I like Ben Franklin’s idea about not giving others advice: “Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it.” I think this highlights a cornerstone of coaching. Unlike consulting, where the consultant is an expert who gathers information and then gives advice, the coach is more of a facilitator. A large part of a coach’s…
What’s the difference between executive presence and leadership presence? That’s a question that often comes up when I work with clients who are focused on improving current perceptions of their leadership readiness. During our sessions we talk about how executive presence is based on what people see when they first meet a leader—the external side;…
Each of us views the world through a lens shaped by our own personality and experiences. For leaders, it takes a great deal of awareness and thought not to get caught up in the be like me syndrome. This is especially true when you are a Freedom Fighter, one of seven characters we have been…
Executive coaching has become a mainstream development tool for leaders in today’s organizations. The challenge with any tool is to use it properly. Used poorly, a tool can have unintentional effects, or fail to achieve the desired outcomes. That was one of the key points that Patricia Overland, Executive Coaching Solutions Partner with The Ken…
When leaders get caught up in their ego, they erode their effectiveness. Leaders with an overactive ego find themselves unable to center. Instead they are constantly moving from a sense of inadequacy to an overinflated sense of their own importance. In his book Leading at a Higher Level, business author Ken Blanchard explains that “When…
Steve Jobs famously said, “Here’s to the crazy ones . . . while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Michael Lurie, VP of Enterprise Solutions at The Ken Blanchard Companies,…
Perhaps you got your New Manager position with the help of your boss. Perhaps you inherited a supportive boss when you got your job. Maybe your excellent boss arrived after you did. However you came to work with your “best” boss, losing that person rocks your world. When the stars line up perfectly, you have…
Join master certified coach Madeleine Homan Blanchard for a complimentary webinar and online chat beginning today at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 noon Eastern). In a special presentation on The Leader’s Guide to the Executive Brain Homan-Blanchard will be sharing the latest findings from neuroscience research and its impact on leader behavior. You’ll learn: The…
Can you determine at least three important take-aways in this story from a plant manager in India who recently learned the skill of conducting Motivational Outlook Conversations? On his first day back after his training, the plant manager noticed a Technical Service Executive in the lab having a discussion with an external contractor. While she…
In their latest post for Fast Company online, management experts Scott and Ken Blanchard share that, “One of the big mistakes we see among otherwise promising managers is the self-limiting belief that they have to choose between results and people, or between their own goals and the goals of others. We often hear these people say,…