It Takes a Village to Raise a Leader

What if you could learn from the world's number one executive coach? Would you take it? I know I would, which is why I traveled to NJ last week.

Marshall Goldsmith, the #1 leadership coach and author of the bestseller, What Got You Here, Won't Get You There, unfortunately, is no longer accepting coaching clients. However, he's sharing his coaching process (which has a 95% success rate) with experts like me, so that we can use the same method he's used so successfully, to help managers transform themselves into exceptional leaders.

Here are some highlights of what I learned in last week's Stakeholder Centered Coaching session.

Perception is everything. Surveys consistently show that leaders think more highly of themselves than those who work with them. In other words, you may think you're a great leader or at least a pretty good one, but none of this matters if your stakeholders (people who work with you and for you) don't see it this way.

The way to change how others view you as a leader is to ask stakeholders for help concerning accountability. This can be an uncomfortable process for some. However, those who embrace this idea find the rewards far outweigh the discomfort.

What I love most about the Stakeholder Centered Coaching approach is that the leader gets to choose his or her stakeholders. This helps to rapidly build transparency and trust among the people the leader works with.

Focus on one or two behavior changes. I'm often called upon to work with leaders whose behaviors are holding them back. I'm honored to help, but only if we agree that we will move one or two things forward a mile, rather than ten things forward an inch.

For me, it's all about outcomes. After all, what's the point of doing something, if we can't see measurable results?

I start by soliciting input from the leader's boss, peers, and team members to learn more about a person's strengths and behaviors that are holding them back. This information gathering is commonly called a 360. Next, the leader and I discuss which area to focus on and will proceed, once we get the okay from this person's manager. This approach allows us to be laser-focused on results. If we get there faster than anticipated, we may decide to work on another behavior.

You can't change the past, but you can change the future. Look, we've all done or said things we wished we could take back. The beauty of the Stakeholder Centered Coaching process is that the focus is on "Feedforward" rather than feedback, which if you think about it, makes a lot of sense since we can't change the past.

FeedForward focuses on what leaders can do better in the future, rather than where they have failed in the past. For this to occur, stakeholders must agree to let go of the past. They're more apt to do so when a leader apologizes for missteps and asks individuals to be part of the process, as they work towards making positive changes.

Anyone can change behavior. However, the real question is can you sustain these changes? Think of all the people you know, who've changed their eating habits for a while, lost weight, and now weigh more than when they started. This is because it takes more than a few months to develop a new habit.

At a minimum, six-months is needed and ideally, 12-months is the way to go. You may be thinking, "I can't afford to take the time to do this!" If you're a leader who isn't reaching your full potential, you can't afford not to do this.

Once you get going, this process requires significantly less time than most approaches to coaching, which is why I'm so excited to be able to introduce this idea to busy clients and prospects. I'm talking maybe 20 minutes a week.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this process isn't for everyone. It's for people who are:

•    Courageous
•    Committed to change
•    Willing to be vulnerable
•    Want measurable results
•    Are willing to invest the time and effort required for the change to take hold
•    Successful people, who are interested in getting better

If you're interested in setting up a discovery call to see if this approach is right for you and your organization, reach out to me at [email protected] and we'll set aside time to speak.

For a limited time only (through January 31, 2019) I'm offering an additional month of coaching for those interested in Stakeholder Centered Coaching. Mention this post to take advantage of my offer.

? Matuson Consulting, 2018.