Blog

The Leadership Challenge: Calling Employees Out

September 3, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: One mosquito, one damn mosquito can ruin the peace of the entire household. The same is true of a bad employee in your business. No matter how large your organization may be, a single lazy, unmotivated, and gossiping employee can negatively impact the performance of the entire workforce. Are you facing problems dealing with such people in your organization? Read on to learn some effective tips to handle this leadership challenge… Enjoy!

Identifying a Bad Employee

When a policy is violated, or when there is persistent underperformance, you may clearly have a bad employee in your midst. However, what about all those workers who are just passing along and are not working to unlock their true potential? They only work enough to get by, and secure their position in the organization due to their experience.

When you are building a business from the ground up, or when you are trying to keep your company afloat during economic crises, such employees, no matter how good-natured they are, can actually hinder the growth of the company. As a leader, you have to call them out and have an honest discussion with such employees as part of your leadership development.

Why You Should Call Out Bad Employees – Top 3 Reasons

Reason #3: Send a Message

When you don’t discipline trouble-makers, you are setting a negative precedent that bad performance goes tolerated in the organization. You have to send the message that if an employee refuses to follow your rules and the company vision, leadership (or management) will not spare the rod. This is especially true in times of economic crises, where high levels of unemployment mean that each employee can be replaced with someone equally, if not more talented. This statement is not made to be a threat, because a person working under fear may underperform. Think of it more as a promise that they will be held accountable for not living up to their potential.

Reason #2: Solve Problems

Problem resolution is a major component of leadership. You can’t simply overlook an issue and expect the company to propel towards success. If this was a product issue, you’d probably develop a new one based on market feedback. Why wouldn’t you do the same with a disruptive employee?

Reason #1: You Lead as a Leader, Right?

Ultimately, everything reflects on you as a leader. If you let a problem get out of hand (which does happen when you ignore calling out bad employees), you will destroy your resume as a business manager and leader.

Take Action!

Instead of waiting until the last moment and letting things get out of hand, you should deal with employee performance proactively. Set the expectations of each team member in writing and ask each employee to create a plan of action showing you how they plan to succeed. After some deliberation, put them into action, and review them on a cadenced basis (daily/weekly or bi-weekly).

Congratulate employees that achieve their goals to boost their morale, while hold those employees accountable that are not fulfilling what is required of them. This will help to solve problems as they arise.

Like everyday life, ignoring a small problem only makes it bigger as time goes on. The same holds true when managing poor performers in your organization!

Summary

To sum up, you shouldn’t shy away from confronting bad employees. Disciplining bad employees is not an afterthought for leaders, something that they have to do as a last resort, but it is actually crucial to leadership development.

For more information on Tip of the Spear Leadership Development programs, including those leveraging The Leadership Challenge use the Contact Us form on our website.

What Marshall Goldsmith Doesn’t Want You To Know About Stakeholder Centered Coaching

August 20, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Warren Buffet tells us to keep shareholders happy. However, if you go just one step further and link your business aims (and business results) to your stakeholders, you will create both a mindset and a company culture that not only drives you towards success, but helps you achieves goals faster as well. Stakeholder Centered Coaching (SCC) trains leaders on making behavioral changes that have a long-term impact on an organization’s success. In this post, we discuss what this Centered Executive Coaching offering is all about, and what Marshall Goldsmith (the developer of this method) doesn’t want you to know… Enjoy!

Defining Terms

Have you ever heard of SCC? Most business leaders reply that they have not! If you’re in that camp, then you’re not alone… Basically, Stakeholder Centered Executive Coaching focuses on leadership traits (sometimes highlighting only aspects of a leader’s behavior) to elicit notable results for all stakeholders of a department/company. The hallmark of the Goldsmith coaching system is change based on constant feedback.

Who is Marshall Goldsmith?

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is one of the most well respected executive coaches in world, the proof of which is:

He was listed as one of 50 great thinkers and leaders who have influenced the field of management over the past 80 years by the American Management Association.

He was ranked among the most influential practitioners in the history of leadership development by Business Week

The Times (UK) considers him one of the 50 greatest living business thinkers

Forbes named him among the five most-respected executive coaches

The fact that his training has helped several Fortune 100 companies achieve tremendous results is testimony to the effects of SCC. At Tip of the Spear, our Executive Coaches practice this same discipline in order to provide lifelong client value to the leaders who employ our services in the form of Centered Executive Coaching (consisting of Leader Centered Coaching, Stakeholder Centered Coaching, and Business Centered Coaching).

What Dr. Marshall Doesn’t Want You to Know

While an entire post can be dedicated to the intricacies of the SCC (See our post titled ‘5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching‘), here we will zero in on one central concept: Leadership coaches at large teach you that in order to become successful, you need to be self-confident. And they are not entirely wrong when they say that!

