Mentors are often assigned, but often not successful. Throughout my client base I have begun coaching mentors on …how to mentor. It’s been my experience that rarely does a mentor understand their importance and the gift they have just been given. Coaching and shaping another person is an important responsibility. It requires a formal set of observations […]
Remember those millennials we’ve been speaking about? In a recent blog post on developing your future leaders, I spoke of the importance of understanding how to relate and develop younger executives on your team. Lets look externally now. Whether you are in corporate sales, private equity or retail sales, meeting and creating professional relationships with this […]
Business networking is considered by many to be a necessary evil. Many fear it, others just feel like it’s a great deal of effort. To be effective at networking, you have to understand the importance creating lasting connections will have on your professional life, just like it does in your personal life.
Way too often we, as leaders because we are human, make snap decisions and lead from the hip versus the heart. This can lead to confusion on teams and a lack of trust in your leadership because you don’t understand their world.
As leaders of organizations, we have an obligation not only to find future leaders but to contribute to their development personally. But today’s future leaders, call them “millennials” or by some other name, require alternative ways of being groomed for success. Too often, I see that this is not embraced and reacted to by companies.
Military commanders will tell you that not every soldier is cut out to be a green beret. In fact, very few are. But they will also say that for an action to be successful, the effort needs foot soldiers too. Over 25 years of leadership coaching has shown me how true this is in business. […]
Closing deals effectively is one of the biggest challenges to anyone in business. One way to master the process of closing is to think “Winter Olympics” and the downhill skier who hits certain flags through their heat to win the race. You and I…we are those skiers but in a business fashion. Let’s break it […]
In one infamous scene in the movie “A League of Their Own,” Tom Hanks’ girls baseball manager character is shocked to see one of his players weeping after he has scolded her for making a bad play. “Are you crying? Are you….crying? There’s no crying in baseball!” Right! And there is no entitlement in business. […]
Strong leadership traits come in many forms. One I see often is from those leaders who are able to shepherd an idea/vision that many on their team didn’t, or can’t, see at the start. It requires thinking through a situation and presenting a different viewpoint/paradigm than your team can currently envision. That says easy…does […]
I’ve spoken about the importance of on-sight observation (of a direct report) to be bullet-proof when coaching. We all as leaders need to add to this action the confidence to relationally invade an exec’s turf by articulating our observations and intention to develop them. The risk here is that many won’t enjoy the process the […]
