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Zen and the Art of Feedback
Last week we examined how to create an environment that encourages feedback. Leading by example paves the way for you to give feedback more effectively to your colleagues. Today we’ll discuss the art of crafting and delivering feedback. Plan Your Feedback If you’ve delivered 10,000 hours of feedback and achieved “Feedback Mastery,” you may be able…
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Feedback is a Gift
One of the most effective leadership tools available to us is feedback. The old saying is, “It is better to give than to receive.” When it comes to feedback, I recommend we turn this adage on its head. By encouraging and gracefully receiving feedback, we create an environment that will make it easier for us…
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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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Onstage and Backstage
Building on the Go On Tour blog’s theme from two weeks ago, I’m exploring the difference between being “Onstage” and “Backstage.” Onstage in a Business Context Most of us can intuitively connect with the notion of Onstage. Maybe it conjures up memories of a childhood performance in a play, a talent show competition, or presenting at an…
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Go on Tour
Throughout my leadership career, one of my staples was regularly connecting with the people I worked with, whether my boss, my direct reports, or my peers across the organization. Years later, I read Scott Eblin’s The Next Level, and he described this technique beautifully when he talked about going on a listening tour. Today we’ll talk…
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1:1 101
Some organizations do a fabulous job developing new managers and giving them the fundamentals they need to succeed. Many others do not. If there is no formal management training program, you may still get lucky if you’ve had the luxury of a good manager in the past (or present). Or you may be flying blind.…
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Decisions, Decisions
I have a new rule. If I have the same coaching conversation five times or more, it gets a blog post. Here’s a coaching question I encounter a lot. “How do I decide between staying in my current job or moving into a new one?” Coachees often grapple with this decision, whether fueled by the…
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Do As I Say, Not As I Do
How many hours do you typically work per week? 40? 50? 60? 80? Last week I talked to someone who had logged multiple 100-hour weeks at a client site (yes, that’s 14 hours a day for 7 days…). There is no right or wrong answer here. Everyone’s situation is different. The critical question is how…
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The Rider and the Elephant
This week’s post continues the theme of Influencing for Change which I started last week when I discussed how to strengthen your connections. Today I want to share a few insights from an excellent book on the topic, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by brothers Chip and Dan Heath. I was gifted this book…
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Strengthening Connections
I recently spent time with a coachee discussing techniques to influence change, particularly in areas where you lack explicit authority. There are numerous strategies you can employ in this area. For today I’ll focus on one key aspect – identifying the key individuals that will help you influence that change and strengthening those relationships. Identify…
