Archive for April, 2009
Obama’s 100 Day Report Card: Next Level Style April 29 2009 no responses
Everyone’s talking about President Obama’s first 100 days and how he’s doing so far. Since Obama is the ultimate case of a leader moving up to the next level, I thought I’d add my assessment by offering a report card on his performance as measured against the Next Level model of executive presence. As outlined in my book, The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success
w, executive leadership presence can be broken down into nine behavioral distinctions that leaders need to either pick up or let go of. And those nine distinctions match up with three big categories of executive leadership behaviors: personal presence, team presence and organizational presence.
So, how is the President doing after his first 100 days of leading at the next level? Read on for a point by point breakdown and an overall GPA.
Swine Flu Briefing: A Lesson in How to Run a Town Hall Meeting April 27 2009 no responses
One of the basics in the senior leader’s communications repertoire is the town hall meeting. Sometimes (oftentimes?), these meetings can really run off the rails. When they do, it’s usually because the leader comes in without the answers that people care most about. Another classic mistake is to come in with the desired information but to deliver it in a way that shows no connection whatsoever with the people in the audience.
Fortunately for all of us, there aren’t many town hall meetings on the subject of what leaders are doing to prevent a global pandemic of influenza. But, that’s exactly what three senior leaders took on in front of the White House press corps on Sunday afternoon. To share what the government is doing to deal with the rapidly developing outbreak of a new strain of swine flu, homeland security advisor John Brennan, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control Richard Besser and Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano took to the airwaves. By chance, I watched it on CNN as it happened and I have to say it was a best practice example of how to conduct a town hall meeting. (If you missed the briefing, you can watch it here. If you want more information on swine flu and how to stay healthy, visit the CDC website here. In about 20 minutes, these government leaders showed how it should be done when it comes to the what and how of conducting a successful town hall meeting.
Here’s what I saw in their briefing and what leaders can learn from their example.
You Are Not Alone April 24 2009 one response
This has been a week of contrasts for me. On the one hand, it’s been fun and exciting as I’ve met and talked with a lot of new people during different speaking engagements I’ve had. On the other, it’s been pensive and melancholy because of the news of the tragic passing of Freddie Mac acting CFO David Kellerman and what seems to be a continuing string of stories of deadly family tragedies that one can only assume are borne out of the difficult challenges that so many are facing these days.
This morning I made a presentation to a group of corporate learning officers on supporting leaders at the next level. As I often do in my speeches, I began by telling my own story of a time in my career when I moved into a much higher level leadership role than I had previously held and realizing in very short order that I was in way over my head. Fortunately, I had a boss in the CEO who recognized my situation early, called me out on it and then proceeded to support me herself (sometimes with pats on the back and other times with kicks in the butt). She also went out of her way to line up other people to help me learn the ropes.
During a break following my presentation this morning, one of the learning executives came up to me to thank me for telling that story about my struggles in that job. He told me that he related to it personally and thought it was important to acknowledge that everyone eventually faces a time when they feel under water. As he said to me, “It’s good to know you’re not alone.”
What I see in many organizations these days and in some of the heartbreaking stories in the news is that there are a lot of people who must feel like they’re under water and, at some deep level, must feel like they’re alone. If you’re feeling alone, let me tell you something. You’re not. There are people around you who have been there too and want to help. If you don’t feel alone, that’s great. If you’re not already doing so, please pay attention to others who might be feeling like they’re constantly rolling that big rock uphill and let them know that they are not alone.
For several years now, I’ve applied in my work as a coach some of the tools and principles developed by University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Martin Seligman. Seligman is the originator of what is known as positive psychology and is the author of many books including two of my favorites, Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness. He has developed and shared some wonderful tools for staying positive and productive when things seem to be heading south. I want to share one of them called disputation with you in the hope that is both personally useful and that you will share it with others who might benefit from it.
Disputation is the practice of redirecting that little voice inside your head that says things like, “All is lost,” “You’re sunk,” or “There’s no way out of it.” Just to take the edge off things a bit, let’s call this voice what it actually is – the itty bitty shitty committee. While it’s really important to recognize and acknowledge that voice, you don’t want to let it run your thinking. When you hear it speaking up, recognize it and then use the rational part of your mind to dispute what it’s saying. Inspired by Seligman’s work, here are some questions you can ask to challenge that negative monologue:
- What’s the evidence behind the event that is prompting my negative thinking? What’s the evidence to the contrary?
- What are all the possible causes for this event? Are those causes situational or chronic?
- What’s the worst case scenario here? How likely is that really?
- Even if the worst case is likely, what options are available to me to mitigate it or change the outcome?
- Five months from now or five years from now, how much will any of this really matter?
You can use these questions for self-coaching or, better yet, talk them through with someone you trust. If the questions aren’t something you need right now, clip and save them for a time when you will. In the meantime, please share them with someone who might need them.
It’s Not the Change, It’s the Transition April 22 2009 no responses
In just about every presentation I’ve given to leaders since last fall, I’ve recommended that everyone order their own personal copy of Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
Bridges’ book is a manual (it even includes checklists) for dealing with the biggest challenge facing leaders today which is moving everyone towards a new reality. One of my favorite lines when I was a manager and remains so today as a coach is that it’s important to understand the difference between what should be and what is.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort these days to find examples of people that are stuck on what “should be” rather than what is.
