30th Street Station, Philadelphia, PA

The other day on my way to a lunch meeting in Philadelphia I passed by the scene of a crime - my own - some 20 years ago.   It wasn’t illegal, unethical or immoral; however, what I did was nearly fatal to my budding television career. 

Snow flurries were swirling outside 30th Street Station on a bitter cold, pre-Thanksgiving night, when I was sent out to do a live shot for the 11 o’clock news on WCAU-TV.  The music played (Where do they get those awful, self-important news jingles); the anchorman introduced me; I offered my one-line “lead-in;” they rolled the pre-recorded story, voiced from the field. When it ended, they cut back to me for the live close; I started, and then stopped.  Mid SENTENCE.  I couldn’t for the life of me remember how I had planned to throw back to the studio.  

I still wince when I imagine the panic that must have ensued in the control room.  ”What the….did her brain freeze?  What’s wrong?  BATES!  You’re ON!  Mike - CUE.  CUE!!!!! We’ve got nothing. Standby, Larry…back to you….”  After the longest 7 or 8 seconds of my lifetime, Larry Kane must have apologized to the audience.  I don’t remember.  It’s a blank. I was horrified.  And humiliated.

Trudging slowly up the stairs to the newsroom now after midnight, I encountered producer Paul Gluck who had waited for me, rather than joining the crew for an after-news beer.  

“What the hell happened?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” I replied.  “I memorized every word.” 

“That was your first mistake,” he retorted.  “Never memorize.  Internalize.”

I have often shared that story.  The lesson is to master material without setting yourself up to be a victim of momentary memory lapse.  You can’t count on the brain to fire on all cylinders WORD FOR WORD.  Practice phrases and internalize the ESSENCE of it.   

I share the story for a different reason here.  I was struck - as I drove by that side of the building in the photo above - the scene of my  “crime” -  and felt a flutter of those old, raw emotions.  It wasn’t exactly like yesterday but I was back there, feeling something again.   

That’s when it dawned on me to write about this.  About how important it is to go back and re-live those moments as you think about sharing your stories.  Not just retell.  Re-LIVE.

Freeze frame the moment.  You’ll find a rich source of material.  Because it’s the feelings that make your story powerful.  Connecting with audiences on an emotional level is the point.  Leaders teach.  People learn when they make both an intellectual and emotional connection.  Hence, emotion is part of teaching. 

Truth be told, people vastly prefer to hear about your mistakes.  To err is human, and people want to follow human beings.  They appreciate leaders who open up.  They connect with you emotionally.  And that is  powerful stuff.

You may not relish going back to the scene of some of those crimes.  However, its easy, working with a partner, to recall emotions and imbue your presentation with authenticity. Let them prompt you. ”How did you feel about that?”  When we teach  storytelling “live” at boot camps it’s amazing how well this works.  You see the impact in the faces of the audience, as the storyteller reveals an emotion.  They soften, smile, nod, laugh, and cry.  

Yes, it is appropriate in business to share emotions.  In fact, if you want to influence hearts and minds, it is imperative.  So don’t take the detour.  Drive by the scene of the crime, if only literally.  See what happens when you allow yourself remember… how you felt.    

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A fascinating essay by Jonah Lehrer in the Wall Street Journal explores how nice people are likely to rise to power, and yet the very traits that got them there disappear when they get to the top.  Psychologists refer to this as the paradox of power.  Lehrer cites a compelling bunch of studies affirming this human tendency.  Apparently, SOME people who get to positions of authority by being polite, honest and compassionate become impulsive, reckless and rude once they get there. 

Here’s one example of the research on how nice people finish first, which I find utterly credible.  A University of California Berkeley psychologist gave students free pizza and a survey at the beginning of the year, and asked them to provide their first impressions of every other student in the dorm. At the end of the school year he comes back with more pizza and another survey.  Turns out that the nicest, most considerate, outgoing students were at the top of the freshman hierarchy.  Their peers conferred authority on the people they “liked.”

However, additional research shows that once SOME people gain power, they start listening less, making up their minds in spite of evidence to the contrary, growing less compassionate, more reckless, far less generous and even cheating when they know no one is looking.  In its most benign form, power tripping can lead to bad business decisions.  For example, one study found that overconfident CEOs were more likely to pursue innovation and take their companies in new technological directions, risks that often didn’t pay off.  “Unchecked, bad things can start to happen,” he said.  

