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Great Leaders Speak Last
As a leader, you regularly lead meetings. In leading, you feel compelled to open the discussion and share your thoughts. This gets the ball rolling and sets the tone for the meeting. In some cases, this technique can backfire. I have usually been good about holding back and letting others speak first. One time, however,…
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Missing Conversations
One of the three foundational areas of ontological coaching is our use of language. You may think of language as a communication tool to describe the world. It is that and so much more. Language can be generative. For example, a new country was created through the Declaration of Independence. As I began to understand this, I realized…
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Magical Meetings
When you think about meetings, what emotions arise? As a senior leader, I often played Tetris with my calendar, trying to squeeze someone into an already-packed schedule. According to Zippia, 24 billion hours are wasted yearly due to unproductive meetings. What if meetings could be a magical experience for you? What if you found yourself routinely…
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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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Valuing Every Voice
Have you ever seen a story like this? The Acme Software company was in crisis. A deliverable to a strategic client was critically behind, and no one saw a path to getting it back on schedule. Senior leadership and the project team came together to brainstorm options. The team debated vigorously for two hours and…
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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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Face-to-Face
One silver lining to the pandemic is that it showed us how effectively we could leverage video conferencing and remote work across a much more comprehensive range of activities than we were previously willing to embrace. As a coach, I am grateful for this. Most of my coachees live nowhere near me and would not…
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Your 360 Feedback
360 feedback is an excellent tool for getting honest, candid feedback from your colleagues. I conduct 360 feedback interviews for every organizational coaching engagement to gain insights into the coachee’s superpowers and their kryptonite. This process is richer than one issued by the organization because the interviewees know that the only person who sees the…
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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…