Fire Chiefs Share How to Lead in a Crisis April 20 2009 one response
Last week, I had the honor of keynoting the annual Executive Fire Officer Program graduate symposium sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration. One of the things I sometimes do is ask members of my audience what they think about an important question and then share their answers with you. Since I was speaking to an audience of fire department chiefs from across the United States, I thought that this was a perfect group to ask for advice on how to lead in a crisis. Seems like a timely topic. After all, what leader hasn’t been doing some crisis management lately?
These folks had some terrific stories and wisdom to share. Some of the highlights include:
What the chief of the Boca Raton, Florida fire department learned from leading the response to the 2001 anthrax attacks on the headquarters of American Media International in his city.
- The relationship between trusting your team and staying calm in a crisis.
- How preparation and risk assessment can get you ready for the unexpected.
- Why it’s important to take a step back when a crisis begins.
- How to project confidence in a tough situation.
Want to learn more from the experts in crisis management and leadership? I captured it all with my trusty Flip video camera and you can see it all in 4½ minutes by clicking on the You Tube screen below.
Let these people know what hit home with you by leaving a comment. Do you have some crisis leadership tips of your own? Share them here so others can learn from your experience.
Some Lessons from a (Formerly) 0 and 7 Team April 17 2009 no responses
Until last night, when they sealed the deal with a four run eighth inning in a 8 – 2 win over the Phillies, my Washington Nationals were the losingest team in baseball this year with an 0 and 7 record. The great Washington Post sports columnist, Tom Boswell, had a very thoughtful piece this week on the perspective it takes to stay focused and optimistic when a team is going through a tough stretch. I know that baseball as a metaphor for life is a bit overdone, but when I read Boswell’s column I immediately saw some lessons that leaders can use in tough times.
Here’s my take.
Feedback Do’s and Don’ts From American Idol April 15 2009 3 responses
Looking for some clear lessons in productive ways to receive feedback? Or, conversely, some excellent examples of how not to receive feedback? Well, if you are, there’s this TV show that runs on Tuesday nights that is full of examples on both sides of the equation. You may have heard of it. It’s something I like to call American Idol.
OK, before you bail on me and think I’ve become a total pop culture bubblehead, let me explain myself. Yes, I will acknowledge that Idol is one of my guilty pleasures. (After all, man cannot live by the Harvard Business Review alone. ) That said, if you watch it with a bit of a leadership development lens on, you can actually learn a lot about what talented people do or don’t do with constructive feedback.
I’ve identified at least six models for receiving feedback from watching the show. Two of them are worth emulating and four need to be avoided at all cost. Interested in which one might apply to you or some of the people on your team? Read on.
Leadership Lessons Podcast Interview: Jaymin Patel, President and CEO – GTECH April 13 2009 no responses
Let’s start the week off with a new Leadership Lessons Podcast Interview. My guest for this conversation is Jaymin Patel, President and CEO of GTECH, an international gaming technology company headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
Patel was named President and CEO of GTECH in 2007 following a career in the financial side of the business including serving as company CFO. He now leads a global company of 6,000 people and in this interview talks about how he made the transition to CEO.
Jaymin also shares his insights on:
- Managing and motivating a leadership team
- His focus on results and his methods for keeping his team focused
- Why transparency is the only way for a leader to go
- What he looks for in rising leaders
- How he manages his life while holding a global leadership role.
Many thanks to Jaymin for taking the time to share his thoughts and insights.
You can listen in on our 25 minute conversation by clicking on the audio player below. Enjoy and let me know what your biggest takeaway is.
Be a Better Listener by Keeping Score April 10 2009 3 responses
In my line of work as an executive coach, one of the most frequent opportunities I see for smart and talented leaders to be even better is to improve their listening skills. What is often the case with really bright people is that they have so many ideas and so much energy they end up dominating conversations and creating a disconnect with everyone else in the room. You’ve probably seen this. It happens all the time.
One of my clients is a newly promoted executive in his firm. He fits the profile I’m talking about. He is an extremely intelligent guy and an innovator in a very technical and fast moving field. He is full of ideas and enthusiasm and can’t wait to share his ideas with you. It’s all really charming in a way. The problem is that his colleagues and the more senior executives in the firm have complained that he sucks the air out of a conversation by not leaving space for others to contribute. Not a great situation for long term career development, right?
With my client’s permission, I want to share with you the technique he’s used to listen more and talk less over the past three months. I know from talking with his colleagues that it’s working and that they’re a lot happier with him now than they were at the beginning of the year.
So, what’s the magic answer to his rapid improvement? It’s simple really. He’s keeping score. Here’s how he’s doing it and what he’s learned in the process.
Five Things Leaders Need to Know About Boundaries April 8 2009 one response
One thing is for sure about living in 2009. You don’t have to look very hard to find examples of what happens when people lose their grip on the boundaries that previously brought order to their lives. Let’s take a look at a few examples that range from the seemingly ridiculous to the very serious to see what the common denominator lessons might be.
Scott Eblin is an executive coach, speaker and author of 
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