Coaching for Leaders

Latest Episodes:

111: Wise Words That Can Help You Lead Oct 21, 2013

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Once in awhile, someone says something cool that we take throughout our lives to help us lead. On this episode, wise words that can help you influence better. I share four stories that will help you lead more effectively. First story Take small bits of wisdom from others and then, over time, make it your own. Second story Be humble enough to realize what you don't know and get advice from the experts. Third story When you or others have missed a feedback opportunity, acknowledge it and move forward the correct way. Fourth story Be willing to change directions for a few minutes to make someone's day. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

110: Five Ways to Scale Your Leadership, with Jim Lynch Oct 14, 2013

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Guest: Jim Lynch Those of us who have responsibility to lead often find ourselves getting overwhelmed with all we need to do. On this episode, I welcome community member and experienced leader Jim Lynch to the show to discuss five sure-fire ways to scale your leadership. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

109: Seven Tools to Help You Do Your Best Work Oct 07, 2013

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Technology is great, but only if it helps you work better. On this episode, I share 7 tools that I use and will help you get the most of our your time. I currently use them all daily in my work and I'm excited to share their benefits with you. My three criteria for selection these tools: Cross-platform Not apps/tools that you already know everything about Clear business model Frees time to invest doing the things you are best at I currently use all of them Highrise (highrisehq.com) The problem this solves: Trying to piece together everything someone has every told you in multiple places. Far less complex than traditional CMSs Manage relationships Track conversations Tag people for events, projects, etc. Track details (birthdays, family names, etc.) Integrates Twitter and LinkedIn Basic task management Tracks pending customer deals Free plan up to 250 contacts / 30-day free trial What will this help you do? Get stuff out of your head and manage lots of different relationships. Basecamp (basecamp.com) The problem this solves: Re-doing the same work again and again and checking in to see if people have done stuff. Project management tracking Templates for projects Integration with a team No free version, but a 60-day free trial (no credit card), $20/month TimeTrade (timetrade.com) The problem this solves: Spending countless hours going back and forth with people on times to schedule with you. You give TimeTrade calendar access (Outlook, Calendar, Google calendar) and it looks for free spots You have a link and people can schedule and cancel automatically Great for people who are outside your organization and don’t want to have any detailed access to your calendar Appointments show up automatically in calendar and by email One downside - you need to watch what is free in your calendar Free version is available, but I use the $49/year version Lift (lift.do) The problem this solves: Keeps you on track for the daily habits that are important to you. Set habits in the system Track when you complete them Follow others and encourage others and get encouragement in return Example: Wake up at 5am It sends you little motivators by email on alerts on your phone This version is entirely free See screenshot below from my iPhone Instapaper (instapaper.com) The problem this solves: Cool articles on the web distracting you from getting your work done Set up an account and install an extension in your browser See something you like? Hit the button on your browser and it saves it into your account. Read it later on the device you want to use. I use the Instapaper app on my iPad. I can then send it other places. Instapaper account is free, but the apps are a few dollars, depending on the device you use. Or, you can read on the web. Pocket is a another alternative, but I'm not clear on their business model. Buffer (bufferapp.com) The problem this solves: Staying engaged on social media without having to be on social media all the time One of my goals this year - show up more online. But how, with limited time? Fill your queue with relevant things for the people who follow you Buffer will post them on your behalf at regular intervals Great way to feature the work of others - I do this especially with Twitter Free version available, but I use $10/month version 1Password (1password.com) The problem this solves: Not having to track all those passwords in your life and also limiting the ability of hackers to get access to your life Create unique passwords for every site you visit online Keep them all in one place, protected by a master password Login automatically from your browser Syncs across devices using Dropbox or iCloud Massive time saver and fantastic peace of mind Just this week, Adobe announced they had a breach of accounts $40-$80 depending on the version you buy Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

108: How to Improve Your Writing, with Mignon Fogarty Sep 30, 2013

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Mignon Fogarty: Grammar Girl On this episode, how to improve your grammar and usage so you can communicate effectively in writing…and who better to teach us than Grammar Girl. Do you remember what the raven is for? Resources from Grammar Girl Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Dictionary.com Garner's Modern American Usage [affiliate link] Google Books Ngram The Grammar Devotional [affiliate link] Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing [affiliate link] Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

107: Three Steps to Soliciting Feedback, with Tom Henschel Sep 23, 2013

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Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Many of us are told time and time again in our careers that we should be asking for feedback from the people we work with and manage. However, a lot of us mess it up. On today’s show, 3 steps to soliciting feedback from Tom Henschel, executive coach and host of The Look & Sound of Leadership podcast. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

106: How to Create Your Personal Networking Plan, with John Corcoran Sep 16, 2013

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John Corcoran: How To Create Your Personal Networking Plan Key Points You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Identify 50 people you want to build relationships with. The most meaningful relationships get beyond industry talking points and connect with someone at a personal level. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

105: How to Find a Mentor Sep 09, 2013

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In Greek mythology, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus and was placed in charge of his son Telemachus when Odysseus left for war. Merriam-Webster's dictionary calls a mentor, "A trusted counselor or guide." What do you want to get from mentoring? Probably what you aren’t good at (or at least not yet) Plus, it's something that's important for you to get better at Advance planning Who do you know who's good at that? Are there multiple people? You don't have to know them today Your greatest mentors will never expect anything Identify specifically how someone can help and begin there Make a mind map of the people who could help Create a board of directors Getting Started Start off with a specific question Know that not everyone will respond or won’t be willing to help Wait on asking someone to “be a mentor” Everyone has a different context for this It could seem like a huge commitment It's awkward if they don't want to make that committment Find a way to connect regularly This is where proximity and formal programs can help Make a point to connect regularly It’s great to be influenced by those that you don’t speak with regularly, but find people you will see Be willing to ask for help Get out of the “asking for help is a weakness” mentality What’s something in front of you right now that a new perspective would be helpful with? My challenge to you is to go out and identify a person and approach them with a specific question and ask advice. Remember, you don’t have to take the advice. If they don’t respond, identify a second person. Past shows that might also be helpful to you on the topic of mentoring: Episode #61: How to Start A Mentoring Program with guest Stella Cowan Episode #63: Practical Advice for Mentoring with guest Kurt Allebach Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

104: How to Maintain Control When Completely Overwhelmed Sep 02, 2013

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It’s a busy time of the year for many of us and perhaps you’re struggling with overwhelm recently and#8211; or maybe you feel out of control already. On today’s show, you’ll discover how to maintain control when completely overwhelmed.

103: Sin by Silence, with Olivia Klaus Aug 26, 2013

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Olivia Klaus: Sin By Silence Inside the California Institution for Women, the first inmate initiated and led group in U.S. prison history, shatters the misconceptions of domestic violence. Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA) was created in 1989 to help women inside prison break the silence about abuse and learn more about what they needed to do to help others stop the cycle of violence. Director Olivia Klaus joins me to discuss how she influenced social change throughout the State of California through her film, Sin by Silence. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

102: Seven Things to Ask the People You’re Managing, with Bonni Stachowiak Aug 19, 2013

Show notes

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Are you taking on a role as a new manager? Do you know what to say in your first conversations with members of the team? Many new managers recognize the importance of early conversation with the people they will manage, but they don’t always know how to start those conversations. In this episode, I welcome back Bonni to review the seven questions to ask the people you’ll be managing. How did you come to work here? Tell me what you do for the team? What’s working on the team? What isn’t? How does this job fit (or not) into your career objectives? What keeps you busy outside of work? (And ask it exactly that way). What advice do you have for me on how to best work with you? If I ever have an issue with something you’re doing, what’s the best way to tell you? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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