San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching

Creating Loyalty in Your Workforce: Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions

Employees want to know where they stand. It is the job of leaders to provide feedback and create a culture where in the moment feedback is modeled and encouraged.

I am currently working with an executive coaching client who wants to improve his emotional intelligence. As part of the process we are incorporating multi-rater 360 degree feedback. In my interviews with raters, it is clear that  some of the raters view my client as entitled, sometimes disrespectful and aways seeing her priorities as more important than that of others.

My client has blind spots related to these behaviors. She is open to feedback to get better. However, her co-workers are not comfortable having a conversation with my client about the behaviors they observe. The boss of my client likes to "leave well enough alone" and models not having difficult conversations unless absolutely necessary. The culture reflects this mind-set.

Are you comfortable giving and receiving feedback?   

Qualities of A Great Boss: The Important Relationship with the Manager

Fully engaged people at work have a good relationship with their boss. It makes a world of difference to work for someone you respect and who cares about you.

My coaching clients who are happy at work report liking their immediate supervisor. I hear all of the complaints about the "bad boss" and hope that there are greener pastures elsewhere.

Do you possess the qualities of a good boss? Do employees want to work for you?

Retaining Top Talent: Why They leave, Why They Stay

Engaged employees want challenging, meaningful work, a boss that cares, and an opportunity to learn and grow on the job. Some fun wouldn't be a bad idea either!

I work with a lot of high potential clients in my executive coaching programs.  In my experience, the leaders who are looking elsewhere report feeling under appreciated not necessarily under compensated.

What are the main reasons people choose to leave your organization? Why do they stay?

Succession Planning: Do You Have A Leadership Pipeline?

The CEO and founder of a major Bay Area Company contacted me about his retiring in a few years and the search for a successor. In collaboration with the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team, we created a competency model for the CEO position. I provided executive/leadership coaching for two of the company VP’s who were selected as CEO candidates.

As a result of the executive /leadership coaching, The Board of Directors and CEO selected one of the VP’s, who most clearly demonstrated the requisite CEO competencies to lead the company into the future.

Have you picked one or more potential successors?

Communicating Your Business Vision: Questions to Ask Yourself

In order for people to be engaged at work they need to know where they are I going. Martin Luther King's Dream speech has inspired millions of people to vision a preferred future.

The USA democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama brilliantly inspires supporters to vision change in the country's direction.

Are you a leader who communicates a clear vision for your enterprise? You may find it enlightening to ask yourself a few honest questions.

How to Keep an Employee Engaged: Do You Care Enough to Keep the Very Best?

Last night we went out to a Valentine's Day dinner at a French Bistro restaurant in our home town in Northern California. The food was very good other than our son not liking the anchovies in his Cesar salad!  My wife and I commented that there seemed to be something missing.

The waiter didn't engage you and seemed to be emotionally distant. The service was good, but no real effort was made to connect with us. It seemed so different than the Italian restaurants we love.

So what was the difference? My wife commented that you don't hear much about the French Bistro.
The food was excellent, but we probably wouldn't spread the word. Why? Because we didn't feel cared about as customers.

Perhaps the owner of the Bistro could have a conversation with the waiter about the apparent disconnection with customers. The feedback given in a caring way could be pivotal to everyone's success.

Do you create a remarkable experience for your customers where they are happy to spread the word? It doesn't take a marketing budget, rather a mindset of building relationships.

Employee Engagement: Is Your Workforce Fully Engaged?

Our culture values work as a means to find fulfillment in life. Some cultures work to live, but we seem to love to work.

Ask almost anyone who they are and they will tell you what they do for a living. You get a temporary pass by telling everyone that you are a student!

So don't you think it is really curious why so many people are not happy at work?

Emotional Intelligence: The Business Case for EQ

I met with an executive coaching client who is the President/CEO of a High Tech San Francisco Bay Area company yesterday. He is considering hiring a vice president of technology in order to help execute the new company strategy.

I have also been providing executive coaching for two other members of the executive team. The COO who had some difficulties in the area of emotional intelligence was partially responsible for some problems in the retention of key employees. He has gotten much better in developing his interpersonal skills and working with his team.

The President/CEO and I discussed my conducting a structured behavioral interview with the Vice President of Technology final candidates. The process would include using validated psychometric surveys to assess each candidates personality, ability and personal-interpersonal and technical competencies based on a competency model for the position. The President/CEO wants to assess which of the final candidates will not only have the technical capability, but the emotional intelligence to become a productive team member and company leader who is a great fit with the company culture. He had wisely learned from the initial difficulties with the COO the importance of selecting top talent who are both technically competent and emotionally intelligent.

Emotional Intelligence: Learning the Skill of Empathy

Business books are full of ideas, but sometimes those ideas are hard for busy people like you to implement.

The beauty about emotional intelligence is that of course some people are more gifted in this area, but that the skills can be learned. It takes a little information, a willingness to experiment in a real work situation and taking small steps to achieve success.

Receiving positive feedback from friends and coworkers can be an enormous help when learning a new skill.

Psychologically Healthy Workplaces: Recognized Great Places to Work

In today's fast-paced 24/7 society, workplace pressures are increasing. Productivity demands, information overload, pressure to balance work and home-life can take a significant toll on employees' health, well-being and job satisfaction.

According to a national survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, two-thirds of men and women say work has a significant impact on their stress level. Job stress is estimated to cost U.S. employers $300 billion a year in absenteeism, diminished productivity, employee turnover and direct medical, legal  and insurance fees.

Organizations today are faced with skyrocketing healthcare costs, fierce global competition, and economic uncertainty. Cutting-edge organizations in an increasingly flat world are looking for a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Truly innovative organizational leaders now recognize that the key to success lies in their own workforce and that employee health and well-being and organizational performance are inextricably linked. In a wokplace where there is a "War for Talent" minimizing workplace stress plays an important role in the retention of valued employees. Visionary leaders are creating cultures that engage the hearts, minds, emotions, and spirit of their people to create a psychologically healthy workplace.