Learning and Development | Connect to HR | Strategic HR Advisors & Executive Coaching

Archive for Learning and Development – Page 2

Top 3 Reasons to Hire an Executive Coach

There was a time when leadership coaching was reserved for those leaders who needed to “shape up” in a particular area before being shown the door. That’s not the case today. In fact, most senior leaders attribute at least part of their success to having worked with an effective executive coach.

According to a survey conducted by Harvard Business Review and Carol Kauffman of Harvard Medical School, the top three reasons that executive coaches are engaged are:

Develop high potentials or facilitate transition (48% of respondents)
Act as a sounding board (26% of respondents)
Address derailing behaviors (12% of respondents)

For those in the C-suite of an organization, whether large or small, navigating the often-challenging waters of economic trends, tough decisions, internal politics, etc., can be a lonely ride. And it can be hard to get honest feedback (or necessary pushback) when you’re the “big boss.” You need an objective third party who will ask the tough questions, give you honest feedback, and help you think through the best way forward. And that’s where an executive coach comes in.

The HBR survey also showed that for a coaching relationship to be successful, the executive must be highly motivated to learn and grow. Coaching is most likely not going to benefit someone who has a know-it-all mentality or who isn’t open to constructive feedback. It’s also important that the coach and the executive have a good rapport. In fact, the survey showed that regardless of how experienced or credentialed the coach is, if they’re not a good fit for the executive the trust required for the relationship to succeed will probably not develop.

I know from the feedback I’ve received from the leaders I’ve coached and from my own experience working with a coach that when it’s the right fit there are numerous benefits to be derived in each of the top three reasons mentioned above.

Development/transition. A good coach will help you become more self-aware, so you can understand and build on your strengths, and identify those areas where you need to develop. They will help you think through and plan for a transition to a new role or different organization and (most importantly) keep it confidential. That’s why trust is so important.

Sounding board. A good coach will help you get “unstuck.” They’ll listen, ask questions, and then help you find the clarity, focus and confidence you need to take action.

Address behaviors. The more senior you are in leadership, the less likely it is that someone will call you on a behavior that might be derailing your effectiveness as a leader. A good coach will have tools – a 360-feedback instrument, for example – that will help you recognize those behaviors and develop a plan to reduce or eliminate them.

Most importantly, a good coach combined with your willingness to be coached and your desire to learn and grow, will help you become a better leader, no matter where you are in the organization.

Contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com for a free consultation to see whether leadership coaching is right for you.

Grow as a Leader Through 360 Feedback

Management expert Ken Blanchard once said, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Yet for many of us feedback is a hard meal to swallow. The minute someone suggests giving us feedback, our defenses go up and our hearing fails. Both reactions are limiting to our growth and development. Especially as a leader.

As a leader, your actions and behaviors have broad impact. The individuals who report to you, your peers, your leadership, customers, vendors, partners and the organization overall. Gaining insight about how you positively impact others as well as areas where you could do better will help you become the best leader you can be.

An effective way to obtain this insight is through a 360 assessment.

In her recent Forbes article, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About 360 Assessments But Were Afraid to Ask, Jo Ilfeld, CEO of Incite to Leadership, points out that there are numerous benefits when organizations take the performance management conversation beyond just the manager and direct report.

“If you are human,” she says, “you have blind spots. A 360 can illuminate glaring blind spots: You want to empower your team by letting them come to you when necessary. Your team finds you aloof and unapproachable. Or you value relationships and finding compromises. Your colleagues want you to occasionally be selfish or take a hardline stance when necessary.”

Although it may be difficult to hear, this kind of feedback will help you “see” what others see and thus become more self-aware. Becoming self-aware and recognizing that there are always opportunities to learn and grow are first steps in strengthening emotional intelligence, which is a key quality for leaders today and into the future.

Ilfeld suggests that there are three crucial points when a 360 assessment is most beneficial.

When you are starting a new role or opportunity
During periods of struggle or difficulty
When you engage with an executive leadership coach

She also notes that working with a leadership coach is the best way to ensure that feedback received is turned into actionable steps. Without coaching, people tend to focus only on the areas where they need to improve. Building on your strengths is also essential to your growth and development.

“All of us have growth and development areas. Rally your strengths to tackle where you could be even more effective. That’s a rewarding leadership endeavor.”

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” – Bill Gates

Nonprofit Board Orientation: Challenges and Opportunities

Thank you to Mary Hiland, Ph.D., for this guest blog article on a topic of great importance to nonprofit executive directors – orienting new board members. Mary is a nonprofit board and leadership development consultant dedicated to assisting nonprofit executives and board members unleash their potential for organizational and community impact. She spent 26 years as an executive in the nonprofit sector, where she grew a small nonprofit into one of the largest nonprofits in the Bay Area. She has been a consultant for the past 16 years working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations and their leaders. Learn more about Mary at her website.

