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Archive for Coaching – Page 2

Connect to HR Provides Career Coaching Services

American workers are on the move. Many are leaving or not returning to the jobs they had pre-COVID, hoping for a better opportunity in what is clearly an employees’ labor market.

Are you or someone you know considering making a career move?

Although it’s tempting to just dive into job search mode in hopes of a new beginning in 2022, I encourage you to take a more thoughtful approach. With so many opportunities available, this is a good time to really put some thought into what you want to do next, where you want to do it, and what that looks like. There are a few key steps to make sure you land your dream job.

Maybe you want to move up in your current company, maybe you want to do the same thing somewhere else, or maybe you want to change your career path entirely. Understanding what you really want and envisioning it is an important first step before you begin your job search. I call this getting clear on a Career Vision.

Once you’ve done this you can move on to other aspects of the job search with a focus on what you want to do next. This is the time to move if you are going to move, but it’s essential to be very clear about what you want so you make the move a good one and you don’t end up regretting it!

So, how do you get started on creating your Career Vision? Working with a coach to guide you through this discovery process will make your job search easier and more targeted.

I’ve been involved in the talent acquisition process both as a hiring manager and as a recruiter. I know firsthand what it takes to get noticed as an applicant and to land that dream job. That’s why at Connect to HR we include career coaching as part of our executive coaching offering. Through my coaching services, I’ve helped numerous clients transition from a job they dislike to a job they love.

If you or someone you know is considering exploring a different career opportunity and will be launching a job search soon but don’t know where to start, consider me as a resource! They don’t have to start their job search journey alone.

Best wishes as you consider your options for what’s next!

Michelle

P.S. Want to chat about your career and explore new options? Let’s do this! Contact me today and schedule a meeting https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Tackle Today’s Challenges with Executive Coaching

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders are facing significantly more challenges than usual in accomplishing the results they want. Health and safety concerns, adapting to a virtual or reduced workforce, and trying to survive in a slowing economy have strained and stretched leaders to their limits.

Throughout 2020, many managers and leaders reached out to me for 1:1 Executive Coaching. They found that having input and support from someone outside their company gave them a fresh approach and new tools to tackle these challenges.

I launched my Executive Coaching Services in 2018 as part of Connect to HR. Since then, the senior executives and leaders I’ve worked with have come to see me as a trusted, confidential coach and advisor. Over the past two years, I’ve been fortunate to help people through Executive Coaching to become more effective leaders or navigate a significant career change.

My typical Executive Coaching clients are not new executives. They are well established in their careers – CEOs, Presidents of small to mid-size companies and Managing Directors, Senior Directors, VPs, and Executive Directors of nonprofits.

They are facing challenges such as:

A career transition. They want support with finding a new opportunity or moving into a new career field but are uncertain about the steps they need to take to make it happen.

A larger promotion or new role. They’ve been assigned a new role with different or increased responsibilities, but with little or no mentoring. Or they’re a leader who has been promoted but doesn’t have the appropriate soft skills to lead their team during these difficult times.

A restructuring that leaves them with more responsibilities than ever. They are feeling overwhelmed and are not getting much guidance or support.

One lesson from 2020 is that you can’t do it alone. I am opening up a few spots to executives who are ready to get support from a professional who can help them achieve their goals.

If you, or anyone in your network finds themselves in one of the situations above, and could use a safe, confidential place to talk about what’s really going on, and to strategize a solution, please consider me as a resource! The first step is connecting with me for a call. Click the link below to choose a time that works for you:

YES, I’m ready to learn more https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

Stay safe, be well and I look forward to connecting with you soon!

– Michelle Mendoza, SPHR & SHRM -SCP

Self-Care for Leaders in These Uncertain Times

The past 7 months have been difficult for all of us. For leaders, it’s been especially challenging. How do I keep my team motivated and engaged in this environment? Will we be able to keep going? When is this going to end?

How do I lead effectively and model calmness and resilience when I have more questions than answers?

Just like when there’s trouble on a flight, when the oxygen masks drop, put yours on first to be better able to help others with theirs. Here’s how.

