Coaching for Leaders

Loren Kousaie: Microsoft Almost everyone who leads is doing more influencing of people through technology. Many of us are even working remotely or managing others who work remotely. In this episode, I welcome Loren Kousaie from Microsoft to speak about his extensive experience in leading people virtually over the years – and to offer us suggestions and what we can do better when communicating and leading from a distance. Here are the questions I asked of Loren: Tell me about your role at Microsoft and how you’re physically spaced from your team. What’s a typical day like for you? Also, what kind of tools are you using to connect with your team? What is different about leading people working virtually than leading in other venues? How do you set expectations with your team about what a remote relationship with you will be like? When you started leading virtually, what was the biggest mind shift you had to make? What would you like to have known about leading virtually that you didn’t when you started? Leadership can be lonely. Leading virtually can be even lonelier – what do you do to stay in community with others, either professionally or personally? What’s a discovery you’ve made about yourself along the way that’s contributed to your success? “In order to arrive at what you do not know You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance. In order to possess what you do not possess You must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not You must go through the way in which you are not. And what you do not know is the only thing you know And what you own is what you do not own And where you are is where you are not.” -T.S. Eliot Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Virtually all leaders in organizations are called upon to manage (or at least be part of) the hiring process. In this episode, Bonni and I look at some common mistakes made in the hiring process and some straightforward things you can do to get better results in your hiring decisions. Common Failures in the Hiring Process: 1. Testing for interview skills instead of what it will take to do the job well Utilize behavioral interview questions Test for skills instead of only considering interview responses Book recommendation: Hiring Smart! by Pierre Mornell 2. Falling victim to the halo effect Sometimes one positive thing inappropriately interferes with our perceptions Define your criteria in advance of meeting with candidates Use multiple data points 3. Missing small clues along the way Have a multi-step process and track the individual’s progress through it 4. Forgetting that the very best candidates are interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them Look at your process from an outsider’s perspective 5. Not leveraging technology Leverage services that will help you connect with candidates Remember the hidden job market A mentioned a brief note about episode #85 Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

When we get beaten down, it’s important for us to take actions that will pick us back up. In this episode, I suggest ten things that you can do to pick yourself up after a difficult day, week, or month. If you are feeling beaten down right now, I challenge you to take action on at least one of these suggestions. 1) Find something to be in awe of…preferably something you had something to do with 2) Call the Leena in your life Beware of people who want to fix you Beware of people who don’t listen to you when you have a bad day. Find the people that will stop and listen 3) Help somebody who can do nothing for you The real test of a person’s character is to watch how they treat someone who can do nothing for them. Mother Theresa was a powerful example “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty.” -Anne Lamott Who could you help? 4) Get outdoors 5) Read three pages of How To Stop Worrying and Start Living How to banish boredom What makes you tired and what you can do about it How to add one hour a day to your waking life 6) Teach people how to help you 7) Spend time with a small child Our son at church Our son at Toys ‘R Us 8) Get perspective to center you Great example: It Gets Better Project Find people who’ve walked down your path. “Ahead of you, with you, and behind you.” 9) Remember the Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers” Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers Remember when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. 10) Have More Get Tos Than Got Tos The secret to happiness? Have more get tos than go tos. A word of warning…the above won’t be enough if you are clinically depressed. Talk to your doctor and see a counselor or therapist if you need more help. Also…you’ll forgot all of this the moment you get beaten down. That’s the time to come back to this episode. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Daniel Pink: To Sell is Human Daniel Pink is the author of several bestselling books on the changing world of work. He recently released his newest book, To Sell Is Human, which is also now a bestseller. In this episode, Daniel joins me to speak about his new book, to tell us what’s changed about sales, and to explain why we’re all in sales now…even leaders. Here are the questions I asked of Daniel: You make a strong case in the book is that sales has changed. What’s changed? Most people I know assume that the best salespeople are extroverts. The research you’ve cited in your book says no. Why not? The use of sales scripts has been rampant in developing salespeople. You call sales scripts into question a bit in this book – so what can leaders and organizations do differently to develop their sales teams? You use the term “non-sales selling” to describe what a majority of us do in our work almost every day. One area your highlight is email subject lines. Why is the subject line so important and how does in matter in moving people? Community member question from Josh: What are some ways to dispel the stereotypical salesperson view so you can move onto effective selling and marketing? Community member question from Eveliina: What are the most important characteristics of a leader? Community member question from Jackie: From Peter Drucker….what do you want to be remembered for? What’s a discovery you’ve made about yourself along the way that’s contributed to your success? Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

7 Ways To Stop and Think Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, posted an article this past week titled The Importance of Scheduling Nothing. Here are seven ways that you can also stop and think: 1) Stop telling yourself the lie that next week/month/year will be better 2) Book time to think each day, especially if you are a scheduler Dedicate time each day to think If you really want to discover what’s important to you, check your calendar and your bank account Check out this advice from Ursula Barnes, the CEO of Xerox 3) Brainstorm with yourself before brainstorming with others Check out the interview with Leigh Thompson on the most recent HBR Ideacast highlighting the truth about creative teams 4) Turn things off Turn off the phone and email Here’s a recent New York Times article citing research on the importance of freeing our brains 5) Write stuff down Check out David Allen’s book Getting Things Done Michael Hyatt produced a podcast on the Lost Art of Note-Taking on episode #47 of his show, This Is Your Life I use the Moleskine notebook for Evernote for all my note-taking…but it’s more important you have and use a system, than what the system is 6) Put things into “later” buckets I do this most actively for physical mail, bills, and online articles I use Pocket to save things to read later I use Buffer to queue posts to my social networks 7) Start saying no to more Start with something small Are you getting at least as much as your are giving? (financial, enjoyment, love, contribution to the world) I’ve left some professional organizations where the above wasn’t the case Bonus) Eliminate choices that may seem sacred Get rid of TV? Do you need to always be tied into the internet? This week, I’m taking 15 minutes every day to stop and think…please join me. Connect online to discuss your results! Thank you to Carmel Purdey, Mad Oo, MIchael Oneski, and Emad Aladawee for either liking our page on Facebook, following me on Google+, or following me on Twitter. Want a booster-shot mid-week? I send a weekly article via email so you can stay connected with our community and keep getting ideas and tools that will keep you moving forward. If you’re not already receiving the weekly articles, please subscribe at this link.

