Coaching Quote of the Day 21st May 2012
“The real leader has no need to lead– he is content to point the way.”
(Henry Miller)
leadership
Coaching Quote of the Day 17th May 2012
“There go the people.
I must follow them for I am their leader.”
(Alexandre Ledru-Rollin)
Coaching Quote of the Day 15th May 2012
“Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
(Dwight D. Eisenhower)
Leadership Decisions – A Lesson From McDonalds
In this week’s guest post teambuilding coach Sean Glaze shares his expertise and knowledge.
Leadership Decisions – A Lesson From McDonalds
by Sean Glaze
Can you close your eyes and see the menu board from your local McDonald’s?
Most of us who have visited often with our kids can effortlessly envision their value meal options and can order things from the “dollar menu” without even looking up.
I thought of this after my son’s basketball game when our family chose to stop in for a late lunch, too far from home to get away with making them settle for chips and a turkey sandwich.
We all entered the restaurant, walked to the back of the short line, and then were greeted by the cashier who asked what we would like to have. Of course, my son was very clear before we had arrived. He wanted a Big Mac, fries, and a chocolate shake. When I told him it didn’t come with a chocolate shake, he even offered to pay the difference, saying “I’ve got money at home, dad- I just really want a shake!”
I gave him a parental “We’ll see…,” but was pretty sure he could survive without the shake.
My wife and our two daughters were not ready to decide as quickly, though.
They have been to McDonald’s restaurants on numerous occasions before, but still struggled to choose what it was they wanted, and grew even more uncomfortable when they saw a group of incoming customers. Feeling rushed and exasperated, they responded in three very different ways.
I thought of a quote from Seth Godin – “You don’t need more time. You just need to decide”
My wife said to me, “Oh, goodness – just get me something. You know what I like.” My oldest daughter said to me, “Whatever is cheap dad- I don’t really care.” And my youngest daughter followed that with, “I’ll just get whatever she does, okay?”
At first I was a bit shocked, but I hurriedly ordered, and then waited at the counter while I considered what had just happened while our food was prepared.
My family was a microcosm of decision making styles!
Leaders must make decisions – and the higher you climb, the more important your decision become. But it occurred to me that there were four very distinct examples of decision making in our family – at least in this illustration…
- Some people refuse to make a decision and let others choose for them – that isn’t very healthy, and usually results in dissatisfaction of some kind – usually regret by the decision maker for their hesitancy.
- Some people want to take the easiest route, wanting only to invest the smallest amount to get by with whatever is cheapest in terms of effort or resources. This “penny wise – pound foolish” approach is dangerous, because it fails to consider the long term effects that their short sighted decisions might have.
- Some people just follow the crowd and do what their friends or acquaintances will deem as acceptable. But what is popular isn’t always best, and what is best isn’t always popular… and strong leaders must be willing to make decisions that are unique to their situation and organizational needs.
- And some people want more than is offered to the masses on a menu. They want more and are willing to pay the price to enjoy it. They push their people to perform at a higher level and demand extraordinary results – and they recognize that it is often rewarding to invest more than others think is necessary.
I stood there thinking to myself that the McDonalds menu in front of me was what we all look at as leaders of any organization. We all have a menu of opportunities and goals– whether it is a principal setting teacher expectations of performance or a coach setting goals for the season, we all make decisions that impact the people we work with.
Joel, a prophet in ancient Israel, wrote “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!” (Joel 3:14). I can only imagine how that looked; people milling around confused and wondering which way to go. Things haven’t changed much over the past 2,800 years.
The question of how to approach your decisions as a leader then becomes at least as clear as how to approach what we’re having for lunch. Be sure to order what you want, and consider what it will cost, whether up front or in the future.
Everyone has a menu in front of them. Everyone is responsible for their choices, and must stomach it – even if it was a choice they tried to evade having to make for themselves.
And everyone is capable of asking for and getting more than the ordinary meal.
Yes, I got my son the chocolate shake. Because he asked for it… Because he was willing to give more to enjoy something he really wanted… But mostly because I wanted a taste!
So, the next time you go into a McDonalds – look up at the menu and smile. Know that making decisions is a skill you can develop – both in yourself, and in those on your team.
And encouraging them to participate in team decisions is important, even when sometimes they make mistakes. Mistakes are less common, though, when people take ownership.
If you want your people to invest in team decisions, consider the impact that a full or half day of fun Atlanta teambuilding and leadership training could have on your organization.
With improved morale, communication and leadership skills they will be far more willing to collaborate and contribute to the team’s success – and as a leader, that is ultimately what your decisions are supposed to produce.
About the author
As a speaker, author, and team-building coach, Sean Glaze entertains and influences groups with a unique blend of dynamic content, interactive activities, and practical action steps. His team-building website, www.GreatResultsTeambuilding.net, provides more information on the team-building events, speaking engagements, and training workshops he offers.
If you are part of a business, school, or athletic team that needs to improve communication, inspire accountability, energize morale, contact him and transform your group into a more productive team!
Developing Better Habits 1
In the first guest post of 2012, coach Amber Fogarty discusses something she talks about a lot with clients.
Developing Better Habits
by Amber Fogarty
In our work with clients, we talk a lot about developing better habits. In fact, when people ask me to tell them more about what SOS Leadership does, I often reply, “We’re in the habit change business.” All of us, as coaches, are in the habit change business. Habit change is inherently connected to leadership development.
The most basic definition of leadership is influence. As a leader, the way you influence others, and ultimately lead them, is your personal choice. With that choice comes great responsibility.
