executive coaching

Maximum Impact Leadership: Step 6 of 7

July 8, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: I’ve seen a lot of leaders come, and I’m certain I’ll see a lot go in the future. But what is it about the “best” leaders that we can share with you? The “Best” Leaders one way or the other always have maximum impact on their organizations, their industries, and the world! The following seven (7) part series was developed from coaching conversations at Tip of the Spear and plays an integral part in our Business Advisory Services (Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders Series). In Step 1 of 7 for Maximum Impact Leadership we looked at your ability to ask questions. In Step 2 of 7 we looked at your ability to secure feedback from those questions by listening. In Step 3 of 7 we looked at your ability to think of what is being said. In Step 4 of 7 we examined your ability to thank others for their feedback. In Step 5 the opportunity arises for you to respond (but do so at your own peril!) Here in Step 6 we look out how you can best engage your stakeholders and take action! I hope that you’re able to implement these seven (7) “best” practices for maximum impact leadership… Enjoy!

Refresh of Maximum Impact Leadership Step 1 Ask | Step 2 Listen | Step 3 Think | Step 4 Thank | Step 5 Respond

Recall that in Step 1 of 7 of developing your maximum impact leadership, you are asking stakeholders to provide you with feedback on how you can be the “best” leader possible. You’ve asked several key questions that drive towards that destination. In Step 2 of 7 you needed to do the easy part of listening (or difficult part, depending on if you read the post!) In Step 3 of 7 we took a look at ways in which you could “think” differently (or at least this should have been different from your current thinking habits. In step 4 of 7 we realized that thanking is as much a part of the leadership equation as doing. In Step 5 of 7 we looked at how you should respond in a short, positive, targeted, and to the point manner.

Engage & Act

Step 6 of 7 is actually a two-parter… In order to be an effective Maximum Impact Leader you’re going to have to engage the stakeholders around you and take action. Let’s break it down…

Engage My Stakeholders?

My research over the years has been on leadership behavior, and why we as leaders do what we do. I’ve noticed the good, the bad, and the ugly behaviors that leaders exhibit in a variety of settings. One thing that I am crystal clear on is that in order for a leader to take feedback from their stakeholders and implement it into their “game” they need to engage those same stakeholders. The story could go something like the following:

“You know folks, I’ve been thinking about the feedback that you provided me in my 360-degree assessment. As a result of that feedback, these are the behaviors that I’m going to ask you to look out for. These are the behaviors that I’m going to ask you to keep me honest regarding. In our weekly one-to-one (1:1) meetings, I’m going to remind you that I’m working on them and please provide me with any examples where you saw me exhibiting them. Thank you!”

Take Action… Charge!

I also can share this little bit of a secret with you when it comes to setting goals… You’re going to have to align the troops (sometimes only yourself) and take action. Putting one step in front of the other is one method, but can be an awful slow haul. Enlisting others to keep you on track (engaged) and looking for you to take action is the best methodology.

How Do You…?

In one of the leadership development programs I’m engaged with, one of the leaders was asked for their perspective on how they have excelled at performing their job function recently (especially in light of how others might be struggling). His response was rather direct… “You need to just do it!”

You need to just do it rings true on several fronts, especially when it comes to change and taking action. No one ever got to the other shore by having the other shore come to them. If you want to get to there (Wherever “there” might be), your going to have to devise a plan to get their and then take action.

SUMMARY

Ask, listen, think, thank, respond, and engage/act with the stakeholders around you for maximum impact leadership. There are many leadership development lessons and/or executive coaching moments you can explore for further assistance. Know this much, “Engaging” is not optional and “Action” can never be replaced with procrastination.

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Leading the Shit Show – 5 Tips!

July 7, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Leading a finely-tuned team is the stuff of Harvard Business Review Case Study dreams. Unfortunately, the high-functioning, smooth-running, and operationally efficient leadership moments at times seem like a far-off distant place perpetually out of sight, definitely out of reach, but within smell! So what happens if you lead a shit show at the office? What then HBR? In this post, we’ll take a look at five (5) leadership tips to go from porta-potty leadership struggles to indoor plumbing leadership nirvana… Enjoy!

Let the Shit Show Begin!

Sometimes I wonder as an executive coach and leadership development expert if my clients are putting on a “show” during one of my visits just to see if I lost any of my leadership sharpness? While it’s been nearly three (3) years since I lead a tech-startup, I’ve continued to have leadership “hands on the wheel” leading the venture at Tip of the Spear. However, this doesn’t seem to deter my clients from either flexing their funny bones, or having me show up to visit them on a Monday (or pick your least favorite FUBAR moment).

