My gift to you - get my FREE 6 hour power course - the 3 most important secrets to getting promoted!
Or insert your email below and get newsletters:
AI is transforming how we live and work at an astounding pace. A 2023 study by the University of Pennsylvania explores AI's impact on the future of work, catalyzing major workforce changes. I’m seeing this firsthand as many of my coaching clients already utilize AI tools in their leadership roles, helping them streamline processes, enhancing productivity and effectiveness.
In my practice as a leadership coach, I'm fascinated by AI's potential for empowering leaders and optimizing management. I'm constantly learning about emerging AI capabilities that can support my clients now and in the future.
What about you?
Do you currently use any AI tools in your practice? If so, which ones?
How have these AI tools increased your efficiency or impact?
What opportunities or concerns do you see for AI in coaching practices?
In upcoming posts, I'll share more of my hands-on experience with AI and thoughts on how it can help elevate leaders. I welcome an open dialogue on how we can harness AI to benefit our clients and their organizations.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Clients often ask me: "Can you guarantee results?" They might want coaching to improve a manager's decision-making or increase team productivity. And they seek certainty of specific outcomes.
But change doesn't work like that. It's a journey, not a destination - an inner path of discovery with twists and turns. It requires digging deep to understand resistance and fear. Only then can we dismantle them, brick by brick.
That's why I don’t guarantee results. But what I do promise is commitment to the process - a commitment to identifying obstacles to growth and searching for the appropriate solutions.
What do you think? How do you prefer to approach change in your practices? I'd love to hear your perspectives!
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Lately, I’ve begun an exploration of the ethics behind our coaching work. This time, I’m focusing on how we choose our clients. By sharing my thoughts and hearing from you, we can explore together why this decision matters ethically, hopefully helping to strengthen our community's practices and professionalism.
So here are my guiding principles that I’ve developed over my coaching journey:
1. I’m committed to taking on coaching assignments only when I am confident in my abilities and experience to provide genuine assistance.
2. I promise to promptly conclude coaching relationships if it becomes evident that my contributions are not fostering positive progress or if I'm not the most suitable coach for the client's needs.
How about you? What principles guide your decisions to ensure a harmonious and beneficial coaching relationship right from the start? When do you end coaching relationships?
Your diverse perspectives are invaluable in shaping our collective understanding and refining ethical standards within our coaching community. Join me in this focused discussion, and let's enrich our insights together.
Looking forward to your thoughtful contributions.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
The Sin of Arrogance can turn even the most competent leaders into failures. Let's explore what causes it and some telltale symptoms.
You've worked hard and are a successful manager by all standard measures. Your team sees you as a star. But they may also think you have a huge ego.
Don't worry - success and ego often go hand in hand, especially in the workplace. As people gain power, egos tend to inflate too.
However, while success makes you stand out, an unchecked ego can become your own worst enemy. I call this the Sin of Arrogance. It causes leaders to fail spectacularly.
At first, the Sin lurks unseen. But it emerges in typical management scenarios - meetings, projects, decisions. It distorts reality and makes leaders charge ahead fully confident in their choices. They become immune to advice or warnings from the team, thinking "I know better." The result - flawed choices that flop.
Yet these leaders rarely see the Sin as the cause. Instead they attribute failures to anything else. Repeat this cycle and you get toxic leadership.
No manager is immune. Achieving status is based on success and contribution. But with status comes questioning - "How will this influence my life and work? What does it mean to be a leader? Am I above others now?"
In my experience, most leaders say "Nothing has changed, I just have more responsibilities."
But subordinates feel leaders change significantly in behavior, self-image, and relations. Though faced with this feedback, managers deny changing, justifying it as "required" or that "others are jealous."
This denial perpetuates the Sin subtly. Successful leaders, beware how easily arrogance creeps in after accomplishments. It's almost unavoidable but can be managed.
Watch for how the Sin negatively impacts your decisions in my next post. For now, stay vigilant about arrogance so you can lead effectively and relate well to your team. Success should not distort reality or compromise your morals.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Coaching plays a crucial role in helping leaders think big and achieve their ultimate career goals. Here's how coaching can be enhanced to support leaders in this process:
Creating a Vision: Coaches can assist leaders in exploring their aspirations and expanding their vision beyond the traditional career ladder. By encouraging leaders to think big and envision themselves in higher-level roles or even different disciplines, coaches can help broaden their perspective and unlock new possibilities.
Challenging Limiting Beliefs: Coaches can identify and challenge any self-limiting beliefs that may be holding leaders back from thinking big. By helping leaders recognize their potential and break free from restrictive thinking patterns, coaches empower them to consider bolder career paths and aspirations.
Strategic Planning: Coaches can collaborate with leaders to develop strategic plans that align with their long-term vision. Instead of focusing solely on incremental steps up the corporate ladder, coaches can help leaders identify alternative paths and experiences that will equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge for their desired roles.
Building a Diverse Skill Set: Coaches can encourage leaders to broaden their skill set beyond their current expertise. This might involve exploring opportunities for cross-functional experiences or acquiring knowledge in different areas of the organization. By diversifying their skills, leaders become more versatile and adaptable, increasing their chances of success in reaching their big career goals.