But what Marshall Goldsmith doesn’t want you to know is that success can often lead to arrogance. When you are on a roll and your stakeholders are happy, you will ironically become resistant to change, and hence treat any feedback or suggestion from your team as insignificant (think of it as the brush-off effect!) The problem is that success doesn’t always last forever, and as the business world becomes more complex with changing technology and global outlook, the last thing you need is an attitude that is resistant to change.

Why So Arrogant?

The SCC process starts with the coach assessing the leader’s personality and determining 1-2 key areas that need change (This can be accomplished typically through a 360* Review). This is followed by taking feedback from stakeholders on behavioral progress examples and future growth opportunities. Based on this, the executive coach works with the leader and sponsoring committee at the organization to develop a plan of action, and throughout the duration of the coaching, progress is reviewed with all parties to assess progress/areas of improvement opportunity.

So What Can You Learn?

If all goes well, you will learn:

Placing focus on the people you work with is important
Instead of delving on past successes, a leader should always look towards the future
Instead of unfounded optimism, a leader has to keep monitoring feedback and adapting to changing business circumstances

Summary

Any organization and its stakeholders want to see continuous improvement in all leaders in the results they achieve for themselves/the business. SCC proves highly useful in this regard. For more information on Centered Executive Coaching, the other Tip of the Spear Business Advisory Services, and/or information on leadership development through our affiliation with The Javelin Institute, use the Contact Us page.

5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching

August 19, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Stakeholder Centered Coaching (SCC) is the brainchild of Marshall Goldsmith, a UCLA PhD, and one of the most well-respected leadership executive coaches in the world. His SCC method is considered highly effective and efficient by diverse voices in the business world. Even we at Tip of the Spear hold on to the SCC principles (It formed the foundation for our Centered Executive Coaching, consisting of Leader Centered Coaching, Stakeholder Centered Coaching, and Business Centered Coaching). Here we outline the top 5 benefits of this centered executive coaching methodology so you know a little more about why it can work for you/your company as well… Enjoy!

It is Simple…

Goldsmith is often quoted saying ‘Coaching is simple, but not easy!’ But SCC is easy to understand and highly practical as well. Not to mention, Stakeholder Centered Executive Coaching also differs from popular leadership training programs. Most leadership coaches teach that success owes itself largely to inherent traits. While Stakeholder Centered Executive Coaching doesn’t deny this, but it explains how sometimes these inherent traits can actually stand in way of you/your organization’s success.

On the Job Development

SCC is both cost and time effective, and you are able to accelerate leadership growth on the job. By integrating stakeholder feedback as part of the training, the coach is able to bring about sustainable behavioral change without exhausting company resources.

A Change of Attitude

A recurring theme of SCC is helping leaders understand that the mindset that helped them achieve success in the past may now actually be disastrous for the growth of the company in the face of present complexities. Marshall describes these as ‘belief barriers’ to a leader’s success.

Measurable Impact

Most executive coaching programs focus assessing leadership effectiveness and action planning so that the leader comes to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. But while this is a critical step to initiate the coaching process, it can result in a list of areas of improvement areas that is so long that it hinders any action from being taken.

Stakeholder Centered Coaching on the other hand ‘takes the action’ right into the leader’s work environment with the stakeholders. The stakeholders then provide important and insightful suggestions for behavioral change to help the leader become more effective for the organization.

And this valuable feedback is not brushed aside for future deliberation, instead it is implemented and followed through to achieve sustainable behavioral change, thus creating more effective leadership behaviors and habits. If the change implemented is not sustained, recognized, and acknowledged by stakeholders in the workplace, then the coaching program has failed. Simple as that.

From Trainee to Trainer

Finally, once leaders themselves have been coached for about a year, they themselves become equipped to coach their own subordinates. Hence, the behavioral changes further become sustainable to the point they become engrained in the company culture.

Summary

For all these reasons, SCC is a ‘must have’ leadership development skill for effective leaders. For more information on Centered Executive Coaching, the other Tip of the Spear Business Advisory Services, and/or information on leadership development through our affiliation with The Javelin Institute, use the Contact Us page.

What Robin Williams’ Death Can Teach Leadership Development About Time Management

August 14, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: As a leader you’re going to be faced with challenges that truly will test your “metal” in your career. Undoubtedly, you’ll also face challenges in your personal life. Knowing how to balance both personal and professional life through time management can help you gain the proper perspective necessary for success. Remember though, success or failure isn’t the end-all-be-all scoreboard of life… Thank you Robin, for all the joy you brought us!

Personal vs. Professional Life

In a New York Times article titled “Busy Working, Robin Williams
Fought Demons” (You can read it here:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/business/media/busy-working-robin-williams-fought-demons.html?_r=0&referrer=),
it struck me that many leaders struggle with similar demons. Often times at Tip of the Spear we see there is often a trade-off between a leader’s professional and personal life. Spend too much time on the professional life, and the personal life suffers. Spend too much time on the personal life, and risk success in the professional life. In this blog post we take a look at what leaders can do to successfully overcome those “demon” moments.

