I had an upsetting experience yesterday. Amid our current environment of chaos, confusion, and uncertainty, I find that people are generally behaving pretty well. I’ve noticed this at the grocery store, which I now visit only about once every ten days. Social distancing is in effect, with dots or X’s every six feet marking where…
With all of the change and disruption in today’s world, leaders are being asked to lead their teams through new situations never navigated in modern history. It can be overwhelming when everyone is looking to you for the answers. Leaders can take a cue from the coaching world on serving people and meeting them exactly…
Those of us who work with or are followers of Ken Blanchard have all heard the expression “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” We’ve also read dozens of examples of when and how to give feedback to get to best possible outcome. Read on for a slightly different take on how to approach feedback. As…
Great coaches are trained to be fully present with clients. We are good at it. We know how to reduce distractions, quiet the mind, and put all of our attention on the client. But that doesn’t mean it is easy for us! There are times when it isn’t easy at all. Staying in the now…
Not everyone benefits from being coached. It is not a one-size-fits-all methodology—you need to have the right mindset. Here are six warning signs that working with a coach might not be right for you. If you believe others control your future If you hate to learn new things—especially about yourself If you believe you have…
Let’s face it, performance coaching isn’t easy. In many organizations, if an employee’s performance is poor enough that a coach is called in, it means the manager is in a last ditch effort to save them. Emotions are running high, termination may be looming, and the relationship between boss and employee may have degraded into…
One of the most powerful underpinnings of high impact coaching is the match between the client and coach. This match is based on many things and is both a science and an art. Here is how we successfully match clients with coaches at Blanchard. We know our coaches—their strengths, their style, and who fits the…
The HR business partner is a strategic asset to leaders in business units. The HRBP provides advice, solves problems, acts as a sounding board, and more and more often is also called upon to coach the leader. Blanchard has worked with a number of clients who are using this strategy along with external coaching for…
Leaders who have experienced coaching can easily state their opinion about whether or not the development strategy had a positive impact. After all, effective coaching can be the best experience leaders have ever had in terms of supporting their own development and growth. But actually measuring the impact of leader growth can be tough. For…
Think about the last time you attended a training session. If you are like me, you got excited about the content, fired up about changing things back at work based on what you learned, and ready to be a different and better leader. Then reality hits. Hundreds of emails, 22 meetings, and 17 “I just…