Coaching For Leaders

Many of us struggle with being more productive. Here are four steps we can all take to get better results. Guest: Tim Stringer Holistic Productivity Online Courses LearnOmniFocus.com “There’s only two problems in life. Either you don’t know where you’re going or you don’t know the next step.” -Tim Stringer, paraphrasing David Allen Tim recommended Tony Schwartz's book Be Excellent At Anything* Step 1 - Reflection Tim recommends journaling to separate the noise from what’s most important The Day One app* is an excellent resource for this Step 2 - Accepting life as is Step 3 - Focus on one thing A positive shift in one area of life will influence many other areas It’s a lot easier to get early wins by starting with one area first Step 4 - Inspired action Work on a specific action for a 90-day period Think a strategize about your action like it’s already occurred Strategies Name projects the define the objective Due dates only when things are actually due Resources OmniFocus for th

The three key steps to take after you conduct a survey, with the recent Coaching for Leaders listener survey as our case study. Guest: Bonni Stachowiak 1. Thank people Dave used Surveymonkey.com for the listener survey 2. Share the results Resources for visualizing results Column Five Piktochart Demographics Over 100 people participated 40% have graduate degrees 75% of listeners are managers Of those, 60% have managed five years or more Findings Dave needs to be more concise (introductions and show length) People want to continue to hear more advice for practical action People like and want more Q&A 3. Take action Show length will be 30-40 minutes Advice or practical action at the end of each episode Question and answer show the first Monday of the month (submit your question) Products and services Free online resource library is coming Paid monthly membership with access to weekly training videos will start with a private beta test Email Dave at feed

When we think of successful people, astronauts are often fairly high on the list. Chris Hadfield flew on two space shuttles and commanded the international space station. Here’s here today to share wisdom from his success that will help all of us us, right here on Earth.   Guest: Astronaut Chris Hadfield Author of the New York Times Bestseller: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going To Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything* “So many people in life, maybe without even acknowledging it to themselves, let fear dictate a lot of their decision-making.” -Chris Hadfield Some keys to balancing sweating the small stuff and avoiding micromanagement Visualize it going perfectly Visualize failure before it has happened What’s the most likely 10 things to go wrong? Let’s simulate them and figure out how we will react to them Then run the simulation again to find the best plan and change behavior Aim to be a zero Begin by soaking up what’s going on a

Leaders often hear about influence through storytelling, but don't know where to start. Here are four stories to tell and how to get started.   Guest: David Hutchens DavidHutchens.com Author of the Upcoming Book: Circle of the 9 Muses: A Storytelling Field Guide for Innovators Storytelling is utilized for influence “It’s more important to tell a strategic story, to tell the right story, even if you don’t tell it particularly well.” -David Hutchens The starting point of telling stories is permission Storytelling is a skill that nobody really has to learn since it’s our natural language Leaders needs to give themselves permission to tell a story in their organization The 4 stories leaders need to tell Who we are stories - what it means to be us Think about the stories parents and caregivers told you when you were young about what it was like growing up for them When we do this, we impart information about what we believe and who we are today Every organization and team has an origin story Da

Matthew Butterick: Practical Typography Written communication may say as much about you as what you wear. Typography is more than just font. Matthew's rankings of common system fonts Book resource: Garner’s Modern American Usage* by Bryan Garner Mark Twain received the following telegram from a publisher: NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS. And famously replied… NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES. Use one space after a sentence. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Kent Rhodes: The Family Business Consulting Group Culture is how we do things around here. The three Levels of Culture from Edgar Schein Artifacts Espoused values Underlying assumptions Culture is difficult to identify when you are inside of it. Organizations confuse climate and culture: Climate comes from the outside and tends to be more temporary Culture is what is happening internally and more difficult to change Resources Books Organizational Culture and Leadership* by Edgar Schein Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture* by Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn Articles The Trader Joe's Experience by Mark Mallinger and Gerry Rossy Recognizing Organizational Culture in Managing Change by Mark Mallinger, Don Goodwin, and Tetsuya O'Hara The Competitive Advantage of Culture in a Family Business by Kelly LeCouvie and Kent Rhodes Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

You may have received training on giving feedback, but do you maximize how you receive it? On this show, discover how to get way better at accepting feedback. Guest: Sheila Heen Author with Douglas Stone of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well* Author with Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton of the New York Times Business Bestseller Difficult Conversations* Feedback sits at the core of two human needs: Our need to get better Our need to be accepted, respected, and loved for how we are now “Who’s giving the feedback is often a louder message than what they’re saying.” -Sheila Heen The six steps: 1. Know your tendencies Baseline (or set point): a level of satisfaction that you gravitate towards in the absence of life events Swing: how far positive or negative feedback knocks you off your baseline Recovery: how long it takes you to come back to your baseline Recovery speed can be different for positive and negative feedback Understanding your profile can help yo

