By: Gary Cohen Ever wonder why great CEOs like Steve Jobs, Jack Welch, Eric Schmidt, and Bill Gates hire an executive coach? It’s usually not because their boards recommended it. In fact, 79 percent of the time, it is CEOs themselves who seek out coaching. But why do leaders, especially
By: Thomas Schlick Company Rocks? Department Rocks? Individual Rocks? My guess is they don’t make you feel like “you rock”! If you are using the E.O.S. (Entrepreneurial Operating System) of Traction, these “Rocks” are the priorities you and your company need to tackle and accomplish in the next 90 days.
By: Mackenzie Doheny Are you running low on bandwidth? Need someone to head off disasters, thin out your inbox, manage call and demands for you? Someone to tackle these projects the way you would, but isn’t you? If so, you’re either in need of an executive assistant (EA) or a
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been dramatized in plenty of science fiction movies. In these films, the robots gain consciousness, realize that humans are their enemy or simply unnecessary, and attempt to destroy them. While it doesn’t seem likely that robots will be attempting to eradicate the human race anytime
As leaders work on their own career development, they sometimes lose sight of their need to serve as a mentor and coach for others. If you have experience in a role that someone else would like to learn more about, the benefits of mentoring and coaching are often worth the
It has become a source is frustration to me working with Entrepreneurs and hearing those three letters together E.O.S. (Entrepreneurs Operating System). The marking the Gina has done is worthy of a Harvard Case Study. From filling the bloggers, like me, with positive book reviews for Traction his book. Then a training
He who knows and knows that he knows, He is wise, follow him. He who knows and knows not that he knows, He is asleep, awaken him. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not, He is a fool, shun him. He who knows not and knows
As an executive coach, two future-related questions often leap to mind: 1. How will the client and their organization get to the desired destination/vision? 2. And is that really the right place for them to go? These are fun and interesting questions to ask, but the ensuing discussions can veer
The Essential Guide to SWOT Analysis is a comprehensive and interactive guide that introduces and then details the fundamental aspects of SWOT analysis. The co-authors, Jackson Hille, Content Associate of FormSwift, and Justin Gomer, a Lecturer at UC Berkeley, decided to make the guide upon noticing the below-average quality of
Whose life are you living? David Whyte asks the question, “Would you rather fail at your life than be successful at living out someone else’s life successfully?” If you find yourself living out the life your parents wanted you to live, it is time to ask yourself Whyte’s question. The
What is often frustrating to leaders is energizing to this executive coach. People often ask, “Where is the most fun for you when working with a client?” I respond, “Picture a venn diagram where leading self, leading others, and leading the organization all intersect. Because of growth, it looks and
If you feel “not ______ enough,” seeking entry into a more elite circle isn’t necessarily going to make you feel full and complete. There’s a reason why Groucho Marx’s line, “I would never join a club that would have me as a member,” is so often recited. Without self-acceptance, any
Listening has become a lost art, perhaps because we’ve become so focused on ourselves. We’re used to getting what we want when we want it in this on-demand world. Listening is about others. It’s about giving them what they want and need. It’s about connecting with others on many different
A group of leadership experts from around the world will soon be providing their insights on how to crack the leadership code. They will provide their successful models and strategies so that you, too, can grow your and your organization’s leadership skills and abilities.
Significant others are, in effect, Secret Business Partners. They can act as sounding boards. They can ask questions others may be too afraid to ask–ones that often begin with “Why?” They can also use their knowledge of their partner’s strengths, failings, and personal history to add context and make judgments.
When I learned I had ADHD at age 40, I was grateful to have a label for my way of being. I read all I could on the subject. In the process, I discovered compensatory strategies for leading myself and others. One of the most effective strategies I employed was
As a business leader who built a company from 2 to 2,200 employees with a business partner, and as a business coach who has work with many business partnerships for over a decade, I know what gets said between business partners and what is often left unsaid. Today’s post is
When reviewing values, we ask employees to provide a narrative of each of the values they’ve seen in action. Some companies have taken the best of these stories and published them for all the employees; they give a copy to new employees, too, so that they know what it looks
Your emotional IQ is determined by the level of your emotional intelligence. It’s a major factor in your personal and professional perceptions and interactions. Find out just how important it really is!
