Working Resources Blog

Executive Coaching Secrets to be More Productive: The Left vs. Right-Brain Battle

Are you unrelentingly busy and often feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of work and life demands?

Is technology helping or adding to your feeling that it’s impossible to keep up? Are you frenetically busy or energetic and highly focused and productive?

I have been finding with e-mail, social networking, tele-classes and so many other means to stay connected and learn that it is hard to schedule things.  I often “plan” some things “just in time” and “on the fly”. 

How are you doing handling all of the pressures of life and work?

The Left-Versus Right-Brain Battle

Your ability to be productive and successful at home and work is closely tied to your ability to relax and think clearly. Only when you’re well organized and your mind is clear can you unleash your true creative potential.

Success depends on freeing up your mind to be more relaxed. But no one can relax when the time-oriented, linear left brain is nagging the free-flowing, creative right brain about impending tasks.

What’s needed is a trustworthy system to manage everything we must remember. The more we can download our to-do lists into a reliable system, the more brain space we free up. With a clear mind, you can think about other important items and enjoy greater productivity.

Brain Clutter

Many of us have experienced working in the “zone,” where creative processes flowed and we lost all sense of time. This happens when we use our right brain hemisphere. Right-brain thinking is essential for innovation. It functions like an artist, concerned only with the present moment.

In contrast, the left brain supplies logic and linear thinking; it’s concerned with time and numbers. It reminds us of tasks left undone, prior experiences we need to consider and future deadlines. It functions more like a banker than an artist.

Our government, schools and businesses prefer to operate in left-brain mode, with an emphasis on laws, rules, logic, accounting and calendars. But we cannot create novel solutions without our right brain’s creative powers.

Instead of allowing our minds to perform optimally, many of us fill our brains with daily life’s mundane details and rules. Worse, we spend endless hours repeating the tasks and projects we’re trying to juggle.

It’s far more effective to employ a reliable system to handle all of these routine details and clear our minds to creatively solve important challenges.

Instead of learning to do more, we must develop strategies to think more clearly and achieve greater relaxation to obviate stress. You cannot be creative if you’re constantly worrying about incomplete details and mind-numbing numbers.

You need a functional system to hold these details until the appropriate time, when you can systematically tick off as many tasks as possible to clear your mind again. Writing things down on a to-do list is a good first step, but it’s not enough.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a less stressed and more purposeful and productive leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Stop Worrying and Relax: The Brain Science of Productivity

Stop Worrying and Relax

Are you unrelentingly busy and often feeling overwhelmed with a “To Do” list that seems to grow like “Topsy”?

I was recently facilitating an emotional intelligence workshop. One of the executives was fairly stressed constantly checking his messages on his blackberry cell phone. He was so distracted.

I suggested that he might be less anxious and more productive and stress resilient if he learned to take time during the day to breathe deeply and reflect and be present in the moment. He would be less distracted, more focused and less exhausted. It is so important to manage our energy in order to achieve results.

How are you doing handling all of the pressures of life and work? Are you frenetically busy or energetic and highly focused and productive?

Everyone you meet these days is overworked and out of time. In our tech-enhanced world, we have more time-saving helpers and systems than ever before.

So, why isn’t there enough time to juggle our work, home and health responsibilities? We have an enhanced quality of life, but we’re also adding to our stress levels by taking on more tasks than we have resources to handle.

Most people are stressed — out of patience and out of time. Neither advanced educations, nor time-management models, nor the variety of available organizing tools have given us a sustainable means for managing 21st-century demands.

It doesn’t matter which we use: Microsoft Outlook, a Day-Timer, PDA or iPhone. They’re inadequate to handle the speed, complexity and changing priorities of today’s work environment.

There’s a tremendous need for new methods, systems and, above all, habits to keep us on track.

We need to learn how to think clearly about our work before we undertake it. Thinking in a concentrated manner to define desired results is something few people do. But focusing on desired outcome thinking is one of the most effective methods available for being purposely productive.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a less stressed and more purposeful and productive leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Change Resistant Leaders – Why Leaders give Up

High-performing leaders want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing leaders.

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources and help leaders change. Coaching can help leaders overcome the obstacles to change.

Are you working with a coach and developing your maximum leadership capability?

Why Leaders Give Up

When it comes to change, some leaders lose motivation and fail to “stick with the program.” Regardless of a coach’s competence, failure to achieve goals may occur for several reasons:

1. Ownership: The more leaders feel the process is being imposed upon them or that they are just casually “trying it out,” the less likely the coaching process will work. If leaders are simply “playing games,” with no clear commitment, their bosses must be willing to discontinue the coaching process—for the good of both the company and the coaching profession.

