Tag: executive coach

  • The coaching space: A production of power relationships in organizational settings

  • Leadership Lessons You Should Learn Early

    By Jeff Boss

    View original publication on Forbes.com

    Leadership challenges are more complex today than ever before, and one leadership challenge that I see as an executive coach is the tendency to anticipate what might happen tomorrow while forgetting about what is happening today. In other words, leaders try to outthink and overanalyze the future. They anticipate all the possibilities that could happen, select the outcome most likely to occur and then mold their leadership style to accommodate it, only to find that Murphy has a full-time job and is apparently dedicated solely to them — and Murphy wins.The point is, tomorrow, next week or next year are all uncertain, so if you try to mold your leadership style to the “most likely” option to occur, then you’re not leading, you’re contingency planning.

    Leaders don’t just think about the future, they think in it. Once they have a clear picture of what they want to see, where they want to be—as an individual or as a team — and why, they begin to mold the world around them to achieve it.

    I learned a lot in the military about leadership and continue learning today by helping others with their “molding process” as an executive coach. Here are four more leadership lessons to share with you:

    Leaders have choices, but leadership is a choice.

    You can be promoted, “given” responsibility for a new project or authorized to make certain decisions, but none of that makes you a leader. These are just tools designed to test you, to be added to your arsenal of potential should you accept the challenge, but they don’t inspire others to follow you. You know you’re a leader when somebody follows you no matter what title you have, and they do so because you’ve made difficult choices that others have shied away from. That’s what leaders do.

    Leadership isn’t the problem, but it is the solution.

    It’s easy to blame “leadership” for the way things are because it takes the blame off oneself, but the only problem truly exists is how each person contributes to the problem. If you have a toxic leader, for example, it’s not up to HR to “fix” him, it’s up to every person around him to start leading! For every person who doesn’t challenge the status quo but complains about it, they’re contributing to the problem. For every person who wants to build more trust in their team but doesn’t speak candidly in meetings, they’re part of the problem. You get what you give, so speaking with candor yields trust. Asking questions calls for direct answers (“why is the sky blue?”) whereas making statements generally lead to more statements and ultimately turn into dead-end conversations (“there must be a reason why the sky is blue”). Poor leadership doesn’t exist because people are malicious but because nobody has taken the time to develop people as leaders.

    Leadership is hard to measure.

    One reason why leadership is hard to measure is that people have different definitions of what it means to lead. Without a shared definition of success, it’s difficult to ascertain whether success was ever achieved. I found one definition of leadership as operating along a spectrum, with persuasion and influence on one end and virtue and nobility on the other. I thought this was close, but it isn’t. Leadership isn’t good and it isn’t bad. It isn’t virtuous and it isn’t evil. History is full of malicious leaders. Hitler, Idi Amin, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were all rotten to the core, but they were leaders nonetheless. That’s why leadership is neither good nor bad but a tool that serves as a guide toward intention. Leadership is authentic self-expression that instills value in others and compels them to act.

    Another reason leadership is hard to measure is that when it’s going well there’s nothing to measure. It’s much easier to identify something that’s not working well than something that is.

    Leaders don’t work alone.

    As “solo” as the concept of leadership seems, leaders rarely serve as lone wolf contributors. They know that extraordinary results don’t come from “me” but from “we;” from collective effort united toward a shared purpose. When you start a new business you don’t go it alone, you enlist the insight, advice and support of others. When actors receive an award they thank others for helping them make it happen (and I’m not saying that all actors are leaders but that their success is the result of collective effort). The point is, smart leaders are smart because of the people they surround themselves with.

    What are your leadership lessons?

  • Executive coaching: New framework for evaluation

    Evaluation research has struggled to keep up with the popularity of coaching, as measures of its effectiveness are challenging to standardize, particularly when coaching executives. Similar to interpersonally based interventions in other fields such as counseling and psychotherapy, coaching takes the form of a fluid, humanistic process, whereas coaching-evaluation standards strive to be consistent with a standardized, scientifically based method.

    To read more: APA_Exec_Coaching

  • What CEOs Get Wrong About Vision and How to Get It Right

    By Dan Ciampa

    View original publication on MIT Sloan

    When a leader must implement a new strategy, especially one that requires new systems, processes, and perhaps people, it is the start of a new era. Success requires more than the right combination of capital and technology; it also requires a critical mass of employees to adopt new behaviors and ways of thinking. But too often, CEOs and boards in these situations think through the capital and technology issues much more carefully than those involving behavior and attitudes. That imbalance is a primary reason new strategies fail. And, in addition to disrupting a company, failure can derail a promising executive career — especially if a CEO took over to guide the company in a new direction.

