San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching

Full Engagement for Peak Performance

Peak Performance 

According to research, only 29 percent of employees are motivated and energized. What, then, is happening to the other two-thirds of the people working in organizations?

This is an even worse scenario than the old joke in which a manager is asked how many people work in his company and he responds, “About half of them.” Are the people in your workplace happy and fully engaged?

Two Sides of the Disengagement Coin

Disengaged employees often appear to lack commitment. In reality, many of them crave re-engagement. No one enjoys working without passion or joy.

While many factors cause disengagement, the most prevalent is feeling overwhelmed (or, conversely, underwhelmed). Disconnection and overload pose obstacles to performance, yet they often go undetected or ignored because neither qualifies as a disciplinary issue.

Meanwhile, managers try to work around such problems, hoping for a miraculous turnaround or spark that reignites energy and drive. They try incentives, empowerment programs or the management fad du jour.

While it’s impossible to spark flow moments all day long, you can greatly improve your ability to help others achieve peak performance. Until recently, managers tried various motivational methods, with only temporary success.

You can't sprint to peak performance, the brain needs careful management and rest. Brain science tells us that as knowledge workers, we must manage our thinking minds with care.

In addition to variety and stimulation, we require food, rest, human engagement, physical exercise and challenge. You cannot expect a human being to sit at a desk for hours and produce quality work without providing these essential elements.

We often forget that thinking is hard work. If you work too many hours, your brain’s supply of neurotransmitters will be depleted, and you won’t be able to sustain top performance. Without proper care, the brain will underperform—and brain fatigue mimics disengagement and lack of commitment.

Peak performance also depends on how we feel: hopeful, in control, optimistic and grateful. We need to know that we’re appreciated.

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching to help develop high performance leaders? Leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to fully engage employees and customers.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do our managers help their people achieve peak performance?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching as part of their high performance leadership development program. .

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 a culture where all employees are fully engaged. 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.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com  

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

 

 

How to Manage for Peak Performance

 “Put simply, the best managers bring out the best from their people. This is true of football coaches, orchestra conductors, big-company executives, and small-business owners. They are like alchemists who turn lead into gold. Put more accurately, they find and mine the gold that resides in everyone.” ~ Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People (Harvard Business Press, 2011)

Most managers want their people to achieve excellence at work. We really can’t ask for more. In fact, peak performance can be defined as a combination of:

• Excellence
• Consistency
• Ongoing improvement

To achieve peak performance, each person must find the right job, tasks and conditions that match his or her strengths. Facilitating the right fit therefore becomes one of a manager’s most crucial responsibilities. While every employee has the potential to deliver peak performance, it’s up to the manager to find ways to make it happen.

It’s easy to spot peak performance when it happens. It’s what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008). Employees who work at optimum levels experience a state of “flow,” typically losing themselves in a project, meeting or discussion. They may lose track of time or where they are.

Each of us has relished such moments, but it’s hard to purposely replicate “flow” experiences. Many managers struggle to find the right words to rekindle motivation in people who have lost their enthusiasm.

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching to help develop high performance leaders? Leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to fully engage employees and customers.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do our managers help their people to achieve excellence at work?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching as part of their high performance leadership development program. .

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 a culture where all employees are fully engaged. 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.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com  

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

 

 

Executive Coaching for Business Results

Working Resources is a Strategic Talent Management and Leadership Consulting, Training and Executive Coaching San Francisco Bay Area Firm Helping Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, and Retain Emotionally Intelligent People; Emotional Intelligence-Based Interviewing and Selection; Multi-Rater 360-Degree Feedback; Competency Modeling; Succession Planning; Career Coaching; Change Management; Corporate Culture Surveys; and Executive Coaching.

Executive Coaching San Francisco Bay Area

Many attempts have been made over the past decade to quantify return on investment of coaching programs for executives in organizations. Some spectacular results have been recorded.

Yet even with the application of ROI standards commonly used for measuring training and development programs, there remain too many variables to establish reliable data. It is difficult to quantify data of a qualitative nature.