This past month contained yet again one of those moments, captured perfectly by these three (3) vignettes:

Customers Everywhere (with checkbooks/wallets/purses open ready to spend $$$)
Employees Nowhere
Leadership Running Around a la Chickens

Was it just for show, or was it for Sam? Regardless of who it was for I know for certain who it was not for and that was the customer’s experience (CXI for short). Customers (yes, one and all) hate these moments where disorganization rules and the proverbial fan has ceased due to feces pelting it repeatedly. So what’s a poor leader to do in moments such as these? The following five (5) leadership tips were compiled from various leadership development and executive coaching sessions to allow you to go from porta-potty struggles to indoor plumbing nirvana.

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Tip #5 – Personnel

Whether you’d like to believe it or not, or how many technology barricades you might have erected, if your business is like most it still relies on the people you employ to pull off/execute the many tasks deemed necessary in daily efforts. Hire wisely (a la “Top Grading”) and you will be rewarded. Fail at hiring effectively and you will know the purgatory of Hell on Earth (all the while not being deceased yet!)

Tip #4 – Pay Plans

All things being equal, your employees will do what they get paid to do. While it’s a grandiose thought that your employees will conduct actions based on the company culture or your mission/vision/values statement created at a company retreat 10+ years ago, know that they will instead do what they most topically get paid to do. If your system of bonuses/spiffs/commission schedules don’t include metrics that are near/dear to your business livelihood, you might want to reconsider how you pay your people.

NOTE: Two funny stories:

Story #1: A business owner one time tried telling me that it’s a requirement of employment that employees pay attention to a key performance indicator – KPI (in this case, customer satisfaction). The store metrics reflected that they were in the bottom 10^th percentile in this KPI, which begged the question “When will everyone be getting fired… Today or Tomorrow?”
Story #2: A leader at an organizational headquarter requested a meeting with me to identify why I kept on reporting on how people during a change initiative were getting paid. This KPI appeared to be “out of the normal” for reporting purposes and furthermore “clouded” the situation with unnecessary detail. Again, not certain what leadership development school they attended or executive coaching methodology they employ, but the boat had clearly left the dock (and Elvis had left the building!)

Tip #3 – Processes

You must have processes that reflect your desired end state of business. Efficiently identified for 90+ percent of the typical business happenings, they should be designed/implemented within the team and contingency plans should be drafted for the additional 10 percent of the times (aka, When things don’t run the way they should, either due to personnel, technology, or customer experiences).

Processes should be developed, tested, and more importantly reviewed on a daily/weekly/monthly schedule. One of the biggest mistakes I see is when a company enacts a new process, only to have questions arise a month later regarding “Where did it all go wrong?” Remember, just because you explain a process to a stakeholder one time does not mean that it will be encased in the stone memory vaults for all to recall each and every time. Instead, review the processes at periodic intervals to ensure accuracy in execution and appropriateness for the current day/month/time of year.

Tip #2 – Metrics

You run your business based on key metrics (See KPI discussion earlier in Tip #4). Ensure the accuracy of the data you collect and report out said data frequently.

Tip #1 – Accountability

This is the role of a leader (besides leading). You must hold those around you accountable for what we all agreed to. If processes are executed accordingly and metrics reflect the effort/energy expended then review that… If/when they don’t review that too! It’s often a fine-line between praising in public and reviewing poor results with a group. While not casting blame, keeping solution-focused, and seeking process modification ideas you can/will get things turned around.

SUMMARY

Let’s face it, we’ve all been “there” where “there” consists of a show relegated to the higher numbers on your cable television package. It’s a place that reeks of poor personnel, pay plans, processes, metric results and lack of accountability. I hope that this trip down stinky-lane will allow you to pursue more pleasant odoriferous paths in the future.

Sam Palazzolo

Maximum Impact Leadership: Step 5 of 7

July 7, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: I’ve seen a lot of leaders come, and I’m certain I’ll see a lot go in the future. But what is it about the “best” leaders that we can share with you? The “Best” Leaders one way or the other always have maximum impact on their organizations, their industries, and the world! The following seven (7) part series was developed from coaching conversations at Tip of the Spear and plays an integral part in our Business Advisory Services (Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders Series). In Step 1 of 7 for Maximum Impact Leadership we looked at your ability to ask questions. In Step 2 of 7 we looked at your ability to secure feedback from those questions by listening. In Step 3 of 7 we looked at your ability to think of what is being said. In Step 4 of 7 we examined your ability to thank others for their feedback. Here in Step 5 is the opportunity for you to respond (but do so at your own peril!) I hope that you’re able to implement these seven (7) “best” practices for maximum impact leadership… Enjoy!

Refresh of Maximum Impact Leadership Step 1 Ask | Step 2 Listen | Step 3 Think | Step 4 Thank

Thank You… No Really, Only Say Thank You!

