Coaching For Leaders

  CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) is one of the most popular instruments utilized in corporate training and coaching programs. In this episode, I welcome Steve Dosier, a StrengthsFinder expert formerly of Gallup and now with Blue Star Intel, to teach us about the history of CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) and help us discover how we can get the most value from the CliftonStrengths assessment. Guest: Steve Dosier Blue Star Intel Here are some of the resources we discussed during the show: StrengthsFinder 2.0 book* (a code is included in this book for the instrument) Now Discover Your Strenghts* (also includes assessment) Living with Your Strengths book (also includes assessment) You can purchase a code ala carte to take the StrengthsFinder assessment at this link without purchasing the book. Community Feedback CoachingforLeaders.com/89 USA: (949) 38-LEARN feedback@coachingforleaders.com Twitter: #CFLshow Thank you to Regan Kakoschke, Malik Tayyab, Zouré Basnewendé, Nakhli

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. What does a life plan give you? Clarity around what is important The ability to better manage priorities and balance your time Better sense of what to say no to… More of a sense that you are truly living "Contrary to popular belief, great things almost never happen by accident. Great accomplishments are planned. Sadly, much of the planning we do goes into accomplishments that leave us feeling empty in the end." -Donald Miller How to phrase a goal: SMART goals Careful of negatively-focused goals, such as I want to lose weight... Focus on what you will gain (as in what will the benefit b

Almost everyone who leads is doing more influencing of people through technology. Many of us are even working remotely or managing others who work remotely. In this show, I welcome Loren Kousaie from Microsoft to speak about his extensive experience in leading people virtually over the years - and to offer us suggestions and what we can do better when communicating and leading from a distance. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Guest: Loren Kousaie, Microsoft Here are the questions I asked of Loren: Tell me about your role at Microsoft and how you're physically spaced from your team. What's a typical day like for you? Also, what kind of tools are you using to connect with your team? What is different about leading people working virtually than leading in other venues? How do you set expectations with your team about what a remote relationship with you will be like? When you started leading virtually, w

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Virtually all leaders in organizations are called upon to manage (or at least be part of) the hiring process. In this episode, Bonni and I look at some common mistakes made in the hiring process and some straightforward things you can do to get better results in your hiring decisions. Common Failures in the Hiring Process: 1. Testing for interview skills instead of what it will take to do the job well Utilize behavioral interview questions Test for skills instead of only considering interview responses Book recommendation: Hiring Smart! by Pierre Mornell 2. Falling victim to the halo effec

When we get beaten down, it's important for us to take actions that will pick us back up. In this show, I suggest ten things that you can do to pick yourself up after a difficult day, week, or month. If you are feeling beaten down right now, I challenge you to take action on at least one of these suggestions. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com 1) Find something to be in awe of…preferably something you had something to do with 2) Call the Leena in your life Beware of people who want to fix you Beware of people who don't listen to you when you have a bad day. Find the people that will stop and listen 3) Help somebody who can do nothing for you The real test of a person's character is to watch how they treat someone who can do nothing for them. Mother Theresa was a powerful example “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty." -Anne Lamott Who could you help? 4) Get outdoors 5) Read three pa

Daniel Pink: To Sell is Human Daniel Pink is the author of several bestselling books on the changing world of work. He recently released his newest book, To Sell Is Human, which is also now a bestseller. In this episode, Daniel joins me to speak about his new book, to tell us what's changed about sales, and to explain why we're all in sales now...even leaders. Here are the questions I asked of Daniel: You make a strong case in the book is that sales has changed. What's changed? Most people I know assume that the best salespeople are extroverts. The research you've cited in your book says no. Why not? The use of sales scripts has been rampant in developing salespeople. You call sales scripts into question a bit in this book - so what can leaders and organizations do differently to develop their sales teams? You use the term "non-sales selling" to describe what a majority of us do in our work almost every day. One area your highlight is email subject lines. Why is the subject line so important and how

7 Ways To Stop and Think Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, posted an article this past week titled The Importance of Scheduling Nothing. Here are seven ways that you can also stop and think: 1) Stop telling yourself the lie that next week/month/year will be better 2) Book time to think each day, especially if you are a scheduler Dedicate time each day to think If you really want to discover what's important to you, check your calendar and your bank account Check out this advice from Ursula Barnes, the CEO of Xerox 3) Brainstorm with yourself before brainstorming with others Check out the interview with Leigh Thompson on the most recent HBR Ideacast highlighting the truth about creative teams 4) Turn things off Turn off the phone and email Here's a recent New York Times article citing research on the importance of freeing our brains 5) Write stuff down Check out David Allen's book Getting Things Done Michael Hyatt produced a podcast on the Lost Art of Note-Taking on episode #47 of his show, T

