Learn seven practical tips for surviving performance reviews, such as starting early, practicing tough conversations, avoiding comparisons, and assessing organizational alignment. The hosts discuss the challenges of performance reviews, the politics and anxiety involved, and the importance of genuine dialogue between leaders and team members. They also explore the drawbacks of ranking methodologies and highlight the need for ongoing feedback and communication throughout the year.

Many of the clients I've worked with over the years would rather skip presenting all together. That's not reality if you want to advance (or keep) your career these days, so a lot of people begin presentation planning with panic. In this episode, I give you clear steps you can take to reduce the panic and lay groundwork for a truly effective presentation. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com To prepare a speech without panicking... Consider yourself honored Many of my clients in the past have been less than enthusiastic about speaking opportunities. Not speaking (and building your communication skills in general) can really harm your career. Must Have Job Skills in 2013 from the Wall Street Journal. If you can learn to speak at least reasonable well, you can influence your work, decisions, direction, and so much more. A lot of people fear speaking - but you can do it! Stay away from the computer Don't start with PowerPoint or Keynote when planning a presentation. You only make it more likely you will read from slides. It's likely you'll draft much of the presentation before considering the overall goal. Slides are NOT the presentation - they are just there to enhance it. YOU are the presentation...so start there. Ask yourself, "What's the purpose of this presentation?" Three likely zones - which pertains to your talk (might be more than one): Persuade Inform Entertain Ask yourself, "What do I want someone in the audience to say about my talk at lunch?" It's important for us to think through how we want our talk to be remembered. It's also important that it's memorable enough to be discussed later. We all have limited bandwidth these days. Mind map Start the mind map with the answer to the previous question - and work backwards. Use paper, a dry erase board, or a tool like iThoughtsHD. Examples, examples, examples, examples, examples… People remember examples, stories, evidence, demonstrations, experiences, etc. Don't be fooled - content almost always trumps delivery (see CFL episode #38) Share stories whenever possible (see CFL episode #51) Prepare to change the world…seriously. Stay home or get someone else to do it if you're not game for this. Sin by Silence is a great example of a project (and speaking) where a few people have change the world. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com One Coaching for Leaders article is showing up weekly in your inbox - stay connected with the show mid-week and keep getting ideas and tools that will keep you moving forward. If you're not already receiving the weekly articles, you can subscribe at this link. Thank you to Barbara Swanson, Michele Coble, Annie Grenon, and Pam Uzelac Brown for liking our Facebook fan page! If this show has been valuable to you, please rate this show on iTunes to help others find it for the first time. Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.

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*. Bonni and I discuss our eight suggestions for managing up: 1) Support your manager publicly: Avoid gossip if you can, and when someone is truly trying to problem solve, do your best to help them understand each side of the situation instead of being critical. One of the fastest ways to lose trust with your manager is for them to discover you've been speaking poorly about them behind their backs. 2) Tell your manager what you are planning: It rarely is a problem to over communicate something...most people take the opposite position and don't communicate enough. Talking openly about what you are planning to do is helpful when the outcome your manager expects isn't 100% clear - or if your manager has a history of changing their mind about a project without sharing that change. 3) Avoid surprises: Managers and people named Bonni don't like surprises...and none of us want to be caught off guard in a difficult situation. Help your manager save face by informing them when something doesn't go as planned. This is hard is your manager is the "shoot the messenger" type, but it's still an essential way to build trust over the long-term. 4) Come to the table with solutions: This goes right along with number #3. Absolutely address things quickly when there are issues, but also come to the table with a game plan for how it will get resolved. Your plan doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to reflect that you've done serious thinking about the problem and are ready and willing to put your talents into practice to resolve the issue. 5) Connect requests to their priorities: Most managers care about impact and sustainability. That means that whatever you are trying to do to influence your manager should align with the core mission of the organization and/or provide additional revenue or cost savings. If you can't make the case for either of those two areas, you're probably barking the wrong bark up the tree. 6) Spend time thinking through what your boss won't: Everyone has their strengths and everyone has their blind spots. You do a huge service to your manager when you determine where they don't have strengths and do whatever you can to support them in that areas through ideas, proposals, and actions. 7) Don't go over their head: Unless it's a serious ethical or legal situation, avoid trying to influence your manager by going over their head. Usually this only works once (the first time) and you'll pay the price for a long time after that, assuming you are still around. 8) Get advice from others you trust: Talk to other people who know your manager and the things they care about. Learn about their style. Getting helpful advice from others can help you position your requests in the right way. Even if you don't dialogue about it, observe what others do to influence your manager successfully. Remember, you won't always get what you want - and sometimes that is a good thing. Finally, don't get discouraged if you don't see people playing by the same rules. You can really do amazing things if you do these eight things with consistency! 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.

