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By Request
When I coach leaders, we discuss a wide range of topics, such as strengthening relationships, moving from mentoring to coaching, or improving personal productivity. Of all the topics, one stands out as the most prevalent. Nearly every leader I have ever worked with has wanted to improve their ability to delegate effectively. One challenge is…
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Building Bridges
Recently a leader gave me feedback on a coaching conversation that he found particularly impactful. “When you raised both hands and commented on the ‘Us vs. Them’ culture between the two departments, everything clicked, and I realized what I would do next time.” Today I’ll unpack the learning we unlocked together. The Scenario I’ll leave…
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Promises, Promises
Leaders get their job done through language. We have spent the past few weeks examining a set of language distinctions called speech acts. We are more effective leaders and humans when we master these distinctions: Today we’ll cover one final distinction – promises (commitments). We waste time and energy when we fail to manage promises…
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Taking Initiative
My previous blog posts on delegating effectively (links at the end of this post) were popular enough that they have evolved into a training offering. Today I offer another tip that can help both leaders looking to delegate more effectively and individual contributors looking to increase their level of autonomy and initiative in their role. Levels…
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Delegation 102
Last week in Delegation 101, we explored many common barriers preventing us from delegating effectively. This week we leverage one of the foundational components of ontological coaching, speech acts, to help us be clear with our delegation requests. Much of what I share here comes from Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence by Chalmers Brothers and Vinay…
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Delegation 101
Last week we dug into the Enemies of Delegation. If you missed that post, it’s a quick read, and I encourage you to go back and review it before continuing here. Today, we will talk through some strategies to overcome these barriers. I don’t want to overwhelm my employees. This one particularly challenges empathetic leaders. We…
