To what degree does the way you behave with another person influence how they subsequently behave towards you? Parental research would suggest that kids very often demonstrate many of the same characteristics of their parents. But even beyond this there is also an innate human behavior that will “fight fire with fire”. Another way of putting this is that perhaps you get what you deserve.

So what happens when you translate this to leadership and more specifically the behaviors of leaders? In the Read more »

Lawyers and Journalist pride themselves on the ability to be able to ask the right questions; whether it is the testimony of somebody in the courtroom or the next breaking story. However within both of these situations it’s not always about the truth or doing what’s right for the person being questioned. In fact the person “in the firing line” is often but a mere pawn in a bigger game in the primary pursuit of somebody else’s agenda. So who is supposed to be the real beneficiary of questioning?

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What does it take to become an Optimal Sales Professional? What does this even mean? Think about sales people you know who are really at the top of their game on a consistent basis. What are some of their unique characteristics? Why does selling seem so easy and natural to them? The answer to this question lies in understanding the three contributing factors to optimal performance. Though this will be illustrated in the context of a sales professional, the same Read more »

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 »