Two weeks ago we looked at how to start a mentoring program. This week, I welcome listener Kurt Allebach who has tons of experience in running and starting mentoring programs to provide more practical perspective on this topic. If you are a mentor, mentee, or just want to learn more about the benefits of mentoring, you'll gain something of value! Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Interview with Special Guest, Kurt Allebach Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Thank you to Barbara Etienne, Annette Held, Steve Granger, Mohammad Al-Khalifa for liking our Facebook fan page! If this show has been valuable to you, please rate this show on iTunes to help me keep us visible to others. Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.

Effective leaders learn from the good practices of other leaders in order to be more effective. In this special episode, I turn the reigns over to our community to share stories about great leadership moments that were meaningful to them. Join me for five stories than we can all learn something from to help us lead better. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Leadership stories from our listening community: Mary Lou Jan Will Kirk Jesse Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Thank you to Alexandra Masia for liking our Facebook fan page! Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.

A great mentoring program can help both the organization and its people achieve incredible results. In this episode, I welcome mentoring expert Stella Cowan to discuss what leaders should consider when designing and implementing a formal mentoring program in their organizations. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Interview with Stella Cowan Here are the resources Stella mentioned on the show, along with some additional tools: Dr. Lois Zachary (Center for Mentoring Excellence) Ida Abbott (home page) Stella recommends her articles “Beyond Mentors, the Need for Champions" and “Mentoring Groups and Mentoring Circles”) Stella recommends two to us during training/orientation and to provide continued support to mentors and mentees are: “Being an Effective Mentor: 101 Practical Strategies for Success,” and “Working with a Mentor:  50 Practical Strategies for Success.” So You Want to Be Mentored by Stella Cowan* International Mentoring Association (some parts of this site require membership for access) Slideshow: “Implementing a Mentoring Program" Stella uses this slideshow when presenting to groups interesting in implementing a program. The slideshow provides a high-level view of what’s required to create a successful design and launch. Sample Mentoring Agreement – This is a sample Stella found online and has referenced as a model. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Submit a story for the Great Leader Story Contest to air on episode #62 on November 5, 2012! Submit Real story on a specific incident Call in your story to (949) 38-LEARN or record right at your computer at: www.coachingforleaders.com/speak Keep stories to 2 minutes or less! Deadline for submission of great leader stories is Thursday, November 1, 2012 I was a guest last week on the Engaging Leader Podcast with my friend Jesse Lehay to discuss the Power of Authenticity. If you'd like to check it out, it's available at this link. Thank you to Venus Gray for liking our Facebook fan page! Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.

Interview with listener Stefan Three lessons from Stefan's story: The importance of leaders to be willing to admit mistakes Why creating results over time helps you stand out from the crowd The power of a long-term vision 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. I heard throughout my life that I should always honor those who are older than me and I've always been asked to lead them. In this episode, Bonni and I discuss situations where we've both been asked to lead people older than us and identify seven principles that can help you do this successfully as well. 1. Everyone is your superior in some way. “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson 2. Focus on the right questions instead of the right answers. 3. Befriend people who are older than you are - and younger too. 4. Remember each person will be very young and very old. Movie recommendation: "The curious case of Benjamin Button." 5. Honoring and leading are not mutually exclusive. 6. Not everyone wants to lead. 7. You are there for a reason. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

I wish I could tell you that I've always felt confident as a leader, but I used to be a real scaredy cat. In this episode, I discuss six ways that I learned to have more confidence in my leadership abilities and not be consumed by the fear and worry about giving feedback to others. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com 1) Set expectations early: If expectations aren’t there with followers, create them. If they aren’t clear, clarify. Do it early or as soon as you can. 2) Be willing to change directions: A mentor gave me great advice when they said, “No leader is perfect. You can always acknowledge to a follower that something has been OK up until now, but that you are now making a different decision going forward.” 3) Ask a trusted colleague for feedback: I discovered that asking for advice from a person I trusted often gave me new ideas. 4) Respond in 24 hours: Zig Ziglar said, “If you need to eat a frog, you don’t want to look at that sucker too long. He ain’t gonna get any prettier.” (Customers - SCORE!) 5) Earn trust by being a good-finder: I spent time each day finding good stuff people were doing and told them. 6) Listen to daily inspiration: These days, I listen to podcasts. One that always gives me a boost is Michael Hyatt’s show This Is Your Life. For more discoveries on this topic, see my article: Get Rid of Your Scaredy Cat Once and For All Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Announcing our Great Leader Story Contest to air on episode #62 on November 5, 2012! Submit Real story on a specific incident Call in your story to (949) 38-LEARN or record right at your computer at: www.coachingforleaders.com/speak Keep stories to 2 minutes or less! Deadline for submission of great leader stories is Thursday, November 1, 2012 Are you a fan of the Coaching for Leaders show? Would you take 2 minutes to nominate us for an award? Here's how! First, go to: www.podcastawards.com You will see a nomination ballot on that page. Please nominate us in the BUSINESS category. Fill out the following information in that box: Podcast name: Coaching for Leaders Podcast URL: http://www.coachingforleaders.com Once you've entered that, scroll to the bottom and fill in your name and email address and hit SUBMIT - that's it! You're done! Nominations close at midnight on Monday, October 15th, so please submit as soon as possible! Thank you to Robert Dutt, Tiago Andrade, Maria Hehle, Will Duggan, Zachary Garza, Danae Valdez, Paloma Quezada for liking our Facebook fan page! I am accepting subscriptions to my free newsletter. If you would to receive more leadership resources, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE. Also, you'll receive as a bonus, a video and down-loadable list of the 10 Books That Will Make You a Better Leader. Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.

It sure would be nice if we could all learn to be more effective leaders without making any mistakes. However, while none of us would wish for mistakes, many of us learn the most from past missteps. In this episode, I talk about the value of mistakes and highlight six mistakes that I have made as the host of this show. I discuss the mistakes that I made in starting my first business many years ago and what I learned from these mistakes. I the more recent past, here are the six mistakes that I've made hosting this show: 1) Being too structured I mention the book Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz by Frank Barrett that was featured on a recent HBR Ideacast. "If you're not making a mistake, it's a mistake." -Miles Davis One of my mentors once said, "Any strength overused, becomes a liability." 2) Assuming everyone listens the way I do We have listeners on Zune, iTunes, Stitcher, and BlackBerry - and even more places than those. 3) Forgetting the reason behind the goal 4) Driving the agenda myself Upcoming shows on mentoring, lessons from changing companies, and stories about great leaders are all listener suggestions 5) Not sharing enough specific stories I started to turn the corner a bit with episode #48: How to Lead When Someone Is Driving You Nuts 6) Not being engaged with people Why the list of 100 is gone What others mistakes have I made? Tell me. What mistakes have you made? Share in the comments section below. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Thank you to Jesse Lahey and John Dumas who both left a written review on iTunes. I am accepting subscriptions to my free newsletter. If you would to receive more leadership resources, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE. Also, you'll receive as a bonus, a video and down-loadable list of the 10 Books That Will Make You a Better Leader. If you are listening on Stitcher, please give us a "thumbs up" if you enjoyed this show and add us to your favorites to receive future episodes. Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.