Lynette Young: Google+ for Small Businesses Virtually everyone wants to build their professional network, but few people are truly effective at doing it in person – and many believe it’s ever more challenging online. On this episode, I welcome Lynette Young from Purple Stripe Productions and author of the book Google+ for Small Businesses. Over 1.5 million people follow Lynette online, so she brings a lot of credibility and experience to those of us who want to engage online more effectively. Please note that since this episode originally aired, Google has permanently sunsetted the Google+ social media network. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jamie Welsh: Red Willow Group When any of us are seeking better results, our first inclination is often to explore how we can change others. In reality, one of the best changes we can make is to first look at ourselves. In this episode, I welcome Jamie Welsh from Red Willow Group to explain how she coaches business leaders to look inward first when there are trying to create outward results. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Michelle Smith: O.C. Tanner Vice President, Business Development for O.C. Tanner The 10 steps we discuss: Strategic planning Understand your audience Fact finding Program structure Communication Type of awards Budget Measurement Tracking Analysis Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Michelle Smith: O.C. Tanner Vice President, Business Development for O.C. Tanner Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

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*. Towards the end of his life, Mark Twain famously said, “I’m an old man and I’ve known many troubles, most of which never happened.” Like Twain, many of us find ourselves captivated by worry on a regular basis. In this episode, we’ll take a look at this human reality and some of the things that each of us can do to better control worry, both professional and personally. Make a decision that it’s OK to worry once in awhile Take Dale Carnegie’s advice of “What’s the worst that can happen?” Get out of your own box and focus on serving others rather than worrying about ourselves Address challenges proactively – when there is trouble, take action! Live in day-tight compartments Some of the books we mentioned on this episode are: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers Getting Things Done by David Allen Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Heather Backstrom: Executive Coach Some people live about 90 years. Some people live one year, 90 times. Which one are you and how does it affect your leadership of others and yourself? In this episode, my guest Heather Backstrom and I discuss the topic of purpose and how clarity of purpose can help us be more effective leaders and have more balanced and fulfilled lives. Not clear on your values? My one-page values exercise is available at this link. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jacquelyn Thorp: Train Me Today Sometimes things show up in the workspace that we don’t want and didn’t anticipate. In this episode, my guest Jacquelyn Thorp and I discuss what to do when someone on your team smells and is causing issues for colleagues. Jacquelyn brings her experience from handling this situation many times to help us address this proactively. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Bringing smart ideas to the table isn’t enough; we also need to be able to sell those ideas. The best idea communicated poorly will fare much worse than a mediocre idea communicated well. In this episode, I’ll examine what you can do to help your ideas take off. Six mistakes you may be making when pitching a great idea: 1) Neglecting to interact with the people who are impacted most by your idea. 2) Ignoring people who could help you. 3) Spending too much time on the unimportant details. 4) Assuming the “pitch” is the decision point. 5) Failing to strategize how to work around obstacles. 6) Hesitating on bad news. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

JoAnne Norton: Family Business Consulting Group Family businesses account for 60% of all jobs in the United States and 98% of all companies elsewhere. The dynamics of family business are unique and communication becomes even more critical. In this episode, I interview family business consultant JoAnne Norton of the Family Business Consulting Group on how family business can prosper from one generation to the next with effective communication. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Charles Max Wood As our careers grow, we get more and more opportunities to attend conferences. Most people fail to maximize what they can gain from a conference. In this episode, I interview experienced conference-goer and speaker Charles Max Wood of Ruby Rogues and Javascript Jabber on how he maximizes the value he gets from conferences. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Where people go wrong on birthdays and other important occasions: Many of have defaulted to no more than “HBD” on Facebook or other social media Some people even send birthday cards and just sign their names (gasp!) We’ve lost the personal touch I ever get robocalls now on my birthday How you can be better Have something to remind you (but not automated to send to the other party) Avoid the obligatory stuff you do because you feel like you have to Focus on the people who are close to you first and spend more time engaging with them on special days Instead of a “happy birthday,” how about sharing why you are grateful that that person showed up in your life I record a brief audio greeting for special people in my life to share why I’m grateful for them Whatever you do, make the personal connection…and do it sincerely Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. We discuss a few examples of stubbornness showing up in our work and lives. Some of the reasons that we fall into a pattern of being stubborn: 1) We are perceived as experts in our field or topic (or we’ve convinced ourselves of this) and it simply doesn’t occur to us that we might be wrong about anything related to it. 2) We decided that we know enough about the situation, topic, or problem already and refuse to put in effort to discover more. 3) We need to fight every batte instead of carefully choosing them. 4) We miss the grey areas with people that make each situation unique and worthy of different types of responses from us. How We Can Work To Fix It: 1) Let’s examine how we react or respond when people bring us new ideas, suggestions, or changes – we can notice this ourselves, solicit feedback, or do assessment work. Either way, its important to become aware of our own patterns and tendencies. 2) We need to decide what shift (if any) is important for us to avoid stubbornness. For Dave, this shift is spending more time listening and less time explaining. 3) Find a way to hold yourself accountable for the results you want. If we’re not holding ourselves accountable in some way, then we don’t have sustainable change. 4) Find a shared truth (not just my truth or your truth – but a truth we can hold together). 5) Surround yourself with people who support you – Dave mentions how Bonni has been a big support in this way. Books We Mentioned: Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury Getting Past No by Ury Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton, Heen, and Fisher The Abilene Paradox by Harvey Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