In the SOS Leadership Seeds of Success program, we define the responsibilities of leadership. The first responsibility is one that can bring a certain amount of pressure and anxiety when we consider it in light of our weaknesses and bad habits:
People become like their leader.
When I think about this, at times it makes me feel uneasy. Yes, there are many positive traits that I wouldn’t mind others learning from me, but there are just as many negative characteristics that I don’t want to pass on to anyone, especially those who consider me to be a leader in their lives.
But what can I do to develop better habits? How can I overcome habits that have developed over many years?
First and foremost, I have to name them. Yes, I have to say out loud what habits I need to change and why. As Nathaniel Branden once said, “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” Reflecting on Nathaniel’s words, I know that this is easier said than done. For the most part, we are all aware of our shortcomings, but we don’t necessarily accept them. I agree that we have to understand and accept that we are the way we are today; however, beginning right now we can commit to becoming a better version of ourselves.
SOS Leadership co-founder Bill Moyer reminds our clients often that the past does not equal the future, but the past does equal the present. We need to understand where we’ve been in order to fully commit to changing the future.
Once we are aware of the habits we want to change and have accepted that change is desired and necessary, then we have to make a commitment to developing better habits. This includes developing a written goal, complete with an action plan, for each habit we want to develop. The plan should identify the benefits to be gained by developing this particular habit, as well as the losses to be avoided if we do not change. Beyond that, the plan needs to spell out each obstacle and how to overcome it, as well as how we will track our progress and who we will ask to hold us accountable.
Don’t underestimate the power of tracking and accountability. These are vitally important components of your plan and will help you to always be aware of your progress and challenged when you get off track.
So what habits will you commit to developing (or changing) this year? In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” A new year is the perfect time to make a change. Go for it! Become more excellent!
About the Author/Further Resources
Amber Fogarty is a Partner and Coach with SOS Leadership Institute and the SOS Coaching Network, which unites an elite group of coaches, trainers, and consultants from around the world, providing them with personalized programs, coaching, and tools to help them succeed in the rapidly growing coaching industry. Learn more at www.soscoachingnetwork.com.
Coaching Quote of the Day 11th December 2011
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
(John Quincy Adams)
Are You Walking It?
In this week’s Friday guest post successful coach Richard Nugent, who provided a fantastic guest post last year, returns for a second time. This week he shares his thoughts about congruence in coaching.
Are You Walking It?
by Richard Nugent
Ok my wonderful fellow coaches let us start with a question. Do you have a coach?
I hope the answer is a resounding YES! If not how congruent is it for you to ask your clients to fork out their hard earned cash to pay for one? In my view it is a basic requirement for a coach to have a coach. I certainly won’t employ a coach who doesn’t have one themselves.
Reflecting on this got me thinking about the broader context of congruence in coaching. Authenticity is such a key factor in leadership – actually it is the number one thing that most followers want from their leaders – it should also be considered with the same importance in coaching.
For example, while there are many, many wonderful people in the NLP world, I do struggle at the number of people that I experience at events who seem to be coaching from the world view of their own issues.
There is some similarity in the number of coaches looking to develop a business in coaching other coaches to build coaching businesses! That is great with me if you have a continuing track record of making great money and adding huge value for clients as a coach. It is less congruent if your track record is in marketing or internet business building. This suggests you can build a great coaching practice regardless of coaching skill, ability or experience – let us hope not.
I am sure that few of the readers of this wonderful site fall into either of these categories however it is a great chance for us all to check in with our congruence as a coach or as I like to call it our ‘doing-what-we-say-on-the-tin-ness’.
Here are some useful questions I have been considering.
- To what degree are you aware of who you are creating yourself as (as a coach)?
- To what degree are you congruent with that identity? Consider this from every angle including fees, environment, how you dress, the clients you choose/agree to work with, the results you achieve, and the beliefs and values you operate from.
- Do you set your clients’ standards high enough?*Do you set your standards high enough?
- To what degree do you love what you do as opposed to being in love with how you imagine it could be ‘if only’?
- How much time do you spend in pursuit of ‘should goals’ or ‘recurring goals’? Congruence means knowing when to ‘do’ and when to let go of thinking that you should do.
- How much time do you spend working on your business and how much do you spend working in it. All businesses need time energy and focus.
The reflection as you would expect is that I am hitting the spot in some areas and have work to do in others. What I do know, and I am proud of, is that I hold authenticity as more than an aspiration but as a key success factor for me as a coach and for my coaching business.
Indeed as I reflect on many of those that have had successful practices over a prolonged period they were absolutely congruent with the identity they operated from. Whether you like, agree or appreciate the ‘big names’ in the industry, if they were to reflect on the questions above they would undoubtedly be able to give themselves nine or ten out of ten in every one of these areas.
If you think you can do more, achieve more and earn more as a coach then consider this final question, what simple change can you make to ensure that you are more congruent in your coaching identity than ever before.
About the Author/Further Resources
Richard helps successful business leaders to move from being ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’. He challenges clients to change the way they think about work, to focus on what is most important and to stop firefighting for good.
His work is based on three key beliefs:
- If you can think it, you can do it
- Leaders must be prepared to go first
- To perform at the very highest level you must have a passion for what you do
Clients’ return on investment from his energetic and ground breaking work is well into the millions of pounds, dollars and euros. His reputation as one of the UK’s leading transformational leadership coaches has been cemented by outstanding results with an impressive client list including Tesco Bank, EDF Energy, Merlin Entertainments, ASOS and Lego. He also serves as a consultant to a number of colleges, business schools and professional footballers and cricketers.
www.kaizen-training.com
You can read Richards last guest post “The Evolution of a Coach” here.