In 2003 Anthony M. Grant of the University of Sydney surveyed coaching research and found only 56 studies that met standards of reliable methodology. There were only 131 peer-reviewed studies since 1937. While the outcomes of coaching programs appear to be positive, the quality of research on coaching is extremely poor. There are new studies being conducted currently by academics, but it may be years before there are authoritative guidelines and best practices for coaching.

ROI may never become a measure of the true success of coaching. One must assess its value with qualitative data. Any time perceived value is used as a measure, the measurements are subjective and less reliable. It is difficult to implement and replicate a program where the outcomes are perceived as “good” or “very good.”

The marketplace is perhaps the most vocal proponent of the use of coaching for executives for leadership development. Top corporations such as GE, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs are among those that invest heavily in hiring coaches for their executives. Overall, annual spending on coaching in the U.S. is roughly estimated at $1 billion.

Other companies with smaller budgets are wise to follow this trend. Successful companies don’t throw money at programs that don’t have a positive impact on their bottom line—or, at least, they don’t for very long. Even so, there are some concerns about how much coaching adds to the financial success of the organization.

Improving an executive’s well-being can certainly contribute to improving his or her interpersonal skills (and hence the productivity of the team). Unfortunately, some coaching may get an executive to feel better without having a noticeable impact on his or her behaviors. Obviously, this would be a case of incomplete or ineffective coaching.

How to Get the Most out of Executive Coaching

Let’s look at three studies that are widely accepted as being quality research.

1. Gerald Olivero, Denise K. Bane, and Richard E. Kopelman, “Executive Coaching as a Transfer of Training Tool: Effects on Productivity in a Public Agency” appeared in Public Personnel Management, vol. 26, no. 4 (1997), pp. 461-469.

Summary: Describes the advantages of one-on-one executive coaching in positively influencing transfer of training. Examines the effects of executive coaching in a local government agency. Thirty-one managers took a management development program followed by eight weeks of one-on-one executive coaching. The study finds that training increased managerial productivity by 22.4 percent, while coaching increased productivity by 88 percent.

1. Andres D. Ellinger, “Antecedents and Consequences of Coaching Behavior,” Performance Improvement Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 4 (1999), pp. 45-70.

Summary: Discusses the use of coaching to facilitate the development of learning organizations. Presents the results of a study to determine the outcomes of coaching interventions. Finds that managers’ commitment to coaching can impact employee, manager, and organizational performance.

1. Carol Patton, “Rating the Returns,” Human Resource Executive, vol. 15, no. 5 (April 2001), pp. 40-43.

Summary: Outlines a nine-step ROI process that determines the value of executive coaching. Claims that this process must be applied consistently throughout the organization. Includes a list of measurement tools and important ROI measurements.

(Source: Morgan, H., Harkins, P., & Goldsmith, M. (Eds.). (2005). The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

There are many other studies that show spectacular results from coaching programs. Most do not meet standard guidelines for rigorous measurements. Many are based on anecdotal experiences. Also, the measurement of the perceived value of a benefit is not the same as the measurement of changed behaviors.

Here are a few examples of other studies on coaching:

Research by the Chartered Management Institute and Campaign for Learning - "Coaching at Work". Results issued in a press release dated 16th May 2002:
- 80% of executives say they think they would benefit from coaching at work and dismiss the suggestion that coaching is just another fad.
- Virtually all managers (96%) think coaching should be available to every employee, regardless of seniority.
- 85% of managers say the main value of coaching is in enhancing team morale.
- 80% of managers value coaching for generating responsibility on the part of the learner.
___________________________________________________________

Research by The Lifecoaching Company - "Coaching Today Survey". Research took place at the HRD Show in London in April 2002, respondents all HR professionals.
- 86% held very positive views on coaching.
- 86% of respondents' organizations have offered coaching at one time or another and coaching is CURRENTLY taking place in over one third (36%) of organizations.
- Respondents feel that coaching achieves the following desired outcomes:
A positive impact on other aspects of participants' lives, both at work and outside the workplace (96%)
A feeling among participants of ownership of the issues and the outcomes (85%)
Evidence of learning being put into practice (71%)
Readily-quantifiable and positive results, often demonstrated on the company's "bottom-line" over the long term (62%)

___________________________________________________________

Michigan-based Triad Performance Technologies, Inc., studied and evaluated the effects of a coaching intervention on a group of regional and district sales managers within a large telecom organization. The third party research study cites a 10:1 return on investment in less than one year.