RIP Robin Williams

We’ve had the opportunity to work with a cadre of talented leaders through our executive coaching practice over the years. In the last decade, I myself have worked with 1,000+ leaders individually and those I’ve assisted in their coaching practices have numbered 5,000+ coaching conversations with leaders. One aspect of each engagement sooner or later seems to trend towards the executive’s personal life, and satisfaction level therein. And that’s where this New York Times article on Robin Williams’ passing struck a cord with me…

Is Leadership Development Causing Complications?

The article tells of a 2012 episode where a cinematographer recalled that Williams was “a complicated soul that was rarely visible through the cracks of an astonishingly intact career.” In other words, Williams like so many of the leaders out there was working from behind a mask or veil, rarely letting those closest to him in proximity see him for who he really was. In our communication skills training for leaders sessions we conduct an exercise called “The Mask” in which we ask the leaders to identify and share with the group what they don’t typically let others see at first-glance. Sometimes the answers are funny and inconsequential (A small blemish that one could hardly see to begin with). However, sometimes the answers are downright shocking and rattle your core (One leader hated his wife and kids, finding work a welcome respite from that which he truly despised).

So How Do You Balance Time?

The skill involved in balancing, or managing your time as a leader shouldn’t be looked at as an artful endeavor (One that will take years to master, just as a great artist does in perfecting their craft). Instead, I believe that there should be an attempt to attain perfection in an imbalance moment. In other words, life (whether in a professional or personal setting) will ebb and flow with one or the other taking on more gravitas (weight) than the other. An attempt at equilibrium is senseless. Instead, recognize the imbalance and act accordingly. If your goal in recognition is to pull back, do so in keeping your ideal bigger picture in mind.

Summary

We’ve lost a great comedian, actor, talent, father, husband… We’ve lost a great person in Robin Williams. If you find yourself struggling as he was, please find a different exit plan. A wise man once told me “Nothing is that bad… Suicide isn’t an option.” If you find yourself without perspective, please seek help.

The Leadership Challenge: Developing Creativity and Initiative

August 13, 2014 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: We want to hire/create the best leaders. The main elements that highlight and distinguish leaders from others are their creative thinking and an urge to take initiative. Great leaders are known for utilizing their critical thinking capacity, and thinking out of the box. They utilize their talents to aspire and reach out for the stars, something which others can’t even dream of! Creativity and initiative are the critical elements of a leadership development program… Enjoy!

A true leader is driven and exerts all efforts to successfully achieve their goals and ambitions. A leadership development endeavor should include a drive for taking initiative and utilizing creative thinking for acquiring excellence in the field. What is the leadership challenge then, right?

Leadership Development And Creativity

Aspiring to implement leadership development in an organization is a creative step in itself. Leadership development programs ensure prompting creative and critical thinking in an individual, being trained as a future leader.

To infuse creativity in an individual, the leadership development program ensures the adoption of a variety of tasks and additional responsibilities for the future leader, which trains them for the creative skills required in their organizational position.

360 degree feedback, formal coaching and job assignments are some methods and activities through which organizations strive to polish the creative skills of an individual being developed as a future leader. (Cauley & Velsor, 2004)

As creativity is a core distinguishing element of a good leader, every good and effective leadership developmentprogram ensures thorough polishing of these skills through vigorous efforts.

Initiative And Leadership Development

Taking initiative and exhibiting the drive to take the plunge, is a factor which is deemed necessary for every future leader. The need to try out new ideas, learn about different techniques and methods and taking responsibility to take a risk, are vital and an essential skill of every leader.

An individual who does not try something new does not ensure personal development and growth, and this is something which leaders cannot afford to do. Without taking initiative, leaders can become stagnant and idle, and in this fast paced world, a drive and initiative to succeed is of vital importance.

Leadership development programs inspire initiative by encouraging employees to try out new ideas and follow them through. Assigning challenging and rewarding projects which inspire out of the box thinking, and utilization of unique methods, ensures skill development and personal confidence. Mentoring and coaching are effective techniques for prompting employees to take an initiative. New ideas and the initiative to try out something unique and ensure success, is one feature of an individual, which marks it as different from all the other leaders in the industry. A leader with a will to succeed and ensure personal and career growth, is one who can elevate an organization to new and superior heights in the industry, and ensure its prosperity and business expansion.

Summary

While developing leadership programs to ensure the proper training of the employees in a company, creativity and a drive for taking initiative is given great importance, as they are the sound pillars on which the foundation of leadership is built.

A multi layered and cross generational leadership, one which involves mentoring assistance and intervention is one which is required to instill and polish the creative skills in future leaders. Inspiring and encouraging aspiring leaders to take initiative and take the plunge prompts the development of the required leadership skills, within them.

To learn more about Tip of the Spear Leadership Development offerings, including The Leadership Challenge, CLICK HERE.

Blog

Footer

From the Tip of the Spear