People. Here are some of her key points: * Everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter. * Dignity is different from respect. Everyone has dignity, but not everyone deserves respect. * A major misconception of dignity is that we receive our worth from external sources. * We’re at our best when connected to our own dignity, connected to the dignity of others, and connected to the dignity of something bigger. * Start with vulnerability and empathy. These open the doors to connecting with your own dignity and the dignity of others. * We may differ in status, but we are all equal in dignity. The full transcript, audio, and notes are linked in the comments. What did Donna share that was helpful for you? Comment below. #leadership #management

Sometimes it helps to be lazy. That’s not easy for a lot of us. Most leaders I know want to jump in and help. It’s a nice intention, but it can get in the way. That’s what happened to Nanette Metzger. Nanette is a manager in a fast-paced industry. Perishable projects, tons of travel, and quick decisions are part of each day. Jumping in can be helpful…except when it’s not. Nanette noticed that she wasn’t listening as well as she wanted to. After starting the Coaching for Leaders Academy, she decided to become a listening leader. She began by allowing silence in conversations before jumping in. Like a lot of us, she discovered this: “It's a really big challenge for me to wait.” It was also a bit awkward for her team. On calls, sometimes employees would ask, “Are you still there?” She’d respond: “I’m just listening.” It took a bit for everyone to get used to her not jumping in. But once they did, something interesting happened. Nanette said this on the podcast a few days ago: “Oftentimes, the person then would begin talking, and they would start listing off what they thought the solutions were or what they thought the next moves were or the next steps. It allowed me to not have to put in the mental work on it and maybe even say just eight words in the entire exchange, instead of being the problem solver for everyone.” Today, her team is approaching her with a lot more solutions. When we reach an inflection point in our careers, it often necessitates shifting behavior. If you're at an inflection point too, the Coaching for Leaders Academy will help you accelerate movement on the most critical behaviors. Applications are open through Friday, March 14th. Follow the link in the comments. #leadership #management

Are you at a leadership inflection point? The Coaching for Leaders Academy provides the community and structure to accelerate your movement on the behaviors that are most critical right now. Applications are open until Friday, March 14th. See link in comments for details. #leadership #management

Dave Stachowiak's first year at Dale Carnegie was the roughest time of his career. While he aspired to be an instructor, he’d been hired primarily for new business development. After 12 months, he didn’t even get halfway to the target expected for first-year associates. So, he did what he thought any self-respecting professional would do after a year of lousy results: He tried to quit. Thankfully, his boss talked him out of it. He’s glad too, because he wouldn’t have developed the skills he needs for the work he does today. One big lesson he learned during that time: Good work doesn’t speak for itself. Despite his qualifications and Carnegie having some of the best curriculum on the planet, he wasn’t clearly able to personally connect the value of it to enough organizations that would benefit. That season helped him realize that competence is only one part of work. Another huge part? Creating visibility. That’s why Dave was so pleased that Melody Wilding, LMSW joined him on the Coaching for Leaders podcast this week. Melody is an executive and leadership coach for smart, sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way. She is the author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. Here’s what she said: 1. Good work does not speak for itself. 2. Our fear of appearing self-promotional can hinder the visibility conversations that our leaders and team need from us. 3. A story will be told about your work. By having stories that you are ready to tell, you get to shape the narrative. 4. Instead of listing what you’ve done, highlight what you want to be known for. 5. Give visibility to work that is important to your team, puts you in contact with stakeholders, and impacts that bottom line. 6. Always have a 3-step pocket update at the ready. Share a (1) project, (2) detail, and (3) result. 7. Capitalize on casual conversation. Say yes to the right invitations and be the person that keeps the relationship going. The full transcript, audio, and notes are linked in the comments. Your turn: What’s one tactic that’s helped you gain visibility? Comment below. #leadership #management

When christoff poppe and I met a few years ago, he mentioned he lives in Naperville, Illinois -- and I knew right away we'd hit it off. That's my hometown and my parents’ home, and we were there last week. Today, Christoff is one of our Coaching for Leaders Fellows and supports our Pro members in keeping momentum happening for their leadership development. He's also an extraordinarily talented Vistage Worldwide, Inc. Chair in Chicagoland, helping CEOs and business owners get better results for their organizations. What a joy to get to dine with him this past week. I love his passion for mentoring and coaching — and I learn something from him every time we talk. I already made a shift in my work from one of his ideas over dinner. If you lead a small or medium business in the Chicago area, Christoff is a great person for you to know. I’m hoping to have him as a guest on a future Coaching for Leaders episode. ??

We hope you’re not in survival mode. But it’s reality that some leaders are...and more will be. Why? Because uncertainty is more and more the norm. That’s not changing anytime soon. That’s why Rebecca Homkes invited leaders to ask these two questions on this week’s Coaching for Leaders podcast episode: * What could break us? * What could make us? Rebecca is a high-growth strategy specialist and CEO and executive advisor. She is the author of Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times. Here’s what she told us: 1. We default to the assumption that uncertainty is unequivocally bad. 2. Executives are often overconfident in their ability to predict the future and get tied into patterns that reward following the plan. 3. We tend to adopt the first explanation we hear that makes sense instead of examining our beliefs. 4. Make good decisions even when you cannot make good predictions. 5. Avoid attempting to predict the end state. Stop planning and start preparing. 6. People are often most honest when in survival mode, opening up opportunity for learning and growth. 7. Ask these two questions: What could break us? What could make us? The full transcript, audio, and notes are linked in the comments. Your turn –> What helped you make it through a survival period? Comment below. #management #leadership