Coaching For Leaders

Lisa Cummings: Lead Through Strengths Lisa Cummings is the founder and CEO of Lead Through Strengths, a firm that exists to help people find and use their strengths at work. Lisa and her team serve large teams and organizations to help them leverage the results of the CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment. She is also the host of the popular Lead Through Strengths podcast. Many organizations utilize the StrengthsFinder assessment, but few leaders go beyond a brief discussion and perhaps asking employees to share their results with peers. In this conversation, Lisa and I discuss how she helps leaders and teams leverage StrengthsFinder results and how to utilize them for ongoing coaching and talent development. Key Points Understanding another person’s strengths can help you work better with them. CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) conversations should not just happen one day a year, they should be discussed and thought about often. Ask employees, “How did you use your strength

Teresa Chahine: Social Entrepreneurship Teresa Chahine is the social entrepreneurship program leader at the Harvard School of Public Heath and the Innovation advisor at Alfanar Venture Philanthropy. She’s the author of Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship*, a 12-step guide to building an impactful venture. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Key Points Find the root cause of problems to make sure your solution is not just a band-aid. Many leaders make the mistake of reinventing the wheel. Find local leaders and build solutions with them. Don’t try to solve a problem on your own, work with the people who are impacted by the problem. Think of research as a form of action. People are more likely to be satisfied with a solution if they feel like they were a part of it. Resources Mentioned BeTheBeacon Campaign Food Truck Film Kickstarter campaign Deconstructing Sticky Problems The Tipping Point* by Malcom Gladwell Discover More Activate your free membership for full a

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak (web) (Twitter) is Dave’s life partner and best friend, business professor, past executive leader, and the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. To follow her on Twitter so she can surpass Dave, click HERE. Questions Elizabeth asked about how to keep goals front and center with a team throughout the year. Allison asked about the best ways to discover more about organizational development. Joel asked about the best ways to attract and develop instructors at his martial arts school. Phil asked about our recommendations for podcasts. Resources Mentioned The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian Moran* Organization Development Network Association for Talent Development International Coach Federation Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal* Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein* The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice

Sharone Bar-David: Abrasive Leaders Sharone Bar-David is the author of Trust Your Canary: Every Leader’s Guide to Taming Workplace Incivility* and president at Bar-David Consulting, a company offering solutions for creating a respectful workplace and rehabilitating abrasive leaders. Key Points Abrasive leaders often don’t realize how they’re acting, or if they do, they don’t realize the negative affects. One of the greatest myths is that you can’t do without someone — everyone is replaceable. The three steps of SBD: State the Expectation - What values or behavior you expect? Behavior - What are the behaviors that are of concern? Desired Behavior - How do you want the person to act? 360 reviews are good for diagnosing a problem with an abrasive leader, but not for solving it. Resources Mentioned Abrasive Leader Risk Assessment Trust Your Canary* by Sharone Bar-David Abrasive Leaders: Five Mistakes You’ve Made When Managing Them Is Your Email Writing Style Putting You at Risk? Activ

Chris Deferio: Keys to the Shop Chris Deferio is the host of Keys to the Shop, a podcast that helps coffee service professionals to advance their careers by discovering more about barista work, management, leadership, and the operational knowledge to run a coffee shop. Chris has decades of experience managing teams of part-time staff in a high turnover industry. In this episode, he shares the most practical tips his team has discovered for helping leaders be most effective with part-time employees. Key Points You can only go so far with positive feedback, you should also seek feedback on how you can improve. If you have a failure, just learn the lesson from it and apply that knowledge in the future. When hiring, focus on finding people who share your core company values. A lot of people know how to give good answers for the normal interview questions, so you have to ask different, more creative questions to really get to know them. Rather than view scheduling as a burden, look at it as a way to se

Amanda Davis: Onboarding Employees Amanda Davis is an executive consultant with 25 years of professional leadership and management experience specializing in the development and implementation of strategies and programs for better service delivery. Key Points The Two-Tiered Approach to Onboarding: Part 1: First day on the job Keep it short (1.5-2 hours long). What are the essential things an employee needs to know? Get to the why of the employee’s job. What’s the meaning and mission behind the organization? After Part 1 your employee should feel informed, excited, and motivated. Part 2: About 45 days after hire Longer than Tier 1, should be around 3 hours long Covers what team members need to know to grow their jobs. After Part 2, your employee should feel educated, excited, and confident. Resources Mentioned Amanda Davis website Best Demonstrated Practices - Onboarding for Success [PDF download] Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-da

