San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching

Executive Coaching for Turning Talents Into Strengths: Discovering Your True Strengths

Too Close to See?

You are probably not as cognizant of your strengths as you could be because most of us take them for granted. We are so embedded in our strengths, we are not aware of them as strengths. We think everybody is that way too. It never occurs to us to be any other way; it is just natural for us. 

This way of thinking excludes developing our strengths and becoming even stronger and more brilliant. You can’t develop what you don’t recognize. You can’t expand what you are not aware of.

Building on your strengths is also about responsibility. You probably don’t take pride in your natural talents any more than you would take pride in your sex, race, or hair color. Natural talents are gifts from God and your gene pool.

However, you have a great deal to do with turning your talents into strengths. You can take your talents into the realm of excellence. It involves becoming acutely aware, developing an action learning plan, and “practice, practice, practice”.  Viewed in this light, to avoid your strengths by focusing on your weaknesses is almost a sign of irresponsibility.

The Courage to Be Brilliant

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…We ask ourselves, `Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.” —Marianne Williamson

The most responsible, yet the most challenging, thing to do is to face up to your natural talents. It is an honor to have such blessings. Do not waste them. Step up to the potential inherent in your talents and find ways to develop your strengths. Be true to yourself by becoming more of who you really are.

This advice is easy to give and difficult to put into practice. It is easier when working with a trained professional coach. Working with your coach can make it easier for you to identify your talents and strengths. There are also a number of online self-assessments available to help. Once your five top strengths are identified, you can examine how they show up in your life.

It is a process of a few steps back, a few steps forward, and learning as you go. It is not the same as book learning. The only way to learn about your strengths is to act, learn, refine, and then act, learn, refine. Open yourself to feedback. This means you must be strong and courageous. Personal development is not for sissies.

Discovering your true strengths is the path towards improvement and success. When you pay attention to your deficits and try to overcome them, you are placing emphasis on becoming what you are not. You wind up living a second-rate version of someone else’s life rather than a world-class version of your own.

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

I am currently accepting new executive coaching and career coaching clients. I work with both individuals and organizations. Call 415-546-1252 or send an inquiry e-mail to [email protected].

 

Executive Coaching to Discover Your Talents and Strengths: Strategies for Self-Leadership

Discover Your Talents and Strengths

"Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer." — Peter Drucker

Most of us have a poor sense of our talents and strengths. Throughout our education and careers, there is a lot of attention paid to our weaknesses. We are acutely aware of our faults and deficits, our “opportunities for development,” or whatever euphemism is popular for naming them.

Parents, teachers and managers are all experts in spotting deficits. In fact, most parents, teachers and managers consider it their responsibility to point out flaws and try to help us correct them.

We have become experts in our own weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair our flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected. The research, however, is clear: we grow and develop by putting emphasis on our strengths, rather than trying to correct our deficits.

Most people don’t concern themselves with identifying their talents and strengths. Instead, they choose to study their weaknesses. A Gallup poll investigated this phenomenon by asking Americans, French, British, Canadian, Japanese and Chinese people of all ages and backgrounds the question: “Which do you think will help you improve the most: knowing your strengths or knowing your weaknesses?”

The Path to Improvement:Strengths or Weaknesses?

The answer was always the same: weaknesses, not strengths, deserve the most attention. The most strengths-focused culture is the United States, but still only a minority of people, 41 percent, felt that knowing their strengths would help them improve the most. The least strengths-focused cultures are Japan and China. Only 24 percent believe that the key to success lies in their strengths.

The majority of people in the world don’t think that the secret to improvement lies in a deep understanding of their strengths. Interestingly, in every culture the older people (55 and above) were the least fixated on their weaknesses. Perhaps they have acquired more self-acceptance and realize the futility of trying to be what they are not.

Why are Weaknesses so Attractive?

Why do so many people avoid focusing on their strengths? Weaknesses may be fascinating and strangely mesmerizing, like watching soap operas and Jerry Springer shows. But the attraction lies in the fact we deeply fear our weaknesses, our failures and even our true self.

Some people may be reluctant to investigate their strengths because they may fear there isn’t much in the way of real talent or strength inside them anyway, or that they are just average (again, ingrained from education models). Or, maybe there is a feeling of inadequacy, an “imposter syndrome,” and an underlying fear of being found out.

Despite your achievements, you may wonder whether you are as talented as everyone thinks you are. You suspect that luck and circumstance may have played a big part in your getting to where you are today.

However, if you do not investigate your strengths, for any of the above fears and feelings of insecurity, you will miss out on discovering more of who you really are. You will miss out on becoming who you are really meant to be.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and social intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become an inspiring leader who leverages your authentic leadership strengths. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of your organization.

I am currently accepting new executive coaching and career coaching clients. I work with both individuals and organizations. Call 415-546-1252 or send an inquiry e-mail to [email protected].