We’ve talked a lot on this show about what to do in challenging situations. Today, what to do when the worst happens. Guest: Andrew Stenhouse, Ed.D. Dean, School for Graduate and Professional Studies Vanguard University of Southern California Loss is pervasive and we don’t often recognize how much we’re dealing with loss at the time. Three broad categories of emotions tend to show up for people during a time of workplace loss: Fear We don’t know the loss will affect us personally We don’t know how we are going to react to the loss These fears can surprise us and cause even more anxiety Anger We can be angry at the person who we lost We need to be able to express our anger in some way Anger sometimes feels good because it provides some illusion of control Sadness Anger tends to yield to sadness Guilt is the feeling that we could or should have done something We can sometimes feel guilt that we are not in as much pain as we think we should be What leaders can do after a l

Susan Gerke: GO Team Resources This model originates with Bruce Tuckman in the 1960’s Forming Storming Norming Performing Susan and I discuss the issues at each stage above and the actions that both team members and leaders can take in order to maximize team performance. There are several options when conflict emerges: Reform the team Do good Feel good Deal with the conflict There are also several ways that change itself can happen to a team: Leadership changes Membership changes Changes to the purpose and goals of the team Resources The I in Team* by Susan Gerke Go Team by Susan Gerke and David Hutchens What’s one action you will take to be more proactive with your team’s development? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Susan Gerke: GO Team Resources Teams are different and unique Purpose Structure Stage of Development Membership Leadership When you are trying to figure out how to lead a team, 2 models can be very helpful. Types of Teams Interdependence degree of cooperation and coordination Number of meetings Content of meetings Goals —team vs. individual Reward team vs. individual Expertise Training plan Resources The I in Team* by Susan Gerke Go Team* by Susan Gerke and David Hutchens Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

John Dickson: Spokane County, Washington Here's a link to the Lean Fighter article John mentioned about some of the work he contributed to at Boeing John mentioned the learning organization that was articulated by Peter Senge. This model was made popular in Senge's book The Fifth Discipline*, which is a must-read for leaders and also appears on my Top 10 books for leaders list. “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, and serve first. The conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” -Robert Greenleaf “Enthusiasm is the little recognized secret of success.” -Dale Carnegie A recent article from the Spokesman-Review on the new utility bill payment system that John spoke of on the show. What’s one shift you could make that would make you more like a servant leader? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

For many of us, our tendency is to minimize our daily interruptions so we can get more done. On today’s show, my guest Douglas Conant helps us all recognize why these moments are critical in our work as leaders and how we can best utilize them. Guest: Douglas Conant Founder, Conant Leadership (Facebook) (Twitter) Former CEO, Campbell Soup and President of Nabisco Author with Mette Norgaard of the New York Time Bestseller TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments* “The More I Learn About the Outside World, The More Effective I Am With The Inside World.” -Doug Conant Doug's TouchPoint framework Ask first, “How can I help?” 1. Listen intently to what’s said and not said 2. Frame the issue so you understand the context in which the person is looking for your help 3. Help them advance the agenda Ask at the end, “How did it go?” Doug mentioned the book Talent is Overrarted by Geoff Colvin* Check out these two articles from Doug Turn Your Next Interr

This week, we dedicate the entire show to community questions about training. Guest: Bonni Stachowiak (@bonni208) Question from Jordan I am a young manager (mid-20’s). My job requires training large amounts of staff on software and technology. Many of the staff are twice my age, and tend to ignore me when giving trainings. I’m, not sure if this is because of my age, or because I have only been with the organization for 5 years, and many of  them have been here for 20+. Or perhaps it is because of the subject matter of the trainings? Do you have any suggestions on how to get through to them? Is it content or credibility? Seven Principles for Leading People Older Than You [episode #59] Seek out people who are giving you objections and find out how to best serve them. Dave mentioned How To Win Friends And Influence People* Lynda.com* is a good solution for learning popular software online at your pace Adobe Captivate is a good option for creating your own simulations Screenflow for the Mac is gr

While many things contribute to happiness, one key attitude shift in how we talk and think about our activities will help us be much happier. “Happiness isn’t doing what you like, it’s liking what you do.” -Quote on my dad's desk Vance Caesar was one of my professors in graduate school. He wrote The High Achiever’s Guide To Happiness* Vance said, “Create more 'gets to's' than 'got to's" Do you have more “get to’s” than “got to's?” Do you have to give someone feedback today, or do you get to? Do you have to give a presentation today, or do you get to? Do you have to resolve a conflict today, or do you get to? Do you have to go to work today, or do you get to? The secret to happiness is having more “gets to's” than “got to's” What will you do this week to turn a “got to” into a “get to?” Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

