Executive Coaching For Visionary Leaders - A Leadership Map For The Future

By Maynard Brusman

Visionary Leadership

Leaders need to create a vision for the future. It is human nature for people to want to know where the organization is headed and how they fit into the strategic plan.

I frequently consult with companies to help them develop competency models as part of their selection and succession management processes. The challenge is to change the competency models to reflect any changes in the strategy and vision so that all processes are aligned.
How well do you do as a leader in predicting the future?

Keeping up, staying up and getting ahead are now more difficult than we have previously imagined. There is no turning back, but there is turning forward. Mike Jay.

Predictions for the future can be stimulating and challenging, especially if one is a top executive in a business enterprise attempting to make strategic decisions. Our rapidly changing global environment presents problems never before encountered. No one knows what will be required of leaders in the future, but some speculation is worthy of our attention.

Predictions from experts in their fields have not always been accurate. Here are a few examples:
o In 1899 the U.S. Commissioner of Patents, Charles Duell, declared, Everything that can be invented has been invented.

o In 1905, President Grover Cleveland prophesied, Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.

o When Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, wrote a student paper proposing an overnight delivery service, his professor wrote: The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a C, the idea must be feasible.

o Even Bill Gates once mused, 640K of memory ought to be enough for anybody.

New industries are in their gestational phases. Some are already well on their way to becoming established products and services.

- Micro-robotics or miniature robots built from atomic particles that could unclog arteries

- Machine translation or devices that will provide real-time translation between people conversing in different languages

- Digital highways that will make available to any home instant access to knowledge and entertainment

- Urban underground automated distribution systems to reduce traffic congestionVirtual meeting rooms to eliminate business travel

- Bio-mimetic materials that will duplicate properties found in living organisms

- Satellite-based personal communicators that will allow instant communication to anyone anywhere in the world

-n Machines capable of emotions, inference, and learning that will interact with human beings in entirely new ways

- Bioremediation or custom-designed organisms that will help clean up the environment of the earth.

Each of these opportunities is by nature global, with no single nation or region likely to control all the technologies and skills required to turn them into reality. Any firm wishing to become a leader will have to collaborate with and learn from leading-edge customers, technology providers, and suppliers wherever they are located (Hamel & Prahalad, Competing for the Future, 1994). Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQi and CPI 260 can help you become a a more inspiring and visionary leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams.

We provide strategic talent management solutions to select and develop emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers.

The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded two rare "Board Approved" designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Law Firms.

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P.O. Box 471525San Francisco, California 94147-1525Tel: 415-546-1252Fax: 415-721-7322E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.comWeb Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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Leadership - Every Day In Every Way

By Wally Bock

John and I were having lunch midway through his shift. It was the graveyard shift and John was a police sergeant, one of the best.

"I haven't talked to Spalding yet tonight," he said as he scanned down a list of the people who worked for him. "We'll head that way next. And I've got to talk to Smith about that complaint, so we'll meet her for coffee later."

Books about leadership make it seem like what leaders do is mostly strategy and mostly cosmic. Reality is different.

For most leaders, most of the time, leadership is a round of daily actions that help the team accomplish the mission while they help team members do better and grow. In other words, the results of your leadership spring mostly from what you do every day as part of the natural rhythm of work.

Every day you need to make your expectations clear. Master the art of giving clear directions. Deliver the same core messages over and over.

Every day you need to check for understanding. Don't let people leave your presence without checking to make sure that they understand what you want.

Every day you need to make sure to touch base with your people. Make sure they're turning understanding into performance. Great supervisors touch base a lot.

Every day you need to use every one of those contacts as an opportunity to improve team performance and morale. They're real "Moments of Truth." Here's what to do in those moments.

Coach the team members who need it. Help them succeed, along with the team. Encourage good behavior and honest effort to do better. Praise improvement and effort. Correct what needs correcting. Small course corrections are best. Think of problems as dinosaurs that are much easier to kill when they're small.

Counsel those that need it. For those who can't or won't change, lay out the consequences if things don't improve. Then make sure you deliver the consequences. It's your job. Every day you need to do the hard work of weeding out the unfit and the unwilling. Making sure you meet all the requirements for a fair and final firing is hard work, but it has a big impact on productivity and morale. Slackers and malcontents are cancers that kill your team.

Don't succumb to magical thinking about management. It's what you do every day, not magic traits that will improve your team's productivity and morale.

