Coaching for Leaders

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Questions Lindsay asked about coaching new leaders to give feedback to former peers. Meena asked about how to find her motivation during a difficult time. Lana asked about software to track development plans online. Stefanie asked about using assessments to uncover blind spots effectively. Williams wondered how to end a successful leadership position well. Resources Mentioned Analyzing Performance Problems* by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe On the folly of rewarding A while expecting B by Steven Kerr How to Stop Worrying and Start Living* by Dale Carnegie Getting Things Done* by David Allen The Five Dysfunctions of a Team* by Patrick Lencioni DiSC Overview StrengthsFinder Lead Through Strengths with Lisa Cummings Thanks For the Feedback* by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone Managing Transitions* by William Bridges Difficult Conversations* Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen Related Episodes How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143) Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) How to Manage Former Peers, with Tom Henschel (episode 257) Leverage StrengthsFinder for Your Team, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293) The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, with Daniel Pink (episode 332) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Neil Pasricha: The Happiness Equation Neil Pasricha is a top-rated leadership keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author, and positive psychology researcher focused on the relationship between happiness and leadership in business. He leads The Institute for Global Happiness. Neil has written five New York Times and #1 international bestsellers including: The Book of Awesome*, Awesome is Everywhere*, and The Happiness Equation*. His books have been on bestseller lists for over 200 weeks and sold millions of copies. Key Points Retirement can be a shock for people, but having a sense of purpose makes it much easier to handle. We need to take the stigma off demotions, because for some people it’s a better match to their stage of life. As people get older, they work less. It shouldn’t be a shame for them to earn less. Social media solutions: No screens in the first or last hour of day. Put your charger as far away from your bedroom as possible. Turn off notifications on your phone, or put your phone on airplane mode. Happiness should be a starting point, not a destination. The best time of day to check email is 9-10 am and 4-5pm. If you’re only doing the urgent tasks, your never doing the important ones. Resources Mentioned The Happiness Equation* by Neil Pasricha Irresistible* by Adam Alter Abundance* by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler Book Notes Download my highlights from The Happiness Equation in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Secret To Happiness (episode 134) Five Ways to Avoid Living With Regret, with Allison Clarke (episode 171) How to Engage With Humor, with David Nihill (episode 245) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Greg Hall: Fix Your System Greg Hall has 20 years experience as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Director of Data Analytics for a Fortune 500 company. He coaches business owners and executives to capture personal data analytics to achieve goals and reduce the stress that comes from sustained productivity. Key Points The more data we can bring to a problem, the better we’re able to see the solution. “A problem well defined is a problem half solved.” Before jumping into a problem you need to invest time to gather information about it. An easy way to start with personal data analytics is to just write down the time and the activity. And when you switch activities, update the record. You can’t create a budget if you don’t know how much you’re spending. It’s the same thing with planning: how can you plan if you don’t where you’re spending your time. First, assess how much work you have. Then, honestly ask yourself how much capacity for work you have. The hard work of fixing a problem is defining it well. You can’t plan out your interruptions, but you can plan for them: you don’t know when they’ll happen, but you do know how often they tend to happen and how long they typically take. Resources Mentioned How to Stop Worrying and Start Living* by Dale Carnegie Related Episodes The 5-Step Strategy for Solving Problems, with Michael “Coop” Cooper (episode 160) How to Solve a Really Big Problem, with Teresa Chahine (episode 292) How to Leverage People Analytics, with Jenny Dearborn (episode 323) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Daniel Pink: When Daniel Pink has been listed by Thinkers50 as one of the top business thinkers in the world. His works include New York Times bestsellers, A Whole New Mind*, Drive*, To Sell is Human* and his new book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing*. Key Points Naps boost productivity, but they should be no more than around 20 minutes long. Regular nappers get more benefit from naps than occasional nappers. We don’t treat breaks with enough seriousness. We do better on certain types of tasks at certain times of day. Peak - Do heavy analytical work in the morning. Trough - Do easier administrative work in the early afternoon. Recovery - Do work that requires insight in the late afternoon and evening. Ways to make the most of project midpoints when motivating teams: Recognize midpoints. Use midpoints to fire up your team. Let you team know they are slightly behind when they hit the midpoint. Resources Mentioned Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us* by Daniel Pink When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing* by Daniel Pink Book Notes Download my highlights from When in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Surprising Truth About Influencing Others, with Daniel Pink (episode 84) The Way to Make New Behaviors Stick, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 196) The Best Way to Make New Habits Reality, with Kendra Kinnison (episode 217) How to Make Deep Work Happen, with Cal Newport (episode 233) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Tim Stringer: Learn OmniFocus Tim Stringer of Technically Simple is one of the world’s leading experts on using task management systems and is the founder of Learn OmniFocus*, the premier site for teaching OmniFocus users how to be as productive as possible. Key Points In general, keep the planning and working tasks separate. By planning first, it’s much easier to be productive when you go into worker mode. Your task management system should collect your whens, your whats, and your ideas. Make your task management system a sacred space. Use due dates only when there is a consequence for not finishing something by that date. Focus on only doing a few important tasks first, then move on to the rest of the tasks. A morning and evening review will help you stay on top of your system. Common mistakes: Putting too much into your task management system, overusing due dates, and tasks that aren’t immediately actionable. Resources Mentioned Getting Things Done* by David Allen ToDoist OmniFocus Learn OmniFocus* Evernote Bullet Journal MindNode Related Episodes How To Be More Productive, with Tim Stringer (episode 151) Do This for a Productive Week (episode 180) Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) The