The study found that the following business outcomes were directly attributable to the coaching intervention:

Top performing staff, who were considering leaving the organization, were retained, resulting in reduced turnover, increased revenue, and improved customer satisfaction.
A positive work environment was created, focusing on strategic account development and higher sales volume.

Customer revenues and customer satisfaction were improved due to fully staffed and fully functioning territories.
Revenues were increased due to managers improving their performance and exceeding their goals.

Another study conducted by MetrixGlobal for an executive coaching program was impressive. Over 70 executives were coached from a multi-national telecommunications company that included participants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. MetrixGlobal performed an extensive survey of 43 coaching participants that yielded the following results:

Coaching produced a 529% return on investment and significant intangible benefits to the business. Including the financial benefits from employee retention, coaching boosted the overall ROI to 788%. The study provided powerful new insights into how to maximize the business impact from executive coaching. (Merrill Anderson: [email protected])

            ____________________________________________________________

Selecting Good Coaches

Are there ways to enhance coaching effectiveness? As a profession, it is still sorting out best practices and standards. Even the professional organizations (of which there are too many) do not agree on the core competencies of a coach. Coach certifications can come from any one of several organizations, and the requirements all vary.

This is particularly unfortunate for the person charged with finding good coaches for his or her organization. There are no standard criteria for judging a coach’s value or worth. Perhaps the most reliable indication would be past performance with other clients and organizations.

The problem is confounded by the fact that coaching borrows methods from a diverse background of academics and industries ranging from psychology, business, organizational development, human resources, and even sports. Some excellent Ph.D. level professionals trained in psychology may be suitable for some clients. A retired CEO or entrepreneur-turned-coach may be more suitable for others.

Choosing a coach should not be left to intuition, but many times it is. The interview process should center on previous experience and results. No matter what the coach’s background, he or she should have a high degree of self-awareness and an ability to work well with different personality styles while keeping an eye on behavioral changes and business results. The process of designing an effective coaching program does not end with the selection of a qualified coach who is a good fit with the corporate culture.

Three Key Elements in the Coaching Relationship

A survey of the current literature and of experienced executive coaches reveals the importance of a three-level qualification process to ensure effective coaching.

Coaching is a three-way partnership between:

1. The organization hiring the coach.
2. The executive to be coached.
3. The coach.

All involved must agree on specific goals and parameters. The organization needs to have clear goals and a purpose for the coaching program. There must be top-level support and visible links to business imperatives.

The executive has to be willing to accept the process of coaching, including listening to feedback, examining assumptions and beliefs, and making behavioral changes.

The coach must be committed to being candid while fostering a supportive environment. The coach must have a sense of the executive’s world from a personal, business, and social perspective and be able to hold out a mirror to the executive to foster behavioral changes. At the same time, the coach must be able to maintain trust and navigate sensitive political issues with the organization.

As in any triangular relationship, the key is defining and clarifying goals, roles, and accountability. For coaching to produce results, the goals should be measurable. Many times this involves using 360-degree assessments before and after coaching.

Executive coaching may not be for everyone, and organizations and clients should consider their purposes and goals before engaging coaches. While the results may not be directly measurable in dollars, there is no company that can’t benefit from more candor, better communications, and more conscious awareness of how its leaders interact with people in order to maximize talents and resources.

Are You Ready to Hire a Coach?

A recent Harvard Business Review article (December 2004) asks this question: Is executive coaching at U.S. companies destined to play the role occupied by psychoanalysis in some Neil Simon version of Hollywood: A virtual prerequisite for anyone who aspires to be anyone?

