ThinkTank

Almost every client that I work with is trying to improve teamwork, to build strong relationships, to build solid communication across the organization, and with their client companies.

One of the easiest ways to ‘hit the wall’ and destroy teamwork and morale is for leaders and managers to be heard by their staff making destructive comments about coworkers, vendors and clients — anything like put-downs, character assassinations, and gossip. I think most of us have been guilty of this, whether frequent or not.  

Let me tell you a story. One of the truly unique executive coaches is Marshall Goldsmith. I like his style and I think he likes mine! I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing him several months ago. He’s the king of feedback and gives a lot of it. Apparently, he also asks for it – from customers and staff. What a novel idea!

Some time ago, one item his colleagues noted where he could improve was to ‘avoid destructive comments about other people.’ He scored worse than 92% of the people in the country on a 360 degree assessment – one that he developed!

Now, being an offender, and not permitted first offender status, he decided to improve and break that habit – in fact, he decided to pay his colleagues $10 if they heard him make any more destructive comments about another person. Turns out that cost him $50 before noon the next day. And the day after it was $30. On the third day, 10 bucks. And he says that it still costs him money, but that he’s make remarkable improvement, a process only costing him several thousand dollars!

So why not try this out and say to each of your colleagues, “If I make a destructive comment about someone or another group, just say to me ‘five bucks’. And I’m going to donate the money to charity. I’d like you to do the same thing with your team.” There are plenty of charities who can use help from your self-improvement.

It won’t be long before you think before you speak, and when you do, ask these questions regarding what you are about to say:

            1. Will this comment help me or our company?
            2. Our customers?
            3. The person or people I’m talking to?
            4. The people I’m talking about?

And if the answer to those four questions is ‘no,’ I’m going to give you an incredibly simple strategy to implement. One that won’t require a coach to help you take action on.

Don’t say it.

Companies are bracing for turnover. Trust me, it’s coming. My sources report that with the improving economy, people who have been staying in their jobs, even though dissatisfied, will be leaving . . . and soon.

So here’s the predicament. Four out of 10 newly hired or promoted supervisors, managers, executives, leaders and line staff fail within the first 18 months of starting their new positions. ‘Failing’ includes being fired for performance, performing significantly below expectations, or voluntarily resigning from the new position.

The challenges they face today include:

– The ‘cultural fit’ between newly recruited or promoted manager and the team, department, division or enterprise is heightened.

– Better control of their personal lives.

– Expectations are higher than ever for results, but the willingness to wait for results is at an all time low.

Solution

To reduce these failures, organizations must encourage, and fund, a coaching relationship for the newly recruited or promoted person.

‘On-boarding’ or ‘assimilation’ coaches are helping company leaders and top performers manage the transition from day one — some even before they start their new role.  And this type of coaching has increased during recent years, because more employers are paying coaching fees. 

Coaches assist clients in clarifying expectations, developing action plans, uncovering hurdles and even modifying their own behavior.  Leaders want support in dealing with the challenges of change.  Just like line workers facing outdated skills, this trend of either becoming obsolete or technologically challenged is fearful.  New leaders don’t have to fake it when they have access to a coach who helps them weekly with their challenges.

Who needs an executive coach? . . . maybe you do.

FORTUNE magazine reports that one reader said, “I went into the coaching experience kicking and screaming, at the insistence of my boss.  And what an eye-opener it turned out to be.  I won’t even go into the grim details of bad management habits I had unthinkingly developed in my 14-year career up to that point – but I will say that since I was ‘cured’ by 12 weeks of pretty intense coaching, I’ve been promoted three times.”

Many people “go it alone” because they think that everyone succeeds or fails on the basis of individual efforts and abilities.  This myth can be so powerful they don’t realize that success is really based on our relationships with others as much as it is on us – and their usual reaction to this is denial.

Coaching provides leaders with a non-judgmental sounding board to think through key issues.  That’s why I named my practice “ThinkTank Coaching”.  Your interaction with a coach is in addition to, and does not replace, existing relationships with the other key stakeholders and trusted advisors or directors.  The key advantage of working with a coach is that there are no ‘strings attached’ to conversations – like those that exist when the parties have on-going formal and business relationships.

The typical executive/management coaching relationship contains two elements:

1. Many of my clients complete personal assessments, usually referred to as 360 degree assessments.  I sometimes use ‘off-the-shelf’ products, but mostly I’ve found that there is more value in personally conduct open, honest and confidential interviews with the client’s key ‘stakeholders’, which may even include family members. 

These interviews can provide information to the client on not only “Who am I?”, but more importantly, “How do others see me?” and “How do I relate to others?”.  The process helps them discover the impact they have on others, and provides a ‘jump-start’ for the coaching relationship.

2. On-going telephone conversations, which sustain the client’s results. Usually, one, two or three calls each month is necessary to maintain the effectiveness.

A successful coaching relationship should result in clients who gain critical focus on the challenges and issues they face.  This doesn’t come from the coach’s advice – the client gains clarity regarding their thinking about those things that impact the organization, its people and its customers.

I lead quite a few workshops on business building and career development, and most, if not all, of my coaching clients have heard me ramble on about the power of ‘real’ networking. I’m more than just a big fan of networking because it’s one of the top three methods I’ve used to build my coaching practice.

Well, I’ve got a true story for you – one that recently happened to me that will illustrate the power of networking. But before we get into the story, let me give you my definition of ‘real’ networking, because in today’s business world, networking is not the same as what your grandfather (or even your father) might have done.

The simplest definition of networking I have is ‘Networking is creating connections and great relationships’.  But let’s take that step further and say what it’s not.  It’s not just “I’ll do business with you, if you agree to do business with me”.  Nope, it’s more than that. 

The famous sales trainer Zig Ziglar, would preach that nearly everyone knows 100 people.  If you tap into the 100 people that everyone in your network knows, you could create an amazing spider-web of thousands of people.

So, ‘real’ networking is connecting people you know together with folks they don’t know.  And when you do, they might have results that my story demonstrates.

I have a friend whose employer was acquired by a competitor, and as is the case with many mergers, his position was eliminated.  We talked about his contacting, or networking, with business associates, customers and friends about his situation, and he quickly found another (even better) job.

Well, here’s where the plot thickens.  I was recently quoted in an Atlanta area newspaper article about career coaching, and I was contacted by someone, let’s call him John, who read the article.  John wanted me to be his career coach because, like my friend, his position was eliminated because of a merger several years back, and since then he had not been able to find work he loved, and for which he was experienced and trained.  From then to the time we spoke, John held various temporary jobs, was a teacher, worked in a mall department story, and did whatever he could do to keep paying the bills.

It turns out that John and my friend worked in the same industry and it seemed to me – and stay with me here – it could be a great idea to get them connected.  So, to open the lines of communications, I asked my now gainfully employed friend, if he’d be willing to help someone else in my network who has been in a similar situation, and who was interested in rejoining the industry’s workforce.  He agreed, told me how he’d prefer to be contacted, and I provided the connection information to John.

I received an email from John a few weeks ago.  It seems my friend introduced John to someone in HIS network who recently made him an employment offer.  You see how helpful making that connection was? 

John showed his gratitude by referring two folks in his network to me who have become coaching clients.  More importantly, John has become a permanent part of my network, as long as I nurture and maintain that connection. That’s real networking.