On one leadership development assignment I had nearly a decade ago, the client asked if I would work with them to create a customized 360-degree assessment. This assessment tied in perfectly with the leadership competencies we had identified earlier in the consulting arrangement, and appeared to be the next logical step in developing tomorrow’s organizational leaders today. However, throw logic out the window because we failed to put in place a “braking” mechanism that in hindsight was a no brainer, but for where we were wasn’t even on our radar map.

I’m Gonna Get You Sucker!

The braking mechanism that we should have thought of (but didn’t) was the idea of report-out retribution. In other words, once a leader received 360-degree feedback from their stakeholders, it’s imperative that they don’t take action against those that have taken the time to provide them with such feedback. Instead, the leaders of tomorrow acted more like Genghis Kahn of Mongolian Empire fame than Ghandi.

One leader in the development program went so far as to write out his own “Hit List” based on feedback received. Sometimes accurate, sometimes not he developed a list of his stakeholders and guessed which feedback went with whom. Having identified in his mind who was “with” him and who was “against” he proceeded over the next two-three years to handout easy assignments to those “with” and punishing ones for those “against.” All in all, he was wrong… Not only in guessing those with/against, but also in his methodology.

The “Thank You” Model

So what is the proper way to say “Thank You” after receiving the feedback from a 360-degree assessment? I’m often asked if there is a method I recommend, and here is a word track for it:

“Mr. Stakeholder, I wanted to thank you for participating in my 360-degree feedback assessment. I don’t know the details regarding who said what, but I do know that in providing me with details regarding how/where I can improve, my stakeholders like you have provided me with very valuable data on how I can be a better leader. So thank you!”

You might have noticed that the proceeding message is short, positive, targeted, and to the point. The focus of your “Thank You” is on the feedback and how you can be a better leader moving forward (Exactly the target-zone of the 360 degree assessment, right?)

Keep Your “But” Out Of The Thank You

There is one mistake that some leaders make when approaching this feedback moment through their reply. Some leaders insist on saying “Thank You” and then following it up with a nice/big “But” to their stakeholder. In doing so, whatever goodwill moment you were hoping to achieve went straight out the window. In executive coaching sessions I hear of this “but” moment and inquire as to why the leader did so. Mostly from a place of blame-avoidance, sometimes from a fear of loss of control, and almost always from an ego zone the leader feels compelled to bring up why they are the way they are.

In completing your 360-degree assessment, your associates know who you are and that you act a certain way in given situations. Good, bad, or ugly they really don’t care to learn what your logic is for your behavior. So keep your “but” out of the response.

SUMMARY

Ask, listen, think, thank, and respond to the stakeholders around you for maximum impact leadership. In your leadership development sessions and/or executive coaching moments you will have the opportunity to search for best practices and word tracks on how to respond to stakeholder feedback. Know this much, “But” is never an acceptable response and should be kept out of your reply.

Sam Palazzolo

The Leadership Challenge: Shutting Up

June 28, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: Time is a very valuable commodity these days. And with what seems like less time on your leadership hands, you’re probably compelled to speak more than listen. After all, as a leader contended this week during an executive coaching session, how else would he be able to give direction to his troops! However, what exactly are you attempting to accomplish in such leadership moments? Granted, the leadership challenge of “getting things done” should always be forefront in your agenda. So it’s within these “shutting up” moments that we’ll examine if you’re a leader looking to succeed by simply dolling out orders, or if you’re a leader looking to identify direction and let your stakeholders identify orders and priority therein… Enjoy!

I Listen… Don’t I?

Terry was a successful C-Suite leader that had been successfully running the operations department of a Fortune 1000 organization (He was Chief Operations Officer – COO). Engaged in a classic Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching initiative afforded us the opportunity to not only engage him in leadership development and executive coaching, but also his stakeholders (peers, superiors, and subordinates) in feedback moments regarding his progress. While Terry was successful in accomplishing project after project thrown his team’s way, there was a bit of a “rip current” running within his department.

Turns out Terry, despite all of the accomplishments and accolades bestowed upon him wasn’t a very good listener according to his stakeholders. The reasons for these poor listening moments runs the feedback gambit:

Always in a hurry
Never really paying attention to feedback
Providing detailed direction with little interpretation necessary
Not engaging his stakeholders in meaningful dialog
Goal accomplishment “his way” was paramount

Two Ears… One Mouth!

If Terry’s plight sounds familiar, it should. We’ve all either seen a leader that behaves this way, or perhaps are guilty of conducting the leadership behavior identified ourselves. In leadership development and executive coaching sessions, leaders describe their least favorite leadership moment as those involving the broadcasting of message/direction with little chance of engagement/meaning being available for the tasks at hand. So if we know that one-way communication channels such as these aren’t preferred, why do we engage in them time and again?