Nonprofit organizations provide critical and life-enhancing services to our communities. If you are a nonprofit executive or board member, you know first-hand what a valuable role you play.

But, we all have a stake in nonprofits’ success. And we know that to achieve that success, a nonprofit must be led by an effective board of directors and must mobilize board members to advance the nonprofit’s mission.

One of the biggest opportunities to ensure a nonprofit board realizes its full potential is in orienting new board members.

Orienting board members effectively, however, isn’t easy. That may be why it is so rare.

I’ve gathered information about experiences of board members from a wide range of nonprofits. When asked if they had ever had any orientation to the job of being a board member, 78% of them said none! Another 13% had only one workshop/training experience ever.

Often the job of orienting board members falls to the executive director. In my experience, however, when executives do the orientation their focus is generally more on educating board members about the organization’s programs and services rather than what it means to be a board member. So, where’s the disconnect?

It’s actually pretty simple….

Most board orientations focus on information about the nonprofit itself. And that’s important. But there are lots of missing pieces. The “governance stuff” is either left out or so minimal that board members promptly forget it. Governance items include things like board members’ roles and responsibilities as distinct from those of staff, board members’ three legal duties, why boards are important, and the positive impact effective boards have.

Nonprofit leaders face three other challenges with board orientation:

Board orientations emphasize oversight and rules, instead of focusing on board member opportunities for impact and contribution.
The time commitment to repeat orientation whenever a new member joins can be a burden.
And, it’s hard to ensure every board member receives consistent and comprehensive information.

What’s the result? At best, board members don’t have all the information and inspiration they need to fully contribute to their job and the mission. In worst cases, board members micromanage the executive director because they don’t understand the boundaries of their role.

Over the last 16 years, I have seen what an asset an effective board can be. And I’m passionate about helping nonprofit leaders unleash the full potential of their boards — starting from the moment they join a nonprofit. I want to make nonprofit board orientation effective (and easy).

That’s why I created a free training, “The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make Orienting Board Members That Cost Time and Resources.” These mistakes cost valuable time and resources, and I want nonprofit leaders to have the tips they need to avoid them.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, watch the free training by clicking here.

If you’re not involved with a nonprofit right now, share this with someone who is.

All the best!

PS Thanks Michelle for inviting me to share this with your readers!

Avoiding That Difficult Conversation? Don’t!

Very few people jump at the chance to have what they know will be a difficult conversation. Whether it’s delivering bad news (“we have to lay you off”), providing negative feedback (“your report had multiple errors and needs to be redone”) or breaking off a relationship (“it’s not you, it’s me”) most of us will go out of our way to avoid initiating that conversation. In fact, according to a survey by VitalSmarts, a leadership development firm, 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations with their boss, coworker or direct report. Thirty-four percent say they have put off holding a difficult conversation for at least a month, and 25 percent have put off holding a difficult conversation for more than a year.

Unlike wine, these conversations do not improve with age. In fact, when leaders put off having that difficult conversation with an employee, it can severely impact morale on the rest of the team, and may even result in the loss of customers.

Here’s an example. A company I was working with hired a new Sales Manager. Over time, this manager’s team began to complain about a number of things. He wasn’t cooperating with the rest of the team. He would get in people’s faces. He took credit for other people’s work. He would over promise to customers, and when he couldn’t deliver, he would blame others for it. The company owner was reluctant to speak with him or to take action. He didn’t want to admit he’d made a bad hire. I encouraged the owner to explore what was happening internally, and to consider that it might be impacting the company’s image externally. Following an investigation, the Sales Manager was fired. Not long after that, two customers called the owner to say that they had been on the verge of moving their business because of the way this individual had treated them. Bad behavior is bad for business!

If there’s a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding, stop! Sit down right now and give yourself a deadline to get it done. Here are some tips to guide you through it.

Prepare for the conversation by asking yourself these questions:

What is the issue? What is its impact?
Do I have all the facts? Remember it’s important to focus on facts rather than conclusions, which may be wrong. Don’t assume that because someone is late two times a week that they’re lazy or don’t care. Give them a chance to explain.
What do I want to accomplish in the conversation?
How will I follow up after the conversation?

It’s also important to prepare for the emotional energy that may arise in the conversation – either yours or that of the other person. You may want to practice the conversation with a colleague.

Have the conversation.