Way to Stop Spinning Your Wheels on Planning (episode 319) 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 is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Questions Katrina asked about the how to get better at influencing and relationships in her leadership development. Sara asked about how to be proactive in conversations with an employee who is retiring. Zubair wondered about a low-cost way to set up a 360-degree feedback for a leadership team. Isaac is thinking about work-life balance early in his career and wanted our input. Resources Mentioned How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie MBTI StrengthsFinder (now known as CliftonStrengths) DiSC The Empowered Manager* by Peter Block Related Episodes How to Lead a 100-Year Life, with Lynda Gratton (episode 266) How to Transcend Work-Life Balance, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 315) How to Leverage Differences to Accelerate Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 320) How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries, with Peter Block (episode 328) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Chip Heath: The Power of Moments Chip Heath is the co-author, along with his brother Dan Heath, of three bestselling books including Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life*, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard*, and Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die*. Their new book is The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact*. Key Points Very few people have a great first day at work. Transitions matter to people. Creating meaning is something we don’t do nearly enough. Good change efforts are elegantly simple. “Frankly, there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story.” -Fred Rogers Resources Mentioned The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact* by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life* by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard* by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die 7 Days of Memories Video: How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn't Suck Book Notes Download my highlights from The Power of Moments in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Create Leadership Connections In the Smallest of Moments, with Doug Conant (episode 136) How to Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, with Mark Barden (episode 207) Get Better at Onboarding Employees, with Amanda Davis (episode 288) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Peter Block: The Empowered Manager Peter Block is an author, consultant, and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is about empowerment, stewardship, chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used*, Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest*, and The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work*. Key Points We become “political” at the moment we attempt to translate our vision into action. Leadership is the capacity to initiate an alternative future. Most organizations are conflict-averse. Being “political” wasn’t always a bad thing. The meaning has been distorted. Pursue your interests but in a way that honors the interests of others. Power comes from a willingness to be vulnerable. When you’re vulnerable, all you’re doing is acknowledging what the world already knows. As soon as people start complaining, they’ve chosen helplessness. When we have strong negative reactions to people, it’s our projection. Types of people in the workplace: Allies = high agreement / high trust Opponents = high trust / low agreement Bedfellows = low trust / high agreement Adversaries = low trust / low agreement Fence Sitters = low trust / unknown agreement Resources Mentioned The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work* by Peter Block Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used* by Peter Block The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work* by Peter Block Book Notes Download my highlights from The Empowered Manager in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk, with Tom Henschel (episode 164) How to Tame Workplace Incivility, with Sharone Bar-David (episode 210) Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229) How to Increase Your Conversational Intelligence, with Judith Glaser (episode 271) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jonathan Raymond: Good Authority Jonathan Raymond is the founder of Refound, where he and his team work with organizations to create a company culture based in personal growth. He’s the author of the book Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting For* and the creator of the The Good Accountability course*. Key Points We have to shift our mindset from our intentions to our impacts. Influential or powerful people tend to get away with worse behavior. High performers get away with bad behavior because people are afraid of reducing their performance. But leaders often only look at the revenue high performers bring in without looking at what their bad behavior costs the company in the big picture. Personal and professional growth are the same thing. Instead of focusing on how to grow someone’s career over a ten-year span, think about what you can do in one year. Resources Mentioned The Good Accountability course* Difficult Conversations* by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting For* by Jonathan Raymond Refound for Individuals Book Notes Download my highlights from Good Authority in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How We Do Things Around Here To Get Results, with Kent Rhodes (episode 144) Use Power for Good and Not Evil, with Dacher Keltner (episode 254) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) How to Make Inclusion Happen, with Deepa Purushothaman (episode 307) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jeff Hittenberger: Orange County Department of Education Jeff Hittenberger is the Chief Academic Officer for the Orange County Department of Education. In this conversation, Jeff and Dave discuss the value of growth mindset for leaders, how the Orange County Department of Education is helping employees develop with it, and Jeff's own personal journey to bring it into his work and life. Key Points If you don’t deal with things on a personal level, they will oftentimes negatively affect your work. It is important to cultivate emotional intelligence in the workplace. A growth mindset will help you overcome a sense of despair because it gives you a sense of agency. Learning about the growth mindset as a team will give you a common language to communicate with. Poor reactions to a problem can make the problem even bigger. Learning about emotional intelligence while in the workplace will also help outside of work. Learning about a growth mindset and emotional intelligence takes time; it can’t be a one-shot deal. Resources Mentioned The Growth of the Mind* by Stanley Greenspan Mindset: The New Psychology of Success* by Carol Dweck Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ* by Daniel Goleman What Got You Here Won't Get You There* by Marshall Goldsmith Related Episodes Six Mistakes Leaders Make Sending People to Training (episode 30) Three Strategies To Build Talent In Your Organization, with Mark Allen (episode 155) The Way to Make New Behaviors Stick, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 196) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.