communications training for leaders
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Serious as a Heart Attack
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 10 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Leadership, Motivate Like a CEO, Uncategorized, communications training for leaders, leadership and communication
About seven or eight years ago, I worked with the CEO of a global manufacturing firm. We were in his office for about 2.5 hours (in theory for a media training but he didn’t want to because he was tired) so we talked mostly about his career. I gently raise the oh-so-popular topic of a succession plan. Did he have one? Not really. Who would be in line for his job? Four or five people could be ready someday. Did he want to discuss some high level coaching? Yea, let’s talk about it in a months; too much going on right now.
That night, he dropped dead of a heart attack.
I don’t think the place has ever been the same. The guy was the picture of health one day. The next day, gone.
What happened next was interesting. Two people have since sat in the corner office but they never really fit into the big chair. You can blame them, but that would be too simple. The circumstances were tough.
The first guy walked into a place so stunned by the loss they simply couldn’t get their minds around a new leader with his own ideas. His style was a mismatch; like sticking a square peg into a round hole.
The second guy was worse; he had come up through the ranks but had been away in Europe for several years. He came back to a place that was angry and disillusioned. The company was losing its way. They had no confidence the second guy understood. They would walk out of their own SLT meetings, get on email and start bad-mouthing decisions that had just been made. There was constant jockeying for power. It was a soap opera. Good people left or retired. The water cooler was grand central station. Two and three levels down people tried in vain to figure out their own career paths. With all the internal strife, important things like customer relationships suffered.
I know you probably think I’m now going to lower the boom and launch into a lecture on succession planning. It’s not necessary. Everybody knows their company “needs” it. The question is why the process stops there. Don’t get me wrong - there are meetings. The HR people come in to meet with the senior leaders toting sophisticated leadership competency models, succession planning tools, charts with high potential names; and yet everybody leaves the meeting saying “Nobody’s ready to lead.”
Bad stuff happens-people die. Good stuff happens- people decide to retire, play a little golf, take a sabbatical, start a nonprofit, spend time with the grand kids, travel, or stay home.
Either way, the outcome is the same. New People Must Step Up.
There are companies that do this well. They invest early and often in promising talent. They do more than sit around and talk about who they like (and don’t like.) They look at this as part of their legacy. They really want to leave the place better in better hands.
Still, it’s difficult. Who wants to think about the end? Many of us want to die with our boots on; some of us just can’t imagine playing golf all day. And even if we know we’ll be ready to leave someday, most of us are so healthy and energized by our work that we feel younger than we felt 20 years ago.
We’ll worry about it tomorrow. Right now, we have the second quarter to deal with.
I’m no psychiatrist, but I am an executive coach, as well as the CEO of my own small company. So with that in mind I offer these thoughts to CEOs, Senior Leaders, HR professionals, Talent Management Specialists, Succession Planning Teams.
When I started writing my second book, Motivate like a CEO, I had a chance to talk with a number of leaders about how they viewed their own leadership teams. A lot of them observed their folks needed to learn to think, act, speak, and inspire others. Hence, the book.
I’ve thought about it a lot in the ten years I’ve been in this business and I believe more than ever that you can help people become great leaders. Even if you bootstrapped your way to the top, you probably did have some help along the way, and if you didn’t you have to admit you might have benefitted if you had.
Investing in people is a really good thing. You can help good people become great. They can to motivate, influence and inspire. If you invest it will accelerate this development and build a strong leadership pipeline.
In our practice we always say we can tell if somebody “has it.” It’s usually clear in the first coaching session that someone is serious, has the right stuff, and is going to take advantage of the opportunity. They will emerge as the leaders of tomorrow.
To me, the formula is simple. Invest a little training and development in a lot of people and see what sticks. Pick out enough good people from that group, and invest more in them. Pick out the best and invest a ton. keep going. That investment will pay off.
And everybody will sleep better at night.