Lynette Young: Google+ for Small Businesses Virtually everyone wants to build their professional network, but few people are truly effective at doing it in person - and many believe it's ever more challenging online. On this episode, I welcome Lynette Young from Purple Stripe Productions and author of the book Google+ for Small Businesses. Over 1.5 million people follow Lynette online, so she brings a lot of credibility and experience to those of us who want to engage online more effectively. Please note that since this episode originally aired, Google has permanently sunsetted the Google+ social media network. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jamie Welsh: Red Willow Group When any of us are seeking better results, our first inclination is often to explore how we can change others. In reality, one of the best changes we can make is to first look at ourselves. In this episode, I welcome Jamie Welsh from Red Willow Group to explain how she coaches business leaders to look inward first when there are trying to create outward results. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Michelle Smith: O.C. Tanner Vice President, Business Development for O.C. Tanner The 10 steps we discuss: Strategic planning Understand your audience Fact finding Program structure Communication Type of awards Budget Measurement Tracking Analysis Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Michelle Smith: O.C. Tanner Vice President, Business Development for O.C. Tanner Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Towards the end of his life, Mark Twain famously said, "I'm an old man and I've known many troubles, most of which never happened." Like Twain, many of us find ourselves captivated by worry on a regular basis. In this episode, we'll take a look at this human reality and some of the things that each of us can do to better control worry, both professional and personally. Make a decision that it's OK to worry once in awhile Take Dale Carnegie's advice of "What's the worst that can happen?" Get out of your own box and focus on serving others rather than worrying about ourselves Address challe

Some people live about 90 years. Some people live one year, 90 times. Which one are you and how does it affect your leadership of others and yourself? In this episode, my guest Heather Backstrom and I discuss the topic of purpose and how clarity of purpose can help us be more effective leaders and have more balanced and fulfilled lives. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Special Guest: Dr. Heather Backstrom Executive Coach info@heatherbackstrom.com Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Not clear on your values? My one-page values exercise is available at this link. Our first live webinar launches within the next month! If you have a suggestion for our first topic, email me at feedback@coachingforleaders.com and be sure you are on my weekly article list. You can subscribe at this link. Thank you to Gabrellia Weber,

Jacquelyn Thorp: Train Me Today Sometimes things show up in the workspace that we don't want and didn't anticipate. In this episode, my guest Jacquelyn Thorp and I discuss what to do when someone on your team smells and is causing issues for colleagues. Jacquelyn brings her experience from handling this situation many times to help us address this proactively. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Bringing smart ideas to the table isn't enough; we also need to be able to sell those ideas. The best idea communicated poorly will fare much worse than a mediocre idea communicated well. In this episode, I'll examine what you can do to help your ideas take off. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Six mistakes you may be making when pitching a great idea: 1) Neglecting to interact with the people who are impacted most by your idea. 2) Ignoring people who could help you. 3) Spending too much time on the unimportant details. 4) Assuming the "pitch" is the decision point. 5) Failing to strategize how to work around obstacles. 6) Hesitating on bad news. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Thank you to Jackie Tirpak, Catherine Powell, Waldemar-Joachim Siara, and Rick Gray for either liking our page on Facebook or f

JoAnne Norton: Family Business Consulting Group Family businesses account for 60% of all jobs in the United States and 98% of all companies elsewhere. The dynamics of family business are unique and communication becomes even more critical. In this episode, I interview family business consultant JoAnne Norton of the Family Business Consulting Group on how family business can prosper from one generation to the next with effective communication. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

As our careers grow, we get more and more opportunities to attend conferences. Most people fail to maximize what they can gain from a conference. In this episode, I interview experienced conference-goer and speaker Charles Max Wood of Ruby Rogues and Javascript Jabber on how he maximizes the value he gets from conferences. Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com My guest this week is: Charles Max Wood of the Ruby Rogues and Javascript Jabber podcasts Learn Ruby on Rails at Chuck's site: Rails Ramp Up Twitter: @cmaxw Community Feedback USA: (949) 38-LEARN Global: +1 (949) 385-3276 Twitter: @DaveStachowiak #CFLshow feedback@coachingforleaders.com Thank you to Jeffrey Powers, Eveliina Vuolli, Cesar Abeid, Suzie Farthing, Michael Farthing, Risto Mononen, Kristie Cole, and Christina Caesar for either liking our page on Facebook or following me on Google+ A special thank you to Suzie Farthing for writing an iTunes re

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Where people go wrong on birthdays and other important occasions: Many of have defaulted to no more than "HBD" on Facebook or other social media Some people even send birthday cards and just sign their names (gasp!) We've lost the personal touch I ever get robocalls now on my birthday How you can be better Have something to remind you (but not automated to send to the other party) Avoid the obligatory stuff you do because you feel like you have to Focus on the people who are close to you first and spend more time engaging with them on special days Instead of a "happy birthday," how abo

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. We discuss a few examples of stubbornness showing up in our work and lives. Some of the reasons that we fall into a pattern of being stubborn: 1) We are perceived as experts in our field or topic (or we've convinced ourselves of this) and it simply doesn't occur to us that we might be wrong about anything related to it. 2) We decided that we know enough about the situation, topic, or problem already and refuse to put in effort to discover more. 3) We need to fight every batte instead of carefully choosing them. 4) We miss the grey areas with people that make each situation unique and worthy

The New Year is a natural time to think about renewal and how to be more effective as a leader. However, some of the typical things many of us do with New Year's resolutions often end in failure - 88% of the time, according to one study. I look at how three words can help you set the stage for your development actions this year. I discuss how running a marathon helped me understand why so many of us have a hard time tackling so many goals at once. The problem with resolutions: A study by Richard Wiesman in the UK followed 3,000 people for a year and determined that only 12% of people actually fulfill their New Year's resolutions Intention is easy - but putting the time into action is hard We are going to hit obstacles we don't anticipate We we bit off more than we can chew, our systems can crumble. I talk about how I made this mistake a bit last year in my planning (see episode #23) and why I tried to do too much all at once. What works better: Reflect on the past year. Ask yourself: What did I d