Check out my latest thoughts when I went to Bahrain for some business trip. Please see video below:

Here at the-  Coaching Chronicle -run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate. Today’s guest author is Martin Haworth.

The traditional view of micro-management is where a manager is so neurotic about the delivery of results that he or she cannot leave individuals to their own devices.

Micro-managers sabotage success simply because they are so close to what their people do that they stifle performance, thereby making the achievements of the desired results even more unlikely.

By failing to give responsibility to each individual to deliver what’s required, micro-managers very nearly do their job for them. This can be very demanding for the manager, who has to keep many more plates spinning than their role allows for, leading to not only exhaustion, but also to actual underperformance as they spread themselves too thinly to ensure quality outputs.

Employees find this sort of micro-management behavior incredibly frustrating. They feel watched, which diminishes their confidence. They feel that they are not trusted, so they tend to play safe and take few risks. They also find that they get nervous too, when they expect their boss to pop up at any moment to interfere and give them the guidance they clearly don’t need.

So micro-management is regarded by employees as a bad thing.

Smart managers micro-manage differently.

By seeking to interact with their people much less directly, they can understand the different motivators that every individual needs specially personalised to them. Getting to know their people, these particularly effective managers not only get to know what’s going on, they build strong, supportive and focused relationships that deliver.

Micro-managing relationships in this way, means that instead of getting close to the activities their people as tasked to deliver, they simply get close to the people themselves.

And it’s a set of skills that are easy to learn. Instead of being clever and knowing what’s best in the approach to tasks, savvy managers ask their people easy question, let them talk – and then listen, a lot. They let their people feel they are the success, because when employees talk, these exceptional managers recognise that what works is simply listening to them with focused attention and then asking them some more.

Micro-managing relationships is so much more valuable than micro-managing tasks. The accountability for team success clearly lies with a manager. Responsibility for delivering the component tasks that make up the big-picture result lies with individuals. Then each is doing what their individual roles requires.

Creating the sort of relationships that enable this dynamic and productive interaction is what defines the very best of management behaviors; management behaviors and attitudes.

Employees feel valued, heard, capable and confident and go on to contribute more; be pro-active; show their creativity; take on more. Managers make time for their people and, with clear expectations of each and every one of their people defined, step back from getting in the way.

Micromanaging relationships works very effectively indeed. A long way from micro-managing tasks, for which it’s much better to leave to the valuable resource of the employees they lead.

Credit Source: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/158/Special-Secrets-to-MicroManaging-Employee-Performance.html

(c) 2010 Martin Haworth is a business and management coach and trainer. He is the author of Super Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly development program for managers of EVERY skill level and a leadership and management trainer and coach at Coach Train Learn!

Click here to visit Martin’s website

Here at the-  Coaching Chronicle -run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate.
Today’s guest author is Dr Richard Norris.

Question:

Have you ever sabotaged your success?

Note sure? Well let me ask this another way.

Have you ever been indecisive or procrastinated in your past and you know it has cost you?

Time for some honesty.  To both questions I can categorically say, “Yes”.  From experience and from study of the human condition, I know that the majority of us have at some time on our own Journey of Success been a saboteur.

By way of example, picture yourself going for a walk in the countryside. You are following a meandering but trodden path and you come to a fork in the path.

Scenario #1:        You have no map. Which path do you take? Will either do?

Scenario #2:        You have a map. Which path do you take? Why?

What you have before you is, therefore, a choice; a decision.

To make that choice, to enhance your self-leadership and to prevent you from staying stuck at the fork and sabotaging your Journey of Success you must be…

Decisive.

Every day we come across forks along our path. Every day we must face and make decisions. Some decisions are reasonably simple such as choosing what to eat for breakfast or which route to take to work or what to wear. Self-leadership 101. We don’t tend to spend too much time at these forks. Others are more complex – buying a house, choosing a career, accepting a promotion. Self-leadership Advanced. The more complex or difficult a decision is for you the more you need to weigh the benefits versus the consequences. These decisions often keep us at the fork…sometimes too long.

Some people will come to that fork, make a decision (right or wrong) and move on quickly – the Hare. Some others will arrive there and move on after due consideration (it is assumed they have a “map” of where they are heading) – the Fox. Still others will just stay at that spot and delay making that decision – the Tortoise. Then there is that final group who head back the way they came – the Mouse.

Interestingly, we have all likely shown one of these four types of decision-maker at some point in our lives.

Now cast your mind back to 12 months ago. In comparison consider where you are today compared to then.

Question:              Right now are you therefore where you expected to be?