I was thinking about that pizza study.  My daughter is going into her junior year in college, and her early impressions of some of kids she shared dorm space with have changed dramatically in two years.  It happened in high school.  You remember high school.  The popular crowd doesn’t “wear well,” over time.  At my daughter’s school, they were still outgoing (involved in every club and activity) but many were not nice or inclusive.  A few went REALLY BAD - mercilessly taunting kids on the lower rungs of the teenage social strata.  By 12th grade, my daughter used to refer this group, which had managed to retain social authority, as the “So-Called Popular Crowd,” with a sardonic look that would leave you in stitches.

So this isn’t news.  You know that old saying, ”Abolute power corrupts absolutely.”  I went looking for the origin to see how old it is.  It arose from John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, (1834-1902) who expressed it as an opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men.”  Human history is the story of good versus evil, the stories of the powerful and corrupt.  Still, it’s interesting to think about this tendency of leaders to  evolve for the worse, not the better, in terms of modern business.  What can be done - in terms of leadership development as well as business practices.  

In business we need leaders who are tough minded and  decisive.   You can’t please everyone.  You will disappoint.   You have a responsibility to the greater organization.  As Lehrer writes, ”In some cases, (these) new habits can help a leader be more decisive and single-minded, or more likely to make choices that will be profitable regardless of their popularity.” 

However since it’s human nature to cross the line - for decency, respect, courtesy, and even morality to be lost as people rise to power, how do we protect our organizations?   How can we encourage the right behaviors in leaders, in spite of the potential for things to go so wrong?  

The article suggests the remedy is transparency.  If people tend to think they’ll get caught in bad behaviors they tend not to go there.  Isolation breeds contempt.  There is, as Lehrer puts it, ”no cure for the paradox of power,” but transparency can keep people from doing bad things.

 Click here to read the entire essay.

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“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans”

-Peter Drucker

A few years ago a client of our firm who had just wrapped up a three hour coaching session was walking out the door of our office.  “Don’t forget to e-mail it to me by Friday,” I overheard the coach say.  “Gee I don’t know when I’m going to do it, I’m so busy this week, but I will try to get it to you,” replied the client.

What do you think happened on Friday?  Three guesses and the first two don’t count.

As an eavesdropper in a conversation, it’s easy to pick up on whether people are committed.  You’ll hear phrases such as “I’ll have it by,” or or “you can expect it by x date.”  People who make commitments use verbs such as “will” and give you a time and date.  ”By Wednesday at ten,” or “on or before July 22nd.”  They say, “By Friday at noon,” instead of “by the end of the week.”    

You can develop this powerful skill - the language of commitment, and it is really vital to your success.  People who make and keep commitments rise to the top of their industries.  I think it’s because it is so rare.  We like and trust people who make a promise and deliver on it.  We promote them, follow them, and believe in them.

Those of you who have my books know my mantra: set the intention, schedule the intention, and honor the intention.  The key to the first step, set the intention, is to use the language of commitment.  Start today, with your first interaction of the morning that requires an action step. 

If you’re not sure how to be better at it, start by listening to leaders you admire.  Then practice what they do so naturally.  Use commitment language in conversation and e-mails.  Be clear about what you’ll deliver, choose the commitment action verb, and let people know when to expect it. 

The language of commitment is really valuable in project management.  For example, if you’re writing a memo or e-mail to several members of your team, instead of saying, “let’s try to wrap this up and send it out tomorrow, why not say, “Margie please complete your part by 10, Craig, your part by noon, so I can review and send it to Shellie to edit by 4 pm today.”  It leaves no doubt as to who needs to do what, when, and everyone is able to plan their day.  

A good way to evaluate whether your team is making real commitments is to watch as well as listen.  Do they readily commit verbally to deadlines and actions” or do they nod their heads and say “Sure, no problem.”?  Do they say look overwhelmed and say ”I should be able to,” or do they look you in the eye and promise, ”I’ll have it for you no later than Thursday afternoon.” 

