​Are you watching the Rio Olympics? If you are, you may have noticed that the athletes’ coaches are right where the action is. They coach in the moment, not hours or days after the event. 

If there is one thing that is becoming clearer to me every day, it is the need to bring coaching in organizations to where the action is!

Organizations need leaders at all levels. To be competitive in today’s fast-paced business environment, managers have to also be leaders. As a manager and leader, you have to be able to engage and develop your people, especially the Millennials. One of the most effective tools to achieve this is coaching. Human beings are at their best when they are valued, feel listened to, and are acknowledged for their contribution. Engaging them in an ongoing dialogue stimulates learning, builds self-awareness, and leads to improved decision-making. Coaching conversations encourage less “telling” and more “listening and inquiry”, leading to a “commitment and accountability” culture.
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Transforming your organization requires a change in focus, and in the way you communicate. The key transformational components are depicted in our Coaching Culture Model:

• Being curious allows you to gain insights into the thinking of others, and to acquire knowledge that helps to build more effective relationships.

• When you are aware of your own thinking, emotions, and triggers, you can choose mindful actions, instead of “autopilot reactions”, and avoid drama, confusion, and loss of trust.
• Powerful questions are at the core of learning and connecting with others in a meaningful way.

• Your presence is required when you "listen to understand". Once you understand, you have options on how to respond. 

Coaching is at the center of our model. It facilitates the embodiment of desired changes by practicing new behaviors. “Being” a coach is different from “doing” coaching. To “be” a coach, new behaviors have to become part of who you are. When you “show up” as the “genuine article”, you inspire trust and invite open communication, two pillars of effective relationships. I speak from experience when I say that your team will respond with enthusiasm and higher performance. It is invigorating and fulfilling to be part of such an environment.

Achieving this transformation requires making coaching part of your everyday life. That is exactly why it has to happen where the action is.
See Leader as Coach

Today's Management Tip of the Day from HBR struck a cord. 

"Manage Conflict at Work by Identifying the Cause- We’ve all experienced conflict at work. Most of us get a sinking feeling (“Uh oh, we’re in a fight” or “She’s definitely mad at me”) and we usually do one of two things: either ignore the issue or confront the person. But this isn’t a productive or healthy way to address the problem. You have to pause to understand what’s at the root of the disagreement. There are four main types of conflict: relationship (a personal disagreement), task (disagreement over what the goal is), process (disagreement over the means or process for achieving a goal), and status (disagreement over your standing in a group). Thinking about these categories will help you figure out what’s actually happening when you get into a conflict—even when your disagreement doesn’t neatly fit into a bucket. Once you know what’s causing the problem, you can decide how to address it effectively." Adapted from The HBR Guide to Managing Conflict at Work, by Amy Gallo.

Amy's points are well taken, and are useful as a baseline from which to start the necessary conversation. Throughout my life, in my corporate career, and in my work as a leadership coach, I've encountered many conflict situations. Friends, staff members, and clients would ask me for advice. After listening to their story my first question always was and is "Have you talked to the person you are having the problem with?" Many times the answer is "no" followed by lots of reasons why talking to the other person would not work. Most of those reasons are based on unexplored fear, untested assumptions, and the need to win, or at least not to lose.

The same people who don't think that they can talk with the one and only person they need to speak with, usually spend lots of time talking to everyone else about the problem. Now, getting some feedback is usually a good idea but it doesn't solve the problem. 

Not knowing how to handle the tough conversations leads to suffering, break in relationships, loss of sleep, loss of productivity, and sometimes even violence. Many experts have written books, and developed models about the subject but in the end it is a matter of finding the right mentor or coach to explore the "story", and to develop and practice the liberating conversation.

And one last thing: No matter how well you understand the root cause of the issue, the right conversation in the wrong mood is the wrong conversation. 