Incremental Progress: Coaches can support leaders in breaking down their long-term vision into manageable milestones. Rather than overwhelming leaders with unrealistic expectations or timelines, coaches help them set realistic short-term goals and create action plans that gradually build momentum towards their ultimate goal. This approach ensures sustainable progress and minimizes the risk of burnout or discouragement.
Accountability and Support: Coaches provide a supportive and accountable environment for leaders to stay on track and overcome obstacles. Through regular check-ins, coaching sessions, and feedback, coaches can help leaders stay focused, adjust their plans when necessary, and maintain motivation as they work towards their big career goals.
Embracing Adaptability: Coaches can emphasize the importance of adaptability and resilience in the pursuit of big career goals. Leaders need to be open to unexpected opportunities, willing to take calculated risks, and comfortable with adjusting their plans as circumstances change. Coaches help leaders cultivate these qualities, enabling them to navigate the dynamic nature of their career journey.
By incorporating these elements into coaching, leaders can develop the mindset, skills, and strategies required to think big, explore diverse career paths, and achieve extraordinary success in their professional lives.
Coaches can also help you create and manage your professional image, which can have a significant impact on how others see you. Your professional image is the way you present yourself to others, both in-person and online. It encompasses everything from your appearance and communication style to your social media presence and personal brand.
Here are some ways in which a coach can help you make others see you through the image you created:
Build a personal brand: A coach can help you build a personal brand that reflects your values, skills, and expertise. Your personal brand should be consistent across all your online and offline channels, and it should communicate your unique value proposition to potential employers or clients.
Improve your communication skills: A coach can help you improve your communication skills, including your verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, and emotional intelligence. Effective communication is critical for building relationships and influencing others.
Develop a confident and authentic presence: A coach can help you develop a confident and authentic presence that aligns with your personal brand. This includes developing your body language, tone of voice, and overall demeanor.
Manage your online presence: A coach can help you manage your online presence, including your social media profiles and personal website. This can help you create a professional image that showcases your expertise and builds credibility.
Navigate challenging situations: A coach can help you navigate challenging situations, such as difficult conversations or conflicts with coworkers. By developing your emotional intelligence and communication skills, you can better manage these situations and build stronger relationships with others.
In conclusion, coaches can help you create and manage a professional image that reflects your unique value proposition and helps you stand out in your career. By building a personal brand, improving your communication skills, developing a confident and authentic presence, managing your online presence, and navigating challenging situations, you can make others see you through the image you created, which can help you achieve your career goals.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Leadership is an ever-evolving field, and the definition of what makes a great leader can vary from person to person. However, there is one fundamental belief that I hold as true: all leaders have untapped potential. In my opinion, this belief is rooted in the idea that leadership is not a fixed set of traits or skills that someone is born with but rather a dynamic process that requires continuous learning, self-reflection, and growth.
It is often assumed that leadership development requires following a certain model or set of prescribed behaviors. However, I believe that this approach overlooks the unique potential that each individual leader possesses. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership development, and each person's path to growth will look different. A successful leader is someone who has identified their strengths and weaknesses, and is willing to take steps to develop their skills and overcome their limitations.
Leadership potential exists within all of us, regardless of our background or experience. It is up to each of us to discover and cultivate that potential, and this requires a willingness to step outside of our comfort zones and embrace challenges. It also means recognizing that failure is an inevitable part of growth and being willing to learn from our mistakes.
Effective leadership is not just about having a specific set of skills or traits; it is about being able to adapt to changing circumstances, communicate effectively, and inspire others to achieve a common goal. These qualities are not fixed and can be developed over time. It is important for leaders to focus on continuous learning and self-improvement, and to seek out opportunities for growth and development.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that all leaders can grow, but not because they try harder or follow a certain model. Instead, leaders can grow because they recognize that they have untapped potential and are willing to put in the effort to discover and develop that potential. By embracing challenges, learning from mistakes, and focusing on continuous self-improvement, leaders can unlock their full potential and achieve greater success in their personal and professional lives.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
I’ve said it before. There’s a chronic illness plaguing our leaders and it’s called the sin of arrogance. The challenge is that all successful leaders suffer from the sin of arrogance to some degree. And there’s one area where it can create havoc: decision making.
In my previous post (link), I gave some background regarding how the sin of arrogance develops in successful leaders - resulting with all kinds of problems, including derailment of career goals for leaders. Even though no one is immune from the sin of arrogance, it can still be managed. But first, let’s list two major challenges associated with the sin of arrogance:
Coaches can help a leader with an ego make decisions without ego by:
1 Encouraging self-awareness: Coaches can help leaders recognize and become aware of their own ego and how it affects their decision-making process. This can be done through reflective exercises, feedback, and mindfulness practices.
2 Challenging assumptions: Coaches can help leaders challenge their assumptions and question their own thinking. This can help leaders see different perspectives, avoid making snap judgments, and consider alternative solutions.
3 Encouraging collaboration: Coaches can help leaders recognize the value of collaboration and encourage them to seek input from others. This can help leaders make more informed decisions and avoid the pitfalls of relying solely on their own judgment.
