The Top 10 Leadership Issues that Arise in an Executive Coaching Program

Have you ever wondered what executive coaching is all about?  Would you like to know what is involved, how the process works and what the benefits are?  In the coming weeks, we will focus on this topic of executive coaching and mentoring. 

It is an interesting point that the executive coach is rarely as expert as you are in your industry, enterprise or profession.  Invariably the manager or executive being coached already knows most of what he/she needs to know to achieve their business goals.  They just don’t know that they do!

There is a “but,” and it is that the manager or executive being coached will be experiencing a number of significant personal challenges in moving from, say, point G to point P in terms of their leadership confidence and capabilities.  It is during these times of exacting personal growth and development that the power and value of executive coaching lies. 

Executive coaching enables managers and executives to adapt, lead and execute.

 Change and growth is never straightforward and predictable.  Organisational change and development strategies invariably look good and totally workable on paper.  When it comes to implementation, a different story unfolds and, unless there is confident, resourceful leadership, the flow-on effects from poor leadership will be painful, damaging and costly to the business’ results.

Through executive coaching and mentoring, leaders gain the thinking skills, practical strategies and solutions for leading and managing themselves and others and bringing in the desired business results.

The following are the ten leadership issues that come up all the time for managers and executives in a People Results’ executive coaching program (not in order of importance):

1. Developing greater personal insights to manage self and one’s impact on others

2. Identifying and closing the gaps in skills and strategies in a new or expanded role

3. Letting go of being “the doer” and becoming a leader who enables and inspires others

4. Gaining focus and clarity on what’s important instead of feeling overwhelmed

5. Implementing change processes with an emphasis on managing the people issues 

6. Needing an open, non-judgmental space to discuss issues, ideas and options 

7. Building influential networks, relationship-building, forging strategic alliances

8. Becoming a more capable and confident communicator at senior levels

9. Changing old patterns of thinking and acting to be more effective in a senior role

10. Setting personal boundaries to maintain vigour, well-being and life/work balance

 

Which of the above leadership issues are current and relevant for your key managers and executives?

Please distribute this article to others who may find it useful in your organisation and network. 

We look forward to bringing you further articles on executive coaching in the coming weeks.  These articles will be published on the Leadership in Action blog if you would like to sign up to receive notifications at http://peopleresults.blogspot.com.au/

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director

People Results

Telephone 1300 167 981

11^th March 2013

People Results is a leading provider of customised executive coaching and mentoring programs for public and private sector organisations.  For more information on our approach and programs, download our Executive Coaching and Mentoring brochure from the Home page of our website at www.peoplersults.com.au.  To talk in confidence with a senior consultant at People Results, please ring us at 1300 167 981 or email us at enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

My One Extraordinary Manager – Part 3: Consistency

The sky is blue and your day is going beautifully.  Suddenly the sky turns dark and gloomy as your usually-pleasant manager snaps at you.  Little did you know that she/he was in a bad mood!  Unfortunately you happened to cross their path and came under attack.

We have all had the experience of approaching our manager with an idea or a problem and rather than the manager listening or helping, we are confronted by a dismissive remark, a harsh criticism or coldly ignored.  Where did this come from?  Is it our fault?  Why am I being treated like the enemy?  Questions like these flow quickly through our minds and we are thrown off balance.  

Act fairly and consistently to win the respect and trust of your team members.

Usually your manager is OK, but every now and then, he/she is bad-tempered or moody.  You respond by staying out of their way as much as possible for the rest of the day.  You tip-toe around, realising that they are under a lot of pressure due to the impossible work-load, deadlines and other stuff. 

We tend to make allowances for others because everyone is human and variable even though their behaviour has a negative impact on our own mood and motivation.  After all, the extremely bad day at the office happens to even the best managers, does it not?