This morning the local newspaper was telling the story of Jonny Florez. I know Johnny, although until today I did not know his name. I know him from the Las Cruces Farmers Market where he and a female companion sing and play music. They are an older couple, I now know that he is 86, and they are dressed in Mexican attire.

The first time I saw them, several years ago, I thought "What a cute couple. They are representing the cultural history of this city." I assumed they were married, had been for a long time, and did this just for fun. These were my assumptions, and I never gave them another thought.

This morning my assumptions were busted. I read that Johnny's 68 year old home in the downtown area was to be sold for non payment of taxes. I learned that Isabel Aguirre, his musical partner, is a friend, not his wife. That both had gone through very tough times independently of each other. You can read the story here- http://bit.ly/1BGSJEp

After reading the story, I wondered how many other "Johnny's" I come across every day. How many assumptions I make about their lives, and how many opportunities I miss to connect, and make a difference.

"Don't make assumptions" is one of “The Four Agreements", a book by Don Miguel Ruiz. It is one of my guiding principals, and one that I encourage my clients to practice. Today I learned that I have to keep practicing.


*Photo source Las Cruces Sun_News

“According to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace report, 50% of employees merely put their time in, while the remaining 20% act out their discontent in counterproductive ways, negatively influencing their coworkers, missing days on the job, and driving customers away through poor service. Gallup estimates that the 20% group alone costs the U.S. economy around half a trillion dollars each year”.

I just read this in an article focused on leadership development that should "connect closely to market realities" (HBR-Blue Ocean Leadership). The article’s authors wrote “Blue Ocean Strategies”, published in 2005, and it appears they are expanding their concept into the leadership development realm. 

I recommend the HBR article. And here is what really caught my attention: “Distribute leadership across all management levels”.  Wow, I’ve been talking about this for years, and many of my clients “get it”. If you want to learn more go to www.topviewleadership.com where you will find our “Middle Managers Leadership Coaching Program” I strongly believe, as do the HBR authors, that today’s and tomorrow’s organizations need leaders at all levels to be successful.

What are you doing to develop your Middle Managers? Let’s talk! 

Just read a great article written by Marvin Bower, former Managing Partner at McKinsey. At age 93 
Mr. Bower urges all senior managers to abandon "Command-and-Control" structures. Amen to that!

These structures were invented in the 18th and 19th Century during the Industrial Revolution. They continued to be the top model during the 20th Century, and they are still in use in many organizations today. To the surprise of many, Information Age managers continue to "hang on", wondering why the system doesn't work. It is to those managers that I recommend Mr. Bower's article. My readers are familiar with my view that today's organizations need leaders at all levels to be successful. This can only happen when senior managers embrace leadership as the driving force for the 21st Century organization, and when they build environments of trust and engagement. 

Enjoy the article! 

Today I want to share one of my favorite TED Talks with you: Simon Sineks's "How great leaders inspire action". It is my belief that today's organizations need leaders at all levels. To BE a leader you must know WHY you do what you do. Looking forward to your feedback.

A few days ago I came across this quote by the exceptionally gifted cellist Pablo Casals: “The capacity to care is the thing that gives life its deepest meaning and significance.”

We all have experienced this feeling of connection to the human race when we truly cared about someone or something. It lifts us up and enables us to give of ourselves without regard for rewards or glory. In those moments our ego takes a back seat as we contribute freely to a greater cause.

When we care we connect with our purpose and our passion. We become committed to something greater than ourselves. It is so compelling that our whole self, body, mind and spirit, are engaged. Leadership requires this kind of engagement. To be a leader you must first care. 

Have you experienced leaders that you would follow anywhere? Not because they promised you great rewards but because they opened your eyes to new possibilities? Not because they made things easy for you but because they challenged you and helped you grow? Have you supported leaders by being the lone voice of dissent, and lived to fight another day?

Leadership is a two way street. When leaders and followers care they create meaningful partnerships that produce significant and relevant outcomes for all. 

Love to hear about your leadership experiences!