    When new behavior and new ways of thinking are required, an essential step is for the CEO, the board, and key managers to have an image in their minds of what the organization will look and act like after achieving its strategic goals. Just as great athletes are guided by a mental picture of the perfect jump shot or golf swing, key players in the organization need a consistent picture in their minds of what success will look like. That’s where a vision comes in.

    The term “vision” is used often in business; companies frequently talk about “our mission, vision, and values.” The trouble is that most of the time, the word “vision” is used incorrectly. When CEOs say they’ve defined their company’s vision, I ask them to explain it to me. Many respond with something like, “Our vision is to be the most innovative, agile company in our industry.” To which I reply, “That’s a mission, not a vision.”

    In cases like these, the so-called vision merely repeats what is already in the strategy, and, worse, does nothing to emotionally engage the people who are being asked to implement it. A leader’s vision — particularly if that leader needs to bring about significant change in the organization — should start as a vivid, credible image of an ideal future state. The clearer a CEO is about what people should do differently to achieve new, challenging objectives, the greater his or her chances of achieving the changes necessary for success. New behavior doesn’t come from missions, however aspirational, but from deep, emotional commitment to doing things differently.

  • 5 Habits Of Effective Introverted Leaders

    5 Habits Of Effective Introverted Leaders

    [Photo: Flickr user John Alexis Guerra Gómez]

    View publication at Fast Company

    Introverts can be quiet changemakers. Here’s how they can adopt their leadership style in a world that won’t shut up.
    By Trina Isakson 4 minute Read

    Leadership is often associated with words like “charisma,” “power,” “outgoing,” and “confident.” As a result, introverted and quiet changemakers may have difficulties envisioning what their leadership looks like.

    But core aspects of leadership, such as those described by transformational leadership researchers James MacGregor Burns, Bernard M. Bass, James Kouzes, and Barry Posner, and by Good to Great author Jim Collins, reflect ideas that are in total alignment with quiet changemakers, and you don’t need to be in a position of authority or have a formal leadership role to practice these leadership characteristics.

    Here are a few practices that introverts–whom I refer to as “quiet changemakers”–can adopt to strengthen their leadership:

    1. Good leaders treat those around them as individuals.

    They learn the interests and preferences of their colleagues. They engage in two-way communication. Quiet changemakers can excel through our preference for one-on-one or small-group communication. Through these individual interactions, we learn about our colleagues more deeply in a way that positively impacts our relationships.

    Questions that lead to better leadership practice:

    • Do I know much about my colleagues outside of work?
    • What do my colleagues and I have in common? Difference?
    • Which parts of their jobs do my colleagues love/hate?
    • What skills do my colleagues have that they don’t have a chance to share in their jobs?
    • How do my colleagues work best?

    2. Good leaders provide opportunities for others to demonstrate their thinking and knowledge.

    They provide space for intellectual discussion. They ask others to provide advice. They provide opportunities for people to show off their knowledge. Quiet changemakers can do well because of their enjoyment of conversation with just a few people on topics of shared interest. They can be good listeners and allow other people to spend more time talking. They can share work or ask for advice in ways that allow other people to shine in their areas of expertise.

    Questions that lead to better leadership practice:

    • Who knows more than me in an area I’d like to improve in? What advice can I ask of them?
    • What projects am I working on that others may be interested in getting involved with?
    • Who would be interested in joining me about a discussion on ________?
    • Are there opportunities for my colleagues to lead mini-professional development lunches so that we can learn from each other?

    3. Good leaders are good role models.

    They follow through on commitments. They have strong characters and are consistent in their beliefs. They offer to help for the good of the team. Quiet changemakers can practice this aspect of leadership by knowing their values and contributing to a positive overall environment.

    Questions that lead to better leadership practice:

    • Does my current workload allow me to follow through on all commitments?
    • Do my values align with those of the organization?
    • Are my interactions with others generally positive, or do I focus on the negative or gossip too much?
    • Do I help others and provide others the opportunity to help me when times are tough?

    4. Good leaders focus their energy on the big picture.

    They ensure that work aligns with the mission and values of the team. They help keep people focused on the end goal. Quiet changemakers naturally take time to reflect on their purpose and that of the organization.

    Questions that lead to better leadership practice:

    • Do I understand how my work and that of my colleagues connects the purpose of the organization and can I communicate that to others?
    • Am I able to communicate how our work positively impacts society?
    • What aspect of my organization’s work really invigorates me?
    • Who in my network would also enjoy talking about the bigger picture of our organization’s work and/or the type of work I contribute to the movement?