2. Time: Goal setters have a natural tendency to underestimate the time needed to reach targets. Busy, impatient leaders can be even more time-sensitive than the general population. Ordinarily, our behavior changes long before our coworkers perceive any change.

3. Difficulty: Goal setters’ optimism applies to difficulty, as well as time. Not only does everything take longer than we think; it also requires hard work! Long-term change in leadership effectiveness takes real effort. For example, it can be challenging for busy, opinionated leaders to have the discipline to stop and listen patiently while others say things they may not want to hear.

4. Distractions: Leaders have a tendency to underestimate the distractions and competing goals that will invariably surface in any given year. By planning for distractions in advance, leaders can set realistic expectations for change and, consequently, will be less likely to renounce the change process.

5. Rewards: Leaders tend to become disappointed when achievement of one goal doesn’t immediately translate into achievement of other goals. If leaders think skills improvement will quickly lead to short-term profits, promotions or recognition, they may become disappointed and give up when these things fail to materialize instantaneously.

6. Maintenance: Once a leader has put forth the effort required to achieve a goal, it can be tough to maintain behaviors that incorporate the new changes. Leaders must recognize that professional development is an ongoing process, with a lifelong commitment. Leadership involves relationships—and relationships and  people change. Maintaining positive relationships requires long-term effort.

Coaching can be daunting for some leaders, as they must be willing to be vulnerable and open. It is exhilarating for those who embrace it and commit to change. Unlike management science, academic theory or consulting, coaching is an exciting interpersonal journey. Coaches and their clients form strong bonds built on trust, openness, confidence and achievement.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and change resilient leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Inspiring Leaders – Eight Steps in the Behavioral Coaching Process

Enlightened leaders want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing high performing leaders.

Executive coaching clients chooses behaviorally-defined goals that will help them grow professionally, and help the company, law firm or accountancy firm meet their strategic objectives.

How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their talents and potential?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization towards success by involving key stakeholders.

Are you working with a coach and developing your full leadership capability?
Eight Steps in the Behavioral Coaching Process

Marshall Goldsmith has been called America’s foremost executive coach by several leading magazines and newspapers (Fast Company, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review). His model for behavioral coaching outlines a reliable process to help leaders achieve positive, measurable changes in themselves, their staff and their teams. The model includes eight basic steps.

Research indicates that if leaders fail to complete these basic steps, they probably will not improve. Conversely, if they successfully accomplish these steps, growth is assured.

1.  Allow leaders to be involved in determining desired behaviors. Leaders cannot be expected to change their behavior if they lack a clear understanding of the company’s goals.

2.  Let leaders assist in identifying key stakeholders. There are two major reasons why leaders deny the validity of feedback: wrong items or wrong raters. When leaders and their managers agree in advance on desired behaviors and key stakeholders, they buy into the coaching process.

3.  Collect feedback. The coach can accomplish this by interviewing key stakeholders and using 360-degree rating systems.

4.  Determine key behaviors for change. Select only one or two key behaviors that will have the most positive impact on effective leadership.

5.  Have the leader respond to key stakeholders. The leader being coached should talk with each key stakeholder to collect additional “feedforward” suggestions on how to improve in the targeted areas. The leader should keep the conversation positive, simple and focused. When mistakes have been made in the past, it is generally a good idea to apologize and ask for help in changing the future. Leaders are advised to listen to stakeholder suggestions without  judging them.

6.  Review what has been learned, and help the leader develop an action plan. After listening to suggestions, the leader must return with a plan describing what he or she wants to accomplish. The coach then provides encouragement that helps the leader live up to each commitment.

7.  Develop an ongoing follow-up process. Follow-up should be very efficient and focused on the future, incorporating questions like, “Based upon my behavior last month, what ideas do you have for me for next month?” Within six months, conduct a two- to six-item mini-survey with key stakeholders, asking whether the leader has become more or less effective in each targeted area for improvement.

8.  Review results and start again. If the leader has taken the process seriously, stakeholders invariably report improvement. Build on this success by repeating the process for the next 12 to 18 months. This type of follow-up will assure continued progress on initial goals and uncover additional areas for improvement.

This coaching model has a proven track record with leaders from some of the world’s foremost organizations. When leaders practice these guidelines and work with competent executive coaches, they focus their behavior on what works best for them, their team and the company.

The coach must keep the focus on the specific behaviors selected with the leader, facilitate information collection from key stakeholders and act as a catalyst for “feedforward,” emphasizing positive, measurable progress as noticed by team members and stakeholders.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and enlightened leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching Secrets for Getting Leaders to Change: Involving Key Stakeholders

Enlightened leaders want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing high performing leaders.

Executive coaching clients chooses behaviorally-defined goals that will help them grow professionally, and help the company, law firm or accountancy firm meet their strategic objectives.