“Listening is hard work” Terry told me. Of course it is! It’s even harder work when you don’t ask good questions. Think of all the questions you’ve asked your stakeholders in the most recent week… What were they? If they bordered on the “light” leadership scale (meaning they were pretty weak, superficial, and/or placated your stakeholders), then you missed a great opportunity to learn from them. If you have all the answers all the time, then perhaps a team isn’t necessary. If you want to get buy in for the job at hand, you should consider asking your stakeholders questions.

How to Shut Up as a Leader

So exactly how can you ask better questions to put yourself in position to listen? The task is hard, but not impossible to shut up. Here are a few tips/techniques we reviewed:

Open dialogs with stakeholders with an open-ended question (One that requires an answer in more than a one word answer)
Listen for the “hidden” meanings in stakeholder’s response
Explore those meaning with follow-up, or drill-down questions (Again, open-ended works best)
Seek input/feedback on how to perform the project at hand
Listen!
- Put your finger to your lips to keep your mouth closed
- Take a deep breath while listening
- Criss cross your hands
- Blink with heavy eyelids
  - NOTE: Don’t do all of these simultaneously… You’ll look like you’re not paying attention – That’s worse than not listening!
- Keep on-time/on-target objectives for feedback (Getting their feedback is not an opportunity for complaints!)
- Confirm your understanding of what has been said
- Chart future course together!

SUMMARY

In this post, we took a look at the leadership challenge of shutting up. Some leaders excel at asking questions (One I worked with used to call it out ahead of time by saying “Now I’m going to ask you a provocative question…”) and then listening. If you find that you are not getting the results you want in the time period desired, perhaps there’s an opportunity for you to do a better job of listening, instead of talking all the time as a leader. Remember, leadership isn’t that hard… but is sure can be difficult!

Sam Palazzolo

Maximum Impact Leadership: Step 4 of 7

June 20, 2015 By Sam Palazzolo, Managing Director

The Point: I’ve seen a lot of leaders come, and I’m certain I’ll see a lot go in the future. But what is it about the “best” leaders that we can share with you? The “Best” Leaders one way or the other always have maximum impact on their organizations, their industries, and the world! The following seven (7) part series was developed from coaching conversations at Tip of the Spear and plays an integral part in our Business Advisory Services (Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, and Communication Skills Training for Leaders Series). In Step 1 of 7 for Maximum Impact Leadership we looked at your ability to ask questions. In Step 2 of 7 we looked at your ability to secure feedback from those questions by listening. In Step 3 of 7 we looked at your ability to think of what is being said. Here in Step 4 of 7, we’ll take a look at your ability to thank others for their feedback (Simple, right?) I hope that you’re able to implement these seven (7) “best” practices for maximum impact leadership… Enjoy!

Refresh of Maximum Impact Leadership Step 1 Ask | Step 2 Listen | Step 3 Think

Saying “Thank You”… That’s Good Manners, Right?

How many times have you asked for input on a project, task, or assignment as a leader? Outside of your leadership development training or executive coaching session, I would say the number probably is in the hundreds or thousands (conservatively speaking). Now ask yourself the follow up question: How many times have you actually “thanked” the person providing you with the feedback? Unfortunately, and this is no conservative accident, the number is probably represented by less than the digits on your two hands (That’s less than 10!)

So if you believe that saying “Thank You” is a good representation of manners, why do so few leaders extend the courtesy? I’ve asked this question to well over one hundred leaders, and here are the answers I typically receive:

It’s work, not pleasure
The answers should be provided as part of the other person’s job
I don’t have enough time in the workplace to get all my work done as is, let alone take the extra second it would take to say “Thanks!”

Pathetic, right?

Killing the Messenger is BAD

Here’s another way to think of the situation of thanking those that provide us with input… How many times have you received such input, and then instead of thanking the other party looked at what was being said in a defensive manner? Odds are, if you’re a leader (or human) your ego got in the way and you became defensive.

Instead of looking at the input received as positive, you instead looked at the message as deconstructive and went on the defense in an attempt to get even.

While killing the messenger is rarely a good strategy, listening to what is said and saying thank you is. It doesn’t mean that you are not planning on taking action at a later time on what was discussed (This should be your strategy, instead of looking to take action against the party delivering the constructive feedback!)

SUMMARY

Ask, listen, think, and thank the stakeholders around you for maximum impact leadership. This is just the beginning of the success recipe, and we’ll explore the remainder in the following steps. Don’t forget those messages you heard in your leadership development sessions or executive coaching moments… They just could help you overcome many of the leadership challenges you face!

Sam Palazzolo

executive coaching

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