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak (web) (Twitter) is Dave’s life partner and best friend, business professor, past executive leader, and the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Questions Roger asked about the best way to motivate a remote employee who is just doing the bare minimum to get by. Thomas asked how to inspire a sales team that is not hitting their numbers. Kristeen asked our opinion on the value of a master’s degree in today’s economy. Francisco asked if he should include comments from past customers on his LinkedIn profile after a negative separation from a company. Andy wondered about how the business model works for our podcast. Resources Mentioned CFL286: How to Influence Cross Culturally Zoom video conferencing service* Slack Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink* First Break All the Rules by Gallup* Start with Why by Simon Sinek* CFL190: How to Improve Your Coaching Skills with Tom Henschel ”On The Folly O

Erin Meyer: The Culture Map Erin Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, teaches us how to influence cross-culturally. Erin is the author of the bestselling book The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business*. Key Points It’s more helpful to know how cultures compare to one another on specific issues than it is to just describe a specific culture. Different cultures have signals that mean different things. Historically homogenous cultures tend to be less explicit in their communication styles, with much more communication implied. Americans tend to be very direct except when giving negative feedback, and many people from other cultures find this confusing. Remember to: be curious, be humble, listen before you speak, and learn before you teach. Resources Mentioned The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer* To access the behavioral culture map showing how 55 countries map to the 8 behaviors, complete the below: Visit http://

Brenda Bernstein: How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile Brenda Bernstein is the Founder and Senior Editor at The Essay Expert and the author of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile*, a book that held the #1 best-seller spot in Amazon’s business writing skills list for 2 years. Key Points LinkedIn profiles are very important for job seekers. Your headline is the most important place to have keywords. Don’t include your company name in your headline unless it has cachet. In your experience section, emphasize your current job and make sure it has the best description. Think of three key words you want to come across in your profile photo. Make sure you have a 100% completed profile to get boosted by LinkedIn’s algorithms. Write your summary in first-person. If you have a very uncommon or unclear job title, it’s okay to write one that people would understand, so long as it’s accurate. Recommendations are important because they’re the only way on LinkedIn to really prove who you are and what

Michael Bungay Stanier: The Coaching Habit Michael Bungay Stanier is the bestselling author of the books Do More Great Work* and The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever*. Michael and his team of facilitators help time-crunched managers coach in 10 minutes or less. Key Points When things get difficult, there are three roles people might fall into: The victim The persecutor The rescuer How to bust out of a victim role: Figure out what’s really going on. Take a deep breath. Think, “And what else?” How to bust out of a persecutor role: Assume positive intent, that people are trying their best. Ask yourself what you want in the situation, and make sure you’ve communicated it to others. Then ask the others what they want. How to bust out of a rescuer role: Ask the victim, “How can I help?” or “What do you want from me?” Resources Mentioned The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier* Do More Great

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak (web) (Twitter) is Dave’s life partner and best friend, business professor, past executive leader, and the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Questions Dustin asked about the distinction between mission and vision and how to get started on both in his organization. Andrew asked about how we remember to connect people in our network and stay in touch with the right people. Etai asked if asking for feedback too often might been seen as weak in his organization. Josh asked about resources for books and podcasts on leadership development in Spanish for his team. Resources Mentioned How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn’t Suck by Dan Heath OmniFocus Learn OmniFocus Start With Why by Simon Sinek* Contactually Getting Things Done by David Allen* Talking From 9 to 5 by Debra Tannen* Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course, 10 Ways to Empower the People You Le

Dan Ariely: Payoff Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His books include Irrationally Yours, Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, and his most recent book, Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations. Key Points The things that motivate us are about accomplishment and achievement, not day-to-day happiness. Most people realize that they themselves are not truly motivated by money, but they still assume other people are completely motivated by it. Figure out a way to pay people that adds to the development of a long-term relationship, not a short-term transactional one. It is important to find a way to connect people’s jobs to the final outcome of their work, because many people don’t feel connected to their organization’s main purpose. Resources Mentioned Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations* by Dan

Collins Osayamwen: Facilities Management Collins Osayamwen is the Managing Partner/Senior consultant of SheltercareFM Consult based in Nigeria. He is also a founding partner of the Corporate FM Alliance – a group of international companies working together on regular basis to provide facilities management and real estate services throughout the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. He was the International Facility Management Association’s Distinguished Member from 2011-2012 and now serves on IFMA’s board of directors. Key Points Ask yourself some key questions: Are you happy doing what you are doing right now? Will you be happy doing it for the rest of your life? What legacy are you leaving for your children? Failure can redirect you into new directions that are better than before. Don’t start a career just because of the money or because people tell you to, only do it if it’s your passion. Final Day for Academy Applications Monday, January 23rd is the final day for applications to the Coa