No? Why not? What decisions did you fail to make or which wrong ones did you make? Which type of decision-maker do you most often represent?

You and me are exactly where we are because our lives are the sum total of all the decision we have made. So, if you don’t like where you are you right now you need to become more decisive. You need to lead yourself better.

If you, like me, desire to progress your own Journey of Success and develop the leader within you must, therefore, be prepared to make effective new, different and/or faster decisions.

A lifeguard on the beach, like a doctor, is trained to save lives. When someone gets in trouble in the water that lifeguard must be decisive.  Skills, knowledge and experience are all weighed up quickly, a decision made and a path chosen.

Question:              Are you a Tortoise? Have you ever procrastinated?

If you are note sure, stop procrastinating!!

Procrastination

Contrary to popular belief procrastination is not a decision. It is a protracted pause before making one.  Sadly people and organizations will often justify their procrastination and dress it up that they are awaiting more information or they need someone else to make the decision. These are often just excuses and they are in denial.

Fear & Lack of Confidence

A lack or inability to make a decision can arise because of fear or lack of confidence. Fear because they don’t want to get it wrong (perhaps this has happened in the past and they associate it with such negative emotions that they don’t want to go there again). Fear because they are outside their comfort zone and in the area of the unknown.

Lack of confidence because they believe they need more information and/or they don’t know how to make a decision i.e. they do not have a decision-making process in their organization or they do not understand their own strategies for making effective decisions.

Let’s consider the need for more information. This is where the 80/20 Rule or Pareto’s Principle applies. In this instance what it means is that you will glean 80% of the required information to make your decision in the first 20% of the time you deem required to make the decision.

Sadly there are those who don’t just need more information they need all of it. There is a name for such people – Perfectionists. There is no such thing as perfection. Considering the Information Age we live in be realistic. If you are a perfectionist then that means you are a saboteur of your success. That used to be me. As a perfectionist you will never have all the information. You will be stuck at that fork forever!

Don’t let perfect get in the way of excellent!

Speed & Intuition

The obvious desired outcome from a decision is to make the right choice. You will never learn to make the right choice if you flee from making decisions (Mouse) or stay stuck at that fork for too long (Tortoise).

From what I have read, observed in others and experienced myself, the more decisive you become the more effective you become in due time. Why do I say this? Initially, you may be that Hare and also be impulsive in your decisions. Sometimes you will make the right decision. Sometimes you will not. When you don’t is when you need to stop and understand how you went about making that decision and why? Study your decisions and their outcomes. Understand their context. Seek out what makes the good decisions good and delivers your desired outcome. Discern your decision-making strategy or strategies.

Recall times in your past when you were sitting exams. Remember those multiple choice questions. Early on in my education they confused me and even scared me at times. Even when I knew the subject material well these questions often intimidated me. Some I immediately knew the answer. Others (and I am sure you can relate to this) I would ponder over the various choices and eventually make one and mark my examination paper….then I would go back and change my answer. When I got the test back I often found that my first answer had been right. Imagine the impact as at that time I was a perfectionist!

My mum then taught me to trust my gut and go with my first choice. Her advice proved sound and it should for you too! It will move you down the right path the more you trust your gut.

Risk & Benefits

With every decision there is an associated risk. The size of the risk will be both subjective (based on your perceptions) and objective (based on tangible factors that can adversely affect the outcome of the decision). You will, therefore, need to do a risk assessment. Small decisions and decisions that have previously created repeatable results will have minimal risk so you risk assessment will likely be completed intuitively. Significant big decisions where everything to be considered in the decision is new carry a higher risk profile. These require more time, information and even people to make an effective decision.

How do you assess those risks? Depending on the fork and the different path options before you, one simple approach I use is to write down the answers to the following 4 questions:

1. What are the benefits of making this choice?
2. What are the consequences of making this choice?
3. What are the benefits of not making this choice?
4. What are the consequences of not making this choice?

Address those and are far more effective at weighing the risks and making the right decision for you.

Conclusion:

What is your tendency – to be a Hare, a Fox, a Tortoise or a Mouse? Which do you need to become to make more effective and efficient decisions and progress your Journey of Success?

Choices arise every day. Decisions need to be made every day. Reduce their cost. So that means you must make them. No procrastinating. You must know how. No indecision. You must trust your gut.

Imagine. What would it mean to you personally, to your family, and to your life today when you become more decisive? What would it mean to your team? Your organization?

Efficiency. Effectiveness. Growth. Progress. Results.

Now go forth. Decide.