The New Year is a natural time to think about renewal and how to be more effective as a leader. However, some of the typical things many of us do with New Year’s resolutions often end in failure – 88% of the time, according to one study. I look at how three words can help you set the stage for your development actions this year. I discuss how running a marathon helped me understand why so many of us have a hard time tackling so many goals at once. The problem with resolutions: A study by Richard Wiesman in the UK followed 3,000 people for a year and determined that only 12% of people actually fulfill their New Year’s resolutions Intention is easy – but putting the time into action is hard We are going to hit obstacles we don’t anticipate We we bit off more than we can chew, our systems can crumble. I talk about how I made this mistake a bit last year in my planning (see episode #23) and why I tried to do too much all at once. What works better: Reflect on the past year. Ask yourself: What did I do well last year? Where did I fall short? Ask people around you the same questions – talk to people you trust Look at assessments, 360s, performance reviews Examine patterns you are seeing with your team or group of people you lead – it get magnified What are the general themes that emerge of what you want to do differently? One example for me – interaction with others and social media Find three words that can meet it My three: Show Up, Flexibility, and Collaboration Start with one goal that will lead you there Communicate it: Have your 3 words visible Share your words with others Ask others to give feedback/coaching on this This is an effective way to connect with your team as well, as it’s simple for people to remember your goals I’d love to hear your 3 – and also I’d love to hear what works for you in your self-development at the beginning of a year. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

All of us are trying to be effective while handling some level of chaos, yet some are more efficient in getting it all done than others. Dave responds to a listener question and gives suggestions for how to get it all done when the reason you aren’t getting it done is because you have too much on your plate. 1) Figure out what you need to do exclusively, that no one else can do Look at the last really full week you had… What could you teach someone else to do? Are you believing the fallacy that no one else could do as good a job as you on all your tasks? 2) Have defined outcomes for a specific timeframe Contract with your manager on what outcomes are most important Remember that you can’t hit a target that you don’t have Keep these priorities simple and easily trackable. The SMART framework can be helpful (see episode #15) 3) Do quality work (be careful about just focusing on speed) Figure out what performance metrics are important to your organization Meet or exceed those metrics If you don’t have clarity, try to find out how your leaders are measured 4) Come to the table with solutions Present challenges with the scope of work and give realistic projections backed up with evidence Allow your leader to participate in the decision you’ve made on priorities What not to say? My team has too much work and is overwhelmed (that’s not taking ownership) 5) Learn how to say no You can’t be everything to everybody Set boundaries in advance and trust your gut reactions Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

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*. It’s understandable that many of us would want to take positive actions to be an effective leader. While positive steps are important, our experience has been that first stopping the things that aren’t working will get you faster results. In this week’s show, we look at what you should stop saying to the people you lead. What is said: “I don’t mean to be xxxxx, but…” What you teach people: I likely am whatever I just said that I don’t mean to be What is said: “But…” What you teach people: Ignore everything I said before I said the word “but” What is said: “Well, to be honest with you…” What you teach people: I’m not always honest all of the time What is said: “You made me feel…” What you teach people: Confusion, since nobody can make you feel anything What is said: Anger expressed at someone bringing bad news, even if they didn’t cause it What you teach people: Don’t ever bring me bad news What is said: I’m going to be the devil’s advocate here… What you teach people: I either like arguing for the sake of arguing or I’m not willing to own my opinions What is said: Giving your own opinion after asking someone for feedback What you teach people: You don’t really care about what they think Bonni also mentioned the 6 Thinking Hats as a model for more effective dialogue Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. All of us are being bombarded by so much information and data that we can barely keep up. If we want to be able to influence more effectively, we need to be able to do it concisely. Bonni and I discuss strategies for making this happen. Mark Twain received the following telegram from a publisher: NEED 2-PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS. And famously replied… NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS. CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS. NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES. In his book Information Anxiety, Richard Saul Wurman states that a standard issue of the New York Times contains more information than a citizen of 17th England would have absorbed in their entire lifetime. The problem? Many people will tune us out when we are not concise. People stop taking calls or are often “unavailable” from people who can’t be concise. Lots of people will stop seeking advice from someone who can’t give it concisely. We don’t have credibility with most audiences if we can’t communicate what we know concisely. What are the causes? For many of my clients, their technical training works against them in communicating concisely. People believe (falsely) that they are more credible the longer they speak. Not true…it’s about quality, not quantity. The “PowerPoint culture” in many organizations has reinforced the myth that more information in slides is better when presentation information. Most of the time, it’s not – less is more. Since making something concise takes time and investment, some of us simply just don’t want to do it out of laziness…even when we know it would help the audience. Selfishness sometimes creeps in – we like to hear ourselves talk and we forget that our purpose is to add value for the audience, not to look good ourselves. What are the solutions? Ask yourself if what you are about the communicate is really essential to the overall message? If you put yourself in the audience’s shows, would you really care about what it is you are about to say? Have someone you trust who knows your audience listen to what you are going to say before you get in front of your manager, a meeting, or a large presentation. Budget time to edit down what you are saying to make it more concise. Suggestions for implementation: Have firm standards on your conciseness and stick to them… As an example, this show is almost always 40 minutes or less. My weekly articles are 500 words or less Join Toastmasters and get practice speaking concisely Attend the Dale Carnegie Course and learn and use many models to get ideas across quickly. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