Wally Bock helps organizations improve productivity and morale by selecting and developing great leaders at all levels. He coaches individual managers, and is a popular speaker at meetings and conferences in the US and elsewhere. This article first appeared in the Three Star Leadership Blog (http://blog.threestarleadership.com/). Check out Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit (http://www.threestarleadership.com/supervisorsupportkit/).

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Ten Ways Leaders Overcome Analysis Paralysis

By Andrew Cox

One of the biggest challenges leaders have is to ensure that preparation and analysis add real value and provide the framework for action. The biggest enemy to action is analysis paralysis.

One of the most difficult habits to break is the habit of continuing to create and analyze choices long after decisive action should have taken place. Analysis paralysis is the graveyard of many organizations and careers. It's procrastination - on both the organizational and individual level - caused by fear of failure, fear of consequences, fear of not being thorough, fear of making a mistake.

Analysis paralysis results in too many choices. Too many choices drag down the energy, the time and the effort of all those who are part of the issue.

Here are ten ways leaders have ensured they and their organizations don't fall victim to analysis paralysis.

1 - Define success as the result of a cumulative process - built on a cycle of action, evaluation, improvement - then action, evaluation, improvement. Nothing creates fear - and analysis paralysis - quicker than to be told that whatever decision is made will result in failure or success - with no other possible outcomes. Creating a either/or success or failure situation will almost certainly result in careful - read lengthy - analysis and preparation. Define ideal outcomes and solutions and use them as guidelines in setting goals - just don't let the ideal be the only acceptable solution.

2 - The best course of action in the vast majority of situations is the one that "meets requirements." Save the "best possible" course of action for the relatively few high value, high impact decisions.

3 -Impose constraints - money, time, resources - that keep the focus on action, not on preparation and analysis

4 - Set up a ready, fire, aim behavior. Insist on enough information to act with a reasonable degree of confidence in the decision, and establish a measuring mechanism to allow for changes as they become apparent.

5 - Realize that simplicity and limited choices can be very liberating - they create a structure that allows for action, rather than a constant evaluation of ever increasing alternatives. Complexity is the partner of analysis paralysis.

6 - Value attitudes that place a premium on information - but information as a means to act, not as an end in itself.

7 - Insist on action at every step. Direction and priorities are created through goal setting. Accomplishment is the benchmark of success - not activity.

8 - Accept that mistakes are part of improvement. The biggest enemy of innovation and development is often the fear of making a mistake - or of being blamed for a mistake. A problem solving climate accepts mistakes as part of the process of improvement. It punishes non risk taking behavior, as well as behavior to cover up mistakes."If you're not making mistakes you're not accomplishing anything" is a belief in problem solving organizations.

9 - Adopt a "Principle of Good Enough " (POGE) attitude toward action. Software developers use POGE to act - knowing that the only way to implement and improve is to throw the switch - go live - measure the results and improve - and then do it all over again. Adjustments based on the results of action are an accepted part of the process - not an indication of failure.

10 - Keep progress reviews simple and frequent and highly structured. It's amazing how even the most worthy goal can become hostage to analysis paralysis - if it's left unattended by people in a position to see the bigger picture. Make course corrections a routine part of the process - an accepted and vital part of meeting goals. A question that should be asked in every progress review should be " "What course corrections do we have to make to meet this goal?"

Take an inventory - of yourself and of your organization. Ask yourself if the conditions for analysis paralysis exist - or if analysis paralysis is already hard at work confusing activity with accomplishment. Then use the suggestions from the leaders who contributed to this article to increase your personal and organizational competitive advantage.

Andy Cox is President of Cox Consulting Group LLC. The focus of his work is on helping organizations and their people increase their success in the hiring, developing and enhancing the performance of leaders and emerging leaders. Cox Consulting Group LLC was started in 1995, and has worked with a wide range of organizations, managers and leaders - helping them define success, achieve success and make the ability to change a competitive advantage. He can be reached at http://coxconsultgroup.com or at acox@coxconsultgroup.com

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Leadership and Triathlons - What Do They Have To Do with Each Other?

By Chris Coward

Last week I completed my first triathlon and although my time was nothing to brag about, the experience was wonderful and I would definitely do it again. As I was cycling around the Philadelphia Art Museum (with hardly anyone around since I was the last wave of women to go), I thought about how the triathlon experience connects really well to leadership skills.

