Leadership Post : Management and Intergenerational Leadership Coaching, Employee Engagement, and Performance Management Training

There’s a lot written about what makes a good executive coach but I haven’t seen very much about what makes someone a good candidate for coaching. So, here, in my opinion, are the six characteristics of an ideal candidate.

Introspective

First, they must have the ability to take a long, hard look in the mirror and find out who they are warts and all. This takes work and guts, which many people aren’t up for. The “readiness” level of the candidate should not be overlooked.

Clue: They are ready to discover their blind spots and don’t run from the room when you mention the word coaching.

Accepting of Feedback

360-degree feedback can be hard to take but it’s the beginning of knowing your strengths and weaknesses and a basis for self-awareness and self-management. If you’ve read my other posts, you’ll know that to me knowing your “default” style is critical to personal and professional growth and preparing someone for any situation they may encounter. I can’t help but quote Marshall Goldsmith who was spot on with his book, What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There.

Clue: They acknowledge and take ownership of the feedback – positive and negative. They are not in denial, make excuses or try to figure out who said what.

Active learner

Ideal candidates are active learners meaning they are always actively seeking ways to improve.

Clue: They usually rate their performance lower than others do because in their estimation their performance is never good enough.

Active listener

Good listening skills are critical to the coaching process. Being a good listener and being an active learner go hand in hand. Ideal candidates understand that listening is like throwing a ball back and forth. One person listens while the other talks and vice versa.

Clue: They are more interested in what you have to say than hearing themselves talk. They absorb what they hear and are eager to apply what they learn in the real world.

Dedicated and Passionate

The coaching process takes time and in order to benefit from it the person must put in the extra hours in addition to doing their job. They are committed to spending whatever time is necessary to improve.

Clue: Ideal candidates usually ask for coaching or are excited and appreciative when told they are getting coaching. They can’t wait to start the process.

Curiosity

Ideal candidates have an innate curiosity about life and people. Unlike the cat, curiosity has never killed a candidate.

Clue: They ask lots of thoughtful questions.

Finally, if you feel you are not reaching the person, ask them what it would take to engage them in the process. If you get nothing back, they are not ready for coaching.

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“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”    -   Jim Rohn

Josh Bersin’s blog post, How People Learn: It Really Hasn’t Changed, talks about how L&D professionals need to expand their concept of training and at the same time not lose sight of the fundamentals.

The thought occurred to me after reading his post that the same could be said of executive coaching. The field has changed introducing new approaches and methodologies. Change is good. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the basics, which are critical to a successful coaching engagement. Bersin refers to 4 “jewels” he wants everyone to keep in mind and I’d like to apply them to coaching.

1. Mastery Means Being Able to Apply Knowledge

Bersin refers to a “master” as someone who does not only know the basic principles and practices of a subject; they also have the ability to apply it among a wide variety of conditions. The example he gives is that of a master carpenter who can draw on what he knows and can build almost anything.

Coaching is similar in that it should help someone become a “master” of their career by instilling the concept of learning to learn and self-management. By helping them have a deep understanding of their “default” style – their strengths and weaknesses – they can adapt to any situation throughout their careers since no single style or behavior pattern is appropriate for all situations.

2. People Learn by Doing

Coaching introduces people to new skills and behaviors, which are reinforced through the full adult leaning cycle – learning, doing, trying out alternatives, reflecting, and continuing to try until one gets it right. Building mastery often means one step forward and two steps back.

Behavior change takes times depending on the competency you are working on. Learning time management skills is quite different from coaching someone to be more strategic.

Unfortunately, many companies have little patience for this process and expect coaching to have immediate results, which is not realistic.

3. Coaches Accelerate Development

Coaches aren't magicians.  They can’t wave a magic wand and change anyone. Coaches can only accelerate the process by aiding in the emotional and intellectual commitment necessary for development.

The “readiness level” of the coachee is what really counts. Someone could be a terrific coach, however, if the person being coached is not ready to change or modify his or her behavior, the outcome will not be a success.

4. Management Drives Coaching

The questions coaches are asked most often are what method does he or she use and what area do they specialize in? These issues don’t matter as much as the amount of support the organization and the manager is willing to give to the coachee, the coach and the coaching engagement.

