San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching

Growing Innovative Companies – Green Thinking

Growing Innovative Companies

One of my CEO leadership coaching clients knows that for her company to thrive her organization will need to become more innovative and embrace green technology. I am consulting with the company senior leadership team to develop a more sustainable business strategy. They are currently evaluating several green business scenarios.

The CEO knows that thriving in the future depends on employees and leadership collaborating in creating a sustainable new business strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to think green and create a more innovative company culture and climate. Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the strategic decision-making process. Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is focused on helping the company create a green business model.

Green Thinking

Green is not merely a cost center, but a profitable path to growth. People at all corporate levels must focus on the following keys:

•  Understand what climate change means for business (which is very different from everyone agreeing on the science).
•  See the long-term constraints in natural resources and nonrenewable energy.
• View the business in the context of the full value chain, from suppliers to customers and beyond.

Some of these areas touch on people’s belief systems, so leaders must send a strong message. Throwing some basic information about the environment into internal training modules isn’t enough. Top executives must make strong statements about the harsh realities, current and future constraints and challenges, and the organization’s commitment to action.

The CEOs of some of the largest, most energy-intensive global companies formed a group called the Climate Action Partnership. Members include GE, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Deere and Duke Energy, among others. In 2007 and 2009, some of their CEOs traveled to Washington, DC, to ask for a federal cap on carbon emissions.

Their presence sent a message to Congress, as well as their own employees: Environmental challenges are critical business issues, and climate change is here to stay unless we intervene.

Are you working in a company or law firm where forward thinking leadership is determined to grow a more green enterprise?  Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development to help leaders become more innovative and develop a more sustainable business strategy? During uncertain economic times, leaders need to fully engage the entire workforce and create sustainable business practices.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a forward thinking leader who understands the importance of going green?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who want to transform their organizations and thrive.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in co-creating a sustainable green business strategy.You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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

Building Innovative Green Companies – Green Engagement

Building Innovative Green Companies

One of my forward thinking CEO leadership coaching clients knows that for his company to thrive his organization will need to become more creative and green. I am consulting with the company executive team to develop a more innovative business strategy. They are currently evaluating several green business initiatives.The CEO knows that thriving in the future depends on employees and leadership collaborating in creating and then executing the new business strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to think green and create a more innovative company culture.

Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the strategic decision-making process. Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is focusing on helping the CEO and her executive team to develop a more sustainable and green business model.

Green Engagement

In tough times, when employee morale is low and difficult economic conditions increase stress, people seek more meaning at work. A green focus will engage and inspire your people, which helps keep them going.

The pursuit of profit sometimes isn’t enough to keep people engaged. An environmental mission can offer more meaning. Getting lean can be moderately exciting, but doing it for the dual purposes of profit and environmental concern is motivating.

New ways of thinking challenge and engage people. Employees will work harder if they understand why environmental challenges are real and why going green is good for business. Without this understanding, some employees may spin their wheels or feel disengaged.

Training must focus not only on what employees do, but on how they think. Going green should not be presented as an idealistic idea, but as a stark and urgent reality, regardless of individuals’ political or scientific beliefs.

Are you working in a company or law firm where enlightened leadership realizes the organization needs to green their business?  Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development to help leader develop a more sustainable business strategy? During uncertain economic times, leaders need to fully engage their people and create green businesses.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a visionary leader who motivates and fully engages my workforce?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who want to make their organizations thrive.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in creating and executing a sustainable green business strategy to thrive in the New Year. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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

Creating Innovative Green Companies – Green Recovery

Creating Innovative Green Companies

One of my very smart CEO leadership coaching clients knows that for his company to thrive his organization will need to become more innovative and green. I am consulting with the company executive team to develop a more innovative business strategy. They are currently evaluating several green business initiatives.

The CEO knows that thriving in the future depends on employees and leadership co-creating and executing the new business strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to think green and create a more innovative and accountable company culture. Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the strategic decision-making process. Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is focusing on helping the CEO and her executive team to develop a more sustainable and green business model.

Green Recovery

In Green Recovery, Andrew Winston proposes four key focus areas for staying healthy today and getting ready for the inevitable upturn.

Slashing costs frees up money to prepare for future constraints and changing consumer demands. Figuring out priorities is critical. Winston suggests placing scarce resources in four strategic areas:
•    Get lean: How can you economize your organization’s energy and resource efficiency?
•    Get smart: What environmental data about products and value chains will save you money, help you innovate new solutions and create competitive advantages?
•    Get creative: Rejuvenate your innovation efforts by asking challenging questions, such as “Can we run our business with no fossil fuels?”
•    Get people engaged: How can you stimulate your people to solve the company’s environmental challenges?

These four areas will start benefiting your organization today, while preparing it for the future. Getting lean saves money quickly, but it also prepares you for a future in which higher resources prices will most certainly exist, and more questions from customers about your environmental impact will matter.

