TheLeadershipNotebook

At Thanksgiving 2009, I’m grateful for……

 

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

~ Andre Gild

 

 

Great results come from our willingness to experience change and growth. But it takes courage.

 

It’s Thanksgiving 2009. When I reflect on the past year and take stock of all that I’m grateful for, my three daughters come to mind.   I am blessed to be their Mom. For each of my twenty-something girls, (ages 26, 24 and 22), 2009 has been a year of taking risks, leaving comfort zones and expanding perspectives. During the past year each embarked upon new and challenging experiences.

 

Eldest daughter Sarah left Boston after eight years, to pursue her MBA at Notre Dame. She left our home in Ohio back in 2001 to attend The College of the Holy Cross and stayed to work in Boston after graduation. Her job was good, no, great, and she was successful at it.  But Sarah knew that she wanted something more and to get there required graduate school.  Attending Notre Dame had always been a dream for Sarah and as an English major she worked extra hard to prepare for her GMATs. Her work was rewarded when she won a coveted spot in the Notre Dame MBA program. It was a dream achieved, but a dream that required her to leave her life in Boston including dear friends and a very important fellow. Her new journey has just begun but she had the courage to move beyond her comfort zone and pursue new challenges. Who knows where it will lead? But she did tell me last week that she even liked Accounting. How’s that for a new perspective?

 

Middle daughter Lisa graduated from Villanova University with an English degree in the spring of 2007 and spent two years in the “big apple” living the New York City life. She works for Capital IQ, an entrepreneurial company within Standard and Poors.  Lisa enjoyed life in New York, surrounded by her best college buddies, but was drawn back to the Midwest. She made a difficult decision to take a transfer with her company to Chicago. A new city, a new group of colleagues and all new friends. She took a chance, left her comfort zone and while she misses her friends back in New York, she has not looked back and has excelled at Capital IQ. Lisa ran her first marathon this year in Chicago with many of her New York buddies who came to visit and run with her in the “windy city.”  The old and the new!

 

Youngest daughter Emily graduated in May of this year, also from Villanova. College graduation alone is a huge transition. Leaving friends and entering the “real world” is frightening in its own right. With a political science degree, Emily set her sights on law school. The decision to go was difficult however.  Did she want to dive right back into school? Would it be easier to just look for a job? The economy aside, she had an opportunity for a job that would have been easy but more of a “place holder.” She was accepted into a number of wonderful law schools but was elated when the “admit” came from Case Western Reserve University.  She told my husband and me that she was going to “go for it.” She is just now finishing her first semester of law school. She describes it as very tough but “so far, so good.”

 

As we watch our children navigate the initial steps of their adult lives, making their own choices, taking risks and sizing up opportunities, it can remind us of our own resilience and ability to implement the changes we seek in our own lives. By taking the safe route or following the status quo, we may miss opportunities. Are you stretching outside your comfort zone? Are you playing it safe? Are you exposing yourself to new thinking or new perspectives?

 

One of the best parts of 2009 for my husband, Marty, and me is finally having our daughters all back in our “back yard.” Who knows how long they will be in the Midwest, but that bonus is high on our gratitude list for this year.

 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.   
   
To your success,

 

Mary

 

 

 

HOLD ON. LET GO. TAKE ON. MOVE ON.

 

“Busy Season” for CPAs is right around the corner. Many of you, regardless of your profession, are in a perpetual busy season, moving from project to project, just trying to survive. I hear the survival sentiment routinely from my new clients.  Marshall Goldsmith, another executive coach, has heard it, too. He shared this quote from a client in a recent blog post:

“I am incredibly busy right now. In fact, I feel as busy as I have ever felt in my life. Sometimes my life feels a little out of control. But I am dealing with some very unique and special challenges right now. I think the worst of this will be over in a few months. Then I am going to take a couple of weeks to get organized, spend some time with my family, start my 'healthy life' program, and work on personal development."

Goldsmith calls his client’s quote “an executive’s daydream.”

 

If you’ve said the same thing to yourself – “after all this is over, I’m going to take two weeks and make some real changes in my life” – guess what.  That couple-of-week reprieve is a fantasy. Accepting that is your first step in changing your current reality. Then what?

 

Start with the eight simple and powerful words below.

 

Hold On. Let Go. Take On. Move On.

 

As a student of change, I was first introduced to this tool at coach certification training at The Hudson Institute. These eight words can be a magical and useful tool to get you started with change. They apply to just about any situation and can help you move forward, even in crazy busy times. They ask you to identify the processes, relationships, goals and activities in your life that you want to keep and carry forward and those you want to leave behind.  It goes like this:

 

1. Hold On to what’s important and working in your life. Hold on to what you value in yourself and in your relationships. Use what’s working as a foundation to move forward.