Top Executives Must Build Trust with Workers/Customers
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 14 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Communication, Motivate Like a CEO, Speak like a CEO, career advice, communications training for leaders, crisis communications, economic recovery, economic turnaround, economic upturn, employee motivation, employee productivity, employee stress, leadership and communication, leadership development, motivated employees
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Press Release: To Lead Companies Out of Recession Trust Ranks as Top Development Need |
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MEDIA CONTACT: “The recession has damaged trust between top-level executives and employees, and between company leaders and customers,” said Bates, president and CEO of Bates Communications (www.bates-communications.com). “Massive layoffs and cutbacks have harmed relationships between employers and remaining employees. Bankruptcies, closures, and failed business strategies have hurt trust between executives and those they do business with. Senior-level executives must work toward rebuilding that trust,” Bates added. The No. 1 way that executives will lead their organizations out of the recession is by meeting with customers and prospects to rebuild trust and win business, according to 77% of survey respondents. Trust-building was also selected as the ability that current executives most need to develop. 76% of survey respondents ranked building trust among employees and customers as the aptitude executives most need to develop. Furthermore, trustworthiness was rated second as the quality executives will need most to guide their companies post-recession, selected by 60% of survey respondents - behind only being visionary, which was chosen by 64%. “Because organizations are leaner due to layoffs and hiring freezes, employees are being asked to work harder with fewer financial incentives. CEOs cannot afford to miss the issue of trust, or they risk damaging the motivation of the very people who are key to the recovery,” said Bates. “Employees are losing steam as the recession drags on, and they continue to do more with less. Top talent is especially at risk. If leaders don’t keep building bridges to them, they will lose them when the economy improves,” Bates added. The least-favored way for executives to move their organizations forward is by developing a higher media profile, which was chosen by only 27% of respondents. Instead, company leaders should direct their efforts toward communicating with, inspiring, motivating, and engaging employees, the survey found. After rebuilding trust, the skills that C-suite executives will need most in order to move their businesses forward are: communicating more effectively about priorities; inspiring people to brainstorm new ideas; serving as Chief Motivating Officers; and engaging employees to take active roles in high-priority projects. However, current business leaders also need to sharpen their motivational and inspirational skills inside their organizations, according to the survey. Behind mending trust, they should perfect aligning their organizations toward a common purpose or vision; articulating a strategic direction; and speaking in a powerful way to motivate and inspire people to act. “This latest research confirms that CEOs need to engage their teams and win their trust. CEOs must provide straight talk about their plans for innovating and building a company that will thrive when the recession is over,” said Bates. “All senior-level leaders must learn to clearly communicate mission and purpose, and do it with passion, so that people are inspired. Leaders who serve as Chief Motivating Officers connect people with the company, the message, and the strategy, and find it far simpler to accomplish their goals. They have an entire organization of people who are working to achieve their own potential, and feel energized by their common purpose. These leaders harness energy and talent, and drive their organizations forward,” said Bates.” SURVEY RESULTS The skills that C-suite executives need most in order to lead their organizations out of the recession are: The skills that current executives most need to develop are: The qualities that leaders need right now to move their organizations forward are: About ‘Motivate Like a CEO’ Suzanne Bates is the author of “Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!,” published by McGraw-Hill in January 2009, which became #1 best-seller in books on communication skills on amazon.com. She is also the author of the business best-seller “Speak Like a CEO, Secrets to Commanding Attention and Getting Results” (McGraw Hill 2005). She is President and CEO of Bates Communications Inc. www.bates-communications.com and blogs at www.thepowerspeakerblog.com
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Yikes! A Meeting with the Boss
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 31 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: CEO, Presentations, communications training for leaders, leadership and communication, presentation skills, public speaking
Even the most seasoned, experienced professionals can find their hearts racing and their palms getting clammy as they walk down the hall to the boss’s office. If you are: a. laying awake at night worrying about how it’s going to go, or b. not sure how far you’ll get before you’re interrupted, or c. afraid you’ll be flummoxed by a tough question, then it’s time to analyze what’s happening.
Let me make 5 observations about mistakes people make when meeting with the boss.
Observation number one: You probably aren’t prepared
Most managers and leaders are woefully underprepared for these exchanges. I’m frankly shocked at how little thought they put into shaping their proposals, writing their comments or practicing out loud. What is more important that a meeting with the CEO or the board? What are you doing that would take priority over that? If you’re not spending time preparing and practicing, it’s because you’re avoiding it, not because you’re too busy. Too busy is a myth. Too busy means you don’t have your priorities straight.
Observation number 2: It’s a huge mistake to treat this as a game.
Your goal cannot be to simply get in and out without saying anything controversial—playing it safe will never get you ahead; your goal is not to out maneuver your colleagues – you may win a round but with a good boss, you’ll lose when you’re not part of the team; your goal is not to get the boss to make the decision – any good CEO wants you to make your own decisions – based on sound evidence and a logical plan.