I’ve come to the conclusion over the years that pretty much nobody likes performance reviews. Either you are having great dialogue and development conversations with people already and might not need them – or you are forced into conversations that don’t set the stage for regular dialogue. That said, there are things you can do that will make this a better experience for both parties. Here are seven things you can do that will help you (and the people you lead) survive performance reviews: 1) Start early and do harder ones first: You won’t do an effective job at handling all the advice below if you start late on this project. Too many leaders with large teams write all their performance reviews on the same day in a short period of time. Rather, take the time to think through what you will write (and later say) and how you plan to communicate it. Also, do the hardest reviews first – this will help clear your mind and also keep you from stressing about difficult reviews throughout the process. 2) If you need to, practice: Many reviews won’t require practice in advance, but at least some will. Practice giving tough feedback and having difficult conversations with a neutral party (not another employee, of course). Tap into help from a peer, leader, or human resources professional who can help. 3) Don’t spring surprises (and if you have to, give people time to save face): Feedback should be coming from you regularly during the review period. If there is something negative that shows up on the performance review, the person you are reviewing should already have been hearing about it from you for awhile and had a chance to begin working on it. When this isn’t possible (due to leadership transitions) give people time to absorb negative feedback and save some face before attempting to have a constructive conversation. 4) Balance the conversation appropriately: If the person you are reviewing is doing great work in 95% of their duties, don’t spend half the time talking about the 1-2 areas where they are lacking. Save that conversation for another time to go into more detail. Likewise, if a person is seriously under performing in a major of their work, then don’t try to find positive things to talk about to balance out the bad news – your time giving feedback needs to accurately reflect the work they are doing. 5) Give specific examples: You aren’t credible on your praise if the best you can say is “good job” and you don’t give people a path to correct themselves if critical feedback only suggests a “needs improvement.” People need to know specifically what they are doing well so they can repeat and specifically where to make changes to be more in alignment with great performance. Plus, you build trust with people when you cite specific examples. Agree or not, at least they know you care enough to pay attention. 6) Hold your ground: During the review conversation is not the time to be making changes to what you are communicating (thus the importance of point #1). Decide on your message in advance and stick to it. A mixed message based upon strong feedback from the other party only serves to make the conversation more complicated and sending a different message than you intended. If you’ve had a hard time holding your ground in the past, you need to practice in advance. See point #2. 7) Avoid talking about others not present: You are reviewing one person at a time, not the entire team. Be sure your feedback focuses on the person at hand and doesn’t veer into an inappropriate conversation about what others are or are not doing in their development. If you need to speak about others for the purpose of examples, stick to the facts and not your opinions or feedback about their development. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Many of the clients I’ve worked with over the years would rather skip presenting all together. That’s not reality if you want to advance (or keep) your career these days, so a lot of people begin presentation planning with panic. In this episode, I give you clear steps you can take to reduce the panic and lay groundwork for a truly effective presentation. To prepare a speech without panicking… Consider yourself honored Many of my clients in the past have been less than enthusiastic about speaking opportunities. Not speaking (and building your communication skills in general) can really harm your career. Must Have Job Skills in 2013 from the Wall Street Journal. If you can learn to speak at least reasonable well, you can influence your work, decisions, direction, and so much more. A lot of people fear speaking – but you can do it! Stay away from the computer Don’t start with PowerPoint or Keynote when planning a presentation. You only make it more likely you will read from slides. It’s likely you’ll draft much of the presentation before considering the overall goal. Slides are NOT the presentation – they are just there to enhance it. YOU are the presentation…so start there. Ask yourself, “What’s the purpose of this presentation?” Three likely zones – which pertains to your talk (might be more than one): Persuade Inform Entertain Ask yourself, “What do I want someone in the audience to say about my talk at lunch?” It’s important for us to think through how we want our talk to be remembered. It’s also important that it’s memorable enough to be discussed later. We all have limited bandwidth these days. Mind map Start the mind map with the answer to the previous question – and work backwards. Use paper, a dry erase board, or a tool like iThoughtsHD. Examples, examples, examples, examples, examples… People remember examples, stories, evidence, demonstrations, experiences, etc. Don’t be fooled – content almost always trumps delivery (see CFL episode #38) Share stories whenever possible (see CFL episode #51) Prepare to change the world…seriously. Stay home or get someone else to do it if you’re not game for this. Sin by Silence is a great example of a project (and speaking) where a few people have change the world. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Bonni and I discuss our eight suggestions for managing up: 1) Support your manager publicly: Avoid gossip if you can, and when someone is truly trying to problem solve, do your best to help them understand each side of the situation instead of being critical. One of the fastest ways to lose trust with your manager is for them to discover you’ve been speaking poorly about them behind their backs. 2) Tell your manager what you are planning: It rarely is a problem to over communicate something…most people take the opposite position and don’t communicate enough. Talking openly about what you are planning to do is helpful when the outcome your manager expects isn’t 100% clear – or if your manager has a history of changing their mind about a project without sharing that change. 3) Avoid surprises: Managers and people named Bonni don’t like surprises…and none of us want to be caught off guard in a difficult situation. Help your manager save face by informing them when something doesn’t go as planned. This is hard is your manager is the “shoot the messenger” type, but it’s still an essential way to build trust over the long-term. 4) Come to the table with solutions: This goes right along with number #3. Absolutely address things quickly when there are issues, but also come to the table with a game plan for how it will get resolved. Your plan doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to reflect that you’ve done serious thinking about the problem and are ready and willing to put your talents into practice to resolve the issue. 5) Connect requests to their priorities: Most managers care about impact and sustainability. That means that whatever you are trying to do to influence your manager should align with the core mission of the organization and/or provide additional revenue or cost savings. If you can’t make the case for either of those two areas, you’re probably barking the wrong bark up the tree. 6) Spend time thinking through what your boss won’t: Everyone has their strengths and everyone has their blind spots. You do a huge service to your manager when you determine where they don’t have strengths and do whatever you can to support them in that areas through ideas, proposals, and actions. 7) Don’t go over their head: Unless it’s a serious ethical or legal situation, avoid trying to influence your manager by going over their head. Usually this only works once (the first time) and you’ll pay the price for a long time after that, assuming you are still around. 8) Get advice from others you trust: Talk to other people who know your manager and the things they care about. Learn about their style. Getting helpful advice from others can help you position your requests in the right way. Even if you don’t dialogue about it, observe what others do to influence your manager successfully. Remember, you won’t always get what you want – and sometimes that is a good thing. Finally, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see people playing by the same rules. You can really do amazing things if you do these eight things with consistency! Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Kurt Allebach Two weeks ago we looked at how to start a mentoring program. This week, I welcome listener Kurt Allebach who has tons of experience in running and starting mentoring programs to provide more practical perspective on this topic. If you are a mentor, mentee, or just want to learn more about the benefits of mentoring, you’ll gain something of value. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Effective leaders learn from the good practices of other leaders in order to be more effective. In this special episode, I turn the reigns over to our community to share stories about great leadership moments that were meaningful to them. Join me for five stories than we can all learn something from to help us lead better. Leadership stories from our listening community: Mary Lou Jan Will Kirk Jesse Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Stella Cowan A great mentoring program can help both the organization and its people achieve incredible results. In this episode, I welcome mentoring expert Stella Cowan to discuss what leaders should consider when designing and implementing a formal mentoring program in their organizations. Here are the resources Stella mentioned, along with some additional tools: Dr. Lois Zachary (Center for Mentoring Excellence) Ida Abbott (home page) Stella recommends her articles “Beyond Mentors, the Need for Champions” and “Mentoring Groups and Mentoring Circles”) Stella recommends two to us during training/orientation and to provide continued support to mentors and mentees are: “Being an Effective Mentor: 101 Practical Strategies for Success,” and “Working with a Mentor: 50 Practical Strategies for Success.” So You Want to Be Mentored by Stella Cowan* International Mentoring Association (some parts of this site require membership for access) Slideshow: “Implementing a Mentoring Program” Stella uses this slideshow when presenting to groups interesting in implementing a program. The slideshow provides a high-level view of what’s required to create a successful design and launch. Sample Mentoring Agreement – This is a sample Stella found online and has referenced as a model. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Three lessons from Stefan’s story: The importance of leaders to be willing to admit mistakes Why creating results over time helps you stand out from the crowd The power of a long-term vision Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. I heard throughout my life that I should always honor those who are older than me and I’ve always been asked to lead them. In this episode, Bonni and I discuss situations where we’ve both been asked to lead people older than us and identify seven principles that can help you do this successfully as well. 1. Everyone is your superior in some way. “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson 2. Focus on the right questions instead of the right answers. 3. Befriend people who are older than you are – and younger too. 4. Remember each person will be very young and very old. Movie recommendation: “The curious case of Benjamin Button.” 5. Honoring and leading are not mutually exclusive. 6. Not everyone wants to lead. 7. You are there for a reason. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