Dr Richard Norris is a speaker, author and leadership coach with a focus on self-leadership. To contact him please email rnorris@ypncompanies.com  and visit his website www.drrichardnorris.com

Are you feeling called to hire a coach to create your extraordinary life? As you will discover there are lots of “coaches” out there. But some folks who use the term “coach” don’t have enough training, or follow ethical and professional standards. Before you begin investigating coaches, begin thinking about why you want to hire a coach, and some of your short-term and long-term goals. That way you’ll be able to locate a coach who resonates with your personality and your aspirations.

Meanwhile, here are three guidelines to help you make a wise choice.

1. The key criteria I would use in hiring a coach consists first of finding out what their training as a coach has been. There are those out there who call themselves Coaches but who have never taken any training, formal or otherwise.

Have they attended or are they currently attending a coach training program? Is the school or program a reputable one that includes classes, exams, and a certification program? Did the coach get feedback and supervision about their coaching from more advanced coaches and trainers?

You’ll want to know that the coach has learned the actual skills and competencies that are standard in coaching by attending a coach training program. Whenever I go to a professional for services, I certainly expect that they be trained to provide the service, so this is a most important starting place.

2. Next, I would be curious about their background.

If I want to start a successful business, I’d want a coach who is a role model of that. If I want to have more balance in my life, I’d want evidence my coach lives this way. A coach is someone who is ahead of you right now that will assist you to move forward with them and their experience in business and life is highly valuable.

Are they walking their talk? As you are clear on your goals, you’ll want to find a coach who has quickly and effortlessly achieved such vision and can coach you to achieve your goals and way beyond.

3. The final criteria is understanding the personality and chemistry that feels right for you.

Some coaches are pushovers and will let you slide and get away with not moving forward fast. They match what some people are looking for.

Other coaches are on the opposite end of the spectrum and are what we call “edgy” and they push hard and expect you to run rapidly. That personality may fit for you and inspire you.

Yet others are a blend – they can be supportive and loving – yet give you a kick-start if and when you are sluggish.

Think about what style you may enjoy most. If you’d get angry with an edgy coach, then one wouldn’t match for you. If you felt the softer approach wasn’t going to get you going fast enough, then pass that coach by.

It is for you to get clear on the style that fits. Ask for a short trial session to see if you “fit”. Some coaches won’t offer this, but some will… you can only ask and it is in your best interests.

Business mentor Terri Levine specializes in helping entrepreneur-owned businesses achieve record-breaking growth. Based in Philadelphia, Terri is founder and CEO of Comprehensive Coaching U, Inc., The Professional’s Coach Training Program. She has been featured on ABC, NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, and in more than 1,500 publications. She is a sought after public speaker and the best-selling author of Sell Without Selling, Coaching Is for Everyone and Stop Managing Start Coaching. Learn more at http://www.TerriLevine.com. Contact Terri at terri@terrilevine.com

Credit source: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/189/How-To-Pick-the-Right-Coach-For-You.html

Here at the Coaching Chronicle- run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate.
Today’s guest author is Dr Richard Norris.

You Are Determined The Quality of Your Relationships

I was speaking on success and people development at a national conference recently. One focus of the conference was employee engagement. Based on that focus it was clear that engaged people lead to improved productivity, performance and success.

Upon further reflection I connected a few more dots. Employee engagement and customer/client engagement have many similarities. The same applies to team-mates on sports teams. And of course there are similarities with friend & family engagement too.

Rather than dissect this out and scrutinize under the microscope each of these “engagements” let’s apply some common sense to one and all.

So let’s begin…

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. Now please feel free to replace life with more specific roles from your life to make this more relevant. So….insert

• Leadership
• Management
• Team
• Business
• Family
• Friendships
• Marriage

Let’s be frank. If the quality is not what you would like it to be then you are 100% responsible for what you are experiencing right now. It is you, your decisions, your actions, your habits and your behaviours that have brought these relationships into your life. If you don’t like them, change them! And that change must begin with you. Why? Because… You are the common denominator in all those relationships. This brings us round to self-leadership again.

In your life you get the people you deserve. Now before you start emailing me or leaving comments refuting this, please just stop. Think about it. Every single person who crosses the path of your Journey of Success has something to teach you. Life is a mirror. Those people are reflecting something – the good, the bad and the ugly. The good affirms you. The bad should alarm you. The ugly should scare you! Regardless of which category they may fall into you need to become proactive and look searchingly for the lesson in each relationship.

To make this more practical and realistic let me relate a true story from a coaching client of mine. It covers both the personal relationships and the professional ones.