1) An excellent leader works on their weak areas, always looking to improve and at the minimum, not have their weakness be a liability. For me, the swimming was my weakness. As a result I spent most of my training time on improving my swimming, getting tips from anyone who said they swam competitively in high school or college. I'm still not good at it, but my goal was to avoid being rescued and to not be last in the race!

2) A healthy leader seeks balance in their life. For this race I did not go crazy overtraining or becoming obsessed with winning. It was important to me to continue with my life - play music, work, have fun and prioritize important relationships.

3) Another sign of a good leader is that no matter what is going on for them, they still make the time to encourage others and remain positive. If the budget is pessimistic or their knees are killing them in the race, a leader will continue to encourage others and remain optimistic and solution oriented.

4) An excellent leader always does their best, no matter what the circumstances are. Everyone's best is different and a person's best may vary day to day. For me, I can honestly say that I did my best in my first triathlon and of course, I want to do better next time.

5) Finally, a great leader sets and takes action toward their goals. My goal for my first triathlon was to: a) finish b) have fun c) not get rescued during the swim. As all strong leaders do, I will set the bar higher for my next triathlon and seek to be more competitive in my age group.

Did I mention that it is great when a leader can have fun being a leader? Employees gravitate to that "thing" about you that is the human element of your leadership. Don't forget to keep striving for the best while remaining optimistic that you will finish strong.

Chris Coward, MSW, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and Leadership Coach with over ten years experience supervising, managing and leading people working in non-profit agencies. She has worked with individuals and teams in various organizations, helping them improve their communication and gain clarity around their goals and mission. Chris is an experienced workshop facilitator and also uses adventure- based learning in some of her trainings.

Chris believes that each team member has a set of unique strengths that he or she brings to the group and that a team functions best when there is diversity in strengths versus sameness amongst members. She brings warmth, humor, energy and the ability to give direct feedback to clients working with her.

If you would like to improve your leadership ability or develop your work team, you can contact Chris at (215) 472-1572 or chris@chriscoward.com. The website address is http://www.chriscoward.com

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Leadership Skills Training: 5 Irrefutable, Non-Negotiable Laws of Leadership You Must Know Now

By Kevin Berchelmann

Triangle Performance, LLC

Leaders, new and old, sometimes lose sight of the most fundamental tenets of leadership. Here's a reminder&

I frequently tell executives that leadership and its concepts, theories and core applications haven't changed in a millennium.

Some of our demographics may have changed. This forces us to use alternative applications of those concepts. But the basic leadership concepts and theories remain.

So, why don't we "just do it?"

Sometimes we aren't motivated. Sometimes the "time" just doesn't seem right. Maybe we simply forgot some of the basics& hence this article.

When I train companies and corporations worldwide on how to improve management and organization performance, I start off with these 5 laws new and experienced leaders should never ever forget.

Kevin's Leadership Skills Training Survival Kit for New & Experienced Managers

Leadership Law #1: Never delay a decision that must be made.

Make your decision and move on. You may have to immediately make another decision. This doesn't mean your first one was wrong. It merely means that your second one had the benefit of additional knowledge.

Leadership Law #2: When you want something specific done, say so specifically, using clear, plain language.

Employees generally have some difficulty doing their basic jobs. By adding "mind-reading" to their description is just plain unfair.

Do not use hints, implications, or innuendos. Say what you want, and use plain English! Directness counts.

Leadership Law #3: Never answer every employee's every question.

Questions are teaching moments -- don't rob employees of the opportunity. But don't spend your whole time answering questions.

When you always answer every employee's every question, you'll forever be answering your employee's every question. This will leave you with no time to spend on areas that need your direct attention now.

Sounds trite, and I don't mean it to.

If employees are asking because they're stupid, get rid of them. If they are decent employees asking because they do not know, then teach them. They'll know next time, and you'll both be better for it.

Leadership Law #4: Make your expectations clear, then back up a bit and give employees room to do their job.

That doesn't mean to never look back. To inspect what you expect isn't micromanagement. It's good management.

Even your top performers need clear expectations. Give them a target. Provide resources and guidance. Remove obstacles when necessary. Then let them do their job. But, don't forget to check back later, since you still have management responsibilities.

Leadership Law #5: Employees need their managers to be leaders

Your employees don't need a shoulder. They don't need a buddy, a sympatico, or a commiserator. If you want a friend, buy a dog.