It has been my experience that the more involved a manager is in the coaching process, the more successful the end result will be. Collaboration amongst all parties throughout is ideal.

And finally, it’s okay to experiment with new approaches but – please - let’s never forget the basics.

P.S. I recently discovered and have become a fan of Josh Bersin whose company Bersin & Associates is a research and advisory firm focused on enterprise learning, talent management and talent acquisition.  Check it out.

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The words management and leadership are often used interchangeable, which makes me crazy. For starters, they aren’t. They are similar, yet different and it’s important to understand the difference for 3 reasons:

1. To clarify roles and responsibilities

Knowing and understanding the difference will help managers and leaders get clarity about what is expected of them so they can be successful in their positions.

 2. Help managers successfully transition to leadership positions

Many managers, when they transition into a leadership role, continue to manage.  Why? They simply don’t understand the difference. So, we have a lot of leaders who continue to manage and not lead. To quote John Kotter, author and Harvard Business School Professor, “most U.S. corporations today are over managed and under led.”

3. To build a leadership pipeline

Understanding the fundamental differences can help a company give potential leadership candidates the exposure and developmental experiences they need to prepare them to assume leadership positions.

So, now that we know the WHY, let’s look at the WHAT.

A Closer Look At Management and Leadership

According to Kotter, management promotes stability and copes with complexity and leaders press for and cope with change. One is not better than the other as both are necessary for success.

Management and leadership both involve what needs to be done, finding the right people to do what needs to be done and then finally ensuring that it gets done. Although complementary, they each go about doing things in different ways.

A Look At How They Differ

Management

Management’s focus is on complexity and avoiding chaos by putting things in order. Management does this by developing a plan with an accompanying budget that is in line with the goals of senior management. Their plan is usually short term – a year at most – and outlines specific objectives, due dates and steps to take along the way.

To support the plan, management creates an organizational structure and begins staffing it with qualified people. During this time, managers delegate tasks, coach and develop their people and handle anything having to do with the day-to-day management issues.

Finally, management focuses on controlling and problem solving. They monitor the results of their plan by way of reports, meetings and dealing with problems as they arise. Their ultimate goal is to support leadership.

Leadership

Leadership, on the other hand, begins by setting a direction and developing a vision for the distant future. Leadership is much more strategic and looks toward what could be.

Next, leaders focus on aligning the right people against their vision. They must ensure that they clearly communicate their vision and that it is understood and that people are committed to it.

Finally, motivate and inspire people to ensure their continued commitment to the vision and making sure obstacles don’t get in the way of achieving their goal.

We Need More Leaders

Suffice it to say, that there is a need – even though we are in an economic downturn - for more leaders. Companies need to “walk the talk” and really focus on developing talent by implementing an integrated talent management process.

At the same time, they should keep in mind a warning from John Kotter - that strong leadership with weak management is not good and is sometimes actually worse than the reverse. Kotter fells the real challenge is to combine strong leadership and strong management and use each to balance the other.

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“There are going to be times when we can’t wait for somebody. Now, you’re either on the bus or off the bus.” – from The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

The morning the news broke about the “rift” between General McChrystal and President Obama, my husband asked me what I would advise the President if I were his coach.

At first I thought this is the President of the United States we’re talking about and not just any leader in a Fortune 500 company.

Then I realized that there is very little difference between the advice I’d give the President or anyone else.

So, here’s my advice to both leaders and followers and, especially to you President Obama, should you read my post. Hey, you never know!

Differing Views

A leader should always listen, acknowledge and carefully weigh what everyone on the team has to say and then make a decision that he or she feels is the best decision based on the information he or she has received.

This process should never be rushed as often happens when leaders feel pressure to respond quickly. Leaders need to make and take time to reflect and stand firm about this.

 On The Same Page

In order for any initiative to succeed – whether it is a war or to do an acquisition - everyone involved has to be on the same page.

They must not only share the same vision, they must be committed fully to its execution – and I mean fully committed. From my perspective it was clear that was not the case between the President and General McChrystal.

 Be Transparent

Once the decision has been made, thank everyone involved for giving input and make it crystal clear (no pun intended) as to why you believe your decision is the best way to go.