4 Fostering a learning mindset: Coaches can help leaders adopt a learning mindset that focuses on continuous improvement and growth. This can help leaders embrace their mistakes, learn from them, and avoid becoming defensive or blaming others.
5 Providing accountability: Coaches can hold leaders accountable for their actions and decisions. This can help leaders avoid the trap of blaming others for their mistakes and encourage them to take ownership of their decisions.
Ultimately, coaches can help leaders recognize that their ego is not a weakness but rather a strength when managed effectively. By developing self-awareness, challenging assumptions, embracing collaboration, fostering a learning mindset, and providing accountability, coaches can help leaders make better decisions without letting their ego get in the way.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
I believe that coaches can help leaders with an ego by focusing on certain strategies that can address the Sin of Arrogance. One approach is to encourage leaders to engage in self-reflection and introspection, as this can help them identify and confront their own egos.
Additionally, coaches can help leaders to recognize the value of seeking and accepting feedback from their teams, even when it challenges their own assumptions and beliefs. This can help to counteract the distorted reality that can result from the Sin of Arrogance, and allow leaders to make more logical and effective decisions.
Coaches can also encourage leaders to adopt a more humble and collaborative leadership style, which involves actively listening to the perspectives of others and fostering an environment of mutual respect and trust. This can help to reduce the tendency towards arrogance and promote a more productive and effective team dynamic.
Ultimately, coaching can help leaders to recognize and overcome the pitfalls of their own egos, and develop a more balanced and effective approach to leadership that benefits both themselves and their teams.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Successful career goals for managers require that we constantly improve ourselves, whether it’s how to increase productivity, run our meetings, or manage our teams. The good news about always improving is that we end up with super skills that would require others years of experience to achieve. But surprisingly, our quest for improvement can actually prevent us from getting that next promotion.
Sounds backwards, doesn’t it? After all, we’ve been taught from an early age that improvement is one of the most important keys to standing out from the crowd.
Indeed, this is true. But consider this example. You’re a wiz at planning and running meetings. No one in your organization can do it like you, as you’ve perfected meetings to an art - from creating reader-friendly agendas and accommodating all of the participants to following up on the open issues. In fact, when someone in your organization wants to hold a high-stakes meeting, you’re the address.
Of course, you weren’t born with these meeting super skills. You’ve been perfecting them, bit by bit, for years now. And the more compliments you’ve received over the years, the more energy you’ve put into becoming the company’s resident Meeting Meister.
But let’s consider for a moment what being Meeting Meister might actually have cost you. While you were investing time perfecting l’art du meeting, were you perhaps denying other talents and skills from emerging?
For example, what about that side of you that likes to sit alone and come up with crazy ideas? When was the last time you gave yourself the time and space to just brainstorm? Or have you only allowed such ideas to come up within the framework of a well-oiled meeting?
My point here is that in pursuing improvement, sometimes we find ourselves stuck in certain managerial patterns, earning titles such as “the best at”, often at the expense of developing innate talents we’ve inadvertently muzzled.
If it were our only goal to remain, for example, the Meeting Meister, then this wouldn’t be a problem. But it is, because decision makers want to see well-rounded managers, not just specialists.
And so those managers who are simply known as “the best at…” are eventually left behind, sentenced to life in Middle Management Land.
Preventing such a life sentence requires developing your innate potential so that you can strive towards well-roundedness. I wish there were a magic formula to find out what your potential is, but alas, there isn’t.
Nevertheless, no need to despair because there is a surefire way of finding out what your potential is on your own: give it time and space. Once you let your potential out to breathe, it’ll blossom and become a natural way of shaping how you do things.
I’ll give you an example. Let’s go back to the Meeting Meister. Remember that they are good at planning meetings and making sure everyone participates. But what would happen if the Meeting Meister exercised a more “entrepreneurial spirit” and called an impromptu gathering, limiting the time people could speak? One outcome I’m familiar with is that more ideas might be generated in a shorter timeframe. And as far as the Meeting Meister is concerned, this would naturally feed into their innate talent of quick brainstorming.
So the result here is both a Meeting Meister and an entrepreneurial type of manager, all rolled into one - a much more well-rounded candidate for promotion.
Again, I can’t provide a one size fits all solution for everyone, but if you begin by reducing some of the habits that come most naturally to you, you’ll begin to discover hidden potential you’ve had all along.
Here are some key points to remember:
- Successful career goals for managers include constant improvement.
- An often neglected part of improvement is the hidden potential we’ve all got...
we just have to find it.
- Give yourself time and space to discover your hidden potential by reducing
automatic behaviors.
- A well-rounded manager always tops the promotion list.
And always remember:
Great managers are made. Not born.
Today, there doesn’t seem to be any aspect of our lives that isn’t...
When I welcomed Mark, the CEO of a very successful hi-tech company...
Ironically, many C-levels don’t even consider working with...
“What’s bothering you, Marlene?”
As I watched...
For those of you...
What seems to be the dream of every number two in an organization...
I believe that coaches can help leaders with an ego by focusing on...
I’ve said it before. There’s a chronic illness plaguing our...
COMMENTS