Observation number 3: Most people aren’t in tune with the CEOs agenda
Just the other day I heard the story of a well respected Chief Information Officer who went in to tell the CEO about a great idea he had. This was something that would require an investment up front but had the potential to create tremendous efficiencies within six months to a year of implementation. To the CIO it seemed like a no brainer, so he was quite shocked when the CEO said, sure, I’ll approve it, but I still expect you to reduce your overall budget by 10%.
Has something like this happened to you? Have you gone in thinking you have a strong case, only to get a monkey wrench thrown into your perfect plan? You walk out thinking what just happened? The problem is you’ve set your own trap by not tuning in to what matters to the CEO right now.
Observation number 4: Your CEO is looking for answers.
You need to have some. Let me give you an example. I know the new president of one division of a financial services company. This guy is smart, analytical, thoughtful and articulate. Only one problem. He prepared a presentation but he came in with just questions, not solutions. The CEO finally stopped him and said, Listen, if you want me to tell you what to do I can do that. But is that what you want? Or do you want to decide? It was a moment of truth – a moment of empowerment – the president was grateful but also learned a lesson. Come in with answers. You may get shot down but you need to take a stand. That’s what leaders do.
Observation number 5: Winging it is just plain dumb.
You may think you have your ideas in your head, that you know the project, understand the issue and can talk about it in your sleep. Then what happens. The meeting starts, you’re rambling, your answers are disjointed, you can’t remember key facts, and you’re fumbling opportunities to make a powerful point. In short, you’re winging it, and that’s suicide. There’s a big difference between confidence and overconfidence; between self assurance and arrogance. The person who doesn’t prepare well is not confident or cool; he or she is simply not doing what it takes to succeed at the executive level.
Meetings with the boss are a chance to show your potential and shine. If you know how to prepare you will significantly reduce the fear factor and ace the meeting.
This week, I’ll be posting a new series of how-to communicate audio Podcasts on I Tunes, - including a longer version of this article with tips on how to build your confidence in speaking with the boss. It isn’t posted yet, but look for it later this week. Simply go to www.itunes.com and search for Suzanne Bates.
I’d like to know whether you’ve found speaking with the boss to be an issue. Click on comments below and let me know about difficult experiences you have had.
Executive Development: How to Improve Succession “Planning”
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 18 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Communication, Leadership, communications training for leaders, executive, executive coaching, executive presence, leadership and communication, public speaking, succession plan
I was reading Marshall Goldsmith’s blog and came across ”4 Tips for Efficient Succession Planning” today. One of the world’s most trusted executive coaches has finally put his finger on a big, broken piece of Leadership Development.
In my experience, companies are way too focused on standard assessments and planning meetings, where they sit in a room, talking about their “top talent”, and moving young hi po names around on a board like puzzle pieces. This is all part of “succession planning,” and Goldsmith says we spend far too much time doing it. Instead he says, why don’t we start calling it “succession DEVELOPMENT.”
“Plans do not develop anyone,” says Goldsmith, “only development experiences develop people. We see many companies put more effort and attention into the planning process than they do into the development process.”
If we focus on “planning” instead of “development,” we end up promoting smart, technical people who can’t motivate, inspire and empower people. These leaders have business sense but hardly a clue about how to influence others and get results.
After years of watching young leaders succeed and fail, I’ve noticed that the missing link for most of them is what is often called “executive presence.” Executive presence is a combination of skills and qualities that make a person highly effective with others. It’s often described as the impact you have when you walk into a room, engage in a conversation; it’s also how you listen, treat other people, behave in work and social situations, and even the way you dress.
I think those things are important but the definition of executive presence is much broader. It’s the knowing your leadership view, being able to speak your mind and articulate a big idea that excites others. Even the strongest business mind will not be able to build a collaborative, innovative, progressive organization if they don’t know how to influence others and move them to act.
What too many companies are doing is sending their high potential leaders to a few courses and calling it development. What they need to do is provide a structured, long term learning environment where leaders can learn and apply these communication skills in real time and real life situations.
If Human Resources groups charged with “succession planning” could get their companies to focus on the long term development of communication skills as an essential part of the leadership package, they would be pleasantly surprised at how these high potential leaders could quickly assimilate into new roles.
This is the main reason we developed our Executive Coaching in Communications program. Few coaches or courses are able to help leaders develop this critical skill. Too often, leaders are told they need to improve their communication without being given a structured, long-term plan and resources for doing so.
