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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke
Publisher: Wolf Rinke Associates, Inc.
(c) 2006 Wolf J. Rinke
Vol. 9 No. 4, August-September 2006
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Feel free to forward this eNewsletter to others.
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. DON'T TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO--Part II
3. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
4. HUMOR BREAK
5. ABOUT THE EDITOR
6. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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REALITY CHECK
"Lead like a coach instead of like a 'cop'."
--Wolf J. Rinke
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
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COACHING IS GOOD FOR YOU
A group of researchers at the Case Western Reserve University who integrated
research findings in affective neuroscience and biology with well documented
research on leadership and stress found that "leader sustainability
is adversely affected by the psychological and physiological effects
of chronic power stress associated with the performance of the leadership
role." In short being a leader can make you sick. The researchers
further maintain "that when leaders experience compassion through
coaching the development of others, they experience psychophysiological
effects that restore the body's natural healing and growth processes,
thus enhancing their sustainability." In other words coaching others
is good for you.
ACTION STEPS
Learn how to coach others. (To get started read and apply the eight
steps in the coaching process described in Section 3 of this and the
next eNewsletter). Then block out two hours per week on your calendar
for coaching members of your team. Do that for the rest of the year
or until coaching others becomes a habit for you. You will "grow"
new leaders and achieve positive psychophysiological benefits. Plus
over the long run it will save you time and improve your and your teams'
performance and productivity. What is there not to like?
Source: R. E. Boyatzis et al., "Developing Sustainable Leaders
through Coaching and Compassion", Academy of Management Learning
& Education, 5 (1):8-24, 2006.
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2. DON'T TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO--Part II
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In Part I of this article we talked about the downside of being an autocratic
manager and stressed the importance of getting in the habit of pushing
decision making down to the lowest possible level. Now let's look at
specific steps that you can take to lead like a coach, not a cop.
Before we talk about how to do this, a quick explanation of coaching
is in order. Coaching is a system that "grows" people by enabling
them to learn through guided discovery and hands-on experience. The
important element in this definition is that learning occurs through
guided discovery, not by showing or telling people what to do. Implicit
in this definition is that effective coaches have three major responsibilities:
1. Guiding people to discover the tools they need to get the job done
2. Building confidence
3. Helping the coachee become the best he can be.
Building confidence and keeping team members motivated is an important
aspect of leading. Some people will take on additional responsibilities
with open arms. No problem there. But what about those who are always
running away from additional responsibility? Well, you must make very
clear what's in it for them and then reward any degree of success. (Remember,
all of us listen to our favorite radio station, WIIFM--what's in it
for me.) Some employees are afraid of taking on anything new because
they are not sure of their own capabilities. Here you must engage them
in incremental learning, by letting them experience success through
the completion of easily attainable "baby-steps." In addition,
you should point out where and when they have succeeded in the past.
Then you must express confidence in their capabilities by saying, for
example, "I know you can provide leadership to this team. Remember
how well you did last month, when you headed up the compensation review
project?" In yet other cases, you may need to provide team members
with informal or formal training before they are ready to assume the
additional responsibility.
HOW TO COACH
Step 1: Agree on the Project or Assignment
This is where you and your coachee agree on the specifics of what she
is going to be responsible for. These steps, by the way, assume that
this project represents an area of strength for you--in other words
you know how to do it in your sleep, and an area of "weakness"
for your coachee--something that would enhance her competence and, once
mastered would take a load off your shoulders. Of course, many leaders
hesitate to provide this type of coaching because, according to them,
they lack the time. Deep down they are really afraid that they will
coach themselves right out of a job. (How do you feel about that?) Nothing,
of course, could be further from the truth.
Step 2: Mutually Identify the Goals and Outcomes Expected
I call this "defining a good job." So often things don't go
the way you expect because your coachee didn't really understand the
outcomes you wanted to achieve in the first place. When you are done
with this step, both of you should be very clear about the when, where,
what, who and how. Let me emphasize that you should always set high
expectations because that will help determine how successful your team
members will become. The reason is that in the long run you get the
type and quality of performance you expect, measure and accept. (Darn
this stuff is complicated, isn't it?) This is especially true since
research tells us that most people are performing well below their maximum
potential at work.
Step 3: Facilitate Self-Discovery
This is the step that distinguishes coaching from delegating. It is
probably the most difficult step for most leaders, especially those
who are used to telling others what to do.