Your emotional IQ is determined by the level of your emotional intelligence. It’s a major factor in your personal and professional perceptions and interactions. Find out just how important it really is!
Coaches should help you devise organizational strategies that fit your competencies, capabilities, and capacity. Further, coaches should help you assess and establish the roles and responsibilities of each team member as you seek to accomplish the strategy’s actions and objectives. Coaches can and should help you capture, communicate, and even
If you are the one driving the organization, limit the hairpin turns in strategy, vision, or mission. Your helmet may be screwed into the car, but your coworkers’ helmets aren’t. Don’t give them whiplash.
Success is never a solo act, except in the imaginations of narcissists. Recognize those that came before you and those who are with you now.
We each live two lives. The first is the life we live before we realize that we only get to live one life. Then there is living that life. We know we only have one life….and yet most of us still act as if we’ll get a chance for a
We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, remembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source
In Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin tells the story of how Abraham Lincoln invited and accepted three Cabinet members who had previously run against him in the 1860 Republican nomination: Attorney General Edward Bates, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, and Secretary of State William H. Seward. Lincoln’s
In the U.S., we tend to focus heavily on one or the other: deficits or strengths. A child art prodigy may spend her days in the learning center to become an average speller. A standout soccer player may spend so much time playing that sport and traveling to games that
Organizational psychologist Chris Argyris, a Harvard professor, uses what he calls the “Ladder of Inference” to explain how we take actions based upon beliefs–and how our beliefs, in turn, lead us to select observational data.
Chances are you won’t have to wring that neck either, since that person will know it is his responsibility to ensure the action is completed on time and well. If he encounters problems along the way, he will be more likely to address them immediately than wait until the reporting
When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps his purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox; when death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through
Diane Rowling (a very kind and talented business executive) was sadly killed a number of weeks ago. At the memorial service, I was struck by one of the solutions she and her husband employed when they got angry with one another. When one of them was on the verge of
Are you still serving SHIT sandwiches during performance reviews? Or are you providing positive and negative feedback when it is most useful and meaningful? When it happens.
Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Laureate and founder of behavioral economics, says that we have two selves: our experiencing self and our memory self. Our experiencing self likes to be happy in the moment—with people we like, in a comfortable environment, and engaging in fun activities. Our memory self is more interested
As a teenager, I found myself with 16 others on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine in a 30-foot pulling boat with 12-foot swells and no tiller or rudder. The seas were getting rougher and the sky was crackling with lightning and thunder. We were scared, wet, and
A business partnership is a system. Sometimes that system resembles a couple or family system. And like any couple or family, there may be one over-functioning and one under-functioning person in the partnership. Often the over-functioning one does a great job of compensating for the other’s dysfunction, but that doesn’t
A “bully pulpit” is simply an excellent platform from which to share an important (and often moral) message. You don’t need an actual pulpit in a church or chapel to be in possession of one. President Theodore Roosevelt, who coined the term, used the White House as his bully
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” In Snow White, the queen has it all seemingly–privilege, power, wealth, and beauty. She’s just not quite as fair as Snow White. That shouldn’t be a problem, right? Just shrug it off. Take your second place trophy for
Pecking Order The term “pecking order” was introduced by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste, and brought into English in 1927. Schjelderup-Ebbe studied chickens and how they express dominance via pecking. He found that chickens typically have a pecking order that runs 15 deep. This pecking order allows for a more
Suit-able Leadership Your wife says your wardrobe is handicapping you professionally. You respond by finding a wardrobe consultant. He eyes your wide-lapel suit and room-for-two pleated pants and says, “Listen, Italian would be perfect!” What does that mean? It means he loves Italian. But do you–or could you? If
The right word may be effective, but no word is ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.– Mark Twain Pausing is undervalued and underutilized by leaders. There’s a tendency when someone asks us a question to enter a “me” mindset. “Now it’s my turn,” our brains tend to
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”–Jonathan Swift As leaders, we can feel too visible–both when things go wrong (and people seek someone to blame) and when things go well (and people want to give us too much credit). More often, though, we don’t feel visible
