Coaching for Leaders

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Audio Question from Rick 3 Ways to Start Your Next Presentation Episode 126: How to Be Interesting When Pitching an Idea Show and Tell: How Everybody Can Make Extraordinary Presentations* by Dan Roam The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking* by Dale Carnegie Question from Jay Daniel Pink said that one of the important qualities of a leader was the ability of the leader to insulate their team members from the “noise” of the organization (I completely agree). However, I have also seen that the act of insulating one’s team can get the leader into trouble. Ultimately, insulating one’s team members sometimes means saying no to new projects so that more important existing projects can get done. This very thing (insulation of team) has a tendency to create a great working environment for the followers but simultaneously put the leader in jeopardy with his superiors. How do you suggest dealing with such a quandary? In essence, the right thing to do for the leader’s people, and consequently the organization, is also the very thing that may cause political difficulty for the leader. Yes, Bonni received a new Kindle* for Valentine’s Day Essentialism* by Greg McKeown Episode 129: How to Create A Personal Knowledge Management System Harold Jarche Audio Question from Phil Episode 143: Accepting Feedback With Sheila Heen of Difficult Conversations The Leadership Challenge* by James Kouzes and Barry Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Assessments Question from Charles How does one know if what one needs is a professional coach (life/career coach?) or a therapist? Are there professionals which wear both hats? I am currently in transition from solopreneur to possibly going back in the corporate world after about 12 years. It’s not a transition that I am eager for and is accompanied by a good measure of anxiety, confusion, self-doubt, etc. My feeling is that I need someone who can objectively guide me through answering some basic questions at this point in my life (What do I really want to do? What are my real strengths? Do I want to go back to the corporate grind? Should/How do I change careers?, etc.) while also helping me manage the emotional issues. I know this is a tall order (overwhelming for me right now). Should I be seeking one person who can offer a holistic view (a life coach)? Or two very different professionals (who may or may not offer conflicting advice)? Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes* by William Bridges Audio Question from Elle Episode 79: Benefits You Get From A Recognition Program Episode 80: Ten Steps To Create A Recognition Program Drive* by Daniel Pink On The Folly Of Rewarding A While Hoping For B by Steven Kerr Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Ron Friedman: The Best Place to Work Interviews are not the most effective way to select people, but if you need to do it: Standardize your questions Ask behavioral questions “What underlies a great place to work isn’t access to perks, but rather experiences that are psychologically fulfilling.” -Ron Freidman Three needs that we have to feel good at work: Being good at the work we are doing and able to grow our competence Being connected to the people around us Autonomy and choice in how we approach our work “The impact of money on job satisfaction is incredibly small.” -Ron Freidman Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

David Allen, a productivity pioneer known for his book *Getting Things Done*, shares insights on conducting an effective weekly review. He discusses the importance of scheduling this review, documenting successes, and aligning weekly actions with long-term goals. Allen recommends flagging a few key tasks and reviewing ongoing projects in tools like OmniFocus. He also emphasizes the need to assess daily habits to maintain focus and enhance productivity. A must-listen for anyone looking to boost their efficiency and personal growth!