Executive Coaching for Productive Narcissists – Strengths of the Narcissistic Leader

Productive Narcissists

Are you working in an organization where leaders model exceptional emotional intelligence and social intelligence? Do the leaders in your organization inspire others to create a desired future?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask is “Do our organizational leaders display narcissistic tendencies?” Innovative and inspiring leaders excite followers with high levels of energy and hope for a better future.

Are you a leader who has an inspiring leadership style?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace where employees are fully engaged and leaders inspire people to innovate and accomplish significant goals?

Narcissism Defined

We are all somewhat narcissistic, or self-centered. If we lacked this tendency, we couldn’t survive or assert our needs. “Healthy narcissism” allows us to lead a company and its people to greatness, and interesting accomplishments can occur.

Narcissists are independent, not easily impressed, and excel at innovating and thinking in original ways. They are driven to gain power and glory. Harvard anthropologist and psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby, PhD, called such individuals “productive narcissists” when he wrote “Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons” for the Harvard Business Review (January–February 2000).

Productive narcissists are experts in their fields and pose critical questions to learn everything that could possibly affect their companies and products. They want to be admired and respected, but not necessarily loved. They aggressively pursue goals and are less concerned with rules and “the way things have always been done.”

Of all personality types, narcissists run the greatest risk of isolating themselves, especially during moments of success. Because of their independence and aggressiveness, they are constantly looking out for enemies and sometimes become paranoid when stressed.

Strengths of the Narcissistic Leader

Narcissistic leaders often attain greatness. They can see what the future holds; they aren’t analyzers or number crunchers who try to understand or explain it. They are focused on creating it.

Another compelling quality is their gift for attracting followers. Narcissistic leaders intuitively know how to inspire through their words, speeches and language. This, however, is a double-edged sword. As much as narcissists crave adoration, this overdependence poses a danger: The need to be bolstered by adulation can feed and magnify one’s insecurities.

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 an inspiring leader who displays the qualities of visionary leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Visionary Leadership – Narcissists and Times of Crisis

Narcissistic Leaders and Times of Crisis

Are you working in an organization where leaders model well-developed competencies of emotional intelligence and social intelligence? Do the leaders in your organization inspire others to create an inspired future?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Do our organizational leaders have a strong vision for the future?” Inspiring leaders excite followers with high levels of energy and hope for a better future.

Are you a leader who has an inspiring leadership style?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace where employees are fully engaged and leaders inspire people to accomplish all of their goals?

The business world is experiencing enormous changes that call for visionary and charismatic leadership. Throughout history, narcissists have always emerged to inspire people and shape the future.

At the beginning of the 20th century, men like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford exploited new technologies and restructured American industry.

Today, rapid changes in technology, the economy and the way business is conducted again call for robust leadership. To paraphrase Dickens, it is the best of times and the worst of times. While narcissistic leaders can be visionaries who engage their followers, there’s a dark side worthy of examination.

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 an inspiring leader who displays the qualities of visionary leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Narcissistic Leaders – Narcissistic Leaders in Times of Uncertainty

Executive Coaching for Narcissistic Leaders

Are you working in an organization where leaders display well-developed emotional intelligence and socially intelligence competence? Do the leaders in your organization inspire others to create a desired future?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Do I have a strong vision for the future?” Inspiring leaders infuse followers with energy and hope for a better future.

Are you a leader who has an inspiring leadership style?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace where employees are fully engaged and leaders inspire people to achieve great results?

In these unsettling times, large corporations are turning to strong leaders to create the future, rather than merely anticipating it. There’s no substitute for strong personalities when it comes to taking charge and dealing with uncertainty as the only certainty.

But strong leaders often display a narcissistic personality style, with all of the strengths and weaknesses that come with it.

A close look at how CEOs’ leadership styles and personalities have evolved over the last 50 years reveals a definite trend toward selecting narcissistic leaders, a personality type marked by visionary charisma and originally defined by Sigmund Freud.

For the most part, executives from the 1950s through the 1980s kept low profiles. When they did make comments, they were carefully vetted by corporate PR and legal departments.

Today’s CEOs, however, emulate superstars like Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Steve Jobs and Jack Welch. They hire their own publicists, write books, give interviews and actively promote their personal philosophies.

Their faces appear on the covers of BusinessWeek, TIME, The Economist and Fast Company. They strive to become shapers of their unique brands of leadership style and management philosophy. They advise schools on what kids should learn and lawmakers on where to invest the public’s money.

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 an inspiring leader who displays the qualities of visionary leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Great Leaders – Five Popular Myths About Leadership

Five Popular Myths About Leadership

Are you working in an organization where leaders display well-developed emotional intelligence and socially intelligence skills? Do the leaders in your organization inspire others to be their best?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Do I profoundly care about helping our business grow and helping every employee achieve their full potential?” Inspiring leaders infuse followers with energy and passion.

Are you a leader who has an inspiring leadership style?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace climate where employees are fully engaged and leaders are developed at all levels?