To make this happen:
Listen actively--listen for the meaning, not just the words. This requires
you to make your own mind quiet and talk less--a lot less. Remember,
there must be a reason that "you were born with two ears and only
one mouth." Maybe you were meant to listen twice as much as you
talk, especially when coaching others.
Help your coachees think through the process and consequences of their
proposed actions--this means that they do the thinking. To ensure that
this happens, you might ask: "What would be the consequences of
you taking this action?" Remember, your role is to facilitate their
thought processes, not think for them!
Share your good and bad experiences--your coachee will learn from both.
Most leaders hesitate to share how they have messed up. They feel they
must maintain a facade of perfection. However, sharing what has not
worked for you, especially your really bad goofs, is particularly helpful.
It makes you more human, gets you off the pedestal, and gives your coachees
permission to be less than perfect--which is what both of you are anyway!
Step 4: Agree on the Boundaries
If you have identified and implemented a widely shared organizational
philosophy--your mission, vision, and core values-- most of step 4 is
already done. (If you don't know what I'm talking about read Chapter
11 in my "Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel" book). Your philosophy
represents the mutually accepted parameters and boundaries in your organization.
They are, the "gold standard," for everyone on your team or
in your company. Of course, you may need to verbally supplement them
so that your coachees know where your comfort zone is and where the
danger zone begins. You may also want to define when you want to be
briefed and what type of feedback you want, for example, whether you
want it in writing or in person.
In the next issue of this eNewsletter I will describe the next four
steps in the coaching process and provide you with five specific SMART
STEPS to help you take coaching to the next level.
SOURCE: Based in part on Chapter 16 of my book "Don't Oil the
Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership
Effectiveness," McGraw-Hill. See my exciting products to help you
succeed faster at http://www.WolfRinke.com
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3. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
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These full day seminars maybe open to you, especially if your company
is a member of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS). Contact the
Chairperson for additional information.
Winning Management: Building a Peak Performance Workplace
8/22/06 Hartford, CT, Robert Kravits, Connecticut@ims-online.com
10/18/06 Atlanta, GA, Dennis Piehl, Atlanta@ims-online.com
NOTE: I have other "in-house" presentations scheduled in
the U.S.A., Canada and Europe. Please let me know if you are interested
to preview me or bring me into your organization at reduced expenses
when I'm scheduled to be in your area. That way we can let you know
when I'm coming your way!
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4. HUMOR BREAK
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This was sent to me by John Harford of SAP America. It is supposed to
be from an actual job application that a 75 year old senior citizen
submitted to Wal-Mart in Arkansas. Supposedly they hired him because
he was so funny. Read and smile!
NAME: George Martin
SEX: Not lately, but I am looking for the right woman (or at least
one that will cooperate)
DESIRED POSITION: Company's President or Vice President. But seriously,
whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't
be applying here in the first place.
DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz
style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we
can haggle.
EDUCATION: Yes.
LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.
PREVIOUS SALARY: A lot less than I'm worth.
MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and
post-it notes.
REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.
HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any.
PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they're better suited to
a more intimate environment.
MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER? If I had one, would I be here?
DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING
UP TO 50 lbs.? Of what?
DO YOU HAVE A CAR? I think the more appropriate question here would
be "Do you have a car that runs?"
HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION? I may already
be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, so they tell
me.
DO YOU SMOKE? On the job - no! On my breaks - yes!
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS? Living in the Bahamas
with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde supermodel who thinks I'm
the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing
that now.
NEAREST RELATIVE? 7 miles
DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR
KNOWLEDGE? Oh yes, absolutely.
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5. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is a highly effective management consultant and
executive coach who specializes in building peak performance organizations,
teams and individuals. He is the author of 14 books including "Don't
Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership
Effectiveness" and "Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies
for Building High-Performance Organizations" available at www.WolfRinke.com.
Wolf is also an internationally recognized management/leadership keynote
speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized presentations that
combine story telling, humor and motivation with specific "how
to" action strategies that participants can apply immediately to
improve their management and leadership effectiveness. You can preview
a live demo at www.WolfRinke.com.
To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services contact us at 800-828-9653
or WolfRinke@aol.com
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6. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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We will not make your name or e-mail address available to anyone. Period!
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