In our program we focus on working with leaders in real time on real events, so that they learn to exercise this muscle - finding their leadership voice - and making it stronger. If you’d like to learn more I recommend reading Motivate Like a CEO especially chapters 3,4, 11 and 12.
Can you Change the Email Time Equation?
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 20 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Communication, Uncategorized, communications training for leaders, email, employee productivity, time management
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” -William Penn
Harvard Business Review reports a December 2008survey by the The Radicati Group found office workers spend an average of 25% of their time each day sending and receiving email. Respondents to the survey send an average of 38 email messages and receive an average of 102 email messages, 17% of which contain attachments, per day.
What that statistic doesn’t tell you is how much time you spend writing, editing and crafting each email. If you’re trying to manage your time more efficiently, one question to ask is - would it take less time to do this by phone? Or would it be more effective by phone? It’s not just that email - but the trail of email you are about to create that you must consider, not to mention, the lost opportunity of building a relationship over the telephone. Go to your data base, look up the number, and dial the phone.
Let’s imagine that each email message you read takes approximately 1 minute to scan, another 1 minute to consider, and 3 to 5 minutes to write a response. That’s up to 7 minutes per email - and I haven’t even calculated the ones you are just receiving, reading and deleting. You can bet that while some email correspondence may take less, many may take more time. 38 emails times 7 minutes is 266 minutes –that’s four and a half hours of email time. Half your workday. So the 25% number could be low.
What are some other tips that will help you to change the email/time equation?
- Internally, keep your answers friendly but very brief.
- Let people know that you prefer the telephone for scheduling internal meetings.
- Tell people not to copy you unless you must be informed or unless you must take action.
- Include in your own subject lines whether an email requires action.
- Become a pithy, high content writer.
- Create scannable email with bullet points, bolds, and underlines so people can quickly review and respond. Encourage those who work for you to do the same. Your
- Unsubscribe from all the lists you don’t want to be on - that waste your time.
- If you have an executive assistant, work out a plan so they can respond to certain people and types of communications.
- Don’t check the email constantly - batch it at points in the day when you can take a break from the high priority, high concentration tasks you have.
Captain Sully’s Heroic Lesson for Business Leaders
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 10 Feb 2009 | Tagged as: Communication, Leadership, communications training for leaders, economic crisis, economy, executive, hero, leadership development, leadership style, motivation, success
It isn’t a stretch to compare what business leaders face right now with a metaphoric ”bird strike” - a catastrophic event -sudden economic meltdown -causing immediate and loss of altitude that for some could spell doom. Like U.S. Air’s heroic captain Chesley Sullenberger, we never expected it to happen. Now, we have to think fast, evaluate the options and find a safe landing spot - where there is no traditional runway in sight.
Captain Sullenberger, 58, has told his compelling story to the major networks, capturing the imagination of a weary nation, longing for good news. The account is riveting: the loud thump of birds hitting the plane, sweeping through the air system; he never saw it coming. We can relate. Even as the news unfolded, we didn’t expect it to be this bad. By no fault of our own, we find ourselves in a rapid descent. What went through Sullenberger’s mind? He told Katie Couric, ”My initial reaction was one of disbelief. This doesn’t happen to me.’”
Like Sully, we are coming to grips with the seriousness of our situation–so what can we learn from his heroism. How can we make a safe landing in the Hudson? What can we take away from the story of this leader with such skill and presence of mind?
Lesson 1: Assess the Situation from your Vantage Point
When the tower recommended Sully land at Teterboro, he quickly realized it wasn’t going to happen. “Unable” was his response. He quickly assessed the situation, rejected the option presented based on immediate evidence in front of him, and came up with a plan he could execute. As a leader, you have to accept the situation in front of you and make the call. There is no other way to lead when rapidly changing market events are pummeling your aircraft.
Lesson 2: Control your Emotions
Like the captain of the damaged aircraft, many of us are experiencing emotions we haven’t felt in business before - and there is a physiological component to it. Sullenberger said, “I had to force myself to use my training and - and force calm on the situation,” he said.
Like the pilot in the cockpit, as a leader you must get in control of your emotions and focus on what matters. By doing this you also have a tremendous impact on the psychology and functioning of those around you. Survival experts say that survivors commonly are able to remain calm, believe in themselves, and focus on the future. When doubt and worry to creep in, reject them immediately; don’t allow those emotions to impair you vision.