I wish I could tell you that I’ve always felt confident as a leader, but I used to be a real scaredy cat. In this episode, I discuss six ways that I learned to have more confidence in my leadership abilities and not be consumed by the fear and worry about giving feedback to others. 1) Set expectations early: If expectations aren’t there with followers, create them. If they aren’t clear, clarify. Do it early or as soon as you can. 2) Be willing to change directions: A mentor gave me great advice when they said, “No leader is perfect. You can always acknowledge to a follower that something has been OK up until now, but that you are now making a different decision going forward.” 3) Ask a trusted colleague for feedback: I discovered that asking for advice from a person I trusted often gave me new ideas. 4) Respond in 24 hours: Zig Ziglar said, “If you need to eat a frog, you don’t want to look at that sucker too long. He ain’t gonna get any prettier.” (Customers – SCORE!) 5) Earn trust by being a good-finder: I spent time each day finding good stuff people were doing and told them. 6) Listen to daily inspiration: These days, I listen to podcasts. One that always gives me a boost is Michael Hyatt’s show This Is Your Life. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

It sure would be nice if we could all learn to be more effective leaders without making any mistakes. However, while none of us would wish for mistakes, many of us learn the most from past missteps. In this episode, I talk about the value of mistakes and highlight six mistakes that I have made as the host of this show. I discuss the mistakes that I made in starting my first business many years ago and what I learned from these mistakes. I the more recent past, here are the six mistakes that I’ve made hosting this show: 1) Being too structured I mention the book Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz by Frank Barrett that was featured on a recent HBR Ideacast. “If you’re not making a mistake, it’s a mistake.” -Miles Davis One of my mentors once said, “Any strength overused, becomes a liability.” 2) Assuming everyone listens the way I do We have listeners on Zune, iTunes, Stitcher, and BlackBerry – and even more places than those. 3) Forgetting the reason behind the goal 4) Driving the agenda myself Upcoming shows on mentoring, lessons from changing companies, and stories about great leaders are all listener suggestions 5) Not sharing enough specific stories I started to turn the corner a bit with episode #48: How to Lead When Someone Is Driving You Nuts 6) Not being engaged with people Why the list of 100 is gone What others mistakes have I made? Tell me. What mistakes have you made? Share in the comments section below. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Mike Demas: Micron Almost all of us are doing more virtually than we ever have before – and that includes our leadership responsibilities. Virtual leadership has become the norm in many organizations and leaders have had to adapt in order to influence effectively across distance. In this week’s episode, I speak with virtual teams expert Mike Demas on what strategies leaders can use in order to be as effective as possible in a virtual environment. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Carol Taylor: Vanguard University Leaders face difficult situations when their organizations struggle through budgetary challenges. My guest, Carol Taylor, is all too familiar with such challenges and tells the story of the crisis that faced Vanguard University when she was appointed president. She is the author of Leading a Turnaround and the Joy of a Third Class Ticket found in Thriving Leadership edited by Karen Longman, and joins me on this episode to share her leadership journey at Vanguard. Two challenges for you after listening to today’s show: Visit the Vanguard University website for inspiration on what wonderful work they are doing since emerging from this crisis Share this episode with someone who is leading through a challenging time or crisis Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Authentic leaders know that there’s more to an apology than simply the words “I’m sorry” – although that’s a good starting point. Mistakes are inevitable, but few leaders are able to communicate a genuine apology. This week, Bonni returns to discuss how we can make our apologies more meaningful and genuine to the people who receive them. Components of an authentic apology: 1) State “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” with sincerity 2) Be specific about what you are apologizing for and own it 3) Discuss what you will do to avoid the mistake in the future Tell me what you did to incorporate something from our discussion above – I want to know what is working for you! Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Getting results isn’t always easy, but the process is simple. In this episode, I’ll review the 3 steps that you need to get the best results from the people you lead. I’ll also point out many of the common mistakes that lots of us make when trying to follow these simple guidelines. If you aren’t getting what you expect from people, this show is a must-listen for you. What do I want for you? People know what outcomes you want People know when you’re going to check-in People expect consequences 1) Establish outcomes up front Dictating the process makes it yours and takes away innovation Establish the metrics for success Let people decide how they will get there 2) Agree to regular check-ins People don’t need to feel micromanaged if check-ins are scheduled If they are mostly on track, leave them alone… If they are going off track, provide coaching… 3) Provide accountability If something doesn’t match the expectations – call people on it Acknowledge people in some way – best is a thank you Episode #9 – positive feedback Episode #10 – constructive feedback Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

If you are doing any type of serious leadership, you are going to hear complaining. As I discuss in this episode, complaining isn’t always a bad thing, but you need to handle it appropriately as a leader. In this episode, I discuss seven ways to handle complainers in your organization. 1. Expect ingratitude “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell 2. Give people time and a venue to complain People don’t always want a solution to their problems Limit this time 3. Set the agenda in advance (and time frames) Have them bring an agenda to the meeting Follow that agenda If they aren’t ready for that, you set agenda and send to them in advance 4. Require solutions to problems Ask people to always bring a realistic solution along with any complaint They know the issue better than you do – they’ve thought it through 5. Set time limits and stick to them (see details in the 6 Habits to Keep People from Wasting Your Time article) Let people know in advance how much time you have End meetings on time If you need to, book something else after the meeting 6. Be frank with people Tell people why you aren’t taking action If they aren’t coming with solutions, call them on it. Share examples. 7. Limit your interactions with that person (try the others first) Gallup says that the best leaders spend a majority of their time with their best people You don’t have to always be available – schedule a time Use caller ID Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Sandie Morgan: Global Center for Women & Justice Questions are the language of coaches. Stories are the language of leaders. In this episode, I welcome Sandie Morgan, Director of the Global Center for Women & Justice at Vanguard University of Southern California, to speak about how she utilizes storytelling to influence the world. Hear Sandie and Dave biweekly on the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. It’s been a full year since I launched Coaching for Leaders, so in this special anniversary episode, Bonni and I look at a more personal topic: what leadership lessons we’ve learned from our son Luke in the first six months of his life. As you’ll see, the lessons could apply to many relationships, both personal and professional. What leadership lessons we’ve learned (or been reminded of) in our first six months of parenting: Sleep deprivation can take down anybody. Expectations are huge…and a bit of grace goes a long way. No matter how organized you are, you will get barfed on. There is true joy to be found anywhere and everywhere. It’s really not about you most of the time. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Almost all of us are put into leadership roles where we need to influence people that we can’t bark orders to. It’s essential for all of us to learn how to lead without a formal title. In this episode, I explore 6 things you can do to lead others outside of title and position that will create better results for both of you. 1) Find out what’s important to people – and then help them get it Appreciate the past Understand the present Picture the future Identify passions ARTICLE LINK: 4 Ways to Prepare Your Team to See The Future 2) Go out of your way to recognize people Write thank you notes – I write at least 1-2 each week Do everyone possible to share people’s name is a positive way publicly Use people’s names 3) Make decisions for the long-run 4) Don’t love ’em and leave ’em 5) Engage your opponents Take time to listen to people who disagree with you You don’t have to agree – but understand where they are coming from 6) Have a sense of humor Groundhog day Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