Be self-aware. Are you taking care of yourself physically and mentally? Be sure you are getting enough sleep, practicing some form of daily exercise, and eating healthy. Make time to do something that feeds your soul.

Draw boundaries. For many of us, working at home for the past 7 months has erased the line between work and home. As much as possible, have a clear and consistent start and end to your workday. Share the parameters with your team and suggest they do the same.

Vary the medium. Mitigate Zoom fatigue by holding some meetings via conference call (no video!). And take some time to evaluate whether all those Zoom meetings are really necessary. Can the information be shared via email? Can 2 short Zoom meetings be consolidated into one (not-more-than-an-hour) meeting?

Get support. Many of us are working fulltime at home with kids who are also learning at home, or younger kids at home due to childcare constraints. Consider adjusting your schedule, if possible, to relieve some of the burden. Also, some childcare centers are opening back up under strict health and safety protocols, which may be an option.

Seek help. These are troubling times. A pandemic. The related financial impact. Civil unrest. An election. Even the upcoming holidays can be stressful for many, especially since they will probably have to look a bit different this year. Many organizations have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides counseling.

If you are a leader – or have a leader in your organization – who is struggling in this current challenging environment, you may want to consider one of ConnecttoHR’s Executive Coaching packages. Contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com to learn more.

Leading Through the Drama in Challenging Times

In every organization there is a certain amount of “office drama.” In fact, studies show that, on average, employees spend about 2 hours a day on drama – conflict with other employees, grumbling about leaders, expressing frustration about work assignments or company policies, etc.

And it should come as no surprise that office drama has increased this year. There are several contributing factors:

Organizations are asked to do more with less
As employees work from home the lines are blurred between work and home life
A national sense of aggressiveness is flowing down into the workplace

So how do you lead through the drama during this challenging time? And how do you disarm those who prefer to live in the drama even in the best of times?

I recently attended a (virtual) presentation entitled, “Reality-Based Leadership – How to Peacefully and Effectively Lead Teams Through Transformative Times.” The facilitator was Alex Dorr, Vice President of People Evolution at Reality-Based Leadership.

Here are some key takeaways from that session that I think are valuable for every leader to consider.

Employee engagement is more critical than ever. About 70% of employees are quitting their jobs in their mind every day. They’re not actually quitting – yet. But the fact that they’re thinking about it means they are less engaged and more likely to get caught up in employee drama.

Complaining increases endorphins. Think about it. When you vent or “let off steam” by dumping your problems or issues on someone else you feel better. And it’s much easier than coming up with a solution and taking action.

Help employees be self-reflective. When employees come to you with problems or complaints, encourage them to envision a solution. First let them vent. Then let them know you heard them. Then ask, “What would an acceptable solution look like?” Put on your coaching hat and ask questions to help them be part of the solution.

Use the SBAR approach. (Situation, Background, Analysis, Recommendation). Teach employees that if they have a concern or want change, before they come to you, they should have an SBAR. This is a short statement that describes the situation (S) and explains why it is happening now and how it needs to look different in the future (B). It also includes best practices, data, and policies that provide insight and support the change (A). And finally, it includes 2 or 3 recommendations (R) that the employee proposes.

Discover your desired role – as leader. Don’t jump in with an immediate solution. Ask questions – coach – to make this a development opportunity and clarify the role the employee wants you to play. Ask: How do you want me to help? Just listen? Help you think through each of your recommendations? Make additional recommendations?

Gain commitment. Whatever you decide to do to move forward, make sure that both of you – leader and employee – are clear on what the commitment is before leaving the meeting.

Model the behavior. Don’t be part of the drama. Demonstrate that you also take time for self-reflection and that you are capable of just stepping back and letting employees take action to create their own solutions.

If you have leaders who tend to get caught up in the drama, executive coaching can be helpful. Please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Tips for Transitioning from Coworker to Leader

You’ve been working with the people on your team for three years, and now suddenly you’re their leader. Are you excited? Of course. A promotion is a step in the right direction. And are you somewhat nervous? Absolutely. Moving from coworker to leader adds an extra level of stress to the challenge of any new position. Here are some tips that will help make your transition smoother.