The way to encourage the behavior is to prompt people to be specific.  If they say, “I should have it by the middle of the week,” you can ask, “So Wednesday you’ll have it to me by 2″ and make sure they say, “Yes, by 2,” or “Well I have a meeting, so I’ll have it to you by 4.”  Instead of using the fatal phrase “ASAP,” or “As soon as possible,” set a time on the calendar.  ”Could you bring this to a meeting on Friday at 9 A.M.?”  This verbal agreement makes life easier for everybody.  It reduces tension and helps you create a high functioning organization.  

There are some excellent books out there on getting things done.  These books focus on techniques for setting priorities, breaking things down into smaller tasks, and managing your calendar.  All great advice.  In my experience those techniques only work if you have first made the commitment.  And commitment starts with what you say to someone else.  Intention is expressed through language.  If we don’t practice the language of commitment, we haven’t made a commitment.  It’s too easy to fudge a “commitment” that is only in your head.

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Rome wasn’t built in a day, but imagine if those Romans had had the internet.  They would have loved it.  Log into Monster.com and hire the team; order supplies and get overnight delivery from Lowes; Google winning city architectual plans and then go to Amazon to choose business best - sellers on project management.  Way cool.  

Yes, it is incredibly comforting to know that many of our needs can be met in an instant.  I’ve just started to wonder what impact this has on leaders.  If we all are conditioned to expect it now, is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

I’ve never been a patient person so this is my era.  The Easy Button from Staples?  That’s a potent fantasy.  I love Google.  The other day I googled Mika Brzezinski chatting about ”working with the White House on talking points on the Gulf oil spill,” and watched the video clip before my Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker finished brewing that cup of Chocolate Glazed Donut coffee - which we ordered because it takes too long to brew a whole pot.    

If our parents thought we wanted everything yesterday, they should see us now.  We are truly, madly, deeply in love with instant gratification.  I don’t have to go to the bookstore or even go online and order a hard copy from Amazon.com (and wait 4 days to receive it.)  I can fire up my Kindle, press three buttons, and download any one of 500,000 books in 6 seconds.   

In today’s world, is patience still a virtue as your grandmother said?  I don’t know.  It would be foolish to judge our generation as better or worse.  We are a product of our environment.  However, the question is how to harness the good part of impatience and get things done without driving people crazy.  

You know what you must do.  Set goals.  Assemble the right team.  Get them working together.  Engage them and keep them motivated.  Hold them accountable and measure success.  If you want to do that faster then you must cultivate one additional skill- one that every leader must have.  That is - the ability to communicate what you want in a way that engages and motivates others to do it when it needs to be done.  

If it’s all in your head - you’re just wishing you could push that Easy Button  –then good luck to you.  If nobody knows what you want, then how can you expect quick results?  

Think about it like Google.  Capture it in a key phrase. Articulate a clear, succinct powerful idea.   It’s harder than you think.  Recently, while working with a group of leaders I challenged them to use our “Big Idea” process to clarify what must be done and why.  The trick is they have to do this in 25 words or less.  They worked for 2 hours and were still debating it.  Like I said, it isn’t easy.  As Mark Twain once famously said, I would have written a shorter letter if I’d had more time.  

So the Easy Button is just a chotchke, but you can get faster better results when you get specific and clear in your communication.  Get it right and watch those results populate like Google filling your search page.  Good stuff in, good stuff out, at the speed your business needs to move right now.

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Suddenly it’s become this thing.  I didn’t used to hear it that often but lately everybody’s talking about how their leaders need to tell stories. 

The reason most people can’t find their leadership stories is because when asked, they can only remember the stories they’ve been telling at neighborhood cocktail parties or around the family dinner table on Thanksgiving.  You know - the one everybody likes about how in third grade you and your brother were chasing each other across a field and climbed over a fence and you stuck your hand on a board with a rusty nail and your mom was mad as hell and youu had to get a tetanus shot.  Or the one about how you skipped World Religion class in college and then got your girlfriend’s notes and pulled three all nighters in a row to study only to fall asleep and wake up 12 hours later having slept through the final.  Fascinating stories like that.   

Those probably won’t work. The reason they won’t work is that it’s going to be hard to make a business point.  But trust me you do have great stories some of them personal but with universal themes appropriate for business. 

Stories are the way to deliver a message.  The reason many leaders pooh-pooh the idea is because they are …afraid.  There, I said it.  We don’t do that in our culture.