Companies should not jump on the coaching bandwagon expecting stellar results simply because other fast track organizations are doing it. Executive coaching is not an end unto itself.

In spite of its apparently robust potential, the very act of hiring a coach will not get the results needed unless there is sufficient preparation and planning. In other words, don’t seek coaching just because other fast movers in the firm seem to be benefiting from it.

Coaching is effective for executives who can say, “I want to get over there, but I’m not sure how to do it.”

Here are some questions to ask in order to enhance the return on the investment in a coaching program:

o   As an organization, are you committed to coaching as a process rather than just an event?

o   Is the coachee’s immediate supervisor committed to the coaching process?

o   What are the types of changes that you hope will result?

o   Have you established internal measurements to identify when you have achieved success?

o   Do you have benchmarks on those measures to identify the baseline?

o   Do you have a control group identified?

o   Are you using the right period of time (at least 18 to 24 months) to properly achieve the results you are looking for?

o   Have you considered indirect measures such as employee satisfaction or turnover?

o   Are you measuring the coach on the results that the coach achieves or the time that the coach spends?

o   Have you ensured that one of the measurements is perceived improvement, as viewed by those who work with the coachee on a frequent basis?

o   Based on everything that you know about the coachee, is there a reasonable probability that the coachee will change?

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
PO Box 471525 San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com
Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com

The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded "Board Approved"
designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

 

 

 

 

Executive Coaching to Discover Your Talents and Strengths

Working Resources is a Strategic Talent Management and Leadership Consulting, Training and Executive Coaching San Francisco Bay Area Firm Helping Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, and Retain Emotionally Intelligent People; Emotional Intelligence-Based Interviewing and Selection; Multi-Rater 360-Degree Feedback; Competency Modeling; Succession Planning; Career Coaching; Change Management; Corporate Culture Surveys; and Executive Coaching.

Executive Coaching Bay Area

One of my CEO San Francisco Bay Area executive coaching clients is working with her executive leadership team to create an organizational culture that leverages employees’ talents and strengths. I am coaching her to become more effective at focusing on strengths and values helping leaders at all levels of the organization become more fully engaged and productive.

The CEO knows that for the organization to thrive depends on creating an organizational culture and climate that nourishes constant innovation. Human Resources is partnering with me in supporting senior leaders to motivate people by building authentic strength-based relationships.  Our current executive coaching and leadership consulting work is also focused on helping leaders throughout the organization increase their ability to motivate team members by tapping into their purpose and intrinsic motivation to creating meaningful work.

"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.

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.

Are you working in a company or law firm where leaders focus on tapping into employees’ talents and strengths? Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching to help leaders to be more effective at empowering self-leadership? During challenging economic times, leaders at all levels need to leverage strengths to be most effective at getting work done.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I helping to create a work culture and climate that taps into employees’ strengths and talents?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders to be more focused on leveraging what’s right in their people and organization.

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 organizational culture where the ability to motivate people based on building on their strengths is a critical competency for leaders. You can become a learning agile 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].

About Dr. Maynard Brusman:

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a San Francisco Bay Area executive coach and consulting psychologist. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching for Leadership Development

Executive Coaching and Leadership Development

I recently spoke with the Human Resources Director of a San Francisco Bay Area company regarding providing executive coaching for the company president. The HR Director asked some very pertinent questions to determine fit. She specifically wanted to know how I worked with different personality styles, and my methods for initiating behavioral change.

The HR Director and I spoke about my approach to coaching, and my belief that possessing a psychological understanding of human behavior and business acumen are important competencies for coaching executives. We also spoke of the need for her organization to create a culture where innovation flourishes.

The Human Resource Director is interested in partnering with me in helping the president to become a more motivational and inspiring leader. We further discussed how company executives can benefit by working with a seasoned San Francisco Bay Area executive coach.

Hiring Good Coaches

Are there ways to enhance coaching effectiveness? As a profession, it is still sorting out best practices and standards. Even the professional organizations (of which there are too many) do not agree on the core competencies of a coach. Coach certifications can come from any one of several organizations, and the requirements all vary.