Schedule a face-to-face meeting, in private, at a time that will be free of distractions (e.g., not when there’s a crucial deadline pending).
Enter the meeting with an open mind – remember, they may be totally unaware there’s an issue until you share it with them. Be prepared to hear their point of view/perception of the situation.
Start by stating your intent. “I’ve noticed that_______. I’d like to hear your feelings about this and share mine.”
Listen, acknowledge their input, and paraphrase it back to them to demonstrate understanding.
Share your concerns/point of view and give them the opportunity to respond.
Avoid the blame game.
Work together to come up with a solution.

Follow up. One of the benefits of getting through these conversations is that often they result in a closer and more trusting relationship. Granted, there are times when a mutual solution cannot be reached, and that may be the solution in and of itself (as in the case of the Sales Manager). But when the conversation helps to clarify perceptions and initiate more open dialogues, it leads to better working relationships, happier employees, and an overall improved working environment.

Enhancing Personal Growth Through Affinity Groups

As I wrote in my last blog, mentoring programs provide myriad benefits to mentees, mentors and organizations. There’s a specific type of mentoring program I’d like to discuss this time – Affinity Groups.

A workplace affinity group is a group of employees with similar backgrounds, characteristics, or life experiences, such as: women, people of color, or Veterans. The purpose of an affinity group is to provide diverse populations within an organization the opportunity to share ideas and experiences. Often these groups are under-represented in a particular career path and/or leadership. Matching experienced mentors with mentees within the affinity group can help break down barriers and enhance mentees’ personal growth. For example, matching a Veteran who’s been back in the workforce for several years with a Veteran who’s just re-entering it. Their shared experience accelerates rapport, and the mentor can provide insight that a non-Veteran might not be able to.

In the affinity group mentoring program I worked with, we created what we called “mentoring circles” for the groups that had fewer than 10 people. Two mentors met with the groups twice a month. We encouraged the groups to schedule group activities in addition to the meetings, and to broaden their knowledge and exposure to different parts of the company so they could identify potential opportunities. Participant feedback indicated that getting input from mentors in the same affinity was very helpful.

Whether you create a general mentoring program or one based on affinity groups, best practices for your mentors and mentees are the same. Both mentor and mentees should be reminded of basic relationship skills: open and honest communication, active listening, being accessible, building trust, sharing knowledge and ideas, and working together to resolve differences. Here are some additional tips.

Mentor success tips:

Handle the awe factor. Make the mentee feel comfortable. Share times when you’ve made mistakes. Be enthusiastic and patient. Invite feedback.
Set expectations. Share your availability, preferred ways of communicating, and what you expect from the mentee in order for them to get the most out of the partnership.
Help with specific goals and plans. Encourage the mentee to develop a personal vision. Help them think of concrete goals based on their vision and a plan of how they’ll reach those goals.
Give feedback. Provide the mentee with frequent feedback, both positive and constructive. Help them measure progress.

Mentee success tips:

Ask questions. Ask for what you need in terms of knowledge, advice, guidance and information.
Keep your commitments. Arrive at meetings on time and prepared. Complete your action items.
Build trust. Communicate open and honestly. Respect confidentiality. Demonstrate a willingness to learn. Follow up and follow through.
Make the experience count. Keep a mentoring journal. Capture and reflect upon what you’ve learned and how you will apply the learning.

Increase HR Knowledge with Our Generalist Certificate Program

As a long-time HR Professional, I know that those who work in human resources must continually add to their knowledge about HR best practices, employment law, benefits and various other topics that impact companies and their employees. That’s why for the past two years I’ve been partnering with HR Training Centers to deliver their Certificate Program for HR Generalists. This 3-day program is designed to provide HR Generalists, and anyone responsible for the HR function, with practical solutions and strategies to manage the challenges HR professionals are faced with every day. This class is for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge about the various aspects of the HR function.

The next offering of the certificate program is July 17-19 at the Santa Clara Tech Mart, 5201 Great America Pkwy, Suite 360 Santa Clara, CA 95054. Register on or before June 17 to receive the early bird discount.

Participants in the program will:

Learn best practices and indispensable strategies for every HR function
Acquire the practical knowledge and tools needed to navigate employment law landmines
Practice their learning through “real-life” case studies
Network with other HR professionals
Earn an “HR Generalist Certificate” that enhances professional growth
Earn 18 PHR / SPHR re-certification credit hours
Earn 18 SHRM PDCs

Participants will also receive access to our Training & Certification Programs for FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and Paycheck Fundamentals!

The interactive workshop format of this program allows for plenty of discussion around real-life issues, resulting in knowledge and solutions that participants can immediately apply. I hope to see you there!