Speak individually to those who disagreed. This will make them feel that their input was heard, considered and acknowledged. It’s also an opportunity for you to assess who is really with you or just giving “lip service.” Did President Obama miss the signals?

Don’t Say It Unless You Mean It

If you don’t agree with the decision and know in your heart that you cannot support the decision then you must say so.

As Jim Collins says in Good to Great, “are you on the bus or off the bus?” If you’re not, then you must leave.

Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry In Public

Followers should never, ever say they support a decision and then do everything they can to undermine the leader and the decision, as was the case with McChrystal.

The most egregious thing the General did was to air his disapproval of the President’s agenda to his troops as well as not stopping them from sharing this information in public and in his presence.

Who Has The Final Word?

In the end, the leader is the leader and he or she makes the final decision whether you like it or not. You don’t have to agree with it, you just have to support it.

It was apparent that General McChrystal had to go and I was not at all surprised when he resigned. He should have done it sooner.

If you are reading this President Obama and you like what I’ve written and want a coach, let me know.

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I recently met with a colleague, Laura Mindek, who attended the National Human Resources Planning Society conference in California. Laura is past president of the New York affiliate and she and I both served on its board for a number of years.

I asked her what was her key take away from the conference and what are the challenges facing Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO). She spoke about two:

1. CHRO’s Need to Focus On The Global Big Picture

The U.S. is competing with everyone from everywhere for everything – specifically, against smart and hungry countries like China and India who are no longer doing just the repetitive administrative work that we outsource.

2. Companies That Survive Will Reinvent Themselves

Companies that reinvent themselves will be the ones that are successful.
Strategy will still be important, but reinvention will come at an operations level, particularly from middle managers collaborating on breakthrough ideas.

So what are CHRO’s to do to help their organizations meet these challenges?

How To Compete Globally

The prediction is that by 2020 China and India along with Russia and Brazil will be the dominant centers of economic influence.

CHRO’s need to help senior management wake up and get their heads out of the sand. They need to educate their leaders and create a sense of urgency so they can start preparing to be competitive before it’s too late.

Today, companies need leaders:

• Who know how to adapt quickly to meet the demands of the global marketplace and have a “speed to market” mindset, and
• More importantly, see the bigger picture.

Just like people, companies tend to be either Introverted (focus inward) or extroverted (focus on the external world). From my perspective, most U.S. companies are way too introverted.

Ron Heifetz, senior lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and author of Leadership Without Easy Answers, captured it well when he said that leaders tend to get “swept up on the dance floor.” On the dance floor you usually only see your partner or those people dancing closest to you. In order to get a broader view – global - one needs to “get on the balcony” where they can see the entire dance floor. Leaders must also be able to move back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony in order to adapt.

So, wake up America and get on the balcony before it’s too late. Are your leaders “on the dance floor or, “on the balcony?”

How to Survive and Reinvent Yourself

Innovation most often comes from those on the front lines who are closest to the work and the customers. Until recently it was difficult for information to make its way around an organization to reach the masses.

The advent of Web 2.0 and social media tools such as blogs, wikis and internal social networks have helped companies capture and share knowledge and create common communities where all employees can access and share information easily.

The best companies are already preparing for the future by using social media and social networking to collaborate and accelerate innovation.

Companies such as P&G, Lego and Boeing allow employees to share information and knowledge for the purposes of R&D, the implementation of more innovative products and services, more effective marketing and working smarter.

McKinsey conducted a global survey of 1700 executives who reported using social media in a variety of ways:

• 41% use social media internally
• 34% use it to connect with customers
• 25% use it to work with external partners and suppliers

For more information about how companies such as Deloitte, Cisco, JetBlue and Nokia are using social media, I highly recommend that you read Jeanne Meister and Kelly Willyerd’s new book, The 2020 Workplace. It’s chuck full if ideas on how you can tap into the collective wisdom and knowledge of your employees to help you innovate.

Is your company taking advantage of all Web 2.0 has to offer?

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“Know Thyself” – Oracle at Delphi

One of my favorite sections to read in the New York Times on Sunday is Adam Bryant’s Corner Office. Each Sunday there is a condensed version of an interview with a CEO talking about leadership.