How can you gather data on your organization’s footprint up and down the value chain? Where can you identify high-priority areas for cost-cutting today? How can you intelligently plan for future long-term innovation efforts?

Getting creative means you not only have to optimize today’s processes and operations, but find innovative ways to develop tomorrow’s new products and services.

The engagement and alignment of all of your people makes these benefits possible. Green isn’t an additional, tangential pursuit that distracts from the real work of the business; it’s a core part of modern operations.

Are you working in a company or law firm where transformational leadership realizes the organization needs to make their business more lean and green?  Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development to help leaders become more creative and develop a more sustainable business strategy? During uncertain economic times, leaders need to get smart, fully engage their people and create sustainable business practices.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a smart leader who is creative and fully engages my workforce?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who want to transform their organizations and thrive.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in creating and executing a sustainable green business strategy to thrive in the New Year. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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

Building Sustainable Companies – Corporate Social Responsibility vs. Bottom Line

Building Sustainable Companies – Corporate Social Responsibility vs. Bottom Line

One of my CEO leadership coaching clients realizes that to thrive and overcome competitive pressures from companies that have more resources, they will have to become more eco-friendly and create a sustainable new business strategy. I am consulting with the company executive team to develop a more innovative business strategy which they plan on implementing in the New Year. They are currently evaluating several green business initiatives.

The CEO knows that surviving and thriving in the next few years depends on employees and leadership co-creating and executing the new business strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to think green and create an innovative company culture. Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the strategic decision-making process. Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is focusing on helping the CEO and her executive team to develop a more sustainable business model.

Corporate Social Responsibility vs. Bottom Line

The fight to save the planet has turned into a battle among governments and companies, companies and consumer activists, and sometimes consumer activists and governments. One solution is more—and tougher—regulation. Some argue voluntary action is unlikely to affect necessary changes.

Others suggest educating and organizing consumers so they can force businesses to become sustainable. While both legislation and education are necessary, they may not solve the problem quickly or completely.

Some executives behave as though they must choose between the largely social benefits of developing sustainable products and processes vs. the financial costs of doing so. This may be yet another myth.
In the HBR article “Why Sustainability Is the Key Driver of Innovation,” authors Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad and M.R. Rangaswami report that research with 30 large corporations reveals sustainability to be a significant source of organizational and technological innovations, yielding both bottom- and top-line returns.

Becoming eco-friendly lowers costs because companies end up reducing the inputs they use. In addition, the process generates additional revenues from better products and/or enables companies to create new businesses. In other words, smart companies now treat sustainability as an investment in the future.
Progress in times of economic crisis relies on innovation, which means companies that focus on sustainability will not only benefit post-recession, but emerge stronger than ever before.

The HBR article lays out the five stages companies will go through on their path to becoming sustainable.

Stage 1: Viewing Compliance as Opportunity

The smart response to government regulations is to go beyond the norms everyone else follows. Look at the opportunities for transformation.

Of course, it’s helpful if an organization can anticipate and shape the rules. This is why consumer participation is necessary, so leaders may stay abreast of customers’ issues and environmental impact.
Leaders, managers and their staffs must have the requisite skills to work with customers, activist groups, lobbyists and other companies (including rivals) to explore and develop creative solutions.

Stage 2: Making Value Chains Sustainable

How savvy is your organization about carbon management and life-cycle assessments?

You must pay attention to, and foresee, the redesign of operations so you can use less energy and water, produce fewer emissions and generate less waste.

Your value-chain oversight should ensure that suppliers and retailers also make their operations eco-friendly.

There are groundbreaking opportunities to develop sustainable sources of raw materials and components, increasing the use of clean energy sources (wind, solar) and finding new uses for returned products.

Stage 3: Designing Sustainable Products and Services

How do you develop sustainable offerings or redesign existing ones to be eco-friendly?

First, you have to know which products or services are most unfriendly to the environment. Chances are, your organization hasn’t yet devoted much thinking to this.

Don’t fall into the trap of “green-washing,” where companies advertise products and services that claim be to eco-friendly, yet fail to meet well-accepted environmental criteria. New skills may be required, such as biomimicry (emulating nature to solve human problems) to develop products and compact, eco-friendly packaging.

Stage 4: Developing New Business ModelsCompanies fail when their leaders misunderstand what consumers want and how to meet their demands. Today’s opportunities lie in developing new delivery technologies that change value-chain relationships in significant ways.

Monetization models may emphasize services over products. Look at ways to combine digital and physical infrastructures.

Stage 5: Creating Next-Practice Platforms

Each of us will need a new set of glasses to view our personal and business lives through the sustainability lens. Only then can we lead our companies toward future profits.

Many leaders lack knowledge of how renewable and nonrenewable resources affect business ecosystems and industries. Smart companies will invest time, energy and people in finding these answers.Look at ways to build business platforms that enable customers and suppliers to manage energy in radically different ways. How can technologies be designed that allow industries to use energy produced as a by-product?

