Do you want to make your coaching efforts more effective? If so, you'll need to be able to measurably assess your people.

As we wind down the year and look toward the next, there isn't a better time to step up and engage more effectively with your people. One the simplest and most overlooked tools that leaders have to enhance their coaching is the 1-1 Coaching Session. 

Do you want to make your meetings more effective? Here's a simple tool to help you out. 

I call it the "half-time adjustment." Conduct the following process about 1/3 or 1/2 of the way into your meeting: 

The word “mentor” is used in a variety of contexts in today’s workplace. Sometimes it refers to a senior person who formally or informally provides guidance and advice to a junior team member. At times it refers to a team member’s direct manager who is partially responsible for his or her career development. In some organizations, mentors are formally paired with a mentee. In others, mentors are simply sought after by an eager team member looking to grow. A quick search on dictionary.com defines the word mentor as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher; an influential senior sponsor or supporter.”

The latest workplace communication craze called "Yes and" has recently been popularized by team builders and improv folks who've never stepped into the business board room. It's a technique that minimizes disagreement and encourages agreement. So, instead of responding to a team member's idea with a "No" or a "But," people are trained to respond with a "Yes and…."

Imagine this. 

A new Vice President joins your organization from a similar company in the same industry. Only his former company is bigger and arguably more successful. The leader has a grand vision that if implemented will have a significant impact on the company's end customers and shareholder value. He comes in blazing and doesn't just want to move the chairs on the deck, but wants to shift the direction of the boat. 

In the past 3 posts I've made the case that the most important mindset shift a leader has to make to be successful in a senior leader role is to make the shift from being Smart to being Aware. 

If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, read those first. Then come back here for more details on the shift from being Smart to being Aware.

In our last post, we began exploring the first shift leaders need to make to be successful in senior leadership roles - from being smart to being aware.  

So, what does this shift of being smart to being aware look like? It will seem easy on the surface, but it's a lifetime of work. And it’s comprised of 3 parts:  

In our recent survey about senior leadership, we asked senior leaders the following question. "What do you wish you knew more about prior to being promoted to senior leadership?" 

Here are a few summary quotes of how they responded…