Here are 5 specific facilitation techniques that will substantially improve outcomes of your meetings/workshops. Explain. Explain the overarching goal, its importance, and the expectations of work to be done today (and in what order). Appreciate. People work harder if they feel like their work is appreciated. Cite some examples of work
Is there a team member you work around? If so, take a minute to list your reasons. Did he betray your trust? What is it that you don’t like about her? Cite specific incidences that caused you to write this person off. Now take a minute to consider the consequences
“A strategy is a plan that creates sustainable competitive advantage and allows an organization to perform over time, even in the face of a changing environment.” — Jimmy Brown Your strategic plan should do all three things Brown suggests: 1. Create a sustainable competitive advantage; 2. Allow you to perform
“A strategy is a plan that creates sustainable competitive advantage and allows an organization to perform over time, even in the face of a changing environment.” — Jimmy Brown Your strategic plan should do all three things Brown suggests: 1. Create a sustainable competitive advantage; 2. Allow you to perform
Becoming a Leader: Challenge #13–Learn to Evaluate Risk Risk is part of business, relationships, life, change, you name it. Typically, when you operate inside of your comfort zone, you don’t experience risk nor do you develop the ability to evaluate risk when it is presented. Innovation suffers. Change ceases. The
Becoming a Leader: Challenge #12–Build Your High Performance Team Trust. Lack of trust will limit the performance of your team more than lack of technical skills. All-star and Pro-bowl games are, well, boring. The top “technical” skills are on the field, but these teams lack the depth that is built
“We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking.” ― Santosh Kalwar, Quote Me Everyday You make a vow not to eat sugar. A few minutes pass. Still, no. And then an hour. That is a definitive no! That is an absolute I
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” – Theodore Roosevelt Going into business is a high-risk game. It is not for the faint of heart. The success rate of surviving more than five years is remarkably low, and
“The Miracle is not to walk on water. The Miracle is to walk on the green Earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment, feeling truly alive.” –Thich Nhat Hanh THE 5 MINUTE BUDDHIST (Printable PDF) Harold Ramis produced over 20 movies, most notably Animal House, Caddy Shack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day. He
“My fascination with letting images repeat and repeat–or in film’s case ‘run on’–manifests my belief that we spend much of our lives seeing without observing.” – Andy Warhol Say it 7 times to make it so. There is a reason this became an adage. It works.
Progress leadership examines the ways leaders use and diffuse tension to get coworkers to progress from their current position to their goals. David Emerald uses a rubber band as a metaphor to explain the tension created between one’s expected goal and the current position. The gap created is the metaphorical tension from
According to myth, Ariadne provided Theseus with a sword and a golden string. He attached the string to the labyrinth’s door, slayed the Minotaur with the sword, and used the string to retrace his steps. The focus of today’s post is on how you can head into the labyrinth of
As an Executive Coach, I work with leaders who are already very successful. They come to me because they want to further succeed and sometimes because they feel overwhelmed. They feel like they’re working too much. Even when they’re not working, they feel like they should be–which takes some of
High performance executive coaching clients, those that want to go from great to greater, often believe when they begin working with an executive coach that they are going to be fixed or that there will be heavy lifting involved. This myth sometimes keeps them, and may be keeping you, from finding
When an alcoholic reaches for a bottle at ten in the morning or finishes an entire bottle of vodka in one sitting, it’s pretty easy for everyone (including the alcoholic) to see the problem. It’s harder to see alcoholism starting. A drink after work to take the edge off seems
One of my mentors in the area of leadership and followership is Gordy Curphy. He is an amazing educator, facilitator and coach. He will be giving a workshop on building high performing teams – I know I intend to attend if my schedule allows. If you want to learn about
One of my mentors in the area of leadership and followership is Gordy Curphy. He is an amazing educator, facilitator and coach. He will be giving a workshop on building high performing teams – I know I intend to attend if my schedule allows. If you want to learn about
If you want to break a dollar without giving change, you will have to rip it in pieces. If you do that, you will need to find someone willing to accept your new form of currency. And if they accept it, they will have to persuade someone else to accept
Brain Dominance You are shaped by conclusions based on your past experience and learned behaviors. Think of how many of those are not explicit but implicit learnings. Many of the things you have learned were drawn from turning your head for a moment and suddenly you had a new belief