    5. Good leaders are both strong-willed and humble.

    They are driven to achieve a purpose, but aren’t interested in taking all the credit or blaming others for failure. They are strong yet reflective. Quiet changemakers are naturally interested in reflection, enjoying time alone thinking. And as introverts often overthink past interactions, we may be at risk for overly blaming ourselves when things don’t work out, so we also need to give ourselves a break once in a while.

    Questions that lead to better leadership practice:

    • Do I know what I want to achieve in my role?
    • Who else can I credit for my successes?
    • What have I learned from past failures and missteps, and how can I share that learning with others?
    • Am I spending time on my purpose? Or are my personal issues getting in the way of success?

    Leadership as a concept or something to aspire to can be alienating to many. If you don’t have a job that involves supervising others or have natural skill as a charismatic public speaker, it can be hard to see yourself as a leader. But by practicing many of the qualities of leadership that align with being a quiet changemaker, leadership is accessible for the introverts among our movements, too.

  • Women on Corporate Boards: Are You Preparing Your Clients to Take on This Role?

    Women on Corporate Boards: Are You Preparing Your Clients to Take on This Role?

  • On the Lighter side: Fantastic Job Titles for Your Business Card

    On the Lighter side: Fantastic Job Titles for Your Business Card

    Photo credit: getty images

    inc.com
    Please Steal One of These Fantastic Job Titles for Your Business Card. Your job title says a lot about you.

    Sadly, many of us use titles that sound like we’re boring or not that creative. HR manager? Really? There must be a better way. Here are a few creative options.

    1. Chief people officer

    What does this job entail? Who cares? It sounds awesome. It’s the name for the HR officer at Opportunity Network, a company that links CEOs to financial institutions.

    2. Culture operations manager

    Here’s another HR-related title, this one from When I Work. The scheduling app helps managers know when employees are at work.

    3. Chief robot whisperer

    This is a title from the startup Savioke, a company that provides robots to the service industry. It’s an apt description because it relays a sense of wonder and excitement.

    4. Director of bean-counting

    The creative agency Bidlack in Ann Arbor, Michigan, uses this title for the main accountant. It’s a nod to the fact that the role tends to be meticulous (in a good way).

    5. Software ninjaneer

    At a startup called TSheets, they don’t mess around with boring titles. This one nails it because, in many ways, software development is a mysterious and ancient art form.

    6. Director of first impressions

    At publishing house Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the receptionist has this title. It’s perfect because it is exactly this person’s role at the company.

    7. Digital overlord

    If you have ever worked on a website, you know this term is fitting for the role. They use it at Composites Media, a company that works in the engineering field.

    8. Director of storytelling

    This role creates social media campaigns and strategies for companies. They use it at Eyespeak, a website development company.

    9. Money maestro

    At Delivering Happiness, this is the title for the accounting manager. It is definitely a role of orchestration, especially with pay scales, budgets, and expenses.

    10. Wizard of light bulb moments

    This title, popular on LinkedIn, describes the role of a marketing director. It works because, in a pure sense, marketing is the act of inspiring people to action.

  • MEECO™ (Measuring Excellence in the use of Corporate Executive Coaching in Organizations)

    MEECO™ (Measuring Excellence in the use of Corporate Executive Coaching in Organizations) is a designation that distinguishes organizations that have achieved excellence through weaving executive coaching into the fabric of their culture.

    Our goal is to recognize organizations that provide a benchmark and role model for other organizations that want to increase stockholder and stakeholder value, while experiencing overall success through utilizing mastery level executive coaches who understand how organizations work, and are determined to make a meaningful difference as “enterprise-wide business partners™”.

    www.meeco-institue.org

  • InGage Winter 2016 v1 issue1

    InGage Winter 2016 v1 issue1

    winter 2016 ingage cover

  • Terminating an Employee on FMLA Leave

    hreonline.com

    By Keisha-Ann G. Gray

    Question: My organization would like to terminate an employee who is currently on FMLA leave, for reasons unrelated to the leave. Can we properly lay off this employee?

    Wednesday, June 3, 2015

    Answer: Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), which applies to employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles, covered employees who are on qualified leave have a right to be restored to the same, or an equivalent, position upon their return. 29 U.S.C. § 2614(a)(1) (1993). Further, employers cannot use the taking of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions such as hiring, firing and promotions. See Wage and Hour Division, FMLA Fact Sheet, United States Department of Labor. However, this does not mean that an employee on FMLA leave is immune from termination. To the contrary, “an employee has no greater right to reinstatement or to other benefits and conditions of employment than if the employee had been continuously employed during the FMLA leave period.” 29 C.F.R. § 825.216.

