Coaching for Leaders

Kevin Pho, M.D. (Twitter) (Facebook)

Author, Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation

Social media is not a passing fad, but many people perceive it as such since the media tends to focus problem situations.

“Today, getting published and getting people to read your thoughts and read your articles is no more than a click of a button.” -Kevin Pho

“If you have a strong social media presence, you are many steps ahead of your competition in defining yourself online.” -Kevin Pho

“If you aren’t proactive in establishing your online reputation, other sites, such as rating sites, are going to create content about you.”

Three steps to creating your identify online from Kevin’s book:

Curate

Connect

Make a difference

“Using social media to follow experts in your industry is a tremendous way to learn.” -Kevin Pho

A strong social media presence can marginalize the rating sites.

Set up a Google alert to monitor mentions of yourself online.

Dave mentioned at the end of the show a previous episode on LinkedIn. Check out episode 101: How to Get the Most From LinkedIn.

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David Allen: Getting Things Done

The Getting Things Done steps:

Capture—collect what has your attention

Clarify—process what it means

Organize—put it where it belongs

Reflect—review frequently

Engage—simply do.

The methodology has not changed in the revision of the book, but what has changed is the number of people who need it.

If what’s most on your mind right now is thinking about what should be on your mind, then it’s time to spend more time clarifying what is most important.

“Not only do you need to spend time thinking, you need to spend time not thinking – absolutely daydreaming.” -David Allen

Your biggest job is to define what your work is.

“The big secret about Getting Things Done is it’s not really about getting things done. It’s about creating appropriate engagement with your life.” -David Allen

“The people most attracted to what we teach, the GTD methodology, are the people who need it least.”

David recommended The War of Art* by Steven Pressfield

One of the best habits you can develop is to do the thing first that you are least looking forward to. Perfectionism is a huge obstacle for procrastination.

David recommended Brain Chains* by Theo Compernolle

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Tim Stringer

Technically Simple and Learn OmniFocus

Connect in Person to Strengthen Relationships

Tim mentioned the podcast Home Work, a show for people who work at home

Dave’s team at Dale Carnegie meets once a month for half a day

Tim mentioned his co-working space, HiVE Vancouver

Make Intentionally Richer Connections

Move your level of communication up a level

When possible, seek out the opportunity to connect by video

We both recommend Zoom for video conferencing

Ways to Stay Connected

Participate in a mastermind group

Attend a class that utilizes video-conferencing

Social Media

Tim and Dave both utilize Twitter and follow a limited number of people

Ask the second question when interaction online, especially with a first connection

Resources

Sign-up for a free account with Zoom

Tim has an affiliate relationship with Zoom. If your needs require a Zoom Pro account, utilize this link.

Tim offers courses on Holistic Productivity that utilize many of the principles and technology we spoke of on this episode

Tim recommends ShareDesk, a worldwide directory of co-working and meeting spaces, for those who are outside of Vancouver.

Tim also suggests Meetup.com

Learn more about Tim’s Holistic Productivity model from his prior appearance on Coaching for Leaders episode 151.

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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*.

Audio Question from Rick

3 Ways to Start Your Next Presentation

Episode 126: How to Be Interesting When Pitching an Idea

Show and Tell: How Everybody Can Make Extraordinary Presentations* by Dan Roam

The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking* by Dale Carnegie

Question from Jay

Daniel Pink said that one of the important qualities of a leader was the ability of the leader to insulate their team members from the “noise” of the organization (I completely agree). However, I have also seen that the act of insulating one’s team can get the leader into trouble. Ultimately, insulating one’s team members sometimes means saying no to new projects so that more important existing projects can get done. This very thing (insulation of team) has a tendency to create a great working environment for the followers but simultaneously put the leader in jeopardy with his superiors. How do you suggest dealing with such a quandary? In essence, the right thing to do for the leader’s people, and consequently the organization, is also the very thing that may cause political difficulty for the leader.

Yes, Bonni received a new Kindle* for Valentine’s Day

Essentialism* by Greg McKeown

Episode 129: How to Create A Personal Knowledge Management System

Harold Jarche

Audio Question from Phil

Episode 143: Accepting Feedback With Sheila Heen of Difficult Conversations

The Leadership Challenge* by James Kouzes and Barry Posner

Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Assessments

Question from Charles

How does one know if what one needs is a professional coach (life/career coach?) or a therapist? Are there professionals which wear both hats? I am currently in transition from solopreneur to possibly going back in the corporate world after about 12 years. It’s not a transition that I am eager for and is accompanied by a good measure of anxiety, confusion, self-doubt, etc.

My feeling is that I need someone who can objectively guide me through answering some basic questions at this point in my life (What do I really want to do? What are my real strengths? Do I want to go back to the corporate grind? Should/How do I change careers?, etc.) while also helping me manage the emotional issues. I know this is a tall order (overwhelming for me right now). Should I be seeking one person who can offer a holistic view (a life coach)? Or two very different professionals (who may or may not offer conflicting advice)?

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes* by William Bridges

Audio Question from Elle

Episode 79: Benefits You Get From A Recognition Program

Episode 80: Ten Steps To Create A Recognition Program

Drive* by Daniel Pink

On The Folly Of Rewarding A While Hoping For B by Steven Kerr

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Ron Friedman: The Best Place to Work

Interviews are not the most effective way to select people, but if you need to do it:

Standardize your questions

Ask behavioral questions

“What underlies a great place to work isn’t access to perks, but rather experiences that are psychologically fulfilling.” -Ron Freidman

Three needs that we have to feel good at work:

Being good at the work we are doing and able to grow our competence

Being connected to the people around us

Autonomy and choice in how we approach our work

“The impact of money on job satisfaction is incredibly small.” -Ron Freidman

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Dave Stachowiak: Coaching for Leaders

In the book Getting Things Done*, past guest David Allen first popularized the practice of a weekly review. In this episode, I share my own process for the weekly review, so that you can incorporate the actions that best work for you.