The best speakers and leaders tell stories.  They believe events in their own life are worth sharing with others in order to explain who they are as leaders.

Of course they get help.  You don’t want to get up and start telling stories unless they’re going to make a powerful point.  That would be like picking up a scalpel and performing heart surgery without the proper training.  Yes you could use the instrument but the results won’t be pretty. 

Fortunately telling stories isn’t heart surgery.  Everybody learn to do it well.  And everybody HAS stories.  I’ll never forget sitting in a session with our consultant Craig Bentley who told his client, “If you’re breathing, you have stories.”  Yes, your stories are there, hiding in plain sight in the corners of your life.  You just need to stop and look.  Then, give them a little love.  Say, come here story, I might want to tell you.

How do I know?

Well, for one, we teach storytelling in our boot camps and workshops so I’ve seen ordinary people get up and tell gynormous stories that nobody could guess they had in them.  It’s happened a thousand times.  We start by asking probing questions to get people thinking about interesting experiences, they work with a partner who asks more questions to get to the “truth” or lesson in the story.  You wouldn’t believe how much fun it is to hear these stories and watch these speakers blossom right before our eyes.   

If you are wondering whether personal stories really work in business the answer is yes as long as they aren’t inappropriate, x rated or pointless.  And if one of our coaches is working with you we’re certainly not going to let you go tell your team how your fraternity got arrested at 4 a.m. in the middle of the football field because you were reenacting the famous all-night streaking party of 1972.   We’ll be looking for the kinds of stories that show decisions you’ve made, challenges you’ve faced; transforming experiences that express who you are.  You might be surprised to discover how even small, ordinary events can become signature leadership stories that express your viewpoint and make a huge impact on your audiences.

Nobody except perhaps your spouse would be interested your first kiss, but a lot of people would like to know about something you learned in your first job.  They’d also like to hear about awkward moments, difficult choices, failures, successes, interesting people you’ve met, and insights you’ve gained by living and facing life head on.  

As I always like to say to my clients, you’re leading this group or this company FOR A REASON.  Somebody put you here because they saw something in you.  So now it’s time to reveal it.  You owe it to the people you lead to share insights about the values and principles that drive you.    

Your stories about life and career have shaped you as a leader and made you the person you are today.   The trick is to be selective; choose the right events, master a process for examining them, and apply the structure for writing and telling a story to make a point.  

I am constantly amazed and astounded at the things that happen to people.  It’s life!  It’s damned interesting!  You can look at somebody in a business suit and think “he was born in that suit” until you hear his tale of surviving a storm at sea in a rowboat or how adopting a baby from Romanian orphanage or trekking to a remote mountain village with a broken leg.  You always end up in the same place.  Everybody has an interesting story.  And if you share your stories you’ll make a magical connection with your audience. 

You know how a lot of people look at you and think that you’ve been sitting in that big office all your life?    They have no idea that you’ve struggled, failed, or overcome difficult situations personally and professionally.  Honestly, they think somebody just handed you the keys to the office.  As a leader if you can connect with them through your stories you will encourage, motivate and inspire them to work hard and live up to their own potential and I can’t think of a better definition of leadership.

Steps in the storytelling process 

• Think of a challenging situation you have faced, a failure, awkward moment, difficult decision
• Tell the story to a friend, coach, mentor or speechwriter
• Get them to ask you probing questions - what happened, why was that significant, what was the result, how did you feel, why does it matter
• Look for the point inside the story, don’t try to “fit” a point into a story - let it tell you what it’s about
• Record it out loud, then transcribe and edit
• Use a story structure to eliminate unnecessary details and leave only what matters and takes your audience there
• Bring it alive with conversation and colorful descriptives
• Make your point in terms of a universal theme for your audience
• Write it down and save it
• Practice until you can tell it in a fluid, conversational style
• Be sure your point is clear

If all that sounds complicated it’s actually not.  Once you learn the process and have the tools, it’s really fun.  And let me tell you those stories make speaking a whole lot more enjoyable. 

There are disasters.  You see them at conferences and company meetings.  You know, when the speaker starts a story that goes on forever, and everybody starts squirming or checking their Blackberries.  You try to be polite but nobody is that nice. So, you turn to a perfect stranger seated next to you, exchange painful, knowing glances meant to say OH MY GOD PLEASE HELP HIM or LET THIS END.  