    Prior to terminating an employee on FMLA leave, an employer should consider carefully whether it would make the same termination decision even if the employee did not take leave. Indeed, if the termination is challenged, the burden will be on the employer to prove the leave was not a factor in the decision. Accordingly, it is critical to keep sufficient documentation that supports the business decisions behind the termination. Below we describe some of the applicable case law that provides employers with examples of situations that may provide legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for terminating an employee on FMLA leave and underscores the importance of maintaining relevant documents.

    First, a corporate re-organization may qualify as a legitimate reason for terminating an employee on FMLA leave, provided that the re-organization is not merely a reaction to the employee taking the leave. See Yashenko v. Harrah’s NC Casino Co., LLC, 446 F.3d 541, 551 (4th Cir. 2006). Nonetheless, an employer still must be sure to document the specific business decisions and determinations behind a corporate re-organization in order to avoid potential FMLA violations if an employee on leave is terminated. For instance, in Brenlla v. LaSorsa Buick Pontiac Chevrolet, Inc., No. 00 CIV. 5207 (JCF), 2002 WL 1059117, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. May 28, 2002), an employer decided to consolidate two job functions, thus eliminating the position of an employee on qualified FMLA leave, three days after the employee formally requested to return to full-time work. The employer argued that the “re-organization” was motivated by legitimate business concerns. Id. at *5. However, the jury found, and the court upheld, there was no documentation or evidence showing any financial benefits from the consolidation or indicating how the employer chose which employee was best suited for the new consolidated position. Id. Instead, the temporal proximity to the employee’s request to be reinstated and the employer’s decision to consolidate the positions supported the conclusion that the restructuring would not have taken place had the employee not taken FMLA leave.

    Second, courts have held that an employee’s poor performance may qualify as a legitimate reason for terminating an employee on FMLA leave. See Mercer v. Arc of Prince Georges Cnty., Inc., 532 F. App’x 392 (4th Cir. 2013) (upholding employer’s decision to terminate an at-will employee for poor performance, despite the employee being on FMLA leave). Again, documentation, such as performance evaluations, likely will be instrumental to ensure that the termination is not viewed as retaliation for taking FMLA leave. See Richmond v. Oneok, Inc., 120 F.3d 205, 209 (10th Cir. 1997) (ruling that the employee was not terminated for taking FMLA leave, but instead was properly terminated based on 15 documented incidents of poor performance). A prudent employer should make sure that it has documentation indicating not only the reason for the termination, but also why the termination decision was not made prior to the employee’s request for (or taking of) FMLA leave. Even with sufficient documentation, some employers choose to wait until the employee returns to work before taking an adverse employment action to avoid the inference of retaliation. Simply waiting until an employee returns from work, however, will not insulate an employer from a retaliation claim. Even if performance issues are well-documented, an employer should evaluate the timing of a discharge of an employee who recently took FMLA leave to avoid even the appearance of a retaliatory motive. Of course, an employer might not become aware of performance issues or policy violations until the employee goes out on FMLA leave. In that situation, the employer likely will be within its right to terminate the employee immediately, even if the employer discovered the misconduct from the employee’s leave replacement. See Cracco v. Vitran Exp., Inc., 559 F.3d 625, 636 (7th Cir. 2009).

    Furthermore, a reduction in force is likely to be considered a legitimate reason for terminating an employee on FMLA leave. If a reduction in force results in the termination of an entire department or division, depending on the size of those groups, it will usually be sufficient to show that there was no discriminatory animus to eliminate an employee on FMLA leave. However, if a reduction in force is employee-based, instead of group-based, the employer will want to produce significant documentation indicating how and why each laid off employee was chosen. See Roll v. Bowling Green Metalforming, LLC, 457 F. App’x 458, 460 (6th Cir. 2012) (upholding the termination of an employee on FMLA leave because the employer produced significant documentation that the employee’s selection for inclusion in the reduction in force was based on objective criteria including skills, performance and work history).

    Overall, the main takeaway from the case law for employers is that it is not only important to have legitimate, nondiscriminatory business reasons for terminating an employee on FMLA leave, but employers should also make certain they have adequate documentation supporting the business decisions behind the termination.

    Patrick Lamparello is a senior counsel in Proskauer’s labor and employment department in New York. Proskauer Associate Ian Plummer assisted with this article.