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When Leadership Development Fails: Why Stakeholder Centered Coaching Succeeds!

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The Point: Organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, consider leadership development training as something critical to their success. This is evidenced by the time and money (a staggering $14 billion per year as of January 2014) spent on leadership development. Not to mention, courses on leadership offered in educational institutions across the county also cost several thousand dollars each to participate in. Why then do we see leadership development failing? In this post we’ll investigate why this is so, and how Stakeholder Centered Coaching is a better (or best) alternative… Enjoy!

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3 Reasons for Failure

Reason #3: Not Assessing Leadership Needs Accurately 

More often than not, leadership programs are initiated without any clear goal in mind. Ideally, current and future business needs should be the driving force behind coaching programs.

 

Reason #2: No Support from the Executive Team

No leadership development training (Not even Centered Executive Coaching!) can become successful without the support of the executive team. The executive team should be there when the needs and outcomes of the program are being decided upon. This is necessary to further link the leadership development goals to those of the organization.

 

Reason #1: No Implementation Plan

This is perhaps the most crucial factor. When a leadership training program is starting, it is easy to get caught up in its short-term impact. The launch is exciting, and you are mentally stimulated throughout the duration of the training. However, if there is no implementation plan on how the positive effects generated through the training are to be sustained, then the whole program would be an exercise in futility.

Why SCC Fares Better?

Stakeholder Centered Coaching proves to be more effective than most leadership programs out there precisely because this system, pioneered by Marshall Goldsmith, avoids the leadership development mistakes listed above. Results are identified in early stages of the initiative, and driven towards throughout.

Furthermore, stakeholders (those active in the organization) are participants in the process, not just passive bystanders. Along with the leader and coach, a lot of emphasis is placed on stakeholder feedback (Hence the name!) These stakeholders are the best “experts” in how the leader’s behavior can improve. The coach then takes a backseat and helps the leader improve their behavior in line with what those around them want.

Long lasting behavior change occurs when a leader’s needs are assessed accurately, and improvement is achieved in a team setting, a team that both recognizes and supports that change. This is what SCC is all about!

Summary

To sum up, leadership development fails because the program is not designed to highlight the real areas that need improvement, and no system is set in place for long-term change. However, when you link direct business results to stakeholder driven changes in behavior, as in the case of SCC, it creates a system where everyone is driven towards the same goal.

To learn more about Tip of the Spear’s Business Advisory Services, including Centered Executive Coaching, use the Contact Us page of this website.

The Leadership Challenge: Crucial Conversations with Your Worst Employees

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The Point: We’ve all been there before as a leader… How do you effectively manage your worst employees? Every organization has them, right? They come in with a negative attitude and spread out like the ebola virus. The more negativity in the workplace, the less productivity there will be for you/your organization. So how do you effectively manage these “difficult” employees is a crucial leadership challenge. Here are some practical steps you can use to successfully identify/overcome this leadership dilemma… Enjoy!

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Identifying Problem Areas

There are some defining traits of bad employees. To start off, they exhibit negative emotions toward the organization, and never miss an opportunity to make snide remarks about company leaders or co-workers. As mentioned above, such negativity can easily spread like the ebola virus in the work place.

This could eventually turns into insubordination, where the employee might refuse to perform a task, and in doing so, disrupt the entire workflow.

Secondly, bad employees also start or aggravate disputes in the workplace, thereby creating an uncomfortable team setting. This also makes problem resolution harder.

Thirdly, even if an employee isn’t overly negative and exhibit the traits described above, they may still be lazy and unmotivated. They neither focus on their work, nor let anyone do the same.

Assessing the Costs

Whenever you start to think that dealing with bad employees isn’t worth your time, remember that doing so can save your organization the expense of unnecessary hiring costs. The average cost to replace an employee is estimated at 150 percent of their annual compensation, and the cost is higher if they hold a leadership role.

Dealing with Bad Employees

Finding the source of bad employee’s bad attitude can help you manage behaviors without making them more upset. You have to consider factors like how does the employee interact with others in the workforce. You should also assess whether the change in attitude has followed a change in company policy, or their individual/personal workload. Many times, something happens in the individual’s life that triggers their bad attitude.

Once you know the root cause, confront the difficult employee privately and respectfully. Let the employee know how his or her behavior is negatively impacting the team and productivity. You have to be firm and discipline bad employees, but make it a point to keep the conversation professional and constructive!

Summary

To sum up, having crucial conversations with bad performers in your workforce is critical not only to the smooth working of your organizational operation, but also to your success as a leader.

To find out more about Tip of the Spear’s Business Advisory Services, including Leadership Development through The Leadership Challenge, please use the Contact Us page.

5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching and Centered Executive Coaching

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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!

5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching

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 leadership development and 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 leadership development 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.

 

The Leadership Challenge: Calling Employees Out

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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!

The Leadership Challenge: Calling Employees Out

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.

 

5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching

By

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!

5 Benefits from Stakeholder Centered Coaching

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.