Edge Walkers
Come to the Edge
“Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came,
And he pushed,
And they flew.”
- Christopher Logue
I’ve learned over the years that my most effective executive coaching leadership clients know the “why” of what they are passionate in achieving. They get excited in my office telling me inspiring stories of their hopes and struggles. They have a growth versus fixed mindset, and are optimistic and forward thinking. They live and work on the edge and flourish.
One of my CEO executive coaching clients confided in me this week that he was struggling to convince several of his senior executives to create a new business strategy. The data from a recent company engagement survey indicated that far too many employees weren’t engaged with the mission and vision of the company.
The CEO wanted to execute a new cutting edge strategy for the company, but was encountering a lot of resistance from some executive team members fearful of change. We engaged in a pretty fierce coaching conversation about how to help his leaders develop a more growth-oriented mindset. They needed to learn how to embrace the new strategy and change.
Agile Strategy
“Plateaus are death in business because they ultimately erode. The only way to avoid downturn is to keep growing. But that growth doesn't need to be a blind leap of faith.” – Alan Weiss
The CEO and I discussed several questions focusing on strategy that the CEO would explore with his executive team.
1. What value do we want to provide a year from now? What are we passionate about and great at, which will help clients in a year's time?
2. Who are our ideal clients for that value?
3. What mechanisms do we choose to use to reach them and convey value.
At our next coaching meeting, the CEO reported that his senior executives found the strategy questions provided clarity and were on board. The members of the executive team thought that if he was so passionate about his belief in creating a strategy for the company, that they began to pay attention to their own habits and patterns of behavior that caused resistance and were counterproductive to creating an executing the new strategy.
So what’s right for your company? Theorists want to make universal statements that would be prescriptions for every business. But it would be more relevant to look at a company’s unique situation and then assess its position in the industry, its internal capabilities, and then the fit between them.
Successful strategy implementation requires commitment and perseverance. It requires teamwork and integration across traditional organizational boundaries and roles. The message must be reinforced often and in many ways. Strategy should be everyone’s everyday job.
Good strategies are not enough. They have to be operationalized:
- They have to be the focus of everyday actions
- They have to be everybody’s job
- They have to be made a continuous process
- They have to be mobilized through effective leadership.
Emotionally intelligent leaders know that creating a compelling business strategy increases engagement and moves things forward. In order for people to be fully engaged, they need to feel they are following leaders who have a clear strategy for success.
You can work on your strategy ideas with an executive coach as a trusted advisor and thought partner. The investment is well worth the reward: your ability to create a sustainable future.
Are you working in a company where executive coaches work as a thought partner to help leaders put their strategic initiatives into action?Does your organization provide executive coaching for leaders who need to be more persuasive? Persuasive leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to create a more fulfilling future.
One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a persuasive leader who helps individuals and organizations achieve their highest potential, flourish at work, experience elevating energy and achieve levels of effectiveness difficult to attain otherwise?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching and leadership consulting to help leaders develop a compelling 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 leaders create a shared strategy. You can become a more persuasive 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.
Working Resources is a San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching Firm Helping Innovative Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, Engage and Retain Emotionally Intelligent Leaders; Executive Coaching; Leadership Development; Performance-Based Interviewing; Competency Modeling; Succession Management; Culture Change; Career Coaching and Leadership Retreats
...About Dr. Maynard Brusman
Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach|
Trusted Advisor to Executive Leadership Teams
Mindfulness & Emotional Intelligence Workplace Expert
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist and executive coach. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies select and develop 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.
“Maynard Brusman is one of the foremost coaches in the United States. He utilizes a wide variety of assessments in his work with senior executives and upper level managers, and is adept at helping his clients both develop higher levels of emotional intelligence and achieve breakthrough business results. As a senior leader in the executive coaching field, Dr. Brusman brings an exceptional level of wisdom, energy, and creativity to his work.” — Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., President, College of Executive Coaching
For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.
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