Eugenia Weiss: Military and Veteran Transitions Eugenia Weiss is a clinical associate professor at the University of Southern California’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She is the co-author of the book The Civilian Lives of U.S. Veterans: Issues and Identities* and Supporting Veterans in Higher Education: A Primer for Administrators, Faculty, and, Advisors*. Key Points Military and civilian cultures are very separate, and sometimes it’s difficult to transition back into civilian life. Most veterans with combat experience won’t have PTSD, it’s about 15%-30% that do. The effects of PTSD vary from person to person. In the past, service members typically had several weeks of transport time between combat roles and home, now it’s only a couple of days. This doesn’t allow them much time to process their experiences. Don’t be afraid to engage with veterans and talk about their experiences, just do it with care and concern. Most veterans do want to talk about their experiences. Volunteering fo

Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Tom Henschel is the host of The Look & Sound of Leadership, a popular leadership podcast spanning almost a decade. In addition, Tom is a talented executive coach and principal of his firm, Essential Communications. Key Points Networking is about abundance and a mindset of giving Networking is about relationships, not goals. Networks are built over time. Ask: How can I help? Be open to giving your time and talents away for free through a spirit of abundance. Always be prepared to network, no matter where you are. Show up consistently, and build relationships over time. Resources Mentioned Tom’s 10 Golden Rules of Networking CFL106: How To Create Your Personal Networking Plan With John Corcoran CFL177: How to Start a Conversation With Anyone CFL209: Get ROI From Professional Associations With John Corcoran Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak (web) (Twitter) is Dave’s life partner and best friend, business professor, past executive leader, and the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Questions Tyler asked about the usefulness of anger in the workplace. Yanko asked about making a major career transition. Rich asked about navigating challenges when coaching someone internally. Resources Mentioned Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl* What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles* How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile ... And 18 Mistakes to Avoid by Brenda Bernstein* Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course, 10 Ways to Empower the People You Lead. Give me 10 minutes a day for 10 days to get the most immediate, practical actions to become a better leader. Join at CoachingforLeaders.com. Related Episodes CFL190: How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel CFL238: How to Be a Non-Conf

Mariano Mosquera: Preventing Corruption Mariano Mosquera, is an Edmond J. Safra Network Fellow at Harvard University and Postdoctoral Fellow of the National University of Cordoba. He is a professor of Ethics and Access to Public Information of the National University of Córdoba and professor of Public Policy at the Catholic University of Cordoba. Key Points Different places in the world have different concepts of corruption. A lot of corruption is created by poorly conceived or implemented laws. Some actions may be legal but should be still be considered institutional corruption. Just trying to catch corrupt individuals doesn’t work; we need to change the rules that incentivize or allow corruption. If you can anticipate corruption you can help prevent it. Rather than immediately reporting corruption, sometimes it’s better to simply steer the conversation another way. Resources Mentioned Mariano Mosquera’s website Harvard articles by Mariano Mosquera Will You Leave a Rating or Review? If yo

Most of us work in organizations where at the very least, it’s espoused that we should engage employees and create a great work environment. But, few firms actually do this well. On this episode, how to practically engagement employees using the principles of Management 3.0 — and also create happiness for the people you lead. Jurgen Appelo: Management 3.0 Jurgen Appelo calls himself a creative networker. Since 2008 Jurgen has penned a popular blog at www.noop.nl, covering the creative economy, agile management, and personal development. He is the author of Management 3.0*, the bestselling agile management text and the proactive follow-up book, Managing for Happiness*. Key Points Not all things work for each company. You must experiment to see what works for your company culture. Incentives should be tangible. Managers should only have to manage the business systems, and the employees should be able to manage themselves. You are learning the most when half your experiments fail. Figure out how to in

Terry Lipovski: Underdog Coaching Terry Lipovski is the President of Ubiquity Leadership. He is a leadership coach and workshop facilitator to top organizations around the world include organizations like Schlumberger, Air Canada, and GE. Key Points Being different from colleagues can present a challenge Many people at a disadvantage don’t realize it Some people just need someone who is in their corner Resources Mentioned Ubiquity Leadership Why We Need Diversity Coaching Quotes for Leaders Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course, 10 Ways to Empower the People You Lead. Give me 10 minutes a day for 10 days to get the most immediate, practical actions to become a better leader. Join at CoachingforLeaders.com. Related Episodes CFL237: These Coaching Questions Get Results CFL255: How Women Make Stronger, Smarter Choices CFL269: How to Ask for Career Help Need an Editor? Andrew Kroeger edits both this show and Bonni’s Teaching

Bonni and Dave respond to listener questions on cost-effective training, making a transition as a leader, and giving group feedback. Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak (web) (Twitter) is Dave’s life partner and best friend, business professor, past executive leader, and the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Questions John asked about what to do when it’s the leader who is planning to leave the organization. Allison asked about strategies to train the most people with minimal resources. Andrew asked about giving feedback to an entire group of people. Resources Mentioned Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges First Things First by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill altMBA reading list 3 Reasons Why Punishing A Team Is A Bad Idea Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges and Susan Bridges Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course