Meet with the team. The formal announcement of your promotion should come from HR or your manager. As soon as it does, however, schedule a meeting with the team to talk about the transition and allow some open discussion about concerns or issues. This will be your earliest opportunity to establish some authority and credibility as the leader, so be careful not to let this meeting turn into a gripe session. Focus on talking about your leadership style, what your expectations are of them, and what they can expect from you. This is also a good time to share with the team your 90-day plan and what your leader’s expectations are of you.

Pace yourself. As a team member, you probably noticed a lot of things you’d like to change, given the opportunity. Don’t make big changes too quickly. Based on input from the team, consider some quick successes you can achieve to help establish your credibility and team confidence.

Step back. You’ve probably established some personal relationships among the team. As their leader, you’ll need to step back a bit to avoid the appearance of favoritism. This will be especially important if there was someone else on the team who wanted your position and may harbor some resentment. If you know that someone else on the team wanted the position or was being considered for it, make an opportunity to have a private discussion with them to acknowledge their value to the team and enlist their support.

Get training. Take advantage of any leadership development opportunities offered. Leading people has many rewards, and also many challenges. You can’t be expected to instantly know how to handle all of them. Leadership training and networking with other leaders will strengthen your ability to deal with issues as they arise.

Consider an executive coach. A coach can help you hone the particular skills you will need in your new role. Having outside support and constructive feedback from someone can help you grow as a leader and learn effective approaches to leading and developing others.

Ask for feedback. Let your team know that you believe in two-way communication and are open to hearing their positive and constructive feedback. Creating an environment of honest, open communication is one of the best ways to succeed as a manager.

Consider getting a mentorship from a Senior Manager within the company whom you trust. A mentor can serve as a sounding board as you encounter new experiences and challenges. They can give you suggestions on how to handle a given situation. They may also be able to provide you with sound advice and even access to resources.

Contact me for more information on leadership development and coaching. You can also read these articles for more information: Get the Best from Your Team – Be an Effective Coach, The Best Leaders Continue to Learn, Successful Leaders Listen More, Talk Less.

Focus for Effective Performance Management

In my last article I talked about the importance of making performance management an ongoing process versus just an annual event. Performance should be managed in the spirit of learning and development, helping employees build on their strengths and embrace the challenge of acquiring new skills and responsibilities. Leaders should model this by continuing to develop their own capabilities.

But with goals to meet, teams to manage and issues to resolve, how do you, as a leader, go about achieving this?

It takes focus. Daniel Goleman, author and psychologist, says that leaders need three kinds of focus:
1) Inner focus, 2) Other focus, and 3) Outer focus.

Let’s apply this to the performance management process.

Inner focus. Inner focus is the ability to monitor your thoughts, feelings and emotions. This may be the hardest focus to achieve because it means you actually have to stop. And think. And few of us, in our ever-busy, need-to-achieve world, give ourselves that time. Yet those who do, as indicated in the Inc. article, Why Successful People Spend 10 Hours a Week Just Thinking, reap multiple benefits. Warren Buffet estimates he has spent about 80% of his career reading and thinking. Bill Gates takes a week off twice a year to spend time reading and reflecting. Give yourself time away from the noise to reflect on areas where you might better utilize team members’ skills, where they need to improve or prepare for what’s next, and what you personally need to do to prepare.

Other focus. This is the ability to empathize with others. Other focus will help improve your relationships with individual team members and the team as a whole. Use other focus to give employees regular feedback – both positive and developmental. Ask how you can help. Listen. Ask for their feedback. Position yourself as a coach with the intent to help them achieve team, organizational and personal goals.

Outer focus. Outer focus is the ability to understand the larger forces/systems in play and to think strategically. This is where you set the vision for the team and communicate where the organization is headed. Help each team member understand how their goals tie to the team goals and how the team goals tie to the organizational goals. When employees can visualize how what they do impacts the direction and success of the organization, they are more likely to be engaged, perform better and stick around. And that’s what effective performance management is all about.