Marc Mawhinney: Natural Born Coaches “Coaches are important because they are a second pair of eyes for your business.” -Marc Mawhinney Mark and I discussed my recent article on What to Know When Hiring a Coach. In addition to the recommendation to check out Marc’s show, I made three recommendations of coaches I recommend at the end of the episode, all of which are past guests: Tom Henschel, Essential Communications Bill Bliss, Bliss & Associates, Inc. Tim Stringer, Technically Simple Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Question from Brian I presently struggle with keeping the balance between friend and boss as we work closely together. All three of us are in cubicles next to each other. While this allows us to be very close knit (almost as much as the camaraderie in the Army, but not quite) I know I have already blurred the line more than I should have. It was easy to “keep your distance” in the military because you always have your rank whether you are in uniform or not. You could be a friend and a Sergeant at the same time. This has proven to be my biggest challenge as a civilian leader. Question from Sarah I recently found your podcast and have been an avid listener ever since. I am about to re-enter the corporate world in what I think must be my dream role! So very excited (nervous, anxious, ecstatic ) and so have been arming myself with the tools and tips of your many episodes. My question is – what would be your first priority when assuming a senior executive role in a large organization and inheriting a team hand picked by the previous incumbent who has been laterally moved now due to poor performance. I envision there are going to be some very disgruntled team members loyal to my predecessor, and while I want to make a good first impression. I also want to be clear that I am not interested in historical politics and am there to lead them positively forward. The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins* 98: Five Rules For Your New Leadership Role With Pam Fox Rollin 42 Rules to Your New Leadership Role by Pam Fox Rollin* Question from Rachel I am struggling with a staff member who is supposedly bullying other people and being extremely rude. She knows I am watching her and is perfectly delightful when I’m around. I have many staff members reporting that she completely changes when I’m not around. The Right Way to Fire the Wrong Person, a podcast by Michael Hyatt The No Asshole Rule by Bob Sutton* Question from Paola We have one training initiative (an international one), where employees should change behavior. My question is: how can I make the biggest impact as a trainer to a team of 70 people to make sure, this changes take place? The New Mager Six Pack by Robert F. Mager* Creating Measurable Learning Objectives by Bonni Stachowiak Evaluating Training Programs by Donald Kirkpatrick and James Kirkpatrick* Feedback from Geoff When you give task list recommendations, you might want to consider mentioning Wunderlist as a simple, low/no-cost, yet reasonably powerful solution for cross platform task management. Although I dearly love OmniFocus, my job requires me to use a PC at the office. Having another computer or an iPad always nearby wasn’t ideal, so I’ve switched much of my task tracking to Wunderlist, which syncs between my Macs, iPhone, iPad, and work PC (as a Chrome web app, which works even on a locked-down PC with no admin rights). Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Mark Sieverkropp: How to Start a Conversation With Anyone Mark and I were both featured by Forbes as 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015 1. First Impressions last the longest John Corcoran spoke in episode 169 on what we can do to recover from a bad first impression 2. Practice the type of listening that makes a difference “…if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.” -Dale Carnegie 3. Understand who people are by how they act 4. People like others who share their same interests 5. Do not hold your listener hostage 6. Remembering the conversation is crucial to growing the relationship Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Susanne Madsen: The Power of Project Leadership Susanne Madsen is an internationally recognized project leadership coach, trainer, speaker and consultant. Susanne specializes in helping project managers transform into leaders. She is the author of The Power of Project Leadership*. “Most organizations jump very quickly from the idea stage to the doing stage.” -Susanne Madsen Project definition: it’s key to determine the value the project offers to the organization Be strong enough to show weakness and ask the dumb questions Two problems in managing risk Not properly dealing with expected risks Paying little or no attention to unexpected risks Connect with Susanne on Twitter or LinkedIn Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

You’ve been in the job for awhile. You’re maybe not feeling that same sense of motivation or fulfillment that you once did. How do you know when to move on? In this episode, five indicators that will help you answer that question. 1. When it’s beyond a bad day, week, or month. “Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.” -Julius Erving 2. When its not fulfilling anymore to solve problems. I mentioned Michael Hyatt’s appearance on episode #40. “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” -David Ogilvy Every organization has the well-connected people who are marketing a bad “product” or at least a mediocre one. Are you solving problems, or are you window dressing? 3. When you’re living in Groundhog Day. You can become the cynic who says, “This is the way we do things around here.” 4. When you think the same way today that you did a year ago. You should, on occasion, be able to look back on a decision you made in the past, or on your thinking on something, and be amazed at how stupid you were. 5. When your heart tells you that its time. It’s OK to not know the answer for awhile. In fact, that’s probably the side to error on. A final thought: this isn’t the answer. It’s a place to start asking yourself the questions. 