The HR Manager told me that we couldn’t call the leadership development project “coaching” because the CEO doesn’t believe in coaching for leaders. The CEO has stated that leaders should be developed enough to not need coaching; that they wouldn’t have made it thus far if they were deficient. That CEO and his Chief Operating […]
I’ve noticed lately that leadership or executive presence is getting increasing airspace. Some people are calling it the “X factor” in leadership. I’m frequently engaged to coach leaders in enhancing their leadership presence. In the military we had to learn it from scratch, because we were so young at the time. I was only nineteen. […]
I’m tired of the expression “change management”! Firstly the statistics are that 70% of change programs fail. Secondly, change is a directionless word. What we really mean is adapting or improving, adjusting, innovating or creating. When people are told they must change, it evokes resistance. When they are asked how we might adapt and improve, […]
When baby boomers were new and younger employees, they were not expected to ask why but to do or die, as the old saying went. That was a carry-over from the colonial military days and the recent Second World War, when obeying difficult orders without question was essential. Those authoritarian days are well over. Today […]
Gary felt like giving up. His idea to create an online agency to harness the wisdom and experience of recent retirees had failed to raise any of the capital he needed to pay the coders and designers and the marketing. He felt frustrated and angry with the situation. The thoughts that kept spinning around his […]
We live in times of uncertainty, volatility, ambiguity, even chaos. Disruptive change is upon us all. We are emerging from leading and managing focussed only on spreadsheets and fiscal data. That’s because it’s not delivering the results we seek. We must embrace an additional formula not used by accountants and economists. Not their fault. We […]
Some leaders gain the trust and respect of their people by their consistent values based behaviour and decisions. Other leaders lose trust and respect by committing these seven deadly sins: 1. Choosing what suits them instead of the greater good for their people and the organisation. 2. Taking credit for the good work of others […]
They were a great team. They had plenty of work. They grew sensibly. They won more work because they delivered great work. Their future was bright. Then one director/owner believed he was never wrong, always right. Then the other director/owner believed she had learned all there was to learn about business. After all, look what […]
Just saying “I’m holding you accountable for delivering this” does not mean that accountability has been achieved, even if the response is “OK”. I recently sat in on the monthly meetings of an executive team over three months and heard the leader repeatedly say “I’m holding you accountable for our agreements today”. The problem was […]
I am dismayed and frustrated at the prevalence of leadership cowardice and ignorance, and its resulting high cost. As an executive coach I find that most of the cases I undertake, whilst warranted, are exacerbated by a more senior leader failing to be clear, decisive and timely in bringing the critical issues to the attention […]
