Coaching for Leaders

Aaron Kent: Dale Carnegie

In the opening of this episode, I mentioned the book Soar With Your Strengths, which I recommend.

This week, I welcome a dear friend and business partner as my guest. Aaron Kent is the President & CEO of Dale Carnegie of Southern Los Angeles. I asked Aaron the following questions during our interview:

What are some common misconceptions leaders have about training companies?

How would a leader know its the right time to consider bringing in an outside resource like Dale Carnegie?

What should leaders do to prepare for a first meeting with a company like Dale Carnegie?

How does Dale Carnegie approach a first meeting (i.e. what can leaders expect?)

In your experience, what do leaders who have great success with training do differently than those who have mediocre success?

What's one thing that leaders don't do when hiring you that you wish they did?

Since this show is about engaging and developing others with coaching, who is a leader that's been an effective coach for you?

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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*.

The term "learning objectives" might not show up in our everyday conversations, but it's an important tool for leaders to use in order to develop others. In this episode, we'll explain what a learning objective is, how to create an effective one, and how to use it in order to create results.

Instructional design most often starts with creating learning objectives.

Most people start-and-finish with topics, but they are not specific enough and can lead to a lack of alignment on expectations.

For example, the expectation to "know how to use Microsoft Word". Most people only use 2% of features of a Word Processor. One person's idea of "knowing" Word can be quite different than another's.

Another example, "Understand how the economy effects small businesses in the US". How would I know if someone "understood" that or not?

It isn't about topics!

"The critical question, therefore, is not what topics to cover but what you want the participants to value, understand, or do with those topics." -Silberman, Active Training, p. 41

There types of learning and we should address each of these in learning objectives:

Cognitive - what we know

Behavioral - what we can do

Affective - our motivation our knowledge and behaviors

These components of an effective learning objective are from Mager, who wrote six books related to learning that should be on every leader's bookshelf, called The Six Pack.

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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*.

Be sure to align with the organization's mission, vision, and goals:

Requires that you have at least a basic understanding of strategy (long-term planning).

There are many approaches to strategy.

A good person to know about in the area of creating competitive advantage is Michael Porter.

Steps to needs analysis:

Determine the problem(s) by finding a key business lever that will make a big impact on the organization if it gets fixed/improved. People pay more attention to fixing problems than they do to making improvements.

Affirm that the problem really is the problem (work with stakeholders to see if there is consensus on the key problem(s); engage at all levels of the organization, as there can often be a disconnect between senior management and the line staff who typically engage directly with customers).

Develop solutions - training is not always the solution, though people tend to go to it as an "easier" way of addressing deeply rooted cultural issues.

Two broad types of evaluation:

Formative: satisfaction with the training itself. It is the most common form of evaluation conducted since it is the easiest and least expensive way to assess.

Summative: extent to which real change has occurred. This is the least common form of evaluation conducted because it is hardest and most expensive - but most important for determining whether ROI has occurred (Jack Phillips is a good person to read on the subject of training ROI).

Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation (Kirkpatrick is considered the "father" of training evaluation):

Reaction: people's reaction to the training; did they like it or not?

Learning: what knowledge was gained as a result of the training; what did people learn?

Behavior: the extent to which behavior was changed as a result of the training; what's different now?

Results: real and lasting change that occurred as a result of the training; what results have been achieved?

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Prepare

Estimate how much time you will need in advance - then double it. If you fail to block enough time, either you will sell the person short by rushing, or you will impact other business operations by taking more time than planned. Be realistic with how long things will take.

Coach the rest of the team and remind them that access to you when you are conducing on-the-job training will be more limited.

Be sure to consider the organizational outcome you want to have come out of the new skill or behavior you are working on. It's not enough just to get the other party good at actions - they need to understand how these actions fit into the big picture.

Demonstrate

You'll want to fully demonstrate what it is that you want the other party to do.

Suggest that the other person watch and observer - and perhaps take notes on what it is they see you doing in the skill or behavior.

Resist the temptation to explain and train as you go - that will come later. For now, it's important that they see what the "end result" clearly looks like.

Explain

Ask the other party what they saw. This is beneficial for them since it reviews the process, and beneficial for you because you have a clearer understanding of what they saw and what they missed.

Now, walk through the behavior or skill step-by-step.

Once you've had a chance to full explain, have dialogue with the other person on where they can first apply this learning.

Coach

Apply the new skill in a place where they will have the best opportunity to experience success. If possible, avoid situations where their result will be more uncertain.

Set expectations with whoever else is involved with the interaction of how you will be involved and what kind of feedback they might observe between the two of you.

When coaching, make a clear decision to engage in the moment, direct the person as to what they might be differently, and then praise them for the change.

Feedback

Afterwards, review the situation in detail.