Perhaps to most, but not to absolutely everyone!  To round out the three characteristics of my one extra-ordinary manager, I would highlight his consistency.  While it is rare for a manager to be entirely consistent, no matter what is going on at work and at home, Pat’s work persona, his mood and his fair-and-firm management techniques were consistent from one day to the next, from one year to the next.  He always walked his talk. 

Pat was constant; he was consistent; he was dependable.  The great advantage for everyone in Pat’s team was we knew we could expect to be treated in the same “fair and firm” way he consistently dealt with everyone and every situation.  So if you had a major issue and it was your fault and you felt like a total goose, you could still go and see Pat or ring him and explain it to him.  He would not blow up at you. 

We knew what to expect from Pat and this certain knowledge gave us a sense of reassurance that he would apply the same standards to you as he would for anyone else.  There were no sudden transformations or surprises.  Consequently we did not have to live in fear of him or keep things from him.  

How can we become more consistent in our own managing and leading behaviours?  Here are some stages to follow:

·         Look inside yourself and know yourself really well.  Know where you excel (your strengths) and where you have flaws or failings.  Be honest and don’t deny what you will need to change.     

·        Develop a composite picture of who you want to become as a manager/leader.  To start with, some pieces of the jigsaw will be missing or fuzzy.  Don’t worry because all the pieces will gradually come into focus and be clear. 

·         Start moving towards your composite picture, firstly, through asking yourself questions like the following:

o       What do I need to do more of?                       

o       What do I need to do less of?

o       What do I need to stop?

Secondly, focus on making one or two changes of behaviour at any one time.  Repeatedly do them until they become your good habits.

Like the duck swimming serenely on top of the pond, yet paddling fast under the surface, once comfortable and secure in our composite picture, we will become confident and consistent manager/leaders who are respected and trusted by those who count on us:  our people.

All the very Best,

Lynne 

Lynne Lloyd 

Managing Director 

People Results 

Telephone 1300 167 981

Note:  People Results provides a suite of executive coaching and mentoring services.  If you would like more information, please go to www.peopleresults.com.au/executive-coaching.  If you would like to talk with a senior consultant, please email People Results at enquiries@peopleresults.com.au.

Only One Extraordinary Manager - Part 2 - How to Communicate

My one extraordinary manager – Patrick Walsh – was (and is) a great communicator.  In his role as National Sales Manager, he managed a sales team of around 13 strong individuals who were scattered across Australia and New Zealand.

With such a geographic spread, there was no way he could check up on us and know what we were doing from day to day.  He could not micro-manage us even if he had been inclined that way.  Pat firstly had to select his sales people very carefully; he needed to be able to first, trust us and second, control us yet with a light touch.  After all he was located in Melbourne thousands of kilometres from most of his 13 direct reports.

Pat’s preferred method of communication with each member of his team was the telephone.  He reserved emails for purely administrative matters.  If he wanted to know how we were doing, Pat knew he had to make a personal connection.  On the telephone, he could easily tell if we were happy and working well, or if we were discouraged and lacking motivation.  It was all there in the tone of our voice and in the words we used as we responded to Pat’s perceptive questions. 



Managers can earn respect, trust and admiration from their team members.

 

Mostly we held nothing back from Pat.  We complained; we blamed; we vented our frustrations.  Pat listened and asked more questions, and listened.  Where he could fix something for us, he took it on to his own task list to do so.  He took notes during the conversation and followed up on every issue.  In the following week, he would ask about the progress of an issue or how was a particular prospect working out.  After we had spoken to Pat each week, we felt relieved and less worried as he had somehow taken the load off us simply by listening and understanding. 

 

Like every senior manager, Pat had a massive workload in addition to his management of a team of 13 sales reps.  Yet the area on which focussed most of his time and energies was his people.  I think there were two main reasons why he focussed so much on managing his people:  first, he was acutely aware that our individual success would ensure the success of the whole team and second, his No. 1 responsibility was the achievement of the national sales budget.  He knew that getting to and above budget kept his masters at the executive level happy and effectively out of his hair.  They would forgive other irritants so long as Pat consistently brought the numbers home year after year. 

