Execution in a Whirlwind

Good stuff from Franklin Covey on how to execute on goals. 

http://www.franklincovey.com/4dflv/4D_2Vid.html

What Can a Coach Do For You?

What’s your image of a coach?  Bob Knight?  Maybe it’s your H.S. cross country coach who drove the car and smoked cigars while you and the rest of the team huffed out your 5 or 6 miles through town.  Or maybe it’s reruns of the TV show, Coach.  But a job coach, business coach and/or leadership coach is a whole different animal. 

So forget the yelling and suicide sprints.  If we look at the lexicon on the word coach we would find that it is derived from the word Kocs, which is the name of a small village in northeastern Hungary, where carriages and carts were made.  The slang term Kocs meant “tutor”.  It was said of university instructors during the 1800s, who took such a personal interest in the progress of their students, that the students would say that they seemed to be carried through their exams as if they were driven in the professor’s carriage (or coach). 

Maybe you had a coach different from the ones mentioned above.  If so, please comment and share how they helped you perform better. 

Also, think about your role as a leader.  Are you measuring performance well enough to understand the gaps between your team’s current performance and the performances goals?  Do you know the team’s hopes, feelings and attitudes that may make it difficult for them to accept any needed help or to pass along that help to others when they are exceeding those performance markers? 

Consider this as you are thinking about those annual performance appraisals coming up at the end of the year. 

If you would like to bounce some ideas around, give me a shout or stop by. 

Mr. Anderson

Source:  The Dance of Change, Peter Senge

Coach This: Systemic Thinking

I’m a HUGE advocate of teaching Systemic Thinking in the workplace.

This is a great article on what Systemic Thinking is about, written in a simple and concise manner.

All Things Workplace: Coach This: Systemic Thinking

~Kristin

Why Doctors and Companies Get Sued

From our very own, Mr. Anderson: Why Doctors and Companies Get Sued

Excerpt: “For many of us, our workplace responsibilities have increased because of layoffs and re-orgs.  Those who are left behind have become the working wounded.  How do we help the wounded heal?  As a leader in the company you can make a huge difference by also practicing being a human being.”

Handling a promotion | IT Leadership | TechRepublic.com

Recently promoted and ready to make some changes

I was recently promoted and now oversee the team that I’ve been a part of for 3 years. I’m glad to have the opportunity and want to make some changes of responsibility to increase our overall results. Additionally I know this isn’t going to sit well with a couple of individuals who will feel that they’ve lost some of their power (which is true). I want these changes to be as well received as possible and don’t want to create a bunch of negativity which might have the opposite effect. Suggestions?

– Cheryl in Sarasota, CA

This kind of problem is my favorite, because it’s all about human beings, and it can be resolved quickly, unlike a profit shortfall or major technical failure, both of which would usually require a lot of money, time, and committee meetings.

There are many books on the topic of leadership, but they go in and out of fashion with the frequency of teen girls’ clothing trends. I rarely come across one with real “nuts and bolts” tips to help someone move smoothly into a new job, but I think Kenneth Blanchard’s Leadership and the One Minute Manager holds up well even 10 years after it was written. It may provide you with some inspiration.

In most management situations, a lot of the hassles can be avoided if the boss would just take some time to treat team members with a little dignity and empathy. Unfortunately, most bosses are not that mentally honest. They avoid having the “tough discussions” hoping that people will get over it. But, that just makes things worse.

I suggest that you deal with this potential issue head-on: That means laying the groundwork and doing some pro-active damage control before making the general announcement. Schedule a time to talk one-on-one with those who are going to lose some of their scope. Let them understand that it’s non negotiable, but that you still value them and want their suggestions about how they could make the best contributions going forward. You might be surprised with their suggestions; some may even be really good.

Importantly, by talking to them beforehand, you show that you’ve got leadership skills and aren’t afraid to face challenging issues. Others will hear about what you did, and it will reinforce your new role. You’ll feel good about how you dealt with it, which will make you stronger. It’s a circle-of-success thing.

Congratulations on the promotion Cheryl. And now, as you’ve realized, it’s time to show why you deserve this new leadership role.

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If you have a leadership question or need some advice on a leadership topic, email John at enews6@techrepublic.com with “Leadership Coach” as your subject line.

John M. McKee is the founder and CEO of BusinessSuccessCoach.net, an international consulting and coaching practice with subscribers in 43 countries. One of the founding senior executives of DIRECTV, his hands-on experience includes leading billion dollar organizations and launching start-ups in both the U.S. and Canada. The author of two published books, he is frequently seen providing advice on TV, in magazines, and newspapers.