Coaching for Leaders

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321: How to Get Engagement Online, with Bonni Stachowiak Oct 30, 2017

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Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Elmer asked about how to use Twitter to help people in his organization stay in touch. Andrew asked how he can get coaching and/or leadership development when his organization doesn’t have the funding. Anders asked about technology tools that will help leaders influence the hearts and minds of people. Roger asked for advice on how to give his manager feedback. Jen asked about managing former peers. Resources Mentioned The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work* by Peter Block Zoom* FeedForward by Marshall Goldsmith Related Episodes How Twitter Can Help You Lead, with Joel Comm (episode 242) How to Manage Former Peers, with Tom Henschel (episode 257) How to Challenge Directly and Care Personally, with Kim Scott (episode 302) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

320: Better Leadership Through StrengthsFinder, with Lisa Cummings Oct 23, 2017

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Lisa Cummings: Lead Through Strengths Lisa Cummings is the founder and CEO of Lead Through Strengths, a firm that exists to help people find and use their strengths at work. Lisa and her team serve large teams and organizations to help them leverage the results of the CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment. She is also the host of the popular Lead Through Strengths podcast. Some leaders see different StrengthsFinder talents as obstacles, but these same difference can make our teams shine. In this conversation, Lisa and I examine the four demands of leadership and how we can honor the talents of each person. Key Points Our true strengths are the things we don’t often see as strengths because they come easily to us. Do the things you do well and find other people are good at the things you aren’t. Many people think they’re very similar to others, but there are a lot of underlying differences they don’t give themselves credit for. The Four Demands of Leadership are Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Thinking. Resources Mentioned CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment Four Demands of Leadership Lead Through Strengths podcast The Ultimate Guide to Using Your Strengths to Get Hired* Soar With Your Strengths* by Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson Related Episodes How to Interpret Your StrengthsFinder and CliftonStrengths Results, with Steve Dosier (episode 90) How to Succeed with Leadership and Management, with John Kotter (episode 249) How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

319: The Way to Stop Spinning Your Wheels on Planning Oct 16, 2017

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Dave Stachowiak: Coaching for Leaders I am often asked how I produce this show, facilitate the Coaching for Leaders Academy, and still manage to keep work-life balance in check. Like most people, it is a daily struggle and that I error on often. However, I have found a few systems that work well for me. In this episode, I share why I've found quarterly planning to work well for me. In addition, I walk though my planning process in detail, so you can replicate the areas that align best with the context of your work. Key Points Leaders need to both lead and plan. Planning takes discipline. Plan out quarterly in addition to, or even instead of, planning annually. Take the most important areas of your life and try to find an objective for each one that you can focus on during the quarter. Lagging indicators are the results, and leading indicators are the action steps you take to get the results. Your life will mostly fill up with day-to-day tasks, but the key is what you do with the remaining time. We tend to think we can do it all. Have a “next quarter list” easily accessible so you can get things out of your head and clear up mental space. Having a quarterly plan will help you make better decisions because you’ve already done the critical thinking about what’s important to you. Resources Mentioned The 12-Week Year* by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington The Four Disciplines of Execution* by Chris McChesney and Sean Covey Related Episodes Do This for a Productive Week (episode 180) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) How to Turn Goals Into Results (MemberCast 1) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

318: Ideas Worth Stealing From Top Entrepreneurs, with Dorie Clark Oct 09, 2017

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Dorie Clark: Entrepreneurial You Dorie Clark is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Recognized as a branding expert by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is the author of the new book, Entrepreneurial You* — and her prior books, Reinventing You* and Stand Out*. Key Points Even things that seem solid can change at any moment. Anybody, in any career, needs to emphasize flexibility and adaptability. 35% of Americans are self-employed, projected to be 40% by 2020. Entrepreneurial side projects expand your skills for your main career. Side projects often create new career opportunities. If something is not being done, ask why is it not being done. Because it’s impossible? Or just hard? Check for metrics that you’re heading in the right direction. Progress might not always come in the form you’re expecting. How do you diversify but do it in a way that doesn’t pull you in a million directions? Resources Mentioned Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion* by Robert B. Cialdini Entrepreneurial You Self-assessment Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive* by Dorie Clark Related Episodes How to Stand Out, with Dorie Clark (episode 189) How to Be a Non-Conformist, with Adam Grant (episode 238) How to Solve a Really Big Problem, with Teresa Chahine (episode 292) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

317: We Are All Heroes in Our Own Movies, with Bonni Stachowiak Oct 02, 2017

Show notes

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Melvin asked about how to handle a layoff he’s been asked to do. Melissa asked about what she should do differently before letting people go. Carlos asked about how to change the dynamics on a dysfunctional team. Krystal asked about good reading resources for better customer service. Jun asked about what he could do to improve his executive presence. Resources Mentioned The Automatic Customer* by John Warrillow Good Authority* by Jonathan Raymond Radical Candor* by Kim Scott The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe by Simon Sinek Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service* by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie Related Episodes The Power Of Servant Leadership, with John Dickson (episode 137) How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192) How to Challenge Directly and Care Personally, with Kim Scott (episode 302) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) Membercast 4: How to Create a Team Vision Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

316: Executive Presence with Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel Sep 25, 2017