How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their talents and potential?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization towards success by involving key stakeholders.

Are you working with a coach and developing your full leadership capability?

Getting Leaders to Change

Marshall Goldsmith has been called America’s foremost executive coach by several leading magazines and newspapers (Fast Company, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review). His model for behavioral coaching outlines a reliable process to help leaders achieve positive, measurable changes in themselves, their staff and their teams.

First, the coach secures an agreement with the client (the organization) and the leader being coached with respect to two key variables:

1.  What are the key behaviors that will lead to the greatest positive change in leadership effectiveness?

2.  Which key stakeholders should determine (one year later) if this change has occurred?

Goldsmith and his associates work only with leaders who:

•  Are considered good coaching candidates
•  Are seen as high potentials within the organization
•  Have not committed an integrity violation
•  Are willing to make a sincere effort to change

Involving Key Stakeholders

In this model of behavioral coaching, the coach asks key people involved in the leader’s performance to participate in the coaching process. The coach requests direct help in four critical arenas:

1.  Let go of the past. Key stakeholders must agree to focus on a future that can improve, as opposed to a past that cannot. Goldsmith calls this process “feedforward,” in lieu of feedback.

2.  Be helpful and supportive—not cynical, sarcastic or judgmental. If people don’t give the leader a chance, he or she will stop trying.

3.  Tell the truth. Key stakeholders are advised not to gloss over or embellish reports.

4.  Choose an area for self-improvement. The leader must be very open about what he or she is going to change. As part of the process, he/she will ask for ongoing suggestions. Stakeholders, too, will be asked to select an area for self-improvement and to solicit suggestions. This makes the process a two-way street, allowing stakeholders to serve as “fellow travelers” in the quest for self-improvement (as opposed to singling out one leader who must change). It also greatly increases the value the corporation gains throughout the entire process.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and enlightened leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching to Develop High Performing Leaders: Measuring Sustainable Success

I provide executive coaching to leaders who want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing high performing leaders.

I typically meet with a leader for two hours in-person every other week. The client chooses behaviorally-defined goals that will help them grow professionally, and help the company, law firm or accountancy firm meet their strategic objectives.

Are you working with a coach and developing your talent as a leader?

How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their talents and potential? Which best practices in executive coaching programs produce lasting results that drive business performance? How do you determine success in an executive coaching engagement?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization toward sustainable success.

Measuring Sustainable Success

Success isn’t measured by:

•  How well the leader performs with the coach’s help. It must be judged on how well he or she performs after the coach has left the scene.

•  How leaders feel about their own progress. It must be judged on the changes stakeholders perceive.

•  The leader’s positive feelings toward, and relationship with, the coach—a natural byproduct of a successful coaching engagement. True success is measured by demonstrated results.

Ultimately, the success of a coaching partnership is not measured by coach-leader chemistry or the leader’s satisfaction level; rather, it is measured only by business results.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and enlightened leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching to Develop Leaders: Establishing Ground Rules

Establishing Ground Rules
 
I provide executive coaching to leaders who want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing high performing leaders.

I typically meet with a leader for two hours in-person every other week. The client chooses behaviorally-defined goals that will help them grow professionally, and help the company, law firm or accountancy firm meet their strategic objectives.

Are you working with a coach and developing your talent as a leader?

How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their talents and potential? Which best practices in executive coaching programs produce lasting results that drive business performance? What are the ground rules when beginning an executive coaching engagement?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization toward sustainable success.

Establishing Ground Rules

In the beginning, coaches must clarify the ground rules, calling attention to the following key areas:

1.  Confidentiality, expectations and commitment: The coach must be clear about what will be shared with the leader’s boss and what will be kept confidential. Aligning coaching goals with the organization’s principal objectives is crucial, as coaching isn’t merely an exercise in personal improvement.

2.  Reporting relationships: There must be clarity among the three key participants: the organizational contact (boss or HR representative), the coach and the leader being coached.

3.  Methods of information gathering: Key stakeholders, team members, direct reports and others involved will be contacted by both the coach and the leader being coached.

4.  Making judgments, setting objectives and monitoring progress: The coach helps the leader and key stakeholders maintain objectivity. Coaches must focus on one or two behaviors, without judgment, and facilitate honest sharing about progress.

5.  How, why and when the coaching will end: Coaching parameters must be set at the beginning of the engagement, with milestones for assessing progress and a completion date (usually 12 to 18 months).

It is critical to clarify at the outset who the client is. When the coach and leader understand that the company is the actual client, then the ground rules are easier to accept. This is a vital step for gaining and maintaining trust. Once the ground rules have been established, they cannot be bent along the way. The coaching relationship requires discipline and boundaries for progress to occur.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and enlightened leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching to Help Leaders Change: Leveraging Leadership Talent and Resources

Leveraging Leadership Talent and Resources

I provide executive coaching to leaders who want to get better. Research supports one-on-one coaching to be the most successful method for developing high performing leaders.