The starting point in most of my coaching is teaching leaders how to lean back. They need to erase their whiteboards to make white space in their lives to tackle the really big things I have been hired to help them achieve. Without this white space, they don’t have enough
Leadership Reality: Achievement vs. Intimacy As a student, you had your #2 pencil at the ready, pressing against the bubble almost ready to snap when the teacher said, “You can start.” You had another just-as-sharp pencil in your bag as a backup, next to your mini ruler (just the right
50% of leaders believe that they had to ignore life balance to achieve success. In the 19th and early 20th century, the sun never set on the British Empire. Today, the same could be said for many companies. Clients of mine wake up for a call with their boss who
SAC Manager Arrested for Insider Trading at Hedge Fund When your focus is strictly on making money (not serving a larger, more selfless purpose), the rules seem to be more like guidelines and ethics is simply a class you took in college. Most businesses actually produce something. If you speak
Yeah Nah Another useful learning from my time in New Zealand is an expression: “Yeah Nah.” You will find it falling into your conversation quicker than you can say, “Kiwi.” Yeah nah is a way of expressing your affirmation of what the person has asked and then disagreeing. This is
When doing a strategic plan, you may be faced with mountains of data. How you use the data from many different surveys is critical to the outcome of your strategic plan. You will have to sort what is relevant from what is irrelevant. Many of you may already have your
What really drives you over the edge? Is it a micromanaging and ever-hovering boss, a team member that professes integrity in the workplace but cheats on his wife, or a coworker who only sees the work that remains (rather than recognizing all the work that’s been done)? Write down 3-5
Those that want perfection before they take the first step will forever be stuck where they are. And those that want perfection on the journey will forever be disappointed.
Dr. Jon Warner has once again compiled the annual update of the 50 Best/Top leadership blogs on the web as of July 2013. On Ready to Manage, he explains why the list changed so much over the past 12 months: Alexa rankings of individual blogs have changed considerably. This mainly arises not
Leadership and the Art of Struggle are often not spoken of because Leadership paired with Struggle is taboo. Learn to embrace the struggle to become better.
Managers manage a process. Leaders develop leaders. If developing leaders is the #1 job of leaders then why do we spend so little time and so little resources on this vital responsibility? Take a look at your calender for the last month. How much time was spent managing processes? How
If you don’t know your team members’ values, Just Ask. Listen for the following key words: like, dislike, mad, happy, frustrated, love, hate, purpose, favorite, least favorite, healthy, unhealthy. When you hear one of these key words, ask a values-related question: What about that event made you frustrated? What do
Let’s look at the language of Tribal Leadership Stage 4 (“We win”) as well as Energy Leadership Level 4 (“You win”) and Level 5 (“We both win or we don’t engage in this process”). Here we have nearly all anabolic energy, and the focus shifts from individual performance to that
On the CO2 Partners Blog, I’ve discussed Sharing Your Network and Gary Cohen has written about Triangulation. Triangulation happens when a Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer enact an unhealthy dynamic that leads to a lot of hurt feelings and wasted effort. But not all triads are unhealthy.
Employees that are not engaged, or worse, actively disengaged, are like the frog in the pot of water. They lose a sense of purpose. Negative employees that put others down and criticize ideas are like the crabs in the bucket. They make escape for themselves and others impossible. Management that
The authors of Tribal Leadership tell us that 49% of American professionals operate at Stage Three: “I am Great (and you are not),” which is akin to “I Win and I hope that you win too” (Level Three of Energy Leadership).
Don’t let actively disengaged employees sabotage your organization. The authors of Tribal Leadership recommend this strategy: “Give everyone a choice, and then work with the living; don’t try to raise the dead.” If your organization is in Stage Two and you have a desire to move to Stage Three (we
Don’t let actively disengaged employees sabotage your organization. The authors of Tribal Leadership recommend this strategy: “Give everyone a choice, and then work with the living; don’t try to raise the dead.” If your organization is in Stage Two and you have a desire to move to Stage Three (we
Within both frameworks (Tribal Leadership and Energy Leadership), be aware of the language and actions that either put you in that state or keep you in that state. Change can only occur when you fully realize how your language impacts your actions–and it is difficult for you to actually hear
Once you have identified individuals that you and your organization believe are high potential leaders, provide them with roles or projects that test their mettle. These crucible roles are intended to be stretch assignments: high in complexity and critical to the success of the organization. These crucible roles are critical
Instruct your team how to announce and act in emergencies (grenades), and how to prevent emergencies from happening (surgery on the wrong patient). You should be able to say one word and get them to stop what they’re doing.