It has to be said that in his people management skills, Pat was blessed with a natural aptitude for getting to know people quickly and accurately.  He knew each individual’s personality and what made us tick.  He related to each person in his team differently because he was conscious that the words and actions that would be effective to manage one individual would not necessarily work with another.  He was able to suit his message to each individual and yet remain true to himself.  In this way, he was able to gain the best performance from each member of his team.

Pat practised a very practical style of leadership.  He was a servant leader.  Certainly no one in his team would have thought of Pat as a “servant” to our needs and wants.  Yet subtly Pat managed us in a supportive and encouraging way, listening and responding to our problems and concerns and being there to help.  One question that Pat often asked each of his team members was, “How can I help you to do your job better/easier?”  He did not demand, he did not blame; he asked what he could do to help.  And in so doing, he built the amazing respect and trust that each of us developed for him.

In the ways this extraordinary manager/leader communicated, there are three lessons: 

1.   Communicate with your team members in personal ways and regularly.  An email is not personal, a text message is not personal; a face-to-face conversation or on the telephone is personal.  Don’t leave it too long in between conversations.  To make it a habit, book it in to your diary for once or twice a week. 

2.    If you know you are poor at relating to people, recognise this deficit in your skills-bank.  Do something about it because it is vitally important to your success as a manager.  As a manager, you can no longer produce all the results yourself.  You must work through your people by understanding them, responding to their different needs and encouraging their efforts.  Actions that will be effective include doing more reading on the topic of managing people, attending professional development courses and asking your manager if you can have some coaching.

3.  To borrow a famous quotation, “Ask not what your people can do for you; ask what you can do for your people.”*  Does the servant-leader model of leadership hold some insights for you?  By listening, responding and offering to help the different people in your team in real, practical ways, you can build their respect and trust over time.  From being trusted, it is only a short step to being the kind of leader that engenders admiration and devotion from their followers.

 * John F. Kennedy, 35^th President of the USA

Our next article in this 3-part series – Only One Extraordinary Manager - will look at consistency as an attribute of great manager/leaders.

 

Please note: People Results provides tailored Executive Coaching and Mentoring programs for managers and executives. For more information, please click here. 

 

To your Out-Standing Success,

 

Lynne

 

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director

People Results

Executive Coaching and Talent Development Workshops

Level 24, 10 Eagle Street, Brisbane, 4000.

PO Box 10073, Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Qld.4000

T  1300 167 981

E  lynne.lloyd@peopleresults.com.au

W  www.peopleresults.com.au

 

 

 

 

5 Effective and Do-Able Strategies for Business Networking

1. The Like-ability Factor

For networking success, it helps to be likable.  Let that warmer side of your personality out and smile. Networking is not a direct form of persuasion like selling.  Instead, networking is indirect and depends on building rapport and getting to know someone person-to-person.  Develop your charm quotient and be like-able to attract and engage others.

2. Focus Your Efforts

Focus comes from developing a sense of purpose and an overall plan for networking.  Planning lets you be crystal clear about whom, when and where you will network in order to achieve your goals.  Often we network in a rather haphazard fashion without a clear purpose and direction.  Little wonder if our networking time and efforts feel like we are spinning our wheels and getting nowhere.




Who do you need to know?  Have you got a Networking Plan for 2013?

3.     Diversity

Of course there are many different possibilities for networking.  Before the start of each month, decide and book your chosen networking activities into your calendar.  Naturally you will choose the place and time that is most appropriate to the person or group you are meeting.  Sometimes it will be a formal gathering such as a business luncheon, conference or industry event.  At other times, you will choose an informal setting such as meeting over a coffee or drinks. 

4.     Consistency

Make business networking a regular part of your weekly and monthly schedule.  Being a consistent networker means that you are planning and attending a set number of personal meetings and functions per month.  Consistent networking is far more effective than a pattern of intensively networking for a few months stopping for a few months, and then starting up again.