I typically meet with a leader for two hours in-person every other week. The client chooses behaviorally-defined goals that will help them grow professionally, and help the company, law firm or accountancy firm meet their strategic objectives.

Are you working with a coach and developing as a leader?

How do you convince leaders to change? How can you optimize their talents and potential? Which best practices in executive coaching programs produce lasting results that drive business performance?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources, both of which can steer an organization toward sustainable success.

A New Paradigm

Coaching is no longer reserved for problem leaders. It is more frequently sought by top performers whose organizations value their management and growth potential. Today’s CEOs recognize the importance of enabling leaders to achieve critical business objectives in the shortest possible time, so they are hiring coaches to accelerate development.

Hewitt Associates has conducted some interesting research that documents the positive, long-term relationship between investment in leadership development and continuing financial success (Hewitt Associates’ 2003 Top Companies for Leaders study). Its research demonstrates that companies that invest in emerging leaders tend to enjoy greater long-term profits.

Forty-seven percent of companies rated for strong leadership regularly assign coaches to their executives. They know coaching provides a powerful way to boost performance and strengthen leadership. Regular use of executive coaches separates top companies from the mediocre ones.

The coaching profession is expanding rapidly, with coaches from diverse backgrounds who champion varied methodologies. This growth has sparked debate over several issues, including:

• What are best practices?
• Who is the actual client: the leader being coached or the organization footing the bill?
• How should impact and return on investment be measured?
• Where do you draw the line between personal and business issues?
• How can confidentiality be preserved when stakeholders and team members are part of the mix?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more collaborative and enlightened leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching Secrets to Sharpen Your Focus: Visualize Your Intention

Enlightened leaders need both energy and a laser focus to achieve strategic goals. Leaders who lack clarity in their communication will find followers frustrated and the execution of the strategy of the organization difficult.

My executive coaching clients who are focused find that it creates energy and that work seems to flow. Employees are engaged with a common purpose. Unfocused leaders find themselves exhausted and their energy depleted.

Are you focused in your intentions?

Visualize Your Intention

In addition to energy, the second critical element of purposeful action is focus: energy channeled toward a specific outcome. Focused managers can concentrate in spite of the many distractions that interrupt their days.

You can sharpen your focus by taking the following steps:

1. Visualize your intention by asking yourself:

a. What does my intention look like? What simple image can I keep in my mind when I need to remember my intention?

b. How can I accomplish my intention? What specific steps will I need to take to reach it?

2. Make a personal commitment by asking yourself:

a. Does this particular intention feel right? Do I really want it?

b. Does my intention excite me? Is it something for which I can maintain my passion and commitment, even when obstacles arise?

c. Does my intention jibe with my personal values and beliefs? Can I stand behind it with head and heart?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more purposeful and productive leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching Secrets to Jump-Start Your Energy: Goal-Setting at Work

Leaders need a lot of energy to execute strategy. Goal-setting helps you mobilize that energy.

I work with a number of executive coaching clients. The most successful have unbridled passion and energy.

Leaders who are happy and have high energy makes me think of Tim Russert the host of "Meet the Press" who recently died. Tim was an incredible journalist, father and son who set significant goals for himself and others. He was focused on holding the people he interviewed accountable to telling the truth.

Are you as passionate about your chosen career?

Goal-Setting at Work

1.  Define your goal by asking yourself:

a.  Do I need a mentor who can help me see the big picture? Do I need to research data or strategies that will allow me to make a thoughtful, informed choice about my goals and objectives?

b.  Is my goal well defined and concrete? Do I understand all of the components, including the potential obstacles?

c.  Can I personally identify with my goal? Is it worthwhile, given my values and those of the organization?

2.  Strengthen your confidence in your ability to achieve your goals by asking yourself:

a.  What experience do I have in achieving comparable goals? Can I do it again?

b.  Which of my role models can help me understand what it takes to achieve my goal?

c.  Who can give me feedback to evaluate my capacities to achieve my goal? What must I learn to ensure success?

d.  Can I experiment and rehearse critical tasks while pursing my goals?

3.  Overcome negativity and develop positive thoughts and feelings by asking yourself:

a.  Which emotions do I harbor—and what triggers them? Should I change my tasks or goals so that work is less stressful? Do I have healthy outlets—hobbies, sports, friends—for these feelings?

b.  What about my work creates enthusiasm, fun and excitement for me? What do I love doing? Apart from my work, from what personal well can I regularly draw balance or strength?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more purposeful and productive leader focused on achieving goals. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.