2. Let Go of what’s not working, of all that is no longer serving you. What’s worn out and doesn’t belong in your future? What unhealthy behaviors and activities are holding you back from going in a new direction or accepting new challenges? Let go of the excess baggage from the past that bars your future success.

3. Take On new skills, attitudes and resources to create the changes you want in your life. This involves learning and growing and trying on new behaviors.

4. Move On is what happens after you hold on to what’s working, let go of what isn’t, and take on new skills, attitudes and challenges. New paths appear and you are on your way with energy – fresh, ready and eager.

Reflect on these eight simple words. Take the time to make those changes that you’ve been putting off, waiting for those magical – and elusive –“couple of weeks.” Forget survival. You can thrive.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Your Questions on Coaching

"A good coach will make his players see what they can be, rather than what they are."   

 Ara Parasheghian

 

My career shift four years ago from a practicing CPA and financial consultant to executive coach and organizational change consultant has generated a lot of questions from former colleagues, clients and friends in the community where I have worked for the last 25 years. “What exactly is coaching?” they ask me. “What is this leadership and life development process all about?”

 

So here you go. Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I get.

 

Q: What is an executive coach?  

A: Executive coaches are trained professionals who work with their clients to help them improve or develop skills, make desired changes, solve problems, and achieve goals. I coach my clients either in person or by telephone, typically in a series of regularly scheduled sessions.
 

Q: What do people get out of working with a coach?

A: My clients experience a sense of partnership and support in achieving their personal goals that is often not available elsewhere in their lives. Regular coaching sessions provide clients with dedicated time to focus on what they truly want and identify what must happen to create it. Coaches help their clients design action steps to meet their goals, then hold them accountable to their own stated desires, providing perspective and feedback. As a result, clients stay motivated, make significant changes, and achieve more than they may have thought possible.
 

Q: How is coaching different from consulting or therapy?

A: Coaching differs from consulting because the coach's primary role is not to give advice or design solutions. Coaches ask questions and suggest alternatives that guide clients to discover their own unique answers and choose their own path. I may offer ideas, expertise, and skill-building techniques, but I don’t solve clients' problems for them, nor do I tell them what to do. Once they have the information they need, they make decisions that work best for them.
 
Coaching differs from therapy because coaching sessions are primarily focused on learning and achievement, rather than healing or resolution. Coaches help clients to make changes in their lives by observing present conditions, visualizing future goals, and determining action steps.
 
Q: What kinds of people use coaches?

A: A typical coaching client is someone who wants to make changes in his or her life, and is ready to take action. You might hire a coach for yourself when you desire to improve your leadership and management skills, launch an ambitious new project or are dissatisfied with some of the conditions in your life and seek new direction. Or your organization may suggest coaching to address issues arising in performance evaluations or leadership development opportunities.
 
Q: What qualifications are needed to be a coach?

A: The best coaches are those who excel at listening, communicating, questioning, action planning, and creating accountability. An excellent coach has the ability to focus on the client's agenda rather than follow their own. If you’re looking for a coach, ask for references from former clients about whether they have these capabilities, as well as their credentials. Satisfied clients are often the best measure of how well-qualified a coach is to help clients achieve results.
 
Q: How does someone know if he or she is ready to work with a coach?

A: To get the most from a coaching relationship, you need to be willing to learn new ways of doing things and make changes in your attitude and behaviors. Anyone who is open to hearing new perspectives, willing to question how they are currently acting, and ready to take on new challenges in their life or career can benefit from a working with a coach.
 
Q: How can coaching make a difference to your organization's profitability? 

A: In one 2004 study, executive coaching at Booz Allen Hamilton, the business consulting firm, returned $7.90 for every $1 the firm spent according to Metrix Global, LLC , which conducted the study. The more than 40 managers who received coaching said improvements in team chemistry, the quality of its consulting and retention rates among senior managers added dramatically to profits.  

 

A Fortune magazine article entitled "Executive Coaching: With Returns a CFO Could Love" included the following: "Asked for a conservative estimate of the monetary payoff from the coaching they got, these managers describe an average return of more than $100,000, or about six times what the coaching had cost their companies."

 

 

So, that’s what coaching is all about. For me, the good news comes after I answer my friends’ questions and they affirm my choice with:  “Sounds fantastic,” or “Your skill set, training and experience must really come in handy.” And most rewarding, “Knowing you, that sounds like a perfect career for you, Mary.”

 

I couldn’t agree more.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Six Steps for Strategic Thinking

 

“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.” - Sun Tzu (c. 490 BC, Chinese military strategist)

 

Many of my clients come to me for coaching on developing their leadership skills and thinking strategically is one of the hallmarks of an effective leader. Leadership includes the ability to think through problems and challenges from many different perspectives, to routinely assess your situations from a big picture perspective before just diving in to solve your challenge.