Are you working in a company or law firm where transformational leadership realizes the enterprise needs to make their business more eco-friendly?  Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development to help leaders become more innovative and execute a more sustainable business strategy? During difficult economic times, leaders need to strive for transformational change and create sustainable business practices.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a leader who believes sustainability is an important driver of innovation?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who want to transform their organizations and develop a sustainable business strategy.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in creating and executing a sustainable eco-friendly business strategy to thrive in the New Year. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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

Companies Going Green – Sustainability is Core to Survival

Companies Going Green

One of my CEO leadership coaching clients realizes that to survive with competitive pressures from companies that have more resources, they will have to reinvent themselves and create a sustainable new business strategy. I am consulting with the company executive team to develop a more viable business strategy for the New Year. They are considering a number of green business initiatives.

The CEO knows that survival is predicated on employees co-creating and most importantly executing the new business strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to become more strategic and innovative. Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the strategic decision-making process. Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is focusing on helping the CEO and her executive team to become better strategic thinkers.

Sustainability is Core to Survival

Sustainability is at the very core of survival. No company or society can last unless it cares for its resources and capital—human, financial and environmental.

Consumers are going green. Their support for sustainable products and practices is growing worldwide. Some companies are wondering if now’s the time to adopt sustainability practices as part of their corporate strategy.

In the most basic terms, greening a business is about doing more with less, which can quickly save you money. Going green also means overcoming several mental hurdles, foremost of which is the expense involved in embracing environmental practices.

It’s a mistake to believe that becoming eco-friendly means unnecessary expenses as we face a global economic slump. Many experts assert that organizations should meet financial challenges by turning sustainability into innovation’s new frontier.

In fact, becoming eco-friendly will soon be a necessary cost of doing business. It’s no longer enough to meet minimum legal compliance for environmental standards. A true competitive advantage lies in influencing economic recovery with forward-thinking sustainability practices.

Here are a few thoughts for determining your company’s green opportunities from the September 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review and two books: Hot, Flat and Crowded, by New York Times foreign-affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman, and Green Recovery, by Andrew S. Winston, a Fellow at Yale University’s Center for Environment and Business.

Are you working in a company or law firm where transformational leadership realizes the enterprise needs to green their business?  Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching and leadership development to help leaders become more forward thinking and execute a more sustainable business strategy? During turbulent economic times, leaders need to embrace change and create forward-thinking sustainability practices.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a leader who is a good strategic thinker?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders who want to transform their organizations and develop a sustainable business strategy.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in helping create and  executing a sustainable green business strategy to thrive in the New Year. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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

Leading Change Efforts – Beware of Barriers to Change

Leading Change Efforts

One of my CEO leadership coaching clients is fired up inspiring urgency in her employees to execute their strategic change efforts. I am consulting with the company executive team to transform the culture of the company to become more change resilient and innovative.

The CEO knows that continued growth will occur when employees fully engage in the change initiative and execute the company strategy. She is empowering her leadership team to become more learning agile and better problem solvers. Leadership team members are collaborating with the CEO in the decision-making process. Our current executive coaching work focuses on helping the CEO motivate her employees to overcome complacency and sustain a heightened sense of urgency.

Beware of Barriers to Change

Complacency can set in at any time, but it’s often a default attitude when change becomes too difficult. Change is, by definition, difficult because it requires us to move outside our comfort zones for an extended period.

Familiarize yourself with these five common barriers to change so you can stay on track:

1. Ownership: It’s easier to pass the buck than to stand up as a leader and take over responsibilities that may not even be yours.

2. Time: Change always takes longer than estimated. Add 50 percent to 100 percent more time to your expectations.

3. Difficulty: Change is always more difficult than anticipated. When a task appears to be easy, you may set yourself up for disappointment and frustration if you miscalculate the time required to complete it. Anticipate troubles, and give yourself credit for small victories.

4. Distractions: When the going gets tough, as it will, it’s easy to be distracted by competing goals, other interests and priorities. Anticipate how easily you can become distracted; you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to regain your focus.

5. Maintenance: Once you expend all of the effort needed to achieve a change goal, be willing to face reality. It takes time for the new to become habitual. Give up too soon, and you’re back to square one. Maintenance requires vigilance and perseverance —more than you may think.

Urgency tends to collapse after a few successes. As we move toward a future that requires continuous change, urgency will become a powerful asset that carries you through the years.

A changing world offers many hazards, but also wonderful opportunities. To capitalize on these opportunities, you’ll need many skills and resources. But progress begins with an appropriate sense of urgency, accepted by a large group of people. Get this right, and great things are possible.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you create an organization that fully engages its people in transformational change initiatives by overcoming complacency and creating a culture that embraces change and innovation. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

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