As a developmental methodology, coaching has emerged as a very effective set of skills and tools that is not “flavor of the month” and continues to have a positive impact on individuals and organizations. Why is that? The simple reason is that these skills are practical, relatively simple in understanding and, quite surprisingly, common sense. Unfortunately however they are not a natural default setting for most people. We prefer to speak rather than question or listen, we consider primarily our own perspective, and we typically think of ourselves before others. Whilst this is not all Read more »

The ideal selling experience is characterized by appropriate Preparation, Execution and Delivery. These three legs of the sales stool are equally critical and often too much emphasis is placed on one which can jeopardize the whole opportunity. Let’s look at each:

Notwithstanding the obvious in terms of punctuality, appearance and relevant collateral materials, this also has a lot to do with the psychological mindset of the salesperson going into meetings with potential customers. Consider approaching this process in a “coach” like manner. Yes you have to present what you sell but the emphasis needs to switch quickly Read more »

With billions of dollars spend every year on professional development and training, how much really sticks?  We have all heard the comments “the training was awesome” and then very little changes. Or how many have attended programs where half the participants didn’t want to be there and the other half didn’t know why they were? I’ll let you judge which half you belonged to! Part of the challenge is with the way many training programs are delivered. And even if the content is rich, Read more »

Coaching skills provide a tremendous framework for improved communication and also inspire and implement the action necessary to achieve a desired result. In an effective manager / report relationship what would it take to make this interaction even better? How about a manger who demonstrates emotionally intelligent behavior working with a report who is highly motivated? This surely feels like “Coaching Utopia” with all the ingredients present for a successful outcome.

Of course you might be thinking that this is not realistic and rarely would you Read more »

Organizations are for ever wondering what the magic pill to optimum people performance might be. There are so many factors that relate to this such as knowledge, attitude, personality, communications, behaviors, etc that makes “achieving optimum” quite illusive and rather complex. Needs analysis and assessments are conducted to help disseminate what is most critical and development plans are created accordingly. These go a long way but not the full journey.

Though coaching at its purest is very much about meeting your client where they are, a question also arises as to how a coach can appropriately educate and enlighten. Information and knowledge is a key to advancement and very often coaches possess this wisdom but are not quite sure how to share.

In truth the best coaches are also teachers. They are blessed with an uncanny ability of presenting knowledge in a very receptive way because they are doing it with a sense of purpose for their Read more »

Employee engagement is the collective level of intellectual and emotional commitment employees have toward their work and organization. More and more organizations are embracing this as a means to understanding how they measure up from an engagement perspective. Consequently many different types of tools and surveys are now being accessed to help create some objectivity as to how people feel about their work.

Once these surveys are undertaken and organizations wish to elevate their engagement score, three areas where significant developmental opportunities exist are:

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

Do qualities Read more »

Generally, when one learns what constitutes key coaching skills there is no major surprise as the concepts seem simple – questioning, listening, clarifying, acknowledging, validating etc. Even as one goes deeper such as empowering questions and intuitive listening, people will still offer a nod of understanding as to what these mean. However execution of these skills does not come as natural and why is that?

The main reason is that effective execution of these simple concepts is counter intuitive to how we are brought up. Although Read more »

Through various research studies the inherent link between employee engagement and emotional intelligence has become quite accepted. However what is also emerging is that by placing the emphasis entirely on leadership demonstrating emotionally intelligent behavior in pursuit of the “engaged workforce”, an important element is being overlooked.

What about the “disengaged” employee? Are they influenced solely by how their manager behaves? Don’t they have their role to play in this as well? In addressing these questions it becomes apparent that the element that speaks to this missing link is Motivation.Read more »

Have you ever been at a meeting where there might be some tension which is contributing to a less than productive interaction?  Somebody has said the wrong thing or done something that exception is taken to and, before you know it, the meeting is going down hill rapidly.

What in fact has happened is that a stimulus, whether a word or action, has caused a drain in energy for many in the room and they become emotionally disconnected.  This manifests itself in a mood shift where people are no longer listening, not wanting to contribute and certainly not receptive to taking Read more »