5.  Give Before You Get

Business networking is all about building and managing relationships.  If we approach it purely on the basis of what we can get out of it, our self-interest will inevitably show up in our verbal and non-verbal behaviours. 

Instead of self-absorption, look for ways to help the people you want to get to know before you ask them for something for you or your organisation.  What should you give away?  Give items that are important and will add value for the other person or group such as information, resources and qualified referrals.  These are items that don’t cost or disadvantage you, apart from your time.  When you give, you will be remembered and appreciated for your thoughtfulness.

To your Networking Success,

Lynne

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director 
People Results 
1300 167 981 
enquiries@peopleresults.com.au 
www.peopleresults.com.au 

p.s. Would you like to develop or refresh your networking strategies and skills? Join us for the People Results’ Networking Plus Half-Day workshop in Brisbane on Tuesday, 12th March 2013; click here for details and how to register.

Only One Extraordinary Manager - Part 1

I’ve had quite a few managers in my career; and most have been reasonably good at the craft of managing.  (By necessity managing is hands-on and practical so I think of it as a craft.)  Only one was extraordinary and stands out as the finest exemplar.  He was my manager for eight years or so in the academic publishing industry.  Now happily retired, his name is Patrick Walsh.

So, what was it about Patrick Walsh that stands out like a beacon of light surpassing all others? 

There are many reasons which I have grouped under the headings of:

• Character

• Communication

• Consistency

In this first of three short articles, I plan to write some words on the first one of Pat’s abovelisted management/leadership abilities.

Character

As each of his team members got to know Pat, we all discovered his strong and courageous character.  He worked hard and long hours.  He did not ask more of us than he demanded of himself. 
His self-discipline and dedication was evident in his thorough preparation and organisation.  We got the message that there is no substitute for doing the work, and putting in the hours if you want to be successful. 


When we needed his words of wisdom and encouragement, Pat made time.

When we needed his counsel, Pat was there to listen.  When we needed a practical solution, Pat would work it out for us and with us.

When he had to manage “the hard stuff,” Pat was firm and fair.  He did not avoid or shirk the unpleasant task as many managers do.  When one of us said or did the wrong thing, he did not look the other way.  He had the difficult conversations that needed to be had.  We respected him for it.

Another aspect of Pat’s character we all came to know was his curiosity about others and about what and why the world turned around as it did.  Being endlessly curious means never having to be bored even when some of the routine tasks of managing must have been repetitive and tiresome for Pat. 

Through everything, Pat set the gold standard for his team and kept going.  He modelled the value of persistence, of digging in and not letting go.  No matter what the problem or challenge, Pat persisted. 

Part of Pat’s extraordinary character was his courage.  He went in to bat for his team on issues that made him quite unpopular with the senior managers at various times.  We – his team members – always knew that Pat would take up our issues with the executives of the company.  He didn’t always win but he always tried hard to win for us.  We knew that. 

Another aspect of Pat’s character was (and is) his essential humanity which you could see in his twinkling blue eyes.  He was very kind, caring and humorous.  He always saw the funny side of a situation.  Often he restrained his laughter until he could no longer keep it in and it burst out of him. 
We knew when it was coming like a gigantic sneeze you can’t contain.  Sure enough, his laughter would set off everyone else laughing with him.

The net effect of Pat’s strong character was the total respect we all developed for him as our manager/leader.  When we respect another human being, we move quickly into trusting him/her.  We know he/she will act in our best interests.  We want to return their trust and do our best and achieve our best.  We will walk over the “hot coals” and do what is difficult and persist to live up to our manager’s expectations.  We want to shine in their eyes.  We think, “How can I live up to Pat’s example?”  “How can I get better?”  “What would Pat say or do in this situation?”

Through their example, do we take on some of our manager/leader’s character?  Yes, I am sure of it.  To develop into an extraordinary manager/leader, firstly we must work on our own character and be the sort of person that others will follow, respect, admire and want to emulate. 

