Coaching For Leaders

All of us are being bombarded by so much information and data that we can barely keep up. If we want to be able to influence more effectively, we need to be able to do it concisely. Bonni and I discuss strategies for making this happen. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Mark Twain received the following telegram from a publisher: NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS. And famously replied... NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES. In his book Information Anxiety, Richard Saul Wurman states that a standard issue of the New York Times contains more information than a citizen of 17th England would have absorbed in their entire lifetime. The problem? Many people will tune us out when we are not concise. People stop taking calls or are often "unavailable" from people who can't be concise. Lots of people will stop seeking advice from someone who can't give it concisely.

I've come to the conclusion over the years that pretty much nobody likes performance reviews. Either you are having great dialogue and development conversations with people already and might not need them - or you are forced into conversations that don't set the stage for regular dialogue. That said, there are things you can do that will make this a better experience for both parties. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Here are seven things you can do that will help you (and the people you lead) survive performance reviews: 1) Start early and do harder ones first: You won't do an effective job at handling all the advice below if you start late on this project. Too many leaders with large teams write all their performance reviews on the same day in a short period of time. Rather, take the time to think through what you will write (and later say) and how you plan to communicate it. Also, do the hardest reviews

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

Every one of us must face the challenge of influencing someone who managers us. While some people have a natural talent for this, most of us have a hard time getting started since doing this well is more of an art than a science. In this episode, Bonni and I discuss eight things you can do to influence in the correct way. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com 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 en

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* Inte

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

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 l

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 t

Almost all of us are doing more virtually than we ever have before - and that includes our leadership responsibilities. Virtual leadership has become the norm in many organizations and leaders have had to adapt in order to influence effectively across distance. In this week's episode, I speak with virtual teams expert Mike Demas on what strategies leaders can use in order to be as effective as possible in a virtual environment. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Special Guest: Mike Demas, Director at Micron Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com The four elements that Mike mentioned: Trust Flexibility Availability Investment early in the relationship 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 t

Leaders face difficult situations when their organizations struggle through budgetary challenges. My guest, Dr. Carol Taylor, is all too familiar with such challenges and tells the story of the crisis that faced Vanguard University when she was appointed president. She is the author of "Leading a Turnaround and the Joy of a Third Class Ticket" found in Thriving Leadership, edited by Karen Longman, and joins me on this episode to share her leadership journey at Vanguard. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Special Guest: Dr. Carol Taylor President, Vanguard University Author of Leading a Turnaround and the Joy of a Third Class Ticket, found in Thriving Leadership, edited by Karen Longman Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Two challenges for you after listening to today's show: Visit the Vanguard University website for inspiration on what wonde

Authentic leaders know that there's more to an apology than simply the words "I'm sorry" - although that's a good starting point. Mistakes are inevitable, but few leaders are able to communicate a genuine apology. This week, Bonni Stachowiak returns to discuss how we can make our apologies more meaningful and genuine to the people who receive them. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Components of an authentic apology: 1) State "I'm sorry" or "I apologize" with sincerity 2) Be specific about what you are apologizing for and own it 3) Discuss what you will do to avoid the mistake in the future Tell me what you did to incorporate something from our discussion above - I want to know what is working for you! Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com The TED Talk on vulnerability we mentioned can be found here: The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown

Getting results isn't always easy, but the process is simple. In this episode, I'll review the 3 steps that you need to get the best results from the people you lead. I'll also point out many of the common mistakes that lots of us make when trying to follow these simple guidelines. If you aren't getting what you expect from people, this show is a must-listen for you. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback What do I want for you? People know what outcomes you want People know when you're going to check-in People expect consequences 1) Establish outcomes up front Dictating the process makes it yours and takes away innovation Establish the metrics for success Let people decide how they will get there 2) Agree to regular check-ins People don't need to feel micromanaged if check-ins are scheduled If they are mostly on track, leave them alone… If they are going off track, provide coaching… 3) Provide accountability If something doesn't match the expectations - call people on it Ac

If you are doing any type of serious leadership, you are going to hear complaining. As I discuss in this episode, complaining isn't always a bad thing, but you need to handle it appropriately as a leader. In this episode, I discuss seven ways to handle complainers in your organization. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback 1. Expect ingratitude “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” - Colin Powell 2. Give people time and a venue to complain People don't always want a solution to their problems Limit this time 3. Set the agenda in advance (and time frames) Have them bring an agenda to the meeting Follow that agenda If they aren't ready for that, you set agenda and send to them in advance 4. Require solutions to problems Ask people to always bring a realistic solution along with any complaint They know th

Questions are the language of coaches. Stories are the language of leaders. In this episode, I welcome Sandie Morgan, Director of the Global Center for Women & Justice at Vanguard University of Southern California, to speak about how she utilizes storytelling to influence the world. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback Interview with Sandie Morgan Director, Global Center for Women & Justice Vanguard University of Southern California Hear Sandie and Dave biweekly on the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com I am moving the show away from a focus on series and instead towards a new topic each episode. Towards that goal, next week I'll be responding to a topic suggestion from Tom on how to handle complaining in your organization...especially from a repeat offender. Thank you to Eric, Kim, Kathy, Sandrine, Eveliina, Garry, Jennifer, Bill, Grace, and others for subscribing to the fo

It's been a full year since I launched Coaching for Leaders, so in this special anniversary episode, Bonni and I look at a more personal topic: what leadership lessons we've learned from our son Luke in the first six months of his life. As you'll see, the lessons could apply to many relationships, both personal and professional. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback What leadership lessons we've learned (or been reminded of) in our first six months of parenting: Sleep deprivation can take down anybody. Expectations are huge…and a bit of grace goes a long way. No matter how organized you are, you will get barfed on. There is true joy to be found anywhere and everywhere. It's really not about you most of the time. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback I'm announcing the Coaching for Leaders e-newsletter! If you would like to subscribe to receive monthly articles, interviews, videos, and other leadership resources, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE. Also, you'll receive as a bonus, a

Almost all of us are put into leadership roles where we need to influence people that we can't bark orders to. It's essential for all of us to learn how to lead without a formal title. In this episode, I explore 6 things you can do to lead others outside of title and position that will create better results for both of you. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback 1) Find out what's important to people - and then help them get it Appreciate the past Understand the present Picture the future Identify passions ARTICLE LINK: 4 Ways to Prepare Your Team to See The Future 2) Go out of your way to recognize people Write thank you notes - I write at least 1-2 each week Do everyone possible to share people's name is a positive way publicly Use people's names 3) Make decisions for the long-run 4) Don't love 'em and leave 'em 5) Engage your opponents Take time to listen to people who disagree with you You don't have to agree - but understand where they are coming from 6) Have a sense of

All of us would like to believe that we can lead in such a way where people would never drive us nuts. Of course, that's not reality - and we've all had to deal with people many times that push our buttons in all the wrong ways. In this episode, I share a recent experience I had where someone was driving me nuts and what mistakes I made (and advise I have) for leading when this happens. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback Here are nine things you can do to lead when someone is driving you nuts: 1) Ask yourself, it is personality or performance? Rarely do we get to decide what personalities we get to work with and lead. If it's personality, challenge yourself to be flexible. 2) Give people the benefit of the doubt. Almost nobody wakes up in the morning with the goal to make other people miserable. 3) Address non-performance early. If there is a clear performance issue, address it early. Trust your instincts and those of the people around you. What should it be? For me, 2 inciden