San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching

How Leaders Can Motivate Younger Workers - Questions to Ask Younger Generations

Great leaders know how to inspire and motivate all kinds of people. Workers are motivated in different ways.

You need to discover what is meaningful to each employee on a deep level. Why do they come to work? Why do they stay? I coach a number of "older" leaders who are sometimes baffled by the "inner workings" of their younger colleagues

Do you feel that you know your younger workers? Taking a coach approach and learning to ask powerful questions can often reveal what truly matters.

Boomers Versus Gen Xers - Hours and Input

Boomers  and Gen Xers have different work habits. Boomers value putting in long hours and Gen X employees are concerned with completing work and less on the time it takes.

I am the executive coach of a young executive in a privately owned company. The Baby Boomer owners value "face time". The company culture strongly encourages hard work and long hours. The Gen X executive gets her work done, but has other priorities. There is a clash between how the generations view work.

What coaching suggestions would you have in this scenario?

Managing Different Generations: Inspiring and Motivating Gen Xers

I was born in 1946 right after World War 11. I am definitely a Boomer!

I often find it fascinating coaching clients across different generations. What motivates one person is very different for another. Each person is unique, but there are some interesting generational themes and patterns.

Do you see the various generations having different values and beliefs about workplace success ?

Emotional Intelligence and Team Building: How to Handle a Disruptive Executive

The workplace is  full of great people wanting to work collaboratively with others. However, as we know life is not simple and some people are difficult. Of course this could describe me or you! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I am currently coaching an executive team.  One of the executives is very disruptive. The team leader  realizes the team is dysfunctional but avoids conflict and enables "bad behavior".

What would you do with a disruptive team member?

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?   

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?

Leadership Feedback: The Breakfast of Champions

One of the most difficult skills to learn is giving feedback. I am providing executive coaching for a senior vice president of a client company. As part of an initial assessment, I interviewed the executive's boss, colleagues and co-workers. It was readily apparent that people were uncomfortable giving feedback. The senior vice president's boss felt strongly that he shouldn't have to give the vice president feedback. He believed someone at the vice president's level should know what is expected of him.

The company culture is to be nice and non-confrontational. In my experience as a leadership consultant and executive coach, helping leaders overcome the fear of giving candid feedback is a critical competency.

Great leaders give and receive feedback in the moment. They are comfortable managing conflict.

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.

Disengaged Employees: Does your Organization Have Zombies?

A company HR manager called regarding coaching for a manager. Several employees had indicated in their exit interviews that they had left the company because of difficulty with this manager.

I work mostly with high performing leaders. However, sometimes a manager is unhappy or worse and coaching can help. In certain situations the person needs to move on.

I met with the manager in this case. She aways came to our coaching meetings in a blue business suit. As she told me her story, it was apparent that she wasn't this horrible person described by the employees. It was understandable that they may have experienced her that way.

In a nutshell, she was clearly in the wrong job. The manager had been working at the bank for seventeen years. Coaching revealed her true love was art. As a single mother, she had begun her banking career as a means to support herself and her young daughter. She was unintentionally taking out her frustrations on her direct reports.

Utilizing some career assessments in our coaching she rediscovered her true passion. She and her current husband had made a trip to Costa Rica. They started a business designing and selling surf boards. She quit her job at the bank and was happily engaged in this creative business endeavor. It was a great fit for her. Her relationships with people vastly improved.

Are you and your people engaged in the right job? 

Happily Engaged Employees: What Employees Want a Leader to Do

Great managers or leaders are comfortable having deep conversations with their people. I have found in my executive coaching practice that leaders need to connect with their people who will execute the strategy.

I am currently coaching the executive team of a San Francisco Bay Area high-tech company. We are working on a process to discover the identity of the business. Part of the process will be for the CEO and executives to ask powerful questions of themselves and their people. Who are we at our core? What do we stand for? What business are we in? What is our purpose? Where do I fit in?

Leaders need to know and deeply care about their people. The ability to do this is easier for some leaders than others. But it can be developed.

How well do you know your people at work?