All of us would like to believe that we can lead in such a way where people would never drive us nuts. Of course, that’s not reality – and we’ve all had to deal with people many times that push our buttons in all the wrong ways. In this episode, I share a recent experience I had where someone was driving me nuts and what mistakes I made (and advise I have) for leading when this happens. Here are nine things you can do to lead when someone is driving you nuts: 1) Ask yourself, it is personality or performance? Rarely do we get to decide what personalities we get to work with and lead. If it’s personality, challenge yourself to be flexible. 2) Give people the benefit of the doubt. Almost nobody wakes up in the morning with the goal to make other people miserable. 3) Address non-performance early. If there is a clear performance issue, address it early. Trust your instincts and those of the people around you. What should it be? For me, 2 incidents. People know you are watching, that you care, and what the expectations are. 4) Tell people you are giving them a second chance. Error on the side of over-communicating here. 5) Use email wisely (and Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Stay off posting or sending things in writing when you are mad. Follow-up expectations with an email summary. 6) Find out if it can be fixed before losing your cool. Most everything can be fixed. 7) Sleep on it. We don’t make good decisions when we’re tired. We anger faster. We take twice and long to handle stuff. We don’t have perspective. We have the tendency to fire off emails. 8) Let other people do their jobs once you’ve raised a concern. Sometimes you’ll get punished for being proactive. 9) Decide how much of your time and energy this is worth. Dale Carnegie says, “Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more.” This too shall pass. Often I find that I am angry at myself when I feel like I am angry at others. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Everyone interacts with the world differently, but there are two broad ends of the spectrum that can help us understand how we see the world and how we can support those that we lead. In this episode, we’ll look extensive at the judging-perceiving personality type preference and how appreciating both sides can help you to understand and lead others more effectively. Are you a Chaos Muppet or an Order Muppet? Check out this article from Slate. Judging preference Organized Scheduled Planned Energized by planning Tips for leaders who prefer judging: Not everyone will have planned things out as well as you have Watch out for micromanagement You’re going to need to be flexible with the real world How to lead those with a judging preference: Get them in the room when doing long-term planning and scheduling Coach them if they get too caught up in their planning Help people recognize when they need to be flexible Perceiving preference Spontaneous Adaptable Flexible Energized by deadlines Tips for leaders who prefer perceiving: Be careful not to change directions too many times on people There are huge advantages to giving people more time Remember that you can (and likely will) drive those with a judging preference nuts How to lead those with an perceiving preference: Coach them if they aren’t trending towards making decisions Tap into their strengths when things need to change direction quickly Let them be flexible in the workplace (workday, schedule, timeline) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

We all make decision as leaders, but we don’t all make decisions the same way. Our personalities influence what becomes important and prominent in our decision-making. In this episode, I explore the two dichotomies that help explain how we make decisions. Then, I discuss strategies leaders can use with folks who have preferences for each dichotomy in order to understand how we can make better decisions. Thinking preference Analysis Objective Egalitarian Tips for leaders who prefer thinking: Watch out for over-analysis Listen to how people feel about the situation Know that you can’t always be perfectly objective – consider the other side too How to lead those with a thinking preference: They are going to want data Coach them if they might appear cold to others Watch out for impact on one person Feeling preference Impact on people Values-based (my work – what inspires me) Individual considered Tips for leaders who prefer feeling: Spend time to consider the data in your decisions Know that the business work tends to understand “thinking” better Watch out for getting to tied into one person or cause on a decision How to lead those with a feeling preference: Discuss how decisions will impact people Coach them to consider data in their decisions and explanations of their decisions Talk in terms on decisions and values Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Everyone takes in information differently. Our personalities influence what we see and don’t see. In this episode, I explore the two dichotomies that help explain how people take in information. Then, I discuss strategies leaders can use with folks who have preferences for each dichotomy in order to maximize the impact of what we take in and how we communicate that to others. Sensing preference Tangible realities Concrete information from five senses Orientated towards present reality Real-life experience Take time to reach conclusions Need details to put together concepts and theories Experience Tips for leaders who prefer sensing: Tell people where you are going You can’t ever collect it all Get help thinking about the future Watch out for missing the big picture How to lead those with a sensing preference: Talk about the here and now Give plenty of details up front and lead them through to the conclusion Reference how practical experience is forming this communication/decision Intuition preference Intangibles Concepts and patterns – plus the sixth sense Oriented towards the future Ideas, possibilities, visioning Reach conclusions more quickly Starts with meaning first -> works back to details Inspiration Tips for leaders who prefer intuition: People don’t always get it until they see how it’s really going to happen Demonstrate how you’ve done your homework Get help looking at all the details Watch out for missing important details How to lead those with an intuition preference: Talk about the future Set the stage for the big picture and fill in the details later Reference how inspiration is leading to this Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Susan Cain: Quiet Those of us who have a preference for introversion often are misunderstood by colleagues and organizations. In this episode, we explore how introverts can bring value to organizations and highlight the research of Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. While we all enjoy many aspects of our personality, most of us trend towards either extroversion or introversion in how we engage with the world. In this episode, Dave and Bonni discuss this dichotomy, how to lead those who have preferences in each area, and advice for your own leadership style. How to lead those with an extroversion preference: Give them opportunities to communicate ideas and thoughts Help them use their preferences in sales interactions Recognize that they may become impatient with a slow pace, so give them indicators of movement, when possible Use feedback regularly How to lead if you have an extroversion preference: Take time to listen Ask others how they want to be led Avoid using “thinking out loud” as an excuse for not treating others well Give yourself “time outs” when you need them Recognize that venting does not actually live up to its reputation How to lead those with an introversion preference: Don’t surprise them Give them time to respond They are doing their best work when you don’t see them Unnecessary group work irritates them Give them physical space to work independently They tend to not multi-task well How to lead if you have an introversion preference: Be flexible Let people know what you are thinking Explain to people that you might not always seem engaged Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