We all struggle with this. Everyone wants to be liked, and it always seems difficult to decline a beer after work, or something similar. I'm not advocating a monk-like existence, disallowing any contact with your troops. I'm just merely reminding you that they would like to have a friend, but they need a leader if they are to be successful.

You do want them to be successful, don't you?

Closing Leadership Thoughts

These leadership laws are fairly intuitive, and certainly not rocket science or brain surgery. They are simple management and leadership truths that have passed the test of time.

Print these out. Laminate it. Put in your top desk drawer and don't forget them.

Described as a Human Capital Expert by The Harvard Business Press, Kevin Berchelmann helps private equity, Fortune 500 and medium mom and pop companies foster, motivate, and improve existing human capital to achieve breakthrough levels. To get your FREE "At C-Level," cutting edge newsletter go to triangleperformance.com/register

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Leaders Manage Goals To Ensure More Is Not Less

By Andrew Cox

Leaders manage goals to know when more becomes less. Leaders know there is a place where further effort, energy, knowledge, people resources and money don't really add additional value. In fact, more of anything, after a certain point, may be stealing from other requirements. Leaders know time, money and effort, by themselves, are really inefficient measures - results are what count. And knowing what results are needed avoids the "more is less" trap.

Leaders know "more" can keep you stuck in the same place long after you've achieved most of what's really needed. "More" creates a comfort zone based on activity that tells us there is more to be learned - more to be prepared - more to be added. Leaders know that that comfort zone is an illusion, and that goals create action - they keep us from fooling ourselves into believing activity is accomplishment.

A personal example of what I mean:

Whenever I need information - for a client, a prospect, an article - I really dig in and search all kinds of resources to become really prepared. My searches have the potential to lead me deeper and deeper into a subject - or wider and wider into alternative subjects or information. The opportunities for research are endless - and so tempting. That must have to do with my high Theoretical value. I really value information for its own sake. I feel like I'm really accomplishing things as I acquire more and more knowledge. More is better - or is it? Problem is - even the most expert of experts have to set research aside - and act - if they are to become better known, better appreciated and better compensated. And if the search for "more" gets in the way of acting, then "more" is definitely less. I protect myself from that trap through goals.

Another example from my vast archives of "more" not being better:

An exercise I do daily is a hand grip exercise. I started doing it about five months ago when I felt my grip needed strengthening. I use the kind of gripper that has a spring that is squeezed until the handles touch. At the beginning it was a real effort to reach 30 reps for each hand. My goal was to reach 60 reps for each hand. I'm now up to 90 reps for each hand, and I hold the 90th rep for 60 seconds. I know I can do more if I persist, but I don't. Why? I'm way beyond my goal and I think I've reached the point where more is not better - the additional time I could use on this one exercise can be better used on something else - like converting my 24 pack abs into a six pack. In this case I've decided more would be a poor use of my time and energy. Now for the abs.......

On a work level, how often are we persuaded that more is better? In some cases, more is definitely better - like in more quality sales calls. But in other cases, like gaining more information before acting, or spending more time on preparation, more may be less. And that's where goals come in. Goals that measure results, not effort, create a climate of action - action to reach a measurable goal. And then consciously assessing the value of exceeding the goal.

Leaders know the biggest enemy of "more is less" is perfection. Perfection may be a worthy striving, but many careers have gone down the tubes by letting perfect get in the way 0f good. When taking more time to prepare for that perfect presentation, when just one more test may yield the data to make a perfect product, when the acquisition of knowledge, or money, or expertise, keeps action to meet a goal from happening - more is less.

In Harry Beckwith's book - "How To Sell The Invisible," he says "Don't let perfect get in the way of good." When I'm tempted to take the time and effort to make very good become perfect, I stop. And if I'm convinced that what I have done is very good, I tell myself to stop seeking more, and I act to complete whatever it is I'm doing. And how do I figure out what is very good? Goals.

In creating goals, resist the temptation to create them based on the best of intentions. Base them on hard headed, clear requirements to meet the larger goals of the enterprise. Can they be an improvement on performance levels already attained? Of course. But know when to say "enough," and go on to other equally important goals. Defining "enough" is the secret leaders use to ensure "more" doesn't become less.

Take a look at your own goals, habits of thought, behaviors and attitudes. Identify where you can use "more is less" in defining your own actions and success. I suspect you will find, in your analysis, that there are areas - right now - today - where you can change so that perfect doesn't get in the way of good.