This weekend’s interview was with Rachel Ashwell, founder of Shabby Chic, and he asked her a great question, “What would your employees say you’re like as a boss?”

Ms. Ashwell had no trouble articulating what she thought they would say but the question is how accurate is she?

The research is pretty clear on this according to research by Lombardo and Eichinger - The Leadership Machine. Self-rating is less accurate than all other rater groups. Actually, most people rate themselves higher than others do. This is understandable as it is difficult to be an unbiased observer of yourself.

So what is a leader to do to meet the challenge of “Know thyself,” the description over the Oracle at Delphi. The answer is simple - ask for feedback. For many CEO’s this can be a humbling experience but also a growth opportunity.

It can get pretty lonely at the top and it’s easy for a leader to become isolated and cut off from how their behavior is helping or hindering the troops.

Until you truly know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, underdeveloped areas that need bolstering and what you stand for you cannot be a truly authentic and effective leader.

Here are six things a leader can do to increase self-awareness and effectiveness:

1. Create a feedback loop by having your HR department or preferably an outside consultant conduct a yearly evaluation of you by your team, have them write it up and debrief you. Depending on the level of trust, which will increase over time, this can be anonymous or attributed.

2. Let your team know how important this is to you and that you welcome negative feedback and criticism. This may sound scary but in my experience leaders who do this are held in higher esteem and respected more by their followers.

3. Rather than using a 360 instrument to gather feedback (I’m not a big fan of them) one-on-one interviews should be conducted with each rater, which can help go beyond general awareness and cover a deep level of understanding with specific behavioral examples.

4. Keep it simple - as my colleague Marc Effron former head of talent management at Avon would say - by asking four key questions and then probing for specific behavioral examples:

A. What does Ms. CEO do that they should continue to do?
B. What can Ms. CEO do that could be more effective?
C. What does Ms. CEO do that should be stopped?
D. What does Ms. CEO do that helps/hinders the organization to move forward?

In A through C, you are probing for behavioral examples. For instance, one executive I coached who was extremely impatient found out that he had a tendency to stifle constructive debate by cutting off discussions and coming to a premature decision. Upon hearing this, he was able to be more Socratic. D has to do with business issues.

5. After receiving the feedback, thank your raters and share the two to three themes that came from the feedback. Let them know that you heard what they said and that you plan on working on modifying your behavior so you can be more effective and ultimately help them to be more effective. Ask them for additional suggestions on how you can improve.

6. Behavior change is extremely difficult so give yourself time and don’t get discouraged. Keep in mind that under stress, it is easy to revert back to your “default” style. Monitor your progress and continue to show your commitment to the process by having informal check-in with your team throughout the year.

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Tammy Erickson’s post in Harvard Business Review’s blog “Career Advice for Generation X” raises some interesting observations about career challenges facing this generation which she further explores in her insightful book, “What’s Next, Gen X? Keeping Up, Moving Ahead, and Getting the Career You Want.”

You’re Generation X. You’re in your 30’s and 40’s, in the middle of your lives, your careers, and the workforce. You’re wedged between two groups of people who are, in their own ways, taking up a little too much of your room. Boomers to the left of you, Gen Y to the right – and you with all the frustrations that come with being part of a smarter generational cohort.

I agree with Ms. Erickson that even though they face challenges, Gen X has strengths that companies need to flourish. The first generation to grow up with mothers who worked, they were left to their own devices and thus are resilient, self-motivated, hard working and also fiercely independent.

It’s this fierce independence that is a liability for them. Known as “loners” - which they readily admit to - their mantra is, “Just tell me what you want and when and then leave me alone to do it.” This flies in the face of everything Gen Y, who they manage, needs to be engaged.

Gen X As Managers of Gen Y

The most child centric generation to be raised in our history, Gen Y wants to have a relationship with their manager, someone who can give them daily feedback, coach and develop them, tell them what to do and give them all the information they need to get the work done. This does not mesh with Gen X’s love of independence and hands-off style of management.
I think you see the problem here.