Show notes

Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership. Key Points An elevator speech is a crisp, concise, high-level summary of a complex, multi-layered topic. It can be about whatever you do as a profession, but it can also be about anything else, like your recent vacation. Elevator speeches get crafted … it doesn’t happen in the spur of the moment. Creating an elevator speech doesn’t take long, but you have to choose to reflect. An elevator speech is actually a conversation tailored to the other person. Say a little bit, and then test the other person’s level of interest. The longer you talk, the less effective you are. The Three Qualities of a Great Elevator Speech Keep it short Be memorable Tailor it to the listener Resources Mentioned Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office* by Lois P. Frankel Related Episodes Enhance Your Executive Presence, with Tom Henschel (episode 272) How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279) Tom Henschel Interviews Dave (episode 300) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

315: How to Transcend Work-Life Balance, with Scott Anthony Barlow Sep 18, 2017

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Scott Anthony Barlow: Happen to Your Career Scott Anthony Barlow is the Founder of Happen to Your Career. He’s been featured on CNBC, Yahoo, CareerBuilder, Fast Company and Huffington Post and various colleges and universities as a top expert on career happiness. He's held roles executive roles in human resources, business development, and career coaching. Scott is the host of the Happen to Your Career podcast, featuring the career stories of many successful professionals. His team and him have worked with over 25,000 people to help them stop settling, find their signature strengths, and start doing meaningful work they are enamored with. In this conversation, Scott and I explore the myth of work-life balance and discuss how we should instead be aiming for work-life integration. Key Points Life doesn’t stop when you’re at work. The goal is to build a career that fully integrates with what you want most out of life. If you’re around the people you want to be around then you become a happier person. When people say they want work-life balance, what they’re really saying is that they want to experience happiness in how they’re spending their time. When you do things that other people are not willing to do, you get results that other people don’t get. Resources Mentioned 8-Day Video Course to Figuring Out What You Love* The Ultimate Guide to Using Your Strengths to Get Hired* Mike Vardy on time theming StrengthsFinder training for individuals and teams* (use code CFL10 for a 10% tuition discount) The ONE Thing* by Jay Papasan The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey The Dip* by Seth Godin Related Episodes How to Know When to Move On (episode 175) How to Hire a Coach, with Marc Mawhinney (episode 179) How to Figure Out Your Career, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 259) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

314: Three Steps to Establish Your Leadership Brand, with Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster: Your Leadership Brand Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster are from Root + River. They are brand strategists and marketers who believe that your brand is how other people experience what you believe. In this episode, Emily and Justin show us the key steps to create a framework for your leadership brand. Key Points Branding is something that begins inside of you. Much of branding is just uncovering what’s inside of you, articulating it, and then reflecting it outward. We’re living in a world where we can no longer get away with pretending to be something we’re not, so we have no alternative but to be ourselves. If you reverse engineer a brand failure, it’s usually because of a poor leadership decision, not a marketing problem. Whenever there is an outward branding problem, look inward. The most successful brands are the ones that have a minuscule chasm between their public brand and how they operate internally. Most missions come from suffering. What problem does the organization solve in the world? When there’s a connection to a belief, it becomes the message that then permeates every aspect of an organization. Branding becomes an invitation to believe what you believe. Our obsession with branding and marketing being finished is part of the problem. It’s always good for your brand to take a stand. Three questions to ask when building a brand: What do you believe in? What’s your mission? How do you create value in the world? Resources Mentioned Root + River An Open Letter on Branding Oatmeal v Bacon: Oatmeal is Boring, Bacon is Not - The Branding Book for People that Care* by Justin Foster Related Episodes The Five Elements Of Your Personal Brand, with Heather Backstrom (episode 133) The Four Stories Leaders Need For Influence, with David Hutchens (episode 148) How to Stand Out, with Dorie Clark (episode 189) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

313: The Way to Start Leading, with Bonni Stachowiak Sep 04, 2017

Show notes

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Chris asked for advice on how to begin his leadership development journey, in spite of a lot of current frustrations. Warren asked for our perspective on how to handle a problematic situation with two employees he has inherited. Malcolm asked about our philosophy of leadership and how much we need to stay true to ourselves. Resources Mentioned The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie 11 Crucial Books That Every Leader Should Know American Management Association Dale Carnegie courses Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking* by Susan Cain Podcast episodes for new leaders Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body* by Roxane Gay The Power of Vulnerability* by Brené Brown Related Episodes The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, with Susan Cain (episode 44) The Way to Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

312: Where Technical People Begin on Leadership, with Jon Lokhorst Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

Jon Lokhorst: Technical Leaders Jon Lokhorst is a leadership coach and consultant who partners with CPAs, CFOs, and other leaders who face massive change in their industry and recognize the need for a new model of leadership to navigate those challenges. Key Points Leadership development is often neglected in technical fields. We have a tendency to focus more on our clients’ businesses than our own. Take a step back and ask yourself, “What are the things that are really important to focus on that aren’t necessarily urgent?” Resources Mentioned Jon’s white paper and e-course on professional development Related Episodes How to Influence Numerous Stakeholders, with Andy Kaufman (episode 240) How to Figure Out Your Career, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 259) How to Get Into Leadership Flow, with Croft Edwards (episode 264) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

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