Ask the individual for their assessment of what worked and what didn't work. Again, this will give you insight as a leader on what they perceive to have worked and what they might have missed.

Praise them for accomplishments!

If something didn't work, discuss it now so that they don't make the same errors in the future.

Determine which step to go back to, if needed for more development.

Leaders get in trouble when they don't think through these five steps - and then end up missing big pieces!

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Whether you have access to many training resources or none at all, there is a lot you can do as a leader to train others. In this episode, we'll examine 5 effective ways you can train the people you lead.

1. Hold a Class

This is a great tool when lots of people need to learn something at the same time

Ask yourself, "What do I want people walking out of this room doing differently?"

Focus on the objectives instead of the logistics

2. On-the-Job Training

This is helpful when the learning lends itself to this, there are less resources or time available, or if there is a very small number of people involved

A lot of organizations talk about on-the-job training, but few really do it

Be clear on what you want the person to learn during an established time period and design for that

3. Role-Playing

This is helpful when teaching something that requires a lot of human interaction and thinking on your feet.

Your steps: demonstrate - practice - coaching/feedback

Try to use a "real-play" if at all possible

4. Online learning

Helpful when you need to repeat and scale

You can do this yourself if you don't have the resources of a large organization or outsource it

5. Social Learning

Connectivism: Most knowledge exists in the world rather than in the head of any single individual

I'm part of a year-long mastermind group

Suggesting relationships, bringing in websites, videos, and podcasts to share with those you lead

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Leaders often look to training activities in order to develop people. Training is a wonderful tool for growth, if used correctly. Unfortunately, some very common mistakes are often made. This week, Dave looks at six common mistakes leaders will want to avoid as we being a new series on training others.

Six Mistakes Leaders Make Sending People to Training

1. Not willing to participate yourself

2. Using a training class to give feedback

3. Doing nothing to be flexible during training

4. Sending one person to training and having them come back to train everyone else

5. Failing to provide practical application opportunities

6. Going silent

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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*.

Multitasking is talked about lots, but rarely understood. In this week's episode, Bonni and Dave talk about multitasking, both personally and professionally, and what to keep in mind when leading others.

Bonni recommends the book The Myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw as a reference tool for leaders.

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In episode #27, we looked at what we can do in order to coach others to be productive. Now, we're turning the focus on ourselves as leaders to examine what we might be going to get in the way of people's productivity.

Move to Outcome Based Meetings

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." - Cyril Parkinson

Two Warning Signs:

You can't figure out what to talk about.

You're doing a data dump.

What would awful thing would happen if we didn't meet today?

Am I clear on what outcomes I want to have come out of this meeting?

Move to outcome based meetings vs. schedule based meetings. You should have:

Stated outcome

Clear agenda

Action items

Align working environments with people

Fortune Magazine says that drop-ins are the #1 productivity killer in offices

Be conscious of how and where people like to work

Put people on teams? By all means, assuming they work best that way. Otherwise, can people work alone?

Every leader should see this: Watch Susan Cain's TED talk on The Power of Introverts

Create a Results-Oriented Work Environment (ROWE)

ROWE was created by Cali Ressler & Jody Thompson

Get clear on what you want people to accomplish this year

Get it on paper and establish milestones

Manage people towards that - not when and where they work

Lead people on their terms

How can I best support you and your development?

"Treating people fairly does not mean treating them the same."

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We turn our focus to productivity for this first episode of March. Many of the leaders who listen to this show are already productive themselves, but find themselves looking for ways to lead others to be more productive. In this episode, I'll share some ideas and strategies for helping others find their productive sweet spot.

In the traditional paradigm of management, individuals waited for a manager to determine their work for them and assign duties. While organizations still rely on this old paradigm, people are increasingly being asked to step into a leadership role at every level of the organization. Some people are comfortable with this, but many are not ready for the demanding productivity that this requires.

If that wasn't challenging enough, we are now all being overwhelmed with tons more information that we ever were before. Email, instant messages, conference calls, and text messages fill our days. Plus, we are asking everyone to do more with fewer resources. No wonder so many people struggle with productivity.

Suggestions on how to coach others for productivity:

First, take time to understand what they are currently doing. I like to ask, "How are you making decisions about where to spend your time?" If people don't know how to answer that question (or the answer doesn't make sense) then that is the place to start. Next, I want to find out, "What obstacles are getting in your way of being productive?" so we can discuss how they will begin to overcome those obstacles.

To the extent possible, I also try to coach people to focus on 3-5 weekly priorities. It's easy to get bogged down in being reactive to everything. If people walk into a week with a plan for what they will accomplish, they can proactively plan for success and adapt as things change. I like to ask, "What's most important for you to accomplish this week to move forward on your goals?"