We all know what corporate brands are, but do you have clarity on your own, personal brand? Today, we examine the five elements of an effective personal brand with executive coach Heather Backstrom. Guest: Heather Backstrom HeatherBackstrom.com Executive Coach What is a personal brand? Personal brand is who a person is from the inside out. It’s not about external looks - that is personal image (also important, but different). 1. Values Knowing our values can provide clarity on the kind of work and work environment we choose. To help get clarity on your values, you may wish to utilize Dave’s values exercise at this link. Consider experiences in your life that really brought you joy - what values show up? For more on values, check out Coaching for Leaders episode 20. 2. Vision It’s about where you are now and where you wish to go. Create a target for yourself by defining it visually or in writing. “You can’t hit a target you don’t even have.” -Zig Ziglar For a journaling app, check ou

Being connected is great, right until it’s not. How to improve the quality of your connectedness with an expert from the Center for Creative Leadership. Guest: Jennifer Deal, Ph.D Center for Creative Leadership Author, Always On, Never Done: Don't Blame The Smartphone Center for Creative Leadership works to help improve leadership. Many people said that staying so connected really started when they received their smartphone. On average, people in the survey were connected to the workplace 72 hours a week, or 13.5 hours a day. Personal tasks done during the workday were accounted for in the research (even people that don’t work these kind of hours still do personal tasks at work) One of the biggest complaints was the number of meetings required in organizations. A major issue is being invited to meetings and then people realizing that they weren’t really needed. Setting clear agendas is key. Be explicit why each person is needed. Another major complaint was too many people making

“Knowledge management is a set of processes, individually constructed, to help each of us make sense of our world and work more effectively.” -Harold Jarche Capture Capturing through the stream Twitter Some social media Live TV Live radio Capturing through subscriptions Email updates and newsletters Podcasts RSS via services like Feedly.com Curate Bonni uses Delicious (link to her library) Dave uses Pinboard (link to his library) Evernote Pocket Kindle App Snippefy app (useful to export notes and highlights from Kindle) Diigo Create Social media postings Conversation starters Classroom/meeting starters Writing Bonni's blog is TeachingInHigherEd.com How would you like to get info from Dave? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

So you’re in the midst of conflict and frustrated with the other party. What can you do get what you really want? On today’s show, Bonni Stachowiak joins me to discuss the path to get there. Guest: Bonni Stachowiak Bonni and I discussed three steps for getting what you most want out of conflict: Recognize our tendency to focus on ourselves being right and the other party being wrong. Getting clear on the feeling factor: becoming aware of our own feelings and learning to express them accurately to another party Know your short and long-term goal. “Given what has already transpired that you can't change, what do you want to have come out of this situation?” We recommended the book Difficult Conversations* Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Did you know? That there is a full episode list online? Check it out at CoachingforLeaders.com/episodes Did you know there is a tag cloud of topics for everything on the Coaching for Leaders site? Check it out on the homepa

If you Google the phrase “work-life balance” you’ll get 265 million hits. There’s lots of information on this so called balance, but not as much on the practical perspective of what works and doesn’t for people. Today, my guest John Corcoran and I tackle the practical pursuit of work-life balance. Guest: John Corcoran SmartBusinessRevolution.com John also appeared on Coaching for Leaders epsiode #106: How to Create Your Personal Networking Plan List of resources that John or I mentioned during our conversation: Ursula Burns (CEO of Xerox) and her thoughts on work-life balance, as reported by the Wall Street Journal The Storyline Productivity Schedule (used by John) David Allen's Getting Things Done* (both John and Dave use the philosophy of this system) ProductiveFlourishing.com (John uses) OmniFocus (Dave's task management system) Drafts (how Dave captures thoughts throughout the day) 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever (Dave attended this course over the holidays to set his 2014 goals) iCloud c

What if you loved starting your work most days? What if you were able to create a workplace where people felt joy? Our guest today leads a place that Inc. Magazine has called, “The most joyful company in America,” and is here to inspire us to do more for the people we lead. Guest: Richard Sheridan Author of the new book Joy, Inc.* CEO, Menlo Innovations Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Episode #125 airing later this month will be an all question and answer show focused on the topic of Time Management. If you have a question relating to time management, please record it for consideration for this episode at this link. Thank you to Juha Ruohola, Mir Ali, Chad Belletete, Donnie Mefford, Simon Cooper, Varun Perla, Sanjay Patel, Craig Strickler, Terry Cao, Melissa Hecht, Hani Alshoulah, Par Hoglund, Reza Ahmadi, Rebecca Mohon, Lynn Schaffer, Teresa Gibson, René Rasmussen, Klaus Feldam, Dick Donovan, Melissa Williams, Sylvia Emery, and Ron Echtenacher who subscribed to my