Archives For Leadership_Coaching

Stop and Look Back

March 15, 2013

It’s Friday! This may seem funny to you, but I get excited about Friday because that means that tomorrow morning Angela and I will go on our Saturday breakfast date. We have been doing this for almost ten years now and it my favorite time of the week.Keely - Sky and clouds

Recently I was talking to a leader that is a friend of mine and he was dealing with some challenges and discouragement. He’s a hard charging guy who is trying to make a dent in this world for Christ. He has high standards and is always leading his people to grow and to make an impact in their community. As we were talking it occurred to me that his eyes were fixed on the top of the mountain that he was climbing. Like all good leaders, the gap between where he (and his people) were and where they could be was frustrating. He sees the potential and strives to lead himself and others to reach that potential.

However, a steady diet of “mountain climbing” will take its toll, so we all need to learn to stop on occasion,  turn around and see just how far the Lord has brought us on the journey. We need to stop and pause and give Him thanks for what He has accomplished in our lives. Then, we need to take some time to celebrate with those who are on the journey with us. That simple act of turning around and acknowledging how far the Lord has brought you will give you perspective, cause you to develop a more grateful heart and allow you to reconnect in a more meaningful way with your fellow sojourners.

So stop for a bit, turn around and enjoy the scenery, give thanks to the Lord and your traveling companions, and then gather some strength before you tackle that next ridge on the mountain.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend,
BG

In Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , , , , , , ,
permalink

Trust is the Key

February 11, 2013

“Absence of Trust – This occurs when team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another and are unwilling to admit their mistakes, weaknesses or needs for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, a foundation of trust is impossible.” – Patrick Lencioni

Trust is absolutely foundational to the effective operations of a leadership team. You can try all the gimmicks, bring in consultants  give orders and so on, but if the members of your leadership team do not have this level of trust, it will always be less than it could or should be.

Watch this quick video from Pat on trust:

So take the time and do the hard work needed to build trust on your team – it is worth the effort!Workbook

BG

In Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , ,
permalink

What You Need To Stop Doing

December 26, 2012

I hope you had a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior – Jesus the Christ. We have minimized the use of technology over the last few days but I thought time to get up another post.

Christmas Wreath

Christmas Wreath

I read something interesting this morning on the Harvard Business Review website (this is a great resource by the way if you are in leadership, whether it be business, non-profit or a church). The article is on things people wished their boss (leader) would stop doing and some sound very familiar. When I have asked people directly how I could be a better boss, some of these very things came up in the discussion. So here is the list from the HBR article:

1. Don’t obfuscate; tell it like it is. – People, especially the Gen Y crowd, want to know where they stand. They want to know what they need to do to get better.

2. Stop telling me what I know. - They want to be coached and taught and then given freedom to do the job. One quote was “Coach me, enable me, support me”.

3. Don’t stray; walk the talk. – Pretty straight forward. Be a person of integrity. Ensure your actions are consistent with your words. People are looking for role models and they are proving difficult to find. When I was at Life Action Ministries, we called this having a Life Message.*

4. Stop playing favorites. – Again, self-evident, but so many of us are guilty of rewarding people for the wrong reasons.

5. Don’t be a boss, be a leader. - There was an unmistakable call for appreciative, empathetic, respect-worthy leaders. One person said “A boss inspires fear, a leader inspires enthusiasm.”

Some good points. Take some time and ask your team members what it is that you need to stop doing in order to become a better leader of your team. Not very easy to do. Also, when you ask and they tell you – resist the incredibly strong desire you will have to defend yourself. Defending yourself is of no value. Just listen and learn and become a better leader.

Hope you have a great Wednesday!
BG

* Life Message
1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:10
Someone has said, “A message prepared in a mind reaches minds; a message prepared in a heart reaches hearts; but a message prepared in a life reaches and changes lives.” The power of God to change lives is released through the truth of God’s Word illustrated in lives. Therefore our lives must be living demonstrations of the reality and the truths of His Word.

In Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , , , ,
permalink

Who Are You Walking With?

September 14, 2012

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20

Good morning, I am in Indianapolis at an excellent coaching clinic being put on by LQ Performance Strategies which is a company of Ambassador Enterprises. Good exercise, but I am ready to get home and see my family!

Who is walking with you? Who is really influencing you? In the coaching clinic yesterday, we were taught that people are greatly impacted by those they work with and spend a great deal of time with, which is why an organization with high standards and great people has a tendency to lift the standards of the people they touch. We also learned that the reverse can be true as well.

So, are you intentional about who you walk with? Are you seeking out the companionship of wise and godly people? Are you learning from the example of their lives?

And one last question – are you someone who challenges and lifts up those you connect with or do you drag others down? My desire is to be someone who lifts up others to a new standard of excellence.

Hope you have a blessed weekend!
BG

In Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , , ,
permalink

Do You Have To Explain?

March 9, 2012

Good morning from beautiful Florida!  It sure is noce to be here after the snow and cold of Michigan.

Question for you – do you ever miss out on good input or counsel because you are too busy explaining yourself?  I found myself doing that yesterday.

We have a tremendous Board of Directors.  Godly and wise people and we only have so much of their time each year.  Of course they don’t have all the context they need when talking with us (staff) and there is not enough time to catch them up on everything.  So, sometimes they are making suggestions we have considered or already or doing and so on.  So at times I found myself “defending” or explaining things that ate up precious time and really did not add to the meeting.

