Dear Madeleine, I am a senior executive in a big global company. I am not an American, but it is an American company. With each rise I achieve in the ranks here, the more I realize just how not-American I am. Here’s my problem. I am a large person physically—I was an athlete in my…
Dear Madeleine, I am a team lead (the youngest, thank you very much) in a fast and fun Silicon Valley startup. Everything was fine until I was made a lead. The problem: I am just too smart. I know that sounds terrible, but it is true. I actually have an IQ of about 170, and…
Each of us have natural tendencies and habits. Leaders are no different. We might love to share our sage advice, to be problem solvers, or to play the devil’s advocate. But these tendencies and habits, if overused, can have a downside. Here are some commonly overused leadership habits and alternatives we might put in their…
People from all walks of life gravitate to the profession of coaching. Many are service oriented and find joy in helping others achieve their dreams. Some enjoy the entrepreneurial aspect of owning their own business and having the freedom to work with as many or as few clients as they desire. Still others work in…
As a science geek I read up on a lot of different things. Admittedly, some of it goes over my head. I couldn’t honestly say what a Bosun-Higgs particle does, or is, but I recognize one when I see it. (That’s a joke—they are too small to see.) I share this because I’ve been reading…
Leaders work with coaches to take purposeful action in the advancement of their goals and in the interest of their organizations. But how does this really occur? Certainly not with the coach standing there, bullhorn in hand, yelling at the leader to stay on task. Instead, the coach listens carefully to what really matters to…
A lack of self awareness is one of the biggest challenges leaders face as they step into increasingly higher management roles. “As a leader, you need to be on your best behavior all of the time,” says coaching expert Madeleine Blanchard. “What’s unfortunate is that just when a leader needs increased self awareness, the quality…
In her 27 years working with executives at all levels in organizations, coaching expert Madeleine Blanchard has seen it all in terms of bad communication habits that prevent leaders from having the types of conversations that bring out the best in people. “We’ve worked with more than 15,000 leaders since we opened the Coaching Services…
Frankenboss – noun; 1. A mean boss that terrorizes his or her employees; 2. A boss whose behavior closely resembles that of a half-brained monster; 3. A jerk. With Halloween just four days away, I told my wife that I wanted to write an article about the bad, clueless behaviors that make a leader a…
Looking in the mirror to see your true self can be scary. You may see behaviors that are not serving you as a leader. And once you are aware of these behaviors, there is always the big question: What are you going to do about it? A leader’s role, while serving as a role model…