Managers don’t have enough high quality conversations with their direct reports, according to Ann Phillips, a senior consulting partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies. This deficiency has a negative effect on both productivity and morale. “Part of effective communication between manager and direct report is a mindset and part is a skillset. Both are required,”…
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…
Dear Madeleine, I lead a business unit in a global services company. Our sector is highly competitive and it is “go go go” all day, every day. Our company recently instituted an internal survey designed to measure employee experience and asked business units and departments to give feedback on each other. Our business unit got…
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…
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…
I like how mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness. He says, “There is nothing particularly unusual or mystical about being mindful. All it involves is paying attention to your experience from moment to moment.” For the leaders I coach, much of their workday moments are spent in email, in meetings, or tap, tap, tapping on…
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…
There is a joy that coaches experience when they provide leaders with the one-on-one support that increases effectiveness and professional growth. That sense of satisfaction is available to managers at all levels in an organization if they are willing to adopt some of the behaviors that professional coaches use. Below are a few key skills…
Dear Madeleine, I know I am supposed to have regular one on one meetings with my employees and I have been doing it for a long time. It works well—I feel more connected to each of them and they are all doing really well. Except one. I have one direct report who is very good…
In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast, we interview Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. Bungay Stanier, a top executive coach and consultant, shares how time-pressed managers can effectively coach direct reports by asking instead of telling, being a little more…