If you need help in making performance management a process and not just an event, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Performance Management is a Process, NOT an Event

Despite the fact that leaders and employees alike dread the annual performance review, a 2018 survey by research firm WorldatWork found that 80% of companies still use a formal performance review process.

Employees need to know how they’re doing. And they shouldn’t have to wait to some future date to get that feedback. No news is NOT good news when it comes to keeping employees engaged (by acknowledging their accomplishments) and keeping your team and organization on track (by addressing performance issues). A review meeting once a year is not effective. In fact, research shows that annual employee reviews have minimal if any effect on individual or organizational performance.

So what’s the alternative?

Make performance management a process not just an event. Give employees regular, timely feedback. Be specific. Acknowledge their accomplishments and share how their performance positively impacted the team and/or organization. Discuss any issues “in the moment” to help reestablish expectations and initiate the improvement process sooner rather than later. If you allow a performance issue to continue without bringing it to the employee’s attention, he or she may not even realize it’s a problem.

Adopt a coaching mindset. Feedback shouldn’t be a report card, but rather a development tool. Help your employees build on their strengths and develop in the areas where they are not as strong – relative to the needs of the organization – today and tomorrow – and to their own career goals. When there’s an issue, ask good questions to determine the root cause – is it an ability issue? A training issue? An attitude issue? Then mutually decide the appropriate solution.

Ask for their feedback. Create an environment where employees seek feedback and view it as a growth opportunity. Do this by setting the example. Ask for their feedback – “What can I do better?” “How can I help you?” – and then act on it, as appropriate.

Effective leaders work on helping their employees develop and grow, and also work on growing themselves in all the skills and competencies they need to successfully lead their teams and organizations. This takes focus. Daniel Goleman, author and psychologist, says that leaders need three kinds of focus: Inner Focus – the ability to monitor your own thoughts, feelings and emotions; Other Focus – the ability to empathize with others; and Outer Focus – the ability to understand larger forces or systems.

Tune in next time when we’ll look at how you incorporate these three focus areas into your performance management conversations.

Get the Best from Your Team – Be an Effective Coach

In my work with leaders over the years, I’ve found that the most effective leaders are those who embrace their role as a coach – to their teams and to their individual employees. These are leaders who listen, who develop and empower their people, and who earn respect through their actions and how they treat others.

Developing your skills as a coach is one of the best ways to grow as a leader.

A great reference tool for this is the book, Trillion Dollar Coach, which profiles Bill Campbell, a football coach turned C-Suite executive who created a third career coaching some of the top CEOs in Silicon Valley. The book is written by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle, Google executives who witnessed firsthand “Coach Bill’s” ability to “build trust, foster personal growth, and inspire courage.” The authors interviewed more than 80 people to create a compendium of Bill Campbell stories, insight and wisdom.

Here are 5 key takeaways from Coach Bill’s principles that the authors shared.

Your title makes you a manager, your people make you a leader. Build relationships with your team – show them that you care about them as people. Get to know them. Ask about their lives outside of work, their families. Be generous with your time, connections and other resources.
Respect must be accrued, not demanded. The command and control style of leadership doesn’t work anymore. Treat your employees with respect. Listen to them. Be an evangelist for courage by believing in people more than they believe in themselves. Don’t tell them what to do – offer stories and help guide them to the best decisions for them.
Honesty is key. Practice complete candor. Pair negative feedback with caring. And give feedback as soon as possible. If it’s negative feedback, deliver it privately. Feedback is necessary for growth, and your responsibility as a leader and coach is to help your people grow.
Pick the right players. Look for those who have the ability to learn fast and are willing to work hard. Choose people with integrity, grit, empathy and a team-first attitude.
Create a decision-making process that ensures all perspectives and points of view are heard. Look for the best idea, not necessarily consensus. If necessary, break a tie and make the decision.

Stay tuned for future blogs when we’ll talk about more ways you can grow as a leader.

Looking for a New Opportunity? Start by Gaining Clarity!

One of the trends I’ve noticed so far this year is that people are on the move. With the unemployment rate still low, more people are feeling that the time is right to search for a new opportunity. And I’ve had a number of calls asking for my advice on how to start the search, as part of my executive coach offerings.