More Challenges for Gen X

The economic downturn in the 90’s also saw huge cutbacks in management and leadership development programs as well as the flattening of organizations. So not only was Gen X not shown the ‘welcome mat’ when they entered the workforce, they also did not receive the development that their Boomer parents received. The flattening of organizations also added to their lack of development in that there were fewer people to learn from – advantages that Boomers received.

A Call For Action

Gen X, as well as the companies they work for, are both facing challenges. The inevitable exit of the Boomers and the small number of Xers will leave a gaping hole in the management and leadership ranks in many organizations. Gen X is perfectly positioned to take the reins from the Boomers – at long last!

In response to Ms. Erickson’s question, how does Gen X reset their sights for the next stretch? 

Gen X must first

Understand what makes Gen Y tick and be able to tap into how to engage and motivate them.

I’ve talked to and trained many Gen Xers and they are clueless. Gen X - I’m not blaming you. I’m calling out your companies for not providing both the generational awareness and basic management 101 training you need to effectively manage and lead.

You’ll hear me talk a lot on this topic so stay tuned.
 

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Last week I participated in Jeanne Meister's webinar, Corporate Learning in 2010, hosted by Chief Learning Officer Magazine and I learned that there is an incredible innovation going on in the way companies are using social media for training and learning. These are just some of the innovations that I want to share with you.

Mobile Phones
The use of mobile phone is proliferating. 70% HR executives said they plan on using mobile phones for learning in the next 18 months. Merrill Lynch was one of the first to use mobile phones for compliance training and other financial services firms are now experimenting with the idea. Community bankers at Wachovia who spend most of their time traveling to meet clients use their  Blackberrys to have product knowledge at their fingertips in order to enhance sales. And, Watson Pharmaceuticals expects that within the next few years every sales person will use a smartphone with an app that says WatsonU.

Social Networks
According to DukeCE uppermost on the minds of most CEO’s is how to drive innovation. IBM successfully has addressed that issue by using technology called “innovation jams” to identify business problems and allow their 300,000 employees to easily connect to solve them. Computer Associates and Agilent Technologies also use internal social networks as a way for their employees to collaborate and share information.

Job Skills Accreditation
More job skills will be accredited. In addition to receiving accreditation from a university employees will be able to enhance their personal job skills portfolio. The focus will now be on what they learn not how they learn. In this day and age of job insecurity and cutbacks, this is appealing to employees who want portable skills that they can take to another organization.

As organizations become more complex and virtual, it is critical for them to use social media to be competitive. Whether you are trying to increase employee productivity, drive innovation or simply on-board new hires, social media is the tool to help you achieve this in an efficient way.

For more information on innovations in learning visit Jeanne Meister’s New Learning Playbook.

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Recently I attended a thought provoking presentation at The New York Human Resource Planning Society on Developing Resilience at Astra Zeneca. The presenters were Dr.Linda Hoopes, President of Resilience Alliance and Joseph Fletcher, Learning and Organizational Effectiveness Partner at Astra Zeneca.

I’m stating the obvious when I say we live in turbulent times where change is the norm. As we’ve all experienced, change can be disruptive especially in the workplace.

AstraZeneca one of the leading pharmaceutical companies has taken significant steps to help their employees adapt to an ongoing stream of change. In collaboration with Dr. Hoopes, they have developed and delivered programs to their employees on personal resilience to help alleviate the related debilitating stress that accompanies it. By taking a web-based questionnaire their employees gained insight into their resilience strengths and weaknesses, and received scores on the dimensions related to effective adaptation to disruptive change. 


What I liked about what I heard is that these programs go beyond the usual change management programs that teach people how to merely cope with disruption in the workplace and focuses more on learning the skills required to successfully

People who are able to successfully cope with disruptive change have these five characteristics:

1. They are Positive (about the world and self) and are able to frame the unknown into possibilities.
2. They remain Focused during times of ambiguity and confusion.
3. By being Flexible both internally in their thoughts and externally with others, they can create possibilities rather than see things in black or white.
4. They put order and structure to chaos by being Organized. They use their “energy by putting systems and discipline to good use.
5. In the face of adversity they take a risk by being Pro-active. They don’t wait – they make things happen.

How resilient are your employees? It may be time to find out.

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