Executives often profoundly misunderstand what makes an inspirational leader. Here are five common myths:

1.  Everyone can be a leader. Not true. Self-knowledge and authenticity are necessary for leadership, and not everyone has them (or strives to develop them). Individuals must also want to be leaders, and many talented employees have no desire to shoulder the responsibility. Some may profess interest, but they’re primarily focused on the benefits versus costs to them. Others prefer to devote more time to their families and private lives.

2.  Leaders deliver business results. Not always. If results were always a matter of good leadership, picking leaders would be easy. In every case, the best strategy would be to go after people in companies with the best results. Things are not that simple.

Businesses in quasi-monopolistic industries can often do very well with competent management rather than great leadership. Equally, some well-led businesses do not necessarily produce results, particularly in the short term.

3.  People who get to the top are leaders. Not necessarily. One of the most persistent misperceptions is that people in executive positions are leaders. But people who make it to the top may have done so because of political acumen, not necessarily because of true leadership quality. What’s more, real leaders are found all over the organization, from the executive suite to the shop floor.

By definition, leaders are simply people who have followers, and rank doesn’t have much to do with this. Effective military organizations like the U.S. Navy have long realized the importance of developing leaders throughout the organization.

4.  Leaders are great coaches. Rarely. A whole cottage industry has blossomed around the belief that good leaders ought to be good coaches. But this thinking assumes a single person can both inspire the troops and impart technical skills.

Of course, it’s possible for great leaders to also be great coaches, but we see this only occasionally. More typical are leaders like Steve Jobs, whose distinctive strengths lie in the ability to excite others through vision, rather than coaching talents.

5.  Women make better leaders than men. It depends. One popular myth asserts women are relationship-oriented and nurturing, so they make more natural leaders. But are the women competitive enough to make it to the top typical of this stereotype, or are they exceptional people regardless of gender? Are we capable of sorting out our own stereotypical biases?

Can we judge leaders on their actual qualities, abilities and results? Are our perceptions colored by our preconceived biases about appearance, education and class? If we acknowledge these assumptions and beliefs, we may be better equipped to choose those who will lead us.

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 an and inspiring leader who displays the qualities authentic leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

 

Executive Coaching for Distinctive Leaders – Leadership in Action

Leadership in Action

Are you working in an organization where leaders display highly tuned emotional intelligence and social intelligence? Do the leaders in your organization stand out as being different?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Am I aware of my unique leadership qualities?” Inspiring leaders consistently pay attention to their uniqueness.

Are you a leader who has a distinct leadership style?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace climate where employees are fully engaged and leaders display their uniqueness?

Leadership in Action

There are no universal formulas for becoming an inspirational leader. That’s why so many of the recipe-style business books fail—the ones that prescribe leadership according to Moses, Shakespeare, Lee Iacocca or Jack Welch. No one can ape another leader.

It’s up to you to develop your own leadership style. The challenge is for you to be yourself but with more skill. Accomplish this by making yourself increasingly aware of your distinct leadership qualities and manipulating them to come up with a personal style that works for you.

What’s needed will vary from context to context. It’s up to you to develop and refine your intuition and sensors, find ways to be different, selectively reveal your flaws and empathize while remaining steadfast.

There are no cookie-cutter leadership development programs that will turn out inspirational leaders with all the right qualities. But it’s possible for most leaders to become aware of their unique qualities and use them advantageously.

Consider doing the exploratory work with a trusted executive coach or consultant. Leaders who are confident enough to risk being vulnerable and do the work will grow in ways that ultimately benefit their organizations and the people they lead.

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 an inspiring leader who displays the qualities authentic leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Executive Coaching for Distinctive Leaders – Dare to Be Different

Dare to Be Different

Are you working in an organization where leaders are emotionally and socially intelligent? Do the leaders in your organization stand out as being different?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Am I demonstrating that I have unique leadership qualities?” Inspiring leaders consistently demonstrate their uniqueness.

Are you a leader who stands out from the crowd?  Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace climate where employees are fully engaged and leaders communicate their uniqueness?

Inspirational leaders capitalize on their unique qualities, using their differences to great advantage. This is probably the most important trait of the four we’ve been discussing.

The most effective leaders deliberately use their differences to maintain a social distance. Even when drawing their followers close to them, they also signal a separateness.

This may be a distinctly different dress style, physical appearance or manner of speaking—or it may be a larger-than-life personality. Typically, such leaders will show imagination, loyalty, expertise or even a unique handshake. Anything can be a difference, it’s important to communicate it.

Many people are hesitant to communicate their uniqueness. It may take years for them to become fully aware of what sets them apart. This is a serious disadvantage in a world where networking is so critical and teams need to be formed overnight.

Inspirational leaders use separateness to motivate others to perform better. They recognize instinctively that followers will push themselves if their leader is just a little aloof. After all, leadership is not a popularity contest.

The danger is that leaders can overdifferentiate themselves in their determination to express their separateness. Losing contact with followers is fatal. Once they create too much distance, leaders lose their ability to sense out situations, identify with people and care about them.

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 an and inspiring leader who displays the qualities authentic leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.