Creating Change that Lasts A lot of leaders struggle with knowing when to NOT offer their opinions. When they’re asked a question, they answer reflexively. Answering, though, is what leaders should do less and their coworkers should do more. Ironically, leaders generally want more accountability from their coworkers, but then
Breaking Mental Barriers is a great challenge for you as a leader. Discover two amazing questions that will make it simple.
There are some things that you can’t know–no matter how much data is available, no matter how many experts have been consulted, no matter how well someone knows you or the situation, no matter how persuasive the arguments (or investment bankers)–until you’ve experienced it for yourself.
Uncertainty Leadership Uncertainty leadership refers to what leaders do in the face of uncertainty. In such situations, two in three leaders fail to first ask, “What is the goal?” “When faced with an uncertain situation, what order would you ask the following?” This data comes from on a live audience
Few Employees Want to Be Told What to Do Only six percent of employees wish to be told what to do by their boss, according to a survey by CO2 Partners. The overwhelming majority, 94%, prefer to be asked questions by their supervisor. The directive workplace has been in decline
What type of culture do you have–Control, Collaborate, Compete, or Create? It’s okay if you fall somewhere in between two of these types of cultures (flexing across one dimension–vertical or horizontal), but if you’re unable to locate your culture definitively in this model, you run the risk of being pulled
I love the saying, “It only took me twenty years to be an overnight success.” Recognition from others can come in an instant, but building a success often takes years. And it takes grit.
We have all heard the phrase “Culture eats strategy for lunch (or breakfast, or dinner).” But what exactly does it mean and what, as a business leader, can you do to improve your organization’s culture?
From Therapeutic to Performance As executive coaching continues to expand, the field is shifting away from a therapeutic model to a greater emphasis on business performance, leadership, and communication. Coaching has already changed significantly since it emerged barely 15 years ago. Coaches initially came from psychology or counseling, and their
Despite the growing popularity of executive coaching, common misconceptions persist. These misconceptions revolve around the nature of the work executive coaches do and the results they’re expected to achieve. It’s time to uproot the most persistent and pernicious of these misconceptions. 10 Frequent Misconceptions About Executive Coaching: “I don’t have
If your work or routine needs revitalizing, pack up and go somewhere else. Go to a coffee shop, the public library, a local art center, the park, even a hotel lobby. You might not only get new ideas and new routines, you might also get new customers or contacts.
Don’t let power–or the quest for more power–derail your leadership. Keep yourself grounded with Emotional Intelligence and Servant Leadership; these leadership guides will remind you of the importance of generosity and community–both to your development and to your organization’s.
Animation has given us more than great entertainment; it has given us remarkable leadership lessons. In Toy Story we are given a surprising leadership lesson by Slinky Dog. Slinky Dog is the head, feet, and tail end of a dog with the body made of Slinky. Imagine for a moment
Rational ignorance occurs when a decision-maker chooses not to gain more information because the costs of doing so would likely outweigh the benefits.
The purpose of this exercise is to remind you about how securely you’re located in your perspective. Your answers come to you often without thought and without awareness of other possible perspectives.
Being a rescuer can feed one’s ego. Eliminating drama triangles, though, leads to increased accountability—far better for leaders than a brief ego boost.
Sheryl Sandberg’s new book (Lean In) is out or should I say “in.” Her message to women is to be more ambitious, grab a seat at the table, raise your hand, and take credit for the work you’ve done. She believes that women have a tendency to lean backward
Sheryl Sandberg’s new book (Lean In) is out or should I say “in.” Her message to women is to be more ambitious, grab a seat at the table, raise your hand, and take credit for the work you’ve done. She believes that women have a tendency to lean backward