This is particularly unfortunate for the person charged with finding good coaches for his or her organization. There are no standard criteria for judging a coach’s value or worth. Perhaps the most reliable indication would be past performance with other clients and organizations.

The problem is confounded by the fact that coaching borrows methods from a diverse background of academics and industries ranging from psychology, business, organizational development, human resources, and even sports. Some excellent Ph.D. level professionals trained in psychology may be suitable for some clients. A retired CEO or entrepreneur-turned-coach may be more suitable for others.

Choosing a coach should not be left to intuition, but many times it is. The interview process should center on previous experience and results. No matter what the coach’s background, he or she should have a high degree of self-awareness and an ability to work well with different personality styles while keeping an eye on behavioral changes and business results. The process of designing an effective coaching program does not end with the selection of a qualified coach who is a good fit with the corporate culture.

Are you working in a company or law firm where a San Francisco Bay Area executive coach is hired to help executives become better leaders? Does your company or law firm provide leadership coaching to help leaders be more effective strategic thinkers? High performance leaders at all levels need to improve their leadership competence.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do I know the qualities of a good executive coach?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership development for leaders to be more effective at leading and motivating followers.

Working with a seasoned San Francisco Bay Area 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 organizational culture where authentic leaders motivate others to improve individual and organizational performance. 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].

About Dr. Maynard Brusman:

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist and San Francisoc Bay Area executive coach. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and San Franciso Bay Area executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders. Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

Executive Coaching – Coaching the Whole Person

Working Resources is a Strategic Talent Management and Leadership Consulting, Training and Executive Coaching San Francisco Bay Area Firm Helping Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, and Retain Emotionally Intelligent People; Emotional Intelligence-Based Interviewing and Selection; Multi-Rater 360-Degree Feedback; Competency Modeling; Succession Planning; Career Coaching; Change Management; Corporate Culture Surveys; and Executive Coaching.

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Trusted Advisor to Senior Leadership Teams

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE E-mail Newsletter.

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Voice: 415-546-1252                            Web: www.workingresources.com

 

Executive Coaching – Coaching the Whole Person

Effective coaching is a major key to improving business performance. Working Resources San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching focuses on the qualities of good leadership and improved business results. Executive Coaching is comprised of a series of structured, one-on-one interactions between a coach and an executive, aimed at enhancing the executive's performance in two areas:

• Individual personal performance
• Individual organizational performance

I am currently providing executive coaching for the founders of a mid-sized company. Our main focus is on leadership issues, but interwoven into our work is developing the complete person based on their values. My belief is that to help leaders become more effective you need to develop the whole person.

My approach to coaching the whole person can be summarized as follows:

Integral: A whole being or integral approach that engages and taps into a client's body, mind, soul and heart. Managing change involves our whole body and authentic self.

Awareness and Presence: Expanding our own and our client's capacity for self-awareness, presence and self-generation is key if we want to awaken from our past conditioning, and begin to make different choices aligned with our values. We can develop new perspectives that create exciting options and new possibilities.

Strengths: Tapping into our strengths what is already present and healthy within us instead of focusing on what is missing. We can learn to grow from a space of self-acceptance and compassion, not from a place of frustration and judgment. Competencies and skills need to be developed bringing out resources that already reside within us.

Metaphors and Practices: Use of metaphors and supportive practices for dramatically changing our current way of being into a new way that better meets where we are and our dream or vision for reinventing our lives. Metaphors make the process of transformative change come alive and practices are where deep insights get turned into new behaviors and habits.

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development for emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching to help leaders develop executive presence?  Leaders with highly developed executive presence tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to fully engage employees and customers.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “How committed am I to personal development?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching for collaborative leaders who develop their whole person.

