Coaching for Leaders

Susan Gerke: GO Team Resources This model originates with Bruce Tuckman in the 1960’s Forming Storming Norming Performing Susan and I discuss the issues at each stage above and the actions that both team members and leaders can take in order to maximize team performance. There are several options when conflict emerges: Reform the team Do good Feel good Deal with the conflict There are also several ways that change itself can happen to a team: Leadership changes Membership changes Changes to the purpose and goals of the team Resources The I in Team* by Susan Gerke Go Team by Susan Gerke and David Hutchens What’s one action you will take to be more proactive with your team’s development? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Susan Gerke: GO Team Resources Teams are different and unique Purpose Structure Stage of Development Membership Leadership When you are trying to figure out how to lead a team, 2 models can be very helpful. Types of Teams Interdependence degree of cooperation and coordination Number of meetings Content of meetings Goals —team vs. individual Reward team vs. individual Expertise Training plan Resources The I in Team* by Susan Gerke Go Team* by Susan Gerke and David Hutchens Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

John Dickson: Spokane County, Washington Here’s a link to the Lean Fighter article John mentioned about some of the work he contributed to at Boeing John mentioned the learning organization that was articulated by Peter Senge. This model was made popular in Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline*, which is a must-read for leaders and also appears on my Top 10 books for leaders list. “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, and serve first. The conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” -Robert Greenleaf “Enthusiasm is the little recognized secret of success.” -Dale Carnegie A recent article from the Spokesman-Review on the new utility bill payment system that John spoke of on the show. What’s one shift you could make that would make you more like a servant leader? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Douglas Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup and author of the bestselling book TouchPoints, shares valuable insights on leadership. He emphasizes the importance of daily interruptions as opportunities for connection and how to leverage these moments to enhance team dynamics. Conant discusses his experience overcoming setbacks and the significance of building relationships. He also highlights the impact of handwritten notes on fostering appreciation and the balance between empathy and high performance in leadership, urging a 'how can I help?' approach.

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 Jordan I am a young manager (mid-20’s). My job requires training large amounts of staff on software and technology. Many of the staff are twice my age, and tend to ignore me when giving trainings. I’m, not sure if this is because of my age, or because I have only been with the organization for 5 years, and many of  them have been here for 20+. Or perhaps it is because of the subject matter of the trainings? Do you have any suggestions on how to get through to them? Is it content or credibility? Seven Principles for Leading People Older Than You [episode #59] Seek out people who are giving you objections and find out how to best serve them. Dave mentioned How To Win Friends And Influence People* Lynda.com* is a good solution for learning popular software online at your pace Adobe Captivate is a good option for creating your own simulations Screenflow for the Mac is great for screencasting Camtasia is another option 2nd Question from Jordan Do you have any suggestions on conferences one can go to, to expand skills on leadership and coaching? Bonni says a conference is a place to build a network, generate new ideas, and learn about new products Dale Carnegie Training provides a great resource for changing behavior, which is a great way to get better and leadership and coaching Question from Kris I am a manager in a large company and managing a global transformation programme. I am at a cross roads and my development plan includes getting more training on the following: (a) Leadership of global teams (physical and virtual) and (b) Strategic planning and organizational development (how does one define and develop a global organization, roles, numbers of people, strategy, governance, teams, processes, etc) to implement a global transformation programme. Do you have recommendations on books, education or coaches for my further development? Good to Great* by Jim Collins Execution* by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan The Fifth Discipline* by Peter Senge Coaches: Bill Bliss, Tom Henschel, Pam Fox Rollin but find someone who’s done what you’ve done and what they’re reading Question from Suzie Audio comment If you are a nurse or know one, check out OneLoveforNurses.com Jane Hart publishes the Top 100 Tools for Learning Poll Everywhere is used by Bonni in her classroom Question from Andres In a world of free online courses and MOOCS (Massive Open Online Course); what type of course would you be willing to pay for? What type of content/delivery would definitely be worth spending your (not your employer’s) money on? Bonni mentioned attending a class from Linda Krall on creativity Dave spoke about Michael Hyatt’s class of 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever Question from Elmer How do you make training accessible to the newest employee while bringing something to the table for the most experienced manager? I usually try to leave the conversation open for the subject matter experts in the room to share their knowledge (within reason and on topic) so there is a feeling of collaboration and not speaking down to them in those situations. Creating a course that is comprehensive is difficult. Dave suggests segmenting the training, if possible. How can you get the subject matter experts engaged in a leadership capacity in the classroom? Use a problem-based or case study approach. This engages the more knowledgable people in the room. 2nd Question from Elmer One of our bosses/stake holders wants us to make our classes archiveable or semi-future proofed so we do not have to constantly go back and re-teach the classes one on one. What are some of the best ways to do that? “If the recording of the class was the equivalent to being there, then why are you holding the class in the first place?” -Bonni Avoid the temptation of just recording a live class and putting it online. Check out Michael Sandel’s Justice class at Harvard that we mentioned (he also has a great book by the same name). Articulate has products for online learning Susan Gerke has training modules for teams called GO Team Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Discover the secret to happiness through a transformative shift in mindset. Learn how rephrasing daily tasks from 'have to' into 'get to' can enhance your appreciation for life. With engaging stories and personal anecdotes, explore the significance of interpersonal relationships in leadership. Delve into the bittersweet balance of family commitments and the joys of spontaneity. Gain insights on professional growth from valuable training experiences that inspire new ideas and enrich your perspective.