But don’t let that scare you.  You can learn this.  Storytelling is not a natural born skill but with the right tools, practice and some guts you can do it.  A good story will earn you a reputation as a standout leader in your company and industry.  Not to mention you’ll be able to ditch the PowerPoint heroine for a few minutes and actually have a conversation with people. 

Want to hear about our boot camp and storytelling seminar?  Email me at info@bates-communications.com

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In Chinese philosophy the concept of Yin Yang, often referred to in the West as Yin and Yang, is used to describe how seeming disjunct or opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent, giving rise to each other in turn. Dark and light; male and female; low and high are all manifestations of yin and yang.

In leadership one of the yin and yang principals that I see at work are confidence and humility.  As I’ve said in past articles, great leaders have both.  More accurately, the best have a perfect balance of both. 

Last night a CEO approached me after my speech to a Chief Executives Club.  He’s been through a tough year and is feeling beaten up.  He has lost his passion for the work, isn’t connecting with his customers, and his business is faltering.  His confidence has taken a beating.  Just a guess - he probably had good balance to start.  He seemed sincere, authentic, and thoughtful.  But without the confidence he appeared tired and depressed.  It is taking a heavy toll on his personal and professional life.  

The pendulum can swing the other way - sometimes we can become full of ourselves when confidence rears ahead.  We’ve all met people who start to “believe their own press releases” and think they deserve all the credit for their own success.  We stand on the shoulders of our colleagues, teams and mentors as well as the leaders who came before us.  If we forget to praise, thank and reward people eventually it will catch up to us and have the same destructive effect.

How’s your balance of confidence and humility?  With confidence, you are able to make decisions, take risks, move ahead, deal with setbacks, and tip the balance in your favor.  With humility you’re able to open up to learning, see where you can improve, learn from your mistakes, appreciate others and keep perspective on success.

Given all that’s happened in business, it wouldn’t be surprising if many of us have fallen out of balance.   But an improving economy won’t cure that.  We have to rely on our inner resources.  Geting the balance right, finding the yin and yang of confidence and humility will make us better leaders.  How will you balance these two traits in your professional life?  

I welcome your comments as always and also wonder whether this is a topic worth exploring further in a Teleseminar or Webcast.  Let me know about other topics that interest you, too.  Click on “leave a reply” below or email me at info@bates-communications.com  

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I’m just back from an intensive week in which our Bates team coached 23 top leaders of a Fortune 50 company on their strategic recommendations for the organization.   There was a lot riding on it for each of them, since the Chairman and CEO of the company and members of the senior leadership team would be evaluating their presentations and providing feedback. 

What the SLT was looking for were clear, bold solutions to significant challenges facing the business.  They wanted to see how effectively the groups worked together, defined the challenge, analyzed the data, developed strong solutions, and answered tough questions.  The final exercise was an outstanding way to see how these leaders think and how they show up as leaders.  Here are a few things I learned that I want to pass along to anyone who is presenting to their SLT.  

1.  Clearly define the problem: If you have not correctly decided what to look at then everything you propose will be for naught.  Remember, most senior leaders have already looked at issues you’re raising and they demand and expect precision.  Clarify the issue by thinking through the real issues and using precise language.

2.  Tell them why it matters:  Why is it important right now for the company to address this issue?  You must make a compelling case for the company putting its time and attention on the matter at hand.  Explain what the market opportunity is, or what is at stake, or what is at risk, if they do not address it, and conversely what the positive results might be if they take action now.

3.  Prove it:  How do you know what you know?  You need rock solid facts and analysis.  You data should be impeccable.  You also need to be intellectually honest when presenting it; data can be ambiguous and interpreted many ways.  There can be flaws in the gathering of it, as well.  Senior leaders will see right through any attempt to stack the deck in your favor, and they will consider you junior if you try to do so.  They also will insist that you apply rigor to your own process and will pounce if you have not proven your case.