Searching for a new opportunity can be both exciting and overwhelming. To make it more of the former and less of the latter, you need to have clarity, focus, a compelling message and a strategic job search plan.

Start by gaining clarity. What do you want to do next? What are the skills, experience and competencies required in order to achieve that? What kind of work environment do you prefer? Big company? Small company? Structured? Start-up? What are the roles, type of leadership, work culture, and experiences from your career so far that brought you the most satisfaction?

Take inventory. What are the skills, behaviors and competencies that have helped you succeed in the past? Which of those map to what you want to do next? Where are the gaps? What are the beliefs and/or behaviors that may have held you back so far from getting to where you want to be? Do you have skills or knowledge that you haven’t been able to leverage so far in your career but want to?

Create focus by identifying a target. Based on what you want to do next and your inventory, select a couple of target organizations/roles that are a potential match. Focus is incredibly important in your search for a new opportunity. It’s tempting to just throw out a big net in search of “a job” but if you want to have a fulfilling career, focus on the companies/roles/experiences that will propel you toward your personal career “vision.”

Develop your personal marketing campaign. This includes a compelling message about the value you bring to the table, and will include your resume, LinkedIn profile, a personal “elevator pitch,” and a list of people in your network (and in their networks) who might connect you to an opportunity. An important note about resumes. Remember that the purpose of a resume is to pique the interest of a recruiter or hiring manager so they will contact you for an interview. Keep it clean, concise, achievement oriented, forward looking, and error-free. It should not be a job description, but rather an account of what you did that made a difference to your role, your team, the organization.

Design your search plan. Once you’ve developed these components, create the action plan that will put them to work for you. Commit to paper your target, your key message, and your daily activity goals for your search. Keep active. Do something related to your search every day. Small steps every day lead to big results.

And remember, working with a coach can help you create your plan and accelerate results. If you find that your search for a new opportunity is leaning more toward the overwhelming side of the equation, contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

A Coach Can Help You Take the Next Step in Your Career

Advancing in your career doesn’t have to mean finding a new job in a different company. Often there are opportunities to grow right within your own organization. And companies who provide those opportunities are more likely to engage and retain their top performers. One of the challenges that organizations face, however, is creating a clear path for employees to traverse toward that next step in their career.

Whether you are an organization looking to retain top performers, or an individual wanting to move up within your organization or at another company, a good career coach can help you meet your goal.

Here are some ways a good career coach can help.

Provide clarity. Before you even begin to look for your next opportunity, you need to gain clarity around your target. What do you really want to do? What do you definitely NOT want to do? A coach can help you filter through your skills and experience and map them toward opportunities that have the potential to be fulfilling next steps in your career versus “just a job.”

Help you strategize. A good career coach will identify the skills and behaviors you need to move up within the organization, and help you create a plan to develop those skills and behaviors. They also know what works and doesn’t work in the job search process. So if you’re looking for a new job they can offer real world insight and ideas. Either way, they will help you put together a targeted, effective plan that will get you in front of the right people for the right opportunity.

Polish your pitch. A targeted, concise, compelling resume is your first opportunity to impress a hiring manager and differentiate yourself from other job seekers. Whether you are moving up within your organization or moving on, you should always have an up-to-date resume. A good coach will help you create a resume that gets results.

Keep you accountable. A good coach will keep you on track, encouraging you to make the regular small steps that will lead to the big result. They will celebrate your successes with you, and help you keep going when things don’t go as planned. They’ll help you tweak your strategy as necessary to achieve your goals.

Provide support. Your coach is there to help you succeed. They can be a sounding board if you get discouraged. They can connect you to resources within their network. Many will do mock interviews with you to help you prepare. They can give you objective feedback on your plan, your pitch and your approach.

Are you an organization looking to retain your top performers? Or an individual ready to take the next step in your career but don’t know how to get started? Do you know someone who is looking for a job but getting little or no results? I have worked with many senior leaders to help them develop and successfully implement an effective plan to get “unstuck” and take that all-important next step. Contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com