Lesson 3: Visualize a successful outcome
Sullenberger credited his lifetime of experience as a pilot with preparing him to see the terrifying accident’s successful outcome. He had spent thousands of hours in the cockpit, and more hours in a simulator, preparing for such a day. And to the credit of the airlines, they never stopped providing this type of leadership/skill training. Note to CEOs and organizations: don’t stop preparing and training leaders - because they need to know how to react in a crisis.
Lesson 4: Don’t look for perfect solutions.
Sullenberger said after the flashbacks and sleep trouble as he grappled to “forgive myself for not having done something else. Something better. Something more complete. I don’t know.” But as we all know, in times like these are no perfect answers. We did not see the bird strike, we can only react and use our training, stay focused, and land the plane.
Lesson 5: Communicate Clearly, Concisely and Accurately
The last communication to air traffic controllers from the pilot of US Airways 1549 was direct and to the point. “We’re gonna be in the Hudson,” he says to controllers. He never wasted words, but he told people exactly what would happen. “Brace for impact,” he told the passengers, a signal that also prepared the flight crew to fall back on their training, remain calm, and get passengers safely off the plane.
Lesson 6: Balance Confidence and Humility
Anyone in Sully’s position could be forgiven if they were overwhelmed by national media attention, as well as the heartfelt letters, emails and well wishes that poured into their homes in buckets. Sully is a reluctant but gracious hero. “I don’t feel comfortable embracing it, but I don’t want to deny it. I don’t want to diminish their thankful feeling toward me by telling them that they’re wrong. I’m beginning to understand why they might feel that way,” he said.
Peter Gibbon, author of A Call to Heroism: Renewing America’s Vision of Greatness, told CBS’s Katie Couric there are three components that make a hero: extraordinary achievement; bravery and courage; and “greatness of soul”. Sullenberger’s humility stirs the public admiration, Gibbon said.
The miserable economy may help stoke the fascination with all things “Sully,” but the pilot would be heralded regardless, said “We want our heroes to be modest. One of the appealing things about the captain is he’s everyman. He’s a reluctant hero. He’s the Gary Cooper type, and he also gives credit to the team,” said Gibbon, a senior research scholar at Boston University.
Lesson 7: Give People Hope
Something about this episode has captured people’s imagination, said Sullenberger. “I think they want good news. I think they want to feel hopeful again. And if I can help in that way, I will.” Likewise, as a leader, recognize that your employees are looking for reason to hope, too. Motivating and inspiring people, telling them you believe in them and giving them hope for the future - that’s what leaders do. Now, more than any time in our history, it’s time not just for management, but for leadership.
In my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, I provide concrete approaches to providing hope and inspiration to your employees. These are practical, everyday actions you can take, to communicate the right message and be in the right frame of mind. If you contact Shellie Dunlap sdunlap@bates-communications.com I will send you our article excerpt from the book: The Eight Principles for Motivating Others Through Communication. If you would like to be on our mailing list and receive monthly articles on leadership and communication, go to www.bates-communications.com and click on newsletter. We’ll immediately add you to our community and send you updates on events, books and tools you can use to develop your leadership communication skills.
How to Help Leaders Become Good Communicators
Posted by Suzanne Bates on 21 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: CEO, Communication, Motivate Like a CEO, chief learning officer, communications training for leaders, leadership development, learning
Just want to alert you to an article just published in the January 09 issue of Chief Learning Officer Magazine. Reporter Lindsay Edmonds had some some great questions about why it is so challenging to help leaders become better communicators, and how you can address this need in your own organization.
Here’s a short excerpt:
“Many leaders tackle organizational problems behind closed doors, separating themselves from employees and perpetuating uncertainty. Instead, leaders should open those doors and communicate, motivate and inspire their employees.
“There’s this malaise in many organizations because people are confused. They don’t know what to do [because] they’re not getting direction from their leaders,” said Suzanne Bates, author of Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! “[So] motivation is more important than ever, [and] leaders need to ramp up their communication and connect to people with the purpose and mission of the organization.”
To read the full article, click here to go to Chief Learning Officer Magazine
Lindsay Edmonds Wickman is an associate editor for Chief Learning Officer magazine. She can be reached at editor@clomedia.com.
For information about how to design a high level communications training program for senior executives that teaches skills such as motivating and aligning your organization, contact me directly: