Coaching for Leaders

Explore 5 effective ways to train team members in leadership. From holding classes to on-the-job training, role-playing, online learning, and social learning. Discover the benefits of connectivism and knowledge sharing, along with efficient software learning with Lynda.com. Empower employees through desk audits for effective task management and communication.

Leaders often make common mistakes when sending people to training, such as not participating themselves and failing to provide practical application opportunities. The podcast delves into the importance of leader engagement in training, the significance of practical application activities, and the benefits of employee involvement in training design for better alignment with organizational goals.

Leadership coach Bonni Stachowiak discusses multitasking, debunking myths and offering insights on gender stereotypes in task management. The episode explores switch tasking, balancing presence, embracing diversity, and reflections on leadership styles like Steve Jobs, making it a must-listen for those seeking to enhance productivity and leadership skills.

Discussing productivity, the podcast explores outcome-based meetings and aligning work environments with individual preferences. It emphasizes creating a results-oriented work environment and empowering leadership. The chapter also encourages connections and teases future topics.

We turn our focus to productivity for this first episode of March. Many of the leaders who listen to this show are already productive themselves, but find themselves looking for ways to lead others to be more productive. In this episode, I’ll share some ideas and strategies for helping others find their productive sweet spot. In the traditional paradigm of management, individuals waited for a manager to determine their work for them and assign duties. While organizations still rely on this old paradigm, people are increasingly being asked to step into a leadership role at every level of the organization. Some people are comfortable with this, but many are not ready for the demanding productivity that this requires. If that wasn’t challenging enough, we are now all being overwhelmed with tons more information that we ever were before. Email, instant messages, conference calls, and text messages fill our days. Plus, we are asking everyone to do more with fewer resources. No wonder so many people struggle with productivity. Suggestions on how to coach others for productivity: First, take time to understand what they are currently doing. I like to ask, “How are you making decisions about where to spend your time?” If people don’t know how to answer that question (or the answer doesn’t make sense) then that is the place to start. Next, I want to find out, “What obstacles are getting in your way of being productive?” so we can discuss how they will begin to overcome those obstacles. To the extent possible, I also try to coach people to focus on 3-5 weekly priorities. It’s easy to get bogged down in being reactive to everything. If people walk into a week with a plan for what they will accomplish, they can proactively plan for success and adapt as things change. I like to ask, “What’s most important for you to accomplish this week to move forward on your goals?” I find success when I plan about two thirds of my week and allow the remaining time for unexpected things that come up. I strongly suggest helping people see the benefit of being on one central calendar. Be sure to watch out for people who try to micromanage every minute of their week. They won’t be responsive to others that way and will drive themselves crazy the minute something doesn’t go according to plan. Suggest that people block time for email and turn off all those alerts, icons, and badges that will interrupt them and take them off task. Also, get people using a realistic task list each day, a suggestion from David Allen in Getting Things Done. 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.

1. Sponsor an employee goal. Most all leaders know of at least one goal that each employee is working on during the year. Now, get beyond the average leader and help employees take action to achieve their goal. While they bear the primary responsibility for their professional development, it’s also your responsibility to help provide resources for them to get there. This might be in the form of funding, but it could also be providing them with an introduction to someone, making space in the workday for their development, allowing them to utilize company resources for their goal, and many other possibilities. Be creative. The best leaders don’t let lack of funds stand in their way – they find a way to ensure that people get development through many opportunities. 2. Know family names. Before you brush this one off as too personal for you, consider this: how do you respond when people in your life take the time to know the names of your family and ask about them in regular conversation? You pay attention and you appreciate it. While nobody would suggest that leaders spend all day asking about people’s families, you should be paying attention to who is important in the life of the person you lead. Those people influence their decisions and values – and when you take the time to ask and to care, people notice. 3. Learn the story of someone you lead. You probably know the stories that you have observed of the people you lead. Perhaps you even know a bit about them from other colleagues and leaders. However, do you really know what brought them to your organization and what keeps them going? Do you know their long-term career goals? Have they shared a significant turning point in their lives with you? If not, you have an opportunity to learn more about their story. When you know their story, you know them – and you create engagement. 4. Recognize someone publicly. People are used to hearing from leaders right away when something is wrong. Things rarely get pointed out when something is right – but it’s just as important that we make time for this. Finding the time to recognize people in front of others builds trusts and shows that we notice the good things as well. Plus, people are a lot more likely to accept constructive feedback later if they know the leader sees the good. For a detailed overview of how to do this effectively and to keep it from sounding like insincere flattery, be sure to revisit the ATTRIBUTE-EXAMPLE-THANK model that I discussed in detail during episode #9. 5. Give constructive feedback. Employees may like you better in the short term when you go easy, but the best leaders know that long-term growth makes constructive feedback a must. Ironically, employees will actually like and respect you more in the long-run if you are someone who is ready to give tough feedback and help them learn and grow. Few leaders do this well and you set yourself apart from many if you can give feedback. Check out the EXPECTATION-EXAMPLE-EMPOWER model in episode #10 for a roadmap on how to give constructive feedback. 6. Talk about your own mistakes. Nobody is immune from mistakes and leaders that attempt to appear perfect to the people they lead earn little respect. We are all human and we want to be lead by humans too. When you see someone you lead making a mistake you once made, share your experiences as well. It helps humanize you as a leader and also gives the employee confidence that they can overcome the obstacle. 7. Reward innovation, even when it fails. The problem with many leaders and asking people to “think outside the box” is that they only really want thinking that leads to immediate success. True creativity is messy and brings failures along the way with the successes. If you don’t acknowledge creativity even in the midst of failure, the next person in your organization will be even less likely to stick their neck out. When it comes to innovation, support people in the process of getting there, not just the result. 8. Tell people why you’re not taking their ideas. Most of us are more concerned that we are heard and respected than we are that every one of our ideas is adopted. Good leaders are always soliciting ideas and feedback from employees. Better leaders do something with the ideas they get. The best leaders also come back to those who contributed ideas and say why they didn’t take some of the advice. Sure, people will be disappointed when their ideas don’t make the cut, but they will know they’ve been heard and that their contributions to the process were respected. 9. Tap into the bigger reason for what your organization does. If you idea of motivating people is talking about the percentage increase in yearly raises or sales numbers, you’re missing the boat. Sure, we all have to hit numbers – but you are kidding yourself if you think that getting a 3.6% raise this year is going to launch your employees out of bed faster than the 2.8% raise last year. Money is important, but so is WHY your organization does what it does. What’s the bigger reason behind want gets you out of bed in the morning? One of the best examples I’ve seen in years is the banner that hangs over the F/A-18 fighter jet production line at Northrop Grumman. It says, “Build It Like You Will Fly It.” 10. Be honest. You might not remember the details of what you said about an employee’s next promotion six months ago, but I assure you that they do. Honesty is the best policy – and when people catch you in a lie, you lose credibility instantly. I’ve seen it happen so many times – most often, the leader doesn’t even have a clue what happened since they don’t remember changing their story. You don’t need to tell people everything – but what you do tell them needs to be the truth. Be clear about what you can’t share, but make every effort to be transparent when you can be. If you are, the people you lead will go to battle for you. 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.

Jan Frazee: Southwest Search Dogs Understanding the theory behind engagement is an important first step, but it’s worthless if we don’t also have perspective on how to practically apply engagement in our organizations. This week, I interview Jan Frazee from Southwest Search Dogs. Jan is someone that I’ve come to respect over the years both personally and professionally for her ability to engage volunteers in her organization — and I respect her even more as a parent, since she’s also Bonni’s mom! 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.