I should have simply accepted the input without feeling the need to explain. I would have been blessed by that, it allows the Board more time to give input and feel more valued and so on.

Do you ever miss out on great counsel, great conversation and etc. by wanting to “explain” yourself?  For me, I believe that actually falls into the area of “image management”.

So don’t miss out on great input from others by talking when you should be listening or managing your image when you should be taking n counsel so that you may grow.

BG

In Leadership_Coaching , , ,
permalink

Things Leaders Do

February 28, 2012

Good morning!

According to James Kouzes and Barry Posner, there are five things that leaders do:

They Model the Way - they become exemplars of the behavior they expect of others.

They Inspire a Shared Vision - they envision the preferred future, creating an ideal image of the organization or project.

They Challenge the Process – they look for ways to improve processes and encourage the strength of the team to do it.

They Enable Others to Act – they foster collaboration through the use of excellent interpersonal skills.

They Encourage the Heart – they bring hope, encouragement, support, praise and appreciation.  Leaders are Dealers in Hope!

If you have time, pick up their book The Leadership Challenge or the workbook A Coach’s Guide to Developing Exemplary Leaders.

Now – take a few minutes and ask yourself – how am I doing in each of those five areas?  Be honest with your self and then take definitive steps to begin growing where you need to grow!

Blessings on your day,
BG

In Good Books, Leadership, Leadership_Coaching, Management , , ,
permalink

A Powerful Leadership Development Tool

January 23, 2012

Good morning – weird weather here in SW Michigan – early in the morning and already in the 40′s and the snow is melting rapidly.

Leadership development is critical to an organization’s health and longevity.  Many of us have systems in place to help prepare the next generation of leaders to take over when it is time to transition.  We have training classes, send them to seminars, have them read books and maybe send them back to school for more education.  However, we often miss one very simple tool for developing a new leader.

Just let them do it!  Just delegate some of your responsibilities and let them lead!  In our organization we were talking  the other day about how some of the senior leadership simply had to give away some things due to the overwhelming demands of a new initiative and rapid growth in other areas of the ministry.  In the midst of this, leaders who we wondered if they were ready have stepped up and performed at a high level.

It would be nice to say that this was a planned progression, but unfortunately it was unplanned and forced.  The result has been a great appreciation for the young leaders we have on board and a relief that responsibilities can be off loaded and handled well and sometimes handled better that we were handling them!

So to develop some of your young leaders, simply take a chance and let them run with the ball for a while.  You may be surprised at how well they do.

Blessings on your week!
BG

In Leadership, Leadership_Coaching ,
permalink

Make a Difference This Week

November 29, 2011

Good morning – it is a cold wet morning here in southwest Michigan.

Last night, I had a great experience. We had something that needed to be fixed at our house that was beyond my very limited handyman capabilities, so we asked a young man to come over and fix the problem.  It was a great time of talking with this young man as I fetched things or held things for him as he made the repair. When he was finished, I asked him about paying him and he said he wanted to trade out his work.  What he wanted in exchange was some of my time once a month to be able to ask me questions and to just talk.  I was humbled and then felt very old!

I was also impressed by this young man’s wisdom.  He realized that he could not walk through this life on his own and was seeking several men to input into his life. For years, I have done the same and have recommended the same to others.

The question I have for you, is WHO are YOU investing into right now?  What young man or woman are you influencing?  Are you seeking and building relationships with younger people to help build this next generation of leaders?

While we continually need people investing into our lives, we also need to be very intentional about investing into others as well.

Be intentional this week and make a difference in a young person’s life.

BG

In Culture, Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , , ,
permalink

Go Play Golf

November 8, 2011

When I was a young second lieutenant (2LT) in the Army I worked with a great First Sergeant (1SG) who was close to retirement and a wise man.  He believed in helping young officers grow and excel. He was always pushing you to be thinking like you were operating at the next level of command.

He once told me that if I did my job right (as a company commander) I could go play golf and nobody would notice I was gone.  His point was that you ensure you have the right people, that they are in the right place, that they are trained, resourced, empowered and have a clear understanding of the mission and their parameters. Once you do that your team will advance.

So – are you doing that for your team?  Are you growing leaders and giving them the freedom to lead?

BG

In Leadership_Coaching
permalink

Questions That Strengthen Your Staff

August 24, 2011

How do you develop a stronger staff?  As a leader, one of our responsibilities is to strengthen those that we lead.  When I was a young Second Lieutenant in the 9th Infantry Division, the First Sergeant of the company I was assigned to took a liking to me (or felt pity on me!).  One of the things he taught me was to be training for the next level of command.  He made the statement that when you do your job well as a leader then you can go play golf and your people would never know you were gone.  Quite a statement!

Think about what all goes into that statement.  One aspect of it is that you have strong people that think on their own and think well.  People who know how to make the right choices about their work.

In their book, A Coach’s Guide to developing Exemplary Leaders, James Kouzes and Barry Posner, suggest the following questions to start members of your team thinking about how to make right choices.

“How do you see . . .?”

“What if we . . . ?”

“What do you think about . . .?”

“How do you believe we could . . .?”

“Have you ever . . .?”

Some good questions and their book is full of more ideas.  The idea is to give your people the freedom to make choices and to think for themselves.

Have a blessed day!

BG

In Good Books, Leadership, Leadership_Coaching , ,
permalink