4.  What’s the action step:  Be prepared to get to the bottom line quickly with a set of proposed  next steps that the senior leadership team might take.  If you’ve already sold them on the what and why you need to be ready to move on.  However, don’t tell them what to do; propose.  Avoid phrases such as ”have to” or “must,” and instead use words like, “we strongly recommend,” or “the most prudent action would be,”  because trust me they’re going to make the decision.  Be bold in what you recommend, just don’t be presumptuous in the way you address the top leaders of the organization.

5.  Watch your tone:  A good leader balances confidence and humility.  Leaders recognize high potential leaders when they do this effectively.  Don’t presume that your senior leaders don’t know a lot of what you know; that’s why they have the top jobs.  What they are really looking for in you is someone who cares about the company, in fact, loves the company, and wants to add value. 

6. Focus on the highest priorities for the business:  Business priorities change constantly so you need to be on top of what is most important for your senior leaders and your CEO RIGHT NOW.  Understand the business strategy thoroughly before you start proposing new programs, solutions or spending.  It may be a great idea but if it isn’t perfectly aligned with what the CEO wants to accomplish right now the SLT will have no bandwidth to listen.  And, stay current.  Don’t assume what mattered last week matters this week.  When crisis arises, everybody focuses on that until its resolved. 

7.  Look at the challenge from the top down, not the bottom up:  Don’t come in with a littany of complaints about how people see a problem or what the naysayers are yapping about.  Imagine you’re the CEO and look at the challenge the way he or she would look at it.  Solve the business problem first and then worry about how it gets implemented, including how you’ll work with people on culture or change management.  Change is difficult but it follows big strategic decisions; get the strategy right and then work on the rest of it.

8.  Work as a team and make the presentation as a team: Work out your differences among your team prior to making the presentation.  This is hard work but it will pay off when you have a unified front.  This isn’t to say that you might not have minor differences in how you would approach the issue but if you look like you’re arguing in front of the CEO, he or she will tell you to go back to the drawing board.  CEOs and senior leaders value team work and want to see how you make it happen.

9.  Socialize your idea before you present it: Your idea will probably go through several iterations during the process of gathering data, analyzing and developing recommendations.  Talk with other senior leaders, influencers and experts to be sure you are on track and answering their questions.  Find out whether there are third rail issues you shouldn’t touch until you understand them better.  Get feedback and accept feedback from people who are in the know.

I’d like your comments on this article - especially if you have new tips on presenting to senior leaders.  Click below to “Leave a reply.” 

I’m also interested in knowing whether you’d like to read more articles like this.  Let me know and also suggest other article topics.

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Executive coaching is fast becoming one of the most popular and effective ways to accelerate your professional development and move forward in your career as a leader.      

How hot is executive coaching today?  Fast Company reported a study by Dr. Brian Underhill in 2008, which found that it now reaches into the highest levels – 43% of CEOs and 71% of senior leaders report they’ve worked with a coach and 92% would use one again.  63% of organizations reported they planned to increase the use of coaching over the next five years.   

If you’ve never had a coach it may feel like a big step.  Do you really want someone spending that much time, knowing that much about your professional life, and providing a more structured path to success?  Do you have the time and energy to invest in this when you’re so busy just doing your job? 

This is a great question - but don’t make the mistake of thinking its about time and money.  It’s really a question of your priorities.  You take a big step when you have a big goal.  As Dale Carnegie once said, “The person who gets the farthest is the one who is willing to do and dare.  The sure thing boat never gets far from the shore.”

 Typically, an executive coach is hired by the organization to be your partner.  You vet the coach as well, discussing your strengths and needs for development, goals and timelines and measures of success.  Organizations should look for coaches with extensive experience and a track record of success.  While a coach is hired by the organization and accountable to them, your relationship is confidential - they are there for you.   Their job is to advise, train and guide you and act as confidante.  Because of the nature of the work, they should be authorized to keep the specific content of the coaching interactions confidential, while setting up a reporting and check in process that allows you to get feedback on your progress.

Coaching is rewarding and it is fun, when you have the right person at your side.  As you achieve your goals you feel great about where you’re going.  Right now, my sense is many professionals are feeling stuck - promotions are not as frequent in this economy, bonuses are stagnant or non existent, and they are looking for ways to hone their skills to prepare for a more robust economy ahead.  This is a great time to look into coaching.