Every leader needs to engage others in order to maximize the potential of the other person and their commitment to the organization. This week, we’re beginning a series on how to engage the people that you lead. This week’s show begins with a quote from Teresa Amabile, author of The Progress Principle. In a recent commentary on Marketplace, she states, “The single most important thing that can keep workers deeply, happily engaged on the job is moving forward on work they care about — even if the progress is an incremental “small win.” Drive by Daniel Pink is an excellent read on how to engage others. In this book, says there are three things that Pink suggests we focus on the engage others: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Autonomy – Do I have the ability to have control over my life and career? Poor leaders say – “This is the way this has to be done.” [My way is best.] Effective leaders say – “What’s the best way for you to reach this objective?” [My way is best for me.] Mastery – Can I become better at something that’s important? Aerospace workers constantly demonstrate their commitment to master something important. WordPress is probably the most popular website platform today and is built by people who get paid little or nothing. It’s not about just the money. Purpose – Does what I am doing matter? I give an example of the custodian at our church – he has purpose in what he does and shows it daily. Do you as leader talk about why what you are doing each day matters? Why do you do it? What’s the reason you or your organization do what you do? If you don’t, you should! 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.

This episode puts all the pieces together from our personal leadership series into your annual action plan. I discuss in detail how I’ve used the Creating Your Life Plan ebook from Michael Hyatt to bring value to my life. During his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs said: “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” See his full talk at this link. A piece of my vision that I had written down last year was: “The Coaching Skills for Leaders podcast and blog generates multiple comments weekly from listeners who have used the show to better their leadership and coaching skills.” The action step behind that was: “Produce a consistent coaching podcast and blog that dramatically increases our audience’s skill level in self-leadership, coaching, and personal productivity.” My Values (see episode #20 for a full overview on how to get clarity on your values) Meaning: Investing my time and talent into things and people that personally inspire me in the world. Sustainability: Putting my effort into things that will provide lasting, positive change in the world. Vision: Creating the future by building things twice. Empowerment: Give others the confidence to learn, grow, and contribute to the world in sustainable ways. Love: My passion and desire to treat people like fellow human beings. Priorities: Faith Health Bonni Baby Learning Career Extended Family Friends Service Finances An example of my vision for children: “I want my children to remember me as a guiding light in their lives who empowered them with love of God, family, learning, discipline, and friendship. I want them to look back at their time as children as a time filled with many life lessons, joy-filled days, and discipline that served them in their lives as adults. I want them to feel like they were empowered to be whoever God created them to be and that their mom and them always came first in my life. I want them to remember that my love helped them become beautiful and whole people, who would then go on to love their own families and spread God’s love in the world.” Current Reality: We don’t have a baby. We will have a baby soon. Neither of us know what the heck we are doing. Specific Commitments: Spend at least one hour daily (outside of care time) that is focused on connecting with our son through cuddling, play, and other ways that he is ready to explore the world. Begin introducing books, reading, and storytelling to him as soon as is practical so that he begins to associate learning and growth with a happy and successful life in this world. Work with Bonni to determine a meaningful name for our little boy. Finish reading “Raising Cain” to establish good practices to support his growth emotionally. Attend as many doctor appointments as possible to continue my education as a father and build a long-term relationship with our pediatrician. Complete reading the American Academy of Pediatrics book section on the first year of life that was recommended by our pediatrician. Step in as the primary care giver at least one day a week so that Bonni has time to rest, even before she returns to work. Determine a guardian for our little boy, should Bonni and I both die when he is young. Another of an action item this year from my career section: Create at least 100 Coaching Skills for Leaders podcast champions by the end of 2012 (people who contact me to say that they’ve gained something from the show or otherwise demonstrate through actions that they are big fans of the show). 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.

Kirwan Rockefeller: Visualize Confidence Having a powerful vision can mean the difference between mediocrity and clear direction for the future. I welcome special guest Dr. Kirwan Rockefeller, author of Visualize Confidence, in order to help this community create our personal vision. 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.