Remove the Dead Weight

At the time I was coaching Robert (not his real name) through some challenging strategies that were changing the way he did business. His was a 7 figure business that supported other businesses providing peace-of-mind services so that his clients could focus on what they did best.  Our focus was to create a new and improved business service that ensured that success were sustainable. This we did over 15 months but not with some challenges along the way.

Early on we identified that for those key and fundamental changes to take place we would have to change the type of customers he had. He had more problem customers than he did good ones. To cut a long story short we:

1. Changed the reference from customer to client. A customer implies just a transaction. A client implies a long-term relationship.
2. Defined the profile of the ideal client.
3. Against that ideal definition and the relevant criteria we placed his clients into one of four categories:
   1. D = Dead or dying – these are the nightmare clients who are often the most vocal, most demanding and worst paying. We put them out of their misery and ours. They were “fired”!
   2. C = Challenging – these have the potential to improve if they so wish. As deftly as possible they were informed and guided to shape up or ship out!
   3. B = Better – these are generally good to work with and the relationship has promise. Some grooming required.
   4. A = Awesome! These are the ideal. The relationship is pure pleasure.
   5. Re-educated and managed his client list so that those who stayed desired to become Awesome.

When we started the list was 80% C’s and D’s. Within 6 months it was 80% A’s and B’s and we were attracting more of the same quality relationships (thanks to a few other strategies) and his business took off. Please note we also applied this approach to his team of employees.

Identify the Crabs

Based on the Awesome! focus with his business, Robert’s business began to grow.  Any business will grow so long as its leadership is growing too by way of skills, knowledge and experience.

As that began to happen Robert came to me with a personal matter. His circle of friends (many from childhood) did not like who he was coming. Robert knew his purpose, had his Journey of Success mapped out reasonably well and was heading in the right direction. His friends were not. Most had no map. Robert came from the other side of the tracks.

At that point I explained that every relationship in his life had to come to point where it needed to be reviewed. I believe my words were,

“Some people are for a reason, some for a season and some for a lifetime.”

After some further discussion we established he had to review each relationship and figure out was it for a reason, season or lifetime. We agreed he would go back to his friends and inform them that he was changing for the better. If they wanted to join him and grow to a higher level he would be happy to help them. If they wanted him to stay as he used to be, he would gently thank them for the important and valued role that had in that part of his life and then draw that relationship to an end (a season).

As with Robert I will give you a helpful analogy.

Identify the crabs in your life and get rid of them.

You are crab fishing. You catch a crab. You put it in an open-topped bucket. What will it do? Try to get out. So you put a lid on.

You catch a second crab. You put it in the bucket. You need no lid. Why? Because when one tries to get out the other one pulls it back.

So…who are the crabs in your life? Clients? Colleagues? Team-mates? Family?…

Please note if the crabs are those in your family, especially if you are married to them, you may have to be creative about how you manage their attitude.

Relationship Round-up

Now it is down to you whether at home, at work or elsewhere. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. You can cross-apply all of this to any relationship in your life (even with yourself). So as a reminder…

• Identify the crabs.
• Determine if a relationship is for a reason, season or lifetime.
• Stick with the A’s and B’s

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships.

Remember you are 100% responsible for every relationship that is in your life. Improve your relationships that matter most. Lead yourself. You will be glad you did.

Copyright 2011

Dr Richard Norris is a speaker, author and award-winning leadership coach with a focus on self-leadership. To contact him about this article or on his services please email rnorris@ypncompanies.com  and visit his website www.drrichardnorris.com

“Powerful Strategies For Meeting And Greeting People, From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”

Every day in every businessperson’s life, there are many meetings and greetings. And many of those are an initial contact were you want to ensure you make a strong positive first impression. Still others present great opportunities to enhance existing relationships. So if we think strategically, what simple strategies can we use to ensure successful meetings and greetings?

My personal experiences throughout my professional career in the public and private sector bring some powerful strategies to mind for meeting and greeting people. One strategic goal is to make people feel comfortable within the first few minutes of meeting you so they will want to do business with you. If you master some of the powerful strategies I have included below and become confident of the rules for those critical initial encounters, you will have a solid start for long-term profitable relationships. The ten simplest and most effective strategies for meeting and greeting people that I have discovered and used are:

1. Always do your homework about who you may be meeting and greeting. This will help you introduce people in the proper order and will provide you with information to use in the introductions of others.
2. Develop a 30 second elevator speech to introduce yourself and practice it so it becomes very natural for you.
3. Always stand up when you are introduced to someone. Standing will allow you the opportunity to engage the person on a more equal basis (eye-to-eye). The message you send if you remain seated is very negative and tells the other person you don’t feel they are important enough to warrant you standing up. There may be circumstances where you are not able to stand, and then it is appropriate to ask to be excused for not getting up.
4. Always smile! It is important to remember that your facial expression sends a stronger message than your words. You want to look as if you are pleased to meet the other person, regardless of what you may be thinking at that time.
5. Always make direct eye contact when meeting and greeting someone. This sends them a message that you are focused and interested in them. Staring somewhere else or looking around the room will send a very negative message of disinterest in the person you have met.
6. Always introduce yourself immediately. Do not wait for someone else to introduce you.
7. Always be prepared to offer a firm handshake. And understand that the person who puts out their hand first is displaying confidence. One note of caution her is that if you are in a foreign country, always research the local customs and procedures for the handshake.
8. Always commit to remembering the names of people you meet. A simple and effective technique to assist you in remembering people’s names is to repeat the name of the person as soon as you hear it and then use the name a few times in your conversation.
9. Always be sensitive to using first names of people you have just met. A word of caution would be to be more formal on the first encounter. Today, I find that many people will suggest or request that you call them by their first name, unless it is a very formal setting.
10. Practice, practice, practice the use of the powerful strategies.

If you want to learn more about powerful strategies for meeting and greeting people and the tremendous impact this can have on your success and the success of your business, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

Credit source: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/223/Powerful-Strategies-For-Meeting-And-Greeting-People-From-Your-Strategic-Thinking-Business-Coach.html

Am I a Leader?

Not everyone has what it takes to be a good leader. Leadership is not a quality that we are all born with. Some people can lead while others prefer to follow. However, quite often people who may think they don’t have what it takes to be a leader are actually wrong. Leadership isn’t about being right or smart. Just because somebody is successful or makes smart money decisions, doesn’t mean they are necessarily a good leader. Leadership is about recognising personal weaknesses while identifying strengths in others. The key to becoming a successful leader is identifying these leadership traits and being able to bring them out and utilise them. But to identify them, you need to ask yourself some key questions first:

Are you a people person?

Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi one of the world’s greatest leaders, said: “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” Ghandi recognised that good leadership is about people. The task of leading a team involves many facets. This may include having an open door to listen to people’s problems, being sympathetic and understanding, and recognising when people’s faults are getting the better of them. Poor leaders all too often hide themselves away, remain aloof or can’t handle the variety of problems that people management involves. Empathy is a facet all leaders need to possess. Leaders should be honest too. Withholding information from a team, especially if it concerns them, is a sure fire way to lose trust. If bad news is on the horizon, keeping people informed of it will retain their confidence, rather than have them feel that you’ve let them down.

Can you show by example?

It may be a cliché, but all good leaders need to lead by example. In business, it’s all too common for managers to expect others to do all the work, but people are not encouraged by this approach. The kings of old knew this. They would lead their armies into battle from the front, instilling a passion and dedication from their followers. The same is true in business. Rolling your sleeves up when necessary and getting stuck in will inspire others. Being seen as one of the team rather than just the boss creates loyalty and dedication. All too often, large businesses develop a them-and-us culture between management and the workforce. This is largely due to a lack of leading by example.

Are you passionate about what you are doing?

Having faith and confidence in what you are trying to achieve is essential for leadership. If you don’t have any enthusiasm for the task in hand, it’s hardly likely people are going to be inspired by you. When people see you working late, dedicating your time and showing passion in the importance of what you are trying to achieve, it will infect others. If you don’t believe in what you are doing, then it’s highly likely you are in the wrong job and certainly shouldn’t be leading others.

Can you communicate?

Communication is two-way. All too often, managers delegate and give instructions while failing to listen to other people’s views. As mentioned, being a leader doesn’t mean you are going to be right all the time. The experience and skills of the people working in the team are a leader’s most valuable assets. A good leader recognises this and uses them. Good communication also means making firm decisions and relaying instructions clearly and concisely. Indecision will not inspire confidence in a leader, while dressing up instructions in convoluted business speak may mean information get lost in translations. Good leaders need to be decisive and clear in their requirements.

Can you trust others?

Delegation is as essential aspect for any leader. You can’t do it all. Not having faith in the people you delegate tasks too is also a sign of a weak leader. A leader needs to show confidence in his or her workforce. When people make mistakes, as inevitably happens, this may mean taking responsibility for them, rather than blaming whomever the task was delegated to. People need to know they have their manager’s trust. If not, they will be reluctant to volunteer or take control of projects.

Are you organised?

Good planning and organisation are effective skills for any leader. Chaos and disorganisation will soon infect the team as a whole. A good leader instils confidence by appearing confident. If you are organised and know what you’re doing, then it is more likely the team will too.