How effective is coaching?  That depends upon the coach and you, but the statistics are pretty compelling.  A study by Right Management Consulting  in Forbes Magazine looked at 100 senior executives in Fortune 1000 companies – and found that coaching paid off almost 600% above the initial cost. 70% of the executives who received coaching estimated the return on investment at $100,000 or higher. 53% said they were more productive. 48% said they produced higher quality work and 48% said the organization was stronger and more cohesive as a result of executive coaching.    

Why are organizations turning to coaching?  Because it is effective! A 2009 Harvard Business Review Survey on the question – “do companies and executives get value from their coaches?” found clients keep coming back because “coaching works.”  48% of companies now use coaching to develop the leadership capabilities of high potential performers.

If you’re interested in learning about how coaching works, how to choose a coach and get the most from a coaching program, I have just made available a 50-minute MP3 that answers many of your questions on coaching.

If you would like to download this audio program, please contact our marketing director, Meredith O’Connor, at moconnor@bates-communications.com

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The turnaround is coming.  You may already feel it.  The phone is starting to ring. Customers are coming out of their caves.  They’re talking about new projects and purchases they’ve been putting off, things that they just don’t want to delay any more.  Yes, budgets are tight, but you sense things beginning to happen.  It’s in the air.  And, you may think you’re more than ready– it’s been a long, cold winter.  But is your organization ready for the upturn?  Are your leaders ready to lead in this new world?   

Let me give you an example of where some companies may get tripped up.  Let’s say you’ve completed anticipated layoffs but the restructuring is midstream; there is still a lot of confusion within businesses or groups, as people try to figure out roles, responsibilities and priorities.  Leaders who are new in their roles are just locking in on strategic objectives and have not yet communicated those to their teams.  

A round of musical chairs at the top – with new people in key positions, creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty.  If they were promoted from the ranks to take their boss’s place, they may have the raw talent, but lack the preparation and training.  Sure you can watch them sink or swim, but you need everybody swimming right now.  They have to be effective immediately.  This means learning to think and act strategically, and also being able to effectively communicate a plan and get people moving in one direction.

A leader’s role is really not to do the work, but to motivate and inspire others to do the work of the enterprise.  And these workers have been through the ringer over the past 12 to 17 months.   Many employees are still stressed out.  Their spouses may still be unemployed, they’ve taken pay cuts, their former colleagues and friends may still be out of work, and they may not be certain the other shoe isn’t about to drop. 

This means your leaders must manage the emotional side of their organizations, create a positive, productive atmosphere.  They need to listen well and develop a strong feedback loop so they know what’s really going on deep in their organizations, where the creativity lives.  They need to be able to cull the best ideas and energize their teams to innovate and find solutions.  This requires a level of communication skill that many leaders have not yet developed.  They’re excellent technically and have good business minds, but now they need to communicate as leaders.

In addition, there’s the issue of attracting and retaining the best talent.  If your company grew leaner over the last six months, that’s probably a good thing; however, if you had cut with an ax instead of a scalpel, you’ve had some brain drain.  This may leaves gaping holes that you need to fill – talent you need to hire.  That’s exciting.  But also daunting. 

One secret to attracting new talent is to have leaders in place who are known for their ability to develop people.  Talented young people want to go to work for leaders they admire and respect.  Knowledge workers and high potentials are looking for a boss who appreciates them, engages them and understands their value.  So getting ready for the upturn is something your organization needs to take seriously.  In the new world, leaders have to be very good at connecting top talent to the organization and creating a strong culture.  

We’re not there yet.  We’re poised for the return of the buyer.  The Business Roundtable First Quarter 2009 CEO Economic Outlook Survey found CEOs actually expect a decrease in sales, capital expenditures and employment.  However, it’s coming soon.  Harold McGraw Hill III, Chairman of the group, as well as Chairman, President and CEO Of the McGraw-Hill Companies, said, “Fortunately, both U.S. and foreign governments have recognized this need (for economic stimulus) and taken significant steps to spark demand. And while recently implemented Administration policies will take time to have an impact, they already have begun to restore confidence in our markets, which is a critical first step.”

Six months is no time…in business … everybody knows you need to be ahead of the curve.  That means preparing your leaders to lead.  There is nothing more valuable than the ramp up time you have right now to develop their talents and skills.  When business returns, the companies that invested in their leaders will be the ones poised to seize the day.    

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