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 is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Question from Michelle: I’ve recently taken on a Training post…it’s a new post and so I’m making things up as I go along. In episode 30 you recommend that Managers attend the same training as their team. I’m organizing a whole range of training courses in 2015 and at first I agreed with you that the Manager should attend with their team. The feedback I’ve had though is that if the Manager attends then people won’t ask all the questions they should ask to seek clarification. This maybe a cultural point rather than a general training point. Are there some types of training that need the Manager to be present and others where it’s better than they are not present? For example : if it’s about changing behavior then it’s right that they should attend and if it’s about learning something that’s new (new skills to do the job they already do) then the Manager shouldn’t be present. 30: Six Mistakes Leaders Make Sending People to Training Question from Amy: I enjoy listening every morning on my way to work and have applied MANY of your tips to my job. I’ve been through so many podcasts, I’m curious if you could help me with one of your recommendations. You talked about a planner you use that can be specialized — what recommended company/website was this? I’m looking to start the New Year off right! Thanks for your advice! Remember the Milk OmniFocus (Mac)* (iPhone)* (iPad)* LearnOmniFocus.com from our friend Tim Stringer Question from Brenda: I am a retreat coordinator at a camp where I work with many different churches and Christian organizations. Most people I work with come 1-2 times a year and come and share their camp space with 2-5 different churches and organizations. I am looking for a way to not only personally connect with the people I work with, but also give them the opportunity to get to know each other as other camp rental leaders and be able bounce ideas off each other and give this group unity by coming to camp together. I also want to build this same unity and community with other retreat coordinators across the US within a online group. But keep the two groups separate from each other. I have seen this done with Stay-at-homes moms on Facebook, but really do not want to use Facebook for this. Would LinkedIn be a good website to use to for this purpose? Is there another social media or website that I should explore that you know of that would work better? What have you found to be the best way to grow your community with Coaching for Leaders? IP.Board Audio Question from Hujefa  Question from Lisa: Quick question – have you ever done a podcast about how to handle a mistake at work? I have made a mistake that has many upset. I scheduled a meeting for next week to discuss and although I’ve already apologized internally, I’m looking for suggestions on how to handle the meeting. I don’t think I want to focus at all on what I “shoulda” done but rather what to do to help alleviate the situation. 54: How Authentic Leaders Apologize Question from Noushin: I was wondering if you can suggest a program for executives who would like to improve their writing skills for communicating with the investors, CEOs, etc. On Writing Well* by William Zissner Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing* by Mignon Fogarty 108: How To Improve Your Writing With Grammar Girl and Grammar Pop Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Donna Schilder We’ve all seen bad meeting behavior, but do you know what to do? Donna Schilder shares five power steps for leaders and facilitators to get us towards a better meeting. 1. What are some types bad meeting behavior we often see? Late arrivers Ramblers Side Conversationalists Note Passers Multi-taskers Non-participators Dominators Chronic objectors Gate-closers Off-the-wall commenters Eye rollers Sighers Personal attackers 2. How can leaders identify disruptive behaviors as they happen? Realize that your job is to create the agenda, lead the participants through the agenda, but also, to watch for and facilitate behaviors that prevent the meeting from being as successful as it can be. Now that you are more focused on what they are, you can watch for these disruptive behaviors. Scrutinize and reflect on meetings that don’t seem to be as productive as they should be. Watch for other people’s reactions. Are they rolling their eyes, sighing, showing signs of frustration, shuffling in their seats? 3. How can a leader intervene in disruptive behaviors in meetings? For Side Conversationalists, Ramblers, Multi-Taskers, Note Passers, Eye Rollers, Off-the-Wall Commenters, & Eye Rollers: Use non-verbal cues For all behaviors: Acknowledge and reinforce acceptable behavior For Late Arrivers, Dominators, Ramblers, Gate Closers, and really any behaviors: Review Ground Rules for Effective Meeting Behavior Don’t interrupt others, encourage new ideas, don’t be late Encourage shared responsibility for handling disruptive behavior For Ramblers or if new topics just come up: Use a Hold Bin when the meeting gets off topic For Non-Participators: Round Robin – always allow people to pass Invite people into the conversation For some of the more difficult behaviors, like Dominators or Personal Attackers: Utilize team feedback tools Plus Delta Team Effectiveness Surveys Use firm but friendly confrontation 4. What is firm but friendly confrontation? This is in order from the lightest intervention to the strongest intervention. Tread cautiously with the strong interventions. General Question: Does anyone else feel we are digressing? Specific Question: For a side conversation: Andrea, do you have anything to add? General statement (no names): We had agreed as a team that we would be on time to this meeting General statement (looking at the person): Not everyone here seems to be open to new ideas Specific statement: Joe, you seem to be objecting to this idea. 5. When should a leader Take it Offline? Visit Donna’s detailed notes and downloadable PDF Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.