Andy Cox helps clients align their resources and design and implement change through the application of goals focused on the important few elements that have maximum impact in achieving success - as defined by the client. He can be reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com

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Leadership 101

By Colleen Kettenhofen

"If...you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." Catherine Aird

Do people willingly want to follow you? The real test of leadership is influence. Would your subordinates describe you as an effective manager, supervisor or team leader? Be honest with yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for YOU?! If your employees' pay, perks and benefits were not dependent on doing what you ask, would they still want to follow you? If the answer is yes, you are truly a role model of leadership.

In conducting leadership training around the world for over a decade, here are the key traits I hear over and over that employees want to see in their leaders. And most of these employees are managers themselves.These traits will sound familiar to you. Yet, we need to be reminded of them. Many managers confide to me that they're so overloaded they forget about practicing many of these qualities on a regular basis.

1) Supportive/Good listener: It's been said the average person listens to what you have to say only 25% of the time. Yes, that's right. Much of the time we're caught up in our own "stuff" and we're not always listening. Listen. Think before you speak. Some people just need to be allowed to vent. Vent within reason of course. Then, they'll be more likely to listen to you.

2) Open-minded. It's hard to listen without an open mind. At least acknowledge what your employees have to say. It doesn't mean you necessarily have to agree. In order to gain respect and get your team members to follow you, sometimes you first have to show respect.

3) Honest. Do you possess personal integrity? Your team members will look to see if you do what you say you are going to do. This sounds like common-sense and it is. Yet, many in a leadership position forget this important trait. The minute you can't deliver on your promises you lose all credibility. It will be the one thing your employees will always remember. As the saying goes, "They remember your last act." Under promise and over deliver. Always do what you say you are going to do.

True Leadership = Inspiration:

4) Inspiring. True leadership = inspiration. Real leaders have a passion for what they do. They are able to transfer that enthusiasm to their employees. People want to follow someone they respect and admire. In my leadership training, a lot of managers tell me they also want a leader "who is balanced in their personal as well as professional life." They see a balanced leader as someone who walks their talk. Employees want to follow someone who has what they want.

5) Intelligent. I frequently hear the comment, "In our organization, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing." Or, "My manager really has no idea what I do for a living. What my job entails, the challenges and the time constraints." Please educate yourself on each of your team member's responsibilities. It's the only way you can speak intelligently to them and gain respect.

6) Future-oriented. Upper management should put their organization's five year, three year, and one year plan in writing and pass it out to every employee. A lot of employees don't know their organization's overall goals and objectives. An integral part of leadership is having vision, and being able to convey that vision in a way that excites and inspires team members. A great way to motivate most of your employees is to show each and every one where they fit in with the organization's big picture. Most of them want to know their purpose and how they make a difference.

Effective Leadership = Effective Social Skills:

7) Excellent communicator. Many people are promoted to leadership positions based on their "hard skills" or technical skills. Yet, most managers describe true leadership as demonstrating good interpersonal skills. Excellent leaders and managers aren't just good communicators in terms of what's expected on the job. They also make it a priority to take a sincere interest in their employees. Little things go a long way. For example, know your employee's birthdays, whether or not they have children, and acknowledge their length of service on their anniversary.

8) Fair-minded. Employees and managers alike respect leaders in an organization who are fair, objective, and "don't play favorites." They want sincere recognition for a job well done. Most employees want to be judged on their performance, not on whether or not they've got friends in high places.

9) Flexible with change. An effective leader is open to change, new ideas and taking risks. A leader who is a good role model doesn't take a "my way or the highway" approach. They're confident enough in themselves that they can give explanations for WHY a change is being made. Employees always want to know why. Managers and leaders who are secure within themselves don't need to say, "Because I'm your supervisor and I said so."

10) Leadership starts with service. Effective leadership involves rolling up your sleeves and helping others. The term "servant leadership" was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf, former AT&T executive and founder of The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. He wrote, "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

"A good example is the best sermon." Anon.

Copyright (c) 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

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Colleen Kettenhofen is a speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For more free articles and e-newsletter, & to order the book visit www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, public speaking.Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars. Call 971-212-2412 or email colleen@colleenspeaks.com . www.ColleenSpeaks.com . You are free to reprint or repost this article provided Colleen's name, website and email are provided with the article.