I find success when I plan about two thirds of my week and allow the remaining time for unexpected things that come up. I strongly suggest helping people see the benefit of being on one central calendar. Be sure to watch out for people who try to micromanage every minute of their week. They won't be responsive to others that way and will drive themselves crazy the minute something doesn't go according to plan.

Suggest that people block time for email and turn off all those alerts, icons, and badges that will interrupt them and take them off task. Also, get people using a realistic task list each day, a suggestion from David Allen in Getting Things Done.

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1. Sponsor an employee goal.

Most all leaders know of at least one goal that each employee is working on during the year. Now, get beyond the average leader and help employees take action to achieve their goal. While they bear the primary responsibility for their professional development, it's also your responsibility to help provide resources for them to get there. This might be in the form of funding, but it could also be providing them with an introduction to someone, making space in the workday for their development, allowing them to utilize company resources for their goal, and many other possibilities.

Be creative. The best leaders don't let lack of funds stand in their way - they find a way to ensure that people get development through many opportunities.

2. Know family names.

Before you brush this one off as too personal for you, consider this: how do you respond when people in your life take the time to know the names of your family and ask about them in regular conversation? You pay attention and you appreciate it. While nobody would suggest that leaders spend all day asking about people's families, you should be paying attention to who is important in the life of the person you lead. Those people influence their decisions and values - and when you take the time to ask and to care, people notice.

3. Learn the story of someone you lead.

You probably know the stories that you have observed of the people you lead. Perhaps you even know a bit about them from other colleagues and leaders. However, do you really know what brought them to your organization and what keeps them going? Do you know their long-term career goals? Have they shared a significant turning point in their lives with you? If not, you have an opportunity to learn more about their story. When you know their story, you know them - and you create engagement.

4. Recognize someone publicly.

People are used to hearing from leaders right away when something is wrong. Things rarely get pointed out when something is right - but it's just as important that we make time for this. Finding the time to recognize people in front of others builds trusts and shows that we notice the good things as well. Plus, people are a lot more likely to accept constructive feedback later if they know the leader sees the good.

For a detailed overview of how to do this effectively and to keep it from sounding like insincere flattery, be sure to revisit the ATTRIBUTE-EXAMPLE-THANK model that I discussed in detail during episode #9.

5. Give constructive feedback.

Employees may like you better in the short term when you go easy, but the best leaders know that long-term growth makes constructive feedback a must. Ironically, employees will actually like and respect you more in the long-run if you are someone who is ready to give tough feedback and help them learn and grow. Few leaders do this well and you set yourself apart from many if you can give feedback.

Check out the EXPECTATION-EXAMPLE-EMPOWER model in episode #10 for a roadmap on how to give constructive feedback.

6. Talk about your own mistakes.

Nobody is immune from mistakes and leaders that attempt to appear perfect to the people they lead earn little respect. We are all human and we want to be lead by humans too. When you see someone you lead making a mistake you once made, share your experiences as well. It helps humanize you as a leader and also gives the employee confidence that they can overcome the obstacle.

7. Reward innovation, even when it fails.

The problem with many leaders and asking people to "think outside the box" is that they only really want thinking that leads to immediate success. True creativity is messy and brings failures along the way with the successes. If you don't acknowledge creativity even in the midst of failure, the next person in your organization will be even less likely to stick their neck out. When it comes to innovation, support people in the process of getting there, not just the result.

8. Tell people why you're not taking their ideas.

Most of us are more concerned that we are heard and respected than we are that every one of our ideas is adopted. Good leaders are always soliciting ideas and feedback from employees. Better leaders do something with the ideas they get. The best leaders also come back to those who contributed ideas and say why they didn't take some of the advice. Sure, people will be disappointed when their ideas don't make the cut, but they will know they've been heard and that their contributions to the process were respected.

9. Tap into the bigger reason for what your organization does.

If you idea of motivating people is talking about the percentage increase in yearly raises or sales numbers, you're missing the boat. Sure, we all have to hit numbers - but you are kidding yourself if you think that getting a 3.6% raise this year is going to launch your employees out of bed faster than the 2.8% raise last year.

Money is important, but so is WHY your organization does what it does. What's the bigger reason behind want gets you out of bed in the morning? One of the best examples I've seen in years is the banner that hangs over the F/A-18 fighter jet production line at Northrop Grumman. It says, "Build It Like You Will Fly It."

10. Be honest.

You might not remember the details of what you said about an employee's next promotion six months ago, but I assure you that they do. Honesty is the best policy - and when people catch you in a lie, you lose credibility instantly. I've seen it happen so many times - most often, the leader doesn't even have a clue what happened since they don't remember changing their story.

You don't need to tell people everything - but what you do tell them needs to be the truth. Be clear about what you can't share, but make every effort to be transparent when you can be. If you are, the people you lead will go to battle for you.

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