Here are six steps that can help you move from getting lost in the immediate details to the level of strategic thinking that effective leadership requires. The process takes focus and discipline but it is worth the effort.

 

Step One: Before diving in to the problem, PAUSE:

• Examine the problem carefully and define it accurately.
• Gather as much information as is reasonably possible.
• Look at the problem from the points of view of others involved as a way of fleshing out your definition.

Step Two: Begin to generate alternative solutions.

• Brainstorm. List a variety of solutions without judging them.
• Ask yourself how other people whom you respect might approach the problem.
• If necessary, actually ask other people how they might approach the problem.

Step Three: Now evaluate each alternative.

• What are the pros and cons of each one?
• When appropriate, get input from others, especially those who will be involved in implementing decisions that you make.
• Don’t forget to consider the long range consequences.

Step Four: Select the option that has the best cost/benefit ratio.

• Remember that you are paid to make judgment calls. By definition, when we make judgments, we cannot be 100% sure of the outcome. No one gets every judgment call correct.
• Knowing that you approached the problem carefully will help you manage the anxiety of taking the risk.

Step Five: Act.

• Implement your decision.
• Because you have done your homework, you are likely to feel less pressure to second guess yourself.

Step Six: Assess the outcome.

• If things are working out the way you anticipated, congratulate yourself on a job well done.
• If things are not going as you expected, use this as additional data that you can use to adjust your approach.

Developing your strategic thinking skills is a leadership imperative. It may not be your most comfortable default position now, but with practice, it can soon become a regular habit of mind.

To your success,

Mary

Intoxication

I was having lunch last week with one of my former CPA firm Partners.  Let’s call him “Bill.” During our conversation, I asked Bill to identify one of his greatest mistakes in leadership over the last 10 years. Bill, also a close friend, paused for only a second. He said assuredly that his greatest mistake was his delay in terminating a “toxic” employee.  At the time, he said, the individual was someone he felt the firm just “could not live without.”

 

In my own experience, I, too, fell into the same trap when I led our firm’s management consulting services group.  I was “intoxicated” by an employee’s high billings, when she actually caused more damage to my team than the billings were worth.

 

In each case, Bill and I were blinded by the employees’ pure productivity or the specialized knowledge. These individuals were not staff-level professionals, but senior team leaders. In each case, we were in denial about their inability to develop strong interpersonal relationships, unwillingness to adapt to new situations and failure to develop their team. The rules were for everyone else but them. The facts were all there. We just didn’t accept them. Our failure of leadership.

 

Ultimately, both of these “toxic” individuals were shown the door. But the impact of our delay was clear. Each of us had our work to do in restoring trust and rebuilding our teams. But we learned a valuable lesson.

 

Leadership means making tough calls and looking at the impact beyond today. Think about that as you continue to allow the toxic employee to rule the roost.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

Head Buffalo or Lead Goose?

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life."   Lao Tzu

 

Does your organization function like a herd of buffalo?   

 

You see, buffalo are loyal followers of one leader.  They go wherever the leader wants them to go and do whatever the leader wants them to do. Think command and control or pacesetting leadership style.

 

But there’s a down side. Because buffalo are loyal to one leader they stand around and wait for the leader to show them what to do. When the head buffalo isn’t around, they wait for him to show up. Apparently, the early settlers could kill off buffalo herds so easily by killing the lead buffalo.  The rest of the herd stood around, waiting for their leader to lead them and were slaughtered.

 

Is there a lot of “waiting around” in your buffalo-like organization? Where people do only what they are told to do, nothing more, and then wait around for your next set of instructions?

 

Compare that leadership metaphor to a flock of geese in the classic V formation, where every goose is responsible for leading, changing roles whenever necessary. Each goose alternates as a leader, a follower or a scout, doing whatever it takes for the good of the flock.

 

I was first introduced to the concept of the “Head Buffalo” back in 1993 when I read a leadership classic, The Flight of the Buffalo (Belasco & Stayer).  As a Partner in a rapidly growing CPA firm, my focus was on learning and leading my team in the most effective way. It was my responsibility to let go of the “telling” and create an environment where each person wanted to be responsible. Think a leadership style focused on coaching and teaching.

 

It’s16 years later and these concepts are as relevant as ever. Today, our organizations require leaders at all levels, employees who are ready to learn and grow and stretch their capabilities. That requires our continual efforts as leaders to let go of “command and control” and of our continual need to be “head buffalo” and embrace the formidable “V” of a flock of geese. It all begins with the leader.

 

 

 

To your success,

 

Mary