 

In the next article in this three-part series, I will focus on Pat’s extraordinary communication abilities.

What do you think makes a great manager/leader?  It would be great to have the benefits of your experience and thoughts on this topic.

Have a Great Week!

Lynne



Lynne Lloyd

People Results

Executive Coaching ~ Talent Development Programs
Level 24, 10 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000
T    1300 167 981
M  0421 998749
E    lynne.lloyd@peopleresults.com.au
W  www.peopleresults.com.au
 

FEBRUARY WORKSHOPS:

Executive Presence for Women - Brisbane - 12.2.13 - Details and/or to Register: http://www.stickytickets.com.au/10135

Executive Presence for Women - Sydney - 20.2.13 - Details and/or to Register: http://www.stickytickets.com.au/10170

 Confident Presentation Skills - Brisbane - 27.2.13 - Details and/or to Register:  www.stickytickets.com.au/10171

Executive Presence: it's not complicated!

Have you noticed how some “experts” make things so complicated?  Instead of a one or two layer cake, we get served a giant piece of gateaux with eight sticky layers.  

Executive Presence is one such concept that is often over-complicated by self-styled experts.  In a recent article Scott Eblin tries hard to define executive presence but unfortunately he does more to obscure its meaning. 

Eblin states how executive presence is “about your ability to get results, especially when the expectations around results are continually changing.”  This is a good strong statement, however it describes being the kind of leader who takes change in his/her stride and produces results for the organisation.  This statement is not executive presence. 

A confident executive presence is a career accelerator for you.

 So let’s not over-complicate executive presence and make it something way out in the stratosphere.  Creating executive presence is a personal concept, it is empowering and it is within each individual’s control.  Simply, executive presence is managing others’ perceptions positively through our personal presentation, our interpersonal communication and our choice of actions.  

Naturally we shape and implement our executive presence in various contexts:  interpersonally, within our own team, leading a project, in our interactions and relationships internally and in selected external forums.  

It is inevitable that we create impressions wherever we go and whatever we do.  Impressions turn into others’ perceptions of us.  The most important element of executive presence building is our heightened awareness through which we are able to manage how others perceive us in conscious and deliberate ways.  Executive presence is as simple and un-complicated as that!

In the Executive Presence workshop, we cover executive presence using the acronym L.A.W. which is an effective and simple way to remember to plan and do the things that will raise our executive presence and influence.  

L          is for how we look, our visual image and personal presentation

A         is for the decisions and actions we take

W        is for the words we use in conversations, meetings and social gatherings

So how simple is LAW!  Executive presence is our unique combination of L.A.W.  Each individual has a different thumbprint and equally each of us has a distinctive executive presence.  

Would you like positive momentum, strategies and skills to build your executive presence in 2013?  People Results offers two versions of our popular half-day Program:  the Executive Presence workshop for men and women and the Executive Presence exclusively for Women workshop.  Public workshop dates for February are now available.

People Results programs and services are at www.peopleresults.com.au 

People Results email is enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

“Working Mum” Does Not Define Me

Returning to your professional role after maternity leave is a challenging personal transition.  There have been some very big changes in your life since you became a mother.  It is only natural to feel anxious about whether you are doing the right thing, or if the timing is workable or any number of other reasons. 

Back at work, you feel a bit out of it because things have changed in your absence.  There are new colleagues, new processes, perhaps a new senior manager.  Even the job is not quite the same as when you left.  You may have new responsibilities or you have been placed in a different team.  Home, work, life, parenthood:  the Universe has spun around a few times.  Most likely you will feel out of alignment for a while as you negotiate your way through all this change.

 

 

Define it and Manage it and You will be in Control of your Professional Brand.