Heather Backstrom: Executive Coach What is a personal brand? Personal brand is who a person is from the inside out. It’s not about external looks – that is personal image (also important, but different). 1. Values Knowing our values can provide clarity on the kind of work and work environment we choose. To help get clarity on your values, you may wish to utilize Dave’s values exercise at this link. Consider experiences in your life that really brought you joy – what values show up? For more on values, check out Coaching for Leaders episode 20. 2. Vision It’s about where you are now and where you wish to go. Create a target for yourself by defining it visually or in writing. “You can’t hit a target you don’t even have.” -Zig Ziglar For a journaling app, check out Day One. For more on vision, check out Coaching for Leaders episode 22. 3. Purpose Vision is where your head is and purpose is how you get there. Vision is the future and purpose is what’s happening in the present. Dave spoke about being a “curator of wisdom about people.” Without purpose, we tend to get caught up in other people’s lives and lose our own way. 4. Authenticity Personal brand is about bringing out the best of who you are. Borrow wisdom from others, but make it your own. 5. Perception We define our world and other people by our perceptions. The language we use can change how people perceive us. Heather and Dave both mentioned that they struggled most with this element. What action will you take enhance one of these five elements of your personal brand? 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.

Jennifer Deal: Center for Creative Leadership Author, Always On, Never Done: Don’t Blame The Smartphone Center for Creative Leadership works to help improve leadership. Many people said that staying so connected really started when they received their smartphone. On average, people in the survey were connected to the workplace 72 hours a week, or 13.5 hours a day. Personal tasks done during the workday were accounted for in the research (even people that don’t work these kind of hours still do personal tasks at work) One of the biggest complaints was the number of meetings required in organizations. A major issue is being invited to meetings and then people realizing that they weren’t really needed. Setting clear agendas is key. Be explicit why each person is needed. Another major complaint was too many people making decisions. Be explicit about who has decision-making authority and who needs to be checked with. The intentional use of ambiguity as a management tool is also a challenge. Sometimes people don’t make a decision so they don’t have responsibility for it, so they leave it in ambiguity. Clear agendas and outcomes help prevent this. This leads to crisis mode later on. What Jennifer does differently because of this research She still answers emails early in the morning and late at night. Setting better boundaries about having done enough work today. Being very specific on agendas for meetings. She turns down a lot of meetings that aren’t as high value as the other things she needs to be doing. Check out the Center for Creative Leadership for more resources Also see episode #128, Four Practices For Leading An Effective Meeting What have you seen a leader do to encourage quality connections to the workplace? 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*. First question from Khrist and a few suggestions from us: Recognize your hot buttons or trigger point Avoid handling things in the midst of anger and emotion, if you can avoid them (for example, don’t send emails when angry) Instead, write out your thoughts just for yourself Get input from others who are not as close to the situation Start with questions and not accusations/assumptions Sometimes a bit of expressed anger or frustration is OK, assuming it is genuine Consider what you are really able to do or not do Give yourself grace too – none of us are perfect at handling these situations In fact, we discover the most from imperfect situations Book recommendation: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown* Book recommendation: Difficult Conversations* Video recommendation: Brene Brown’s first and second TED talks Past podcast recommendation: How to Lead When Someone is Driving You Nuts [episode #48] Second question from Huzefa and a few suggestions from us: What is it you want about being an entrepreneur and could you achieve it without the risk? Three elements you’d need to be successful: Skill in the field Passion for the work Market of customers who will pay what you are worth Could you do a test-run or two on a small client project that would prove your model and lessen risk? Book recommendation: Empowered manager by Peter Block* Book recommendation: Business Model Generation* Book recommendation: Business Plan In A Day by Rhonda Abrams* 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.

What do you do when you’re the target of criticism? Here are the two kinds of critics that show up at work in the workplace and also how to address them. It all comes back to Mathnet Two kinds of critics The bully The champion Why you need your critics Hawthorne studies (Harvard article) (Economist article) Benefits You Get From A Recognition Program (episode #79) with Michelle Smith of O.C. Tanner “Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Actions you can take Listen and be calm (useful for both the bully and the champion) Our urge is to become defensive It may put up barriers to hearing something of value If the criticism is unwarranted, you’re the one keeping your cool (unless the other party is factually wrong in a public forum) If the other party is factually wrong in public, make your case confidently and professionally Set aside the tone or personal attack (useful for both the bully and the champion) Is there value in what the person is saying, beyond the tone? Ask a more independent party to analyze it for you. Ask for feedback and criticism (useful with the champion) “Be your own toughest critic. Demand excellent performance from yourself and your leadership will thrive in the face of adversity.” –Doug Conant This worked for me in my first full-time job Take advice of Tom Henschel for episode #107 Ask often Say thank you or can you help me understand Do something with it or don’t Embrace the criticism and make change (useful for both the bully and the champion) Realize that a lot of people use criticism as a primary tool for development Take one suggestion this week to actually put into action Love your enemy (useful with the bully, and sometimes the champion) Find something about them you can love Feel sorry for them Be glad you’re not married to them What if your boss is the bully? Try one or more things above that you think might help Are you getting more than you’re giving? If not, work towards another opportunity Don’t throw them under the bus on the way out the door To Those Who Want Great Careers: Don’t Do What This Guy Did Other episodes that might help Benefits You Get From A Recognition Program (episode #79) Ten Ways To Pick Yourself Up When You’re Beaten Down (episode #85) Three Steps To Soliciting Feedback (episode #107) Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” -William Shakespeare 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.