Key Points

1. Block Time

I complete my weekly review either Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Pick a time that will work consistently in your schedule.

2. Record What Worked

I don’t have an issue remembering what didn’t work, so I discipline myself to write down what did work last week. That way, I recognize strengths.

3. Review Goals

I do a full read of the annual goals I created at the beginning of the year, so I know where I am headed.

4. Determine Next Actions

I decide the next action for each annual goal to advance me closer.

5. Flag 3-5 Actions

I pick the 3-5 actions (fewer is better) than I will commit to complete this week. I leave the rest of them for another week.

6. Remove Flags from Last Week

If there are still flagged items remaining from last week (often the case) I remove them if they are not already on this week’s list. This is an administrative step.

7. Review Projects in OmniFocus

I review all my projects in OmniFocus* for important tasks that might need to be added to the week.

8. Review Habits and Set Focus

I review my daily habits on Coach.me for the last week to see where I did well and where I fell short. Then, I pick a focus habit for the week so I can realign with one I’ve been missing. I write it on my office board.

9. Review Calendar for 14 Days

Looking ahead to just this week isn’t good enough and I won’t think to look to the following week until Friday. Reminding myself to do this is key.

10. Review Tasks for 7 Days

I review all my tasks in the OmniFocus* forecast view, just to be sure I’m aware of busier days ahead.

11. Block Time

I schedule or block time that I need to be doing something (like a client meeting) if not already booked. I work hard to minimize this to only things I must do at a certain time.

Download My Weekly Review Checklist

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Marc Mawhinney: Natural Born Coaches

“Coaches are important because they are a second pair of eyes for your business.” -Marc Mawhinney

Mark and I discussed my recent article on What to Know When Hiring a Coach.

In addition to the recommendation to check out Marc's show, I made three recommendations of coaches I recommend at the end of the episode, all of which are past guests:

Tom Henschel, Essential Communications

Bill Bliss, Bliss & Associates, Inc.

Tim Stringer, Technically Simple

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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*.

Question from Brian

I presently struggle with keeping the balance between friend and boss as we work closely together. All three of us are in cubicles next to each other. While this allows us to be very close knit (almost as much as the camaraderie in the Army, but not quite) I know I have already blurred the line more than I should have. It was easy to “keep your distance” in the military because you always have your rank whether you are in uniform or not. You could be a friend and a Sergeant at the same time. This has proven to be my biggest challenge as a civilian leader.

Question from Sarah

I recently found your podcast and have been an avid listener ever since. I am about to re-enter the corporate world in what I think must be my dream role! So very excited (nervous, anxious, ecstatic ) and so have been arming myself with the tools and tips of your many episodes. My question is - what would be your first priority when assuming a senior executive role in a large organization and inheriting a team hand picked by the previous incumbent who has been laterally moved now due to poor performance. I envision there are going to be some very disgruntled team members loyal to my predecessor, and while I want to make a good first impression. I also want to be clear that I am not interested in historical politics and am there to lead them positively forward.

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins*

98: Five Rules For Your New Leadership Role With Pam Fox Rollin

42 Rules to Your New Leadership Role by Pam Fox Rollin*

Question from Rachel

I am struggling with a staff member who is supposedly bullying other people and being extremely rude. She knows I am watching her and is perfectly delightful when I’m around. I have many staff members reporting that she completely changes when I’m not around.

The Right Way to Fire the Wrong Person, a podcast by Michael Hyatt

The No Asshole Rule by Bob Sutton*

Question from Paola

We have one training initiative (an international one), where employees should change behavior. My question is: how can I make the biggest impact as a trainer to a team of 70 people to make sure, this changes take place?

The New Mager Six Pack by Robert F. Mager*

Creating Measurable Learning Objectives by Bonni Stachowiak

Evaluating Training Programs by Donald Kirkpatrick and James Kirkpatrick*

Feedback from Geoff

When you give task list recommendations, you might want to consider mentioning Wunderlist as a simple, low/no-cost, yet reasonably powerful solution for cross platform task management. Although I dearly love OmniFocus, my job requires me to use a PC at the office. Having another computer or an iPad always nearby wasn't ideal, so I've switched much of my task tracking to Wunderlist, which syncs between my Macs, iPhone, iPad, and work PC (as a Chrome web app, which works even on a locked-down PC with no admin rights).

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Mark Sieverkropp: How to Start a Conversation With Anyone

Mark and I were both featured by Forbes as 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015

1. First Impressions last the longest

John Corcoran spoke in episode 169 on what we can do to recover from a bad first impression

2. Practice the type of listening that makes a difference

“...if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.” -Dale Carnegie

3. Understand who people are by how they act

4. People like others who share their same interests

5. Do not hold your listener hostage

6. Remembering the conversation is crucial to growing the relationship

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Susanne Madsen: The Power of Project Leadership

Susanne Madsen is an internationally recognized project leadership coach, trainer, speaker and consultant. Susanne specializes in helping project managers transform into leaders. She is the author of The Power of Project Leadership*.

“Most organizations jump very quickly from the idea stage to the doing stage.” -Susanne Madsen

Project definition: it's key to determine the value the project offers to the organization

Be strong enough to show weakness and ask the dumb questions

Two problems in managing risk

Not properly dealing with expected risks

Paying little or no attention to unexpected risks

Connect with Susanne on Twitter or LinkedIn

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