Perhaps you decided to come back part time for the first few months.  But part-time hours does not mean part-time effort and dedication to you.  You expect to be regarded as a full member of the team.  You are an experienced professional with loads of confidence and energy, yet you are picking up some signals that you are being perceived in a different light.  These signals include comments like “Well, we can’t get Mandy on that project because she’s not here all the time.” Or “Didn’t you receive that email?  I thought I sent it to everyone.” 

People appear to be stereotyping you as a Mum first, professional second.  These individuals may not be consciously aware of their thought patterns or have ulterior motives.  They automatically think “Working Mum” before they think of you in as a professional in your field.  Working Mum has become a dominant part of your Brand at work. 

While you love being a mother, you don’t want your managers and colleagues to put “Working Mum” ahead of everything else about you.  Here are a few ideas on how you can swing your professional brand back to where you want it to be:

·        Consciously segment your life as you walk through the office door each morning.  Switch your mind over from your parenting role to your professional role.  Can you think of yourself as an actor taking a different part on a different stage?  Give your complete focus to this role for the next seven hours until you leave at the end of the day. 

·        Define your Professional Brand.  How do you want others to perceive you at work?  By defining your key brand messages it will be easier for you to express and project them every day.  When you reinforce brand messages of “serious, committed, proactive, creative, professional (amongst others)” you are defining who you are and how you want others to “see” you. 

 

·        Pay particular attention to your personal presentation.  Refresh your wardrobe with a couple of new outfits and shoes.  Don’t forget the jacket trick.  Pop a jacket over your dress or blouse/skirt ensemble when you attend meetings for an instant corporate look.  Perhaps it is time for a new hairstyle and colour?  When you look good, you feel good and your confidence will soar. 

·         Be consistent and stay within your Professional Brand at all times at work.  Don’t share too much or express doubts to work colleagues about your ability to fulfil your dual roles.  Reserve any such conversations to have with trusted friends and family members.

·        When someone asks about the baby, be polite and answer her/him briefly (no more than a couple of sentences).  Then immediately swing the conversation over to a work topic, e.g. “Thanks for asking about Joshua.  He is going really well.  Bob, I wanted to ask you about the remuneration report…”  Do not give into your (only natural) instincts to talk on about your child or children and go through all the cute things he is saying and doing.  This is reinforcing the “Working Mum” tag which will get even stronger.

·        Do not turn your work-station or desk into a baby wonderland of multiple photos and memorabilia.  Again this display is reinforcing that you are Mum first, professional second.  Also do not volunteer your latest digital photos of your child to everyone on the team.  You are giving the “Working Mum” tag lots of oxygen and it will only grow bigger.

 

·        If you believe you are not being treated as a full member of the team, step in and correct any misconceptions quickly.  For instance, if you haven’t been included in a group email, have a quick word with the colleague involved, “I didn’t receive that email.  Would you please make sure I am on the distribution list?” 

·        If you have been overlooked for an interesting project, say to your manager, “Tom, I would have liked to be involved with that one.  Is there any reason why you didn’t think of me?”  If Tom replies, “Well you’re not here all the time…”  You could reply by reminding Tom that you have a full-time dedication and commitment and that you can take on such a project by managing your time and other commitments, etc.” 

 

·       Ask for what you want.  Don’t leave your manager in any doubt of your serious commitment to developing yourself and your career.  Take control of your Brand and let your manager and others around you know how you wish to be perceived, what projects you would ideally like to be involved in and what and how you can contribute.

It is really up to you!  When you continually reinforce the brand messages you want to be known by, you will break through the stereotype of the “Working Mum” tag in a relatively short time.  Quite simply, at work you will become your Professional Brand.

 

To your brand-new Professional Brand!

 

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director

People Results

Telephone 1300 167 981

enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

www.peopleresults.com.au

 

 

p.a. Need help with creating your Professional Brand?  People Results provides executive coaching and a number of talent development programs for women managers and professionals:  two of our popular workshop are Executive Presence for Women and WomenSpeak.  According to your needs, we facilitate workshops in-house exclusively for our clients' team members as well as offering public workshops regularly throughout the year.