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 a culture where all employees are fully engaged and whole person leadership development is an important value. You can become a leader with executive presence 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.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a San Francisco Bay Area executive coaching and leadership development firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com  

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

 

Emotionally Intelligent Managers as Coach

Managers determine how people experience work: joy versus despair, enthusiasm versus complaints, and well-being and resilience versus stress. Most managers want to be good at what they do, yet many lack the requisite coaching skills that facilitate positive action and behavior.

As a manager who strives to do help employees do great work, you may need to develop your coaching skills. Coaching skills can help you and your people become more productive and achieve ultimate success.

Some of the similarities of good management practice to good coaching are obvious; other aspects need to be pointed out for greater clarity. Good coaches and managers share the following practices.

• Coach to lead: Partnering and collaboration are more productive than directing and controlling. Leadership coaches ask powerful questions which enable others to examine their underlying assumptions that may impede work performance.

• Empower your team: Leaders can influence more when he or she doesn’t  micro-manage.

• Show interest in team members’ success and well-being: Leadership coaches recognize that everyone has the potential to improve their current skills and assume new responsibilities.

• Be results-oriented: Effective leadership coaches are proactive rather than reactive.
They model stepping up and taking the initiative to achieve goals.

• Actively listen to your team members: Leader coaches listen with the intention to fully understand others rather than to direct or coerce. Coaches are transparent and tell the truth while being caring and constructive.

• Provide your employees with career development: Leaders coach for both performance as well as career development.

• Develop a clear vision and strategy for your team: Leadership coaches see the big picture. They provide clarity and context for meaningful dialogue to occur among individuals and organizational teams.

• Update key technical skills and share expertise: Executive coaches overcome the temptation to be the expert and have all the answers.

Enlightened managers help employees become happier and more productive by regularly spending some time with each employees and being consistent. That’s coaching—a powerful and highly influential model of leadership and management.

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching to help leaders improve their coaching skills?  Leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to fully engage employees and customers.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I able to partner and collaborate with employees rather than direct and control to help people be more productive?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching for managers who coach to lead.

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 a culture where all employees are fully engaged. 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.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com  

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman

 

 

Good Bosses Are Good Coaches

Good Bosses

Bosses determine how happy and productive people are at work. They influence employee well-being and stress resilience. Most bosses want to do the right thing and support their people to achieve team and organizational goals.

As a boss who strives to do great work, you may need to be aware of and model the traits of a good boss. Good bosses share similar characteristics.

In 2009 Google (the company, not the search engine produced a report that incorporated eight best practices for “good bosses”.

Interestingly enough, technical expertise ranked dead last among Google’s eight good behaviors. A fascinating result was that being a good coach ranked first. “What employees valued most were even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.” Again, not a surprise to me as an executive coach who takes a coaching approach to leadership.

Google’s “Good Boss” Traits:
1. Be a good coach
2. Empower your team and don’t micromanage
3. Express interest in team members’ success and personal well-being
4. Don’t be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented [note: Google’s words]]
5. Be a good communicator and listen to your team
6. Help your employees with career development
7. Have a clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Have key technical skills so you can help advise the team

Three key pitfalls:
1. Have trouble making a transition to the team
2. Lack a consistent approach to performance management and career development
3. Spend too little time managing and communicating

Laszlo Bock, Google’s vice president for people operations was struck by the simplicity of the rules suggesting that most managers don’t have to make huge changes to be a good boss. He says, “What it means is, if I’m a manager and I want to get better, and I want more out of my people and I want them to be happier, two of the most important things I can do is just make sure I have some time for them and to be consistent. And that’s more important than doing the rest of the stuff.” That’s coaching—a powerful and impactful model of leadership and management.

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching to help leaders improve their coaching skills?  Leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to fully engage employees and customers.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Do my people perceive me as having good coaching skills?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching for collaborative leaders who coach to lead.

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 a culture where all employees are fully engaged. 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.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

Subscribe to Working Resources Newsletter: http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog: http://www.workingresourcesblog.com  

Connect with me on these Social Media sites.
http://twitter.com/drbrusman
http://www.facebook.com/maynardbrusman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maynardbrusman
http://www.youtube.com/user/maynardbrusman