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*. Every leader will ultimately engage and develop people who have different personality preferences than they do. Too often, we lead others they way we would like to be led. In this episode, Bonni & Dave Stachowiak introduce the personality series and discuss ways that leaders can gain insight into the personalities of themselves and others. Bonni and Dave both mentioned the book, Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey Get clear on your own personality first Journaling Books Space for quiet/thinking Coaching Feedback from others and development reports Assessments We tend to lead people the way that we like to be led – but often that’s not the other party’s preference. Personality isn’t about good and bad or putting people into boxes – it’s about preference There are a few models: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DiSC are the most popular They are both widely accepted models They both have fans and critics Neither one is perfect MBTI a bit easier to understand quickly – has a stronger network of control DiSC – less black and white – but very insightful Things for leaders to be cautious of: Assessments are wrong – MBTI only gets all four correct 65%-80% of the time Beware people that tell you that assessments are the end all and be all of hiring and leading people (or that their assessment is perfect) Personality isn’t about good and bad or putting people into boxes – it’s about preference Any strength overused becomes a liability If you have someone come in to work with your team, have someone who is well trained, experienced, and just uses assessments as one data point Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

For better or worse, Microsoft PowerPoint has become our default method of framing much of what we present visually to others. While PowerPoint brings many advantages to presenters, it can also serve as a crutch when we don’t utilize it well to enhance our presentations. In this episode, I discuss some of the common failures leaders make with PowerPoint and a many of tips you can put into practice immediately in order to enhance the use of PowerPoint (or any other visual medium) in your presentations to others. Rule #1 – The best PowerPoint is one you don’t need. Be sure that PowerPoint adds value to the presentation – if it doesn’t, drop it. Susan Cain’s TED talk is a wonderful example of a fantastic presentation that didn’t need (and doesn’t use) PowerPoint. Talk to the audience – not the slides To do this, use the 6×6 or 7×7 rule Get a screen in front of you (called a confidence monitor) if you can Feature images rather than text – Steve Jobs was a master at this. Use colors and theme that match the message Colors – use contrast Darker room? Darker slides Lighter room? Lighter slides Free themes available at the Microsoft Office template gallery A few quick tips: Keep animations consistent Do a dry run – and if it fails in real life, be done with it “B” blanks out slides and “W” key whites out a slide # key and enter brings you to that slide (i.e. pressing “1” and then “Enter” on the keyboard takes you to the first slide when in PowerPoint show) Get comfortable with a wireless presenter before you use it – here’s the Logitech Wireless Presenter I use and recommend Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/feedback Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Michael Hyatt: Platform There are few people who are better examples of getting noticed in a noisy world than Michael Hyatt. Michael is the voice behind MichaelHyatt.com and his blog attracts more than 300,000 unique readers each month. He joins me on today’s episode to discuss his book Platform: Get Noticed In a Noisy World. If you have something to say or sell in today’s marketplace, this is a must listen for you. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

The content of your presentation is always going to be most important, but how you deliver your message to the audience is a close second. In this episode, I examine 5 fundamentals that if you can use successfully, will help you to get your message across with more confidence and effectiveness. The five fundamental to deliver a presentation with power can be easily remembered with this acronym: Smile Hand gestures Eye contact Enthusiasm Posture Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Some people have heard that myth that how you look is more important than what you say. In this episode, I address this myth, describe in detail why what you say is the most important part of your presentation, and give practical advice for how to assemble presentation content. You can build a good presentation, even if you don’t feel that you have professional delivery skills. I begin this episode by speaking about the often misunderstood study from Dr. Albert Mehrabian that is often cited as evidence by those who claim that how you say something is more important that what you say. Olivia Mitchell from Speaking About Presenting has an excellent article that addresses this issue head on. The bottom line? What you say is far more important than how you say it. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” -Leonardo da Vinci Article I published last week: How One Key Question Gets Audience Results “…I would rather a really plain PowerPoint, and an authentic, passionate speaker that was engaging, regardless of how many “umms and ahhs”. I’ve been completely bored with some of the fancy presentations, because the speaker wasn’t fired up about his or her topic…” -Comment from Jenn Swanson Build your presentation around the answer to the question: What do I want people walking out of the room doing differently? Here are some key content components: Opening – Tell a story or get the audience involved in some way Storytelling / examples – Tell it like you were already there. The best advice I ever received on this was to tell a story like we were watching the video of it happening. Evidence – It’s not enough that just you say it…who else provides support for your conclusions? Call to action – What do you want us to do? Closing – Finish strong so the audience remembers you in a positive mindset Don’t memorize your talk – and have more available than you can use! Resources Presentation Zen (2nd edition) by Garr Reynolds* Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.