Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog

College Football Rivals

In college football, where fans of opposing teams can’t agree on much of anything, they do share one opinion: There is no such thing as a boring rivalry.

Rivalry games make or break seasons even when the matchups appear lopsided. This season’s rivalry weekend, for instance, has a number of them: Florida State, Ohio State and Oregon are all in the College Football Playoff race, while rivals Florida, Michigan and Oregon State are all having excruciating seasons. But if any of them pull off an upset Saturday, it would make their year—and ruin their rival’s.

The oomph in every rivalry comes from similarity, proximity and history.

Auburn versus Alabama—an intrastate matchup of public universities that dates to 1893—could be a case study. Research also shows that sports rivalries are stronger when their historical records against each other are closer.  

As it happens, heading into Saturday’s games, Auburn-Alabama and Ole Miss-Mississippi State both are 18-16 since 1980 in favor of the former, while Ohio State leads Michigan, 17-16, with one tie.

There is enough scholarly literature about choking under pressure to fill Michigan Stadium, while academics caution that they are just beginning to learn how rivalries shape our lives.

Researchers are currently studying whether rivalries across all industries lead to overconfidence, riskier strategies or unethical actions, among other behavioral shifts.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2014

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The Challenge of Change

At the helm of each failed company was a leadership team whose primary purpose was to deliver a financial return for the company's stakeholders and to do so year after year.  Then one day these companies lost their edge and got beat.  The market shifted away from them, their customers sought something different, a new competitor stole a chunk of their market share, or they simply failed to keep abreast of the market.  In a nutshell, they failed to innovate.

Innovation is the key to prosperity in competitive markets.  Every significant business venture traces its roots to an original spark of innovation.  In most instances, the founder invented an experience or product with unique attributes that was superior to the available options.

Innovations are the result of a rigorous creation process in which an idea is tested and rebuilt over successive iterations until what remains is more right than the available alternatives. 

It requires two ingredients that are relatively scarce in established companies today.  First, any innovation must be predicated on detailed and accurate information about the intended end state as well as what the enterprise is capable of producing.  Which leads to the second ingredient: innovation endeavors require a champion--an individual with the clout and awareness to shepherd meaningful change efforts.

Translating change efforts into process terms provides several benefits:

The scope of an initiative is clearly identified leaving no room for confusion and eliminating the need for initiative owner to beat the bushes for clarity.

The very processes that must be included in the design and execution of the initiative are spelled out in the initiative itself.

Using processes as the basis of communicating change initiatives creates a foundation for initiative management.

A process-focused enterprise is an organization that has adopted the process-management philosophy to manage its resources and also defines improvement initiatives in the language of process adjustments.  Operating as a process-focused enterprise requires the implementation of three key elements--a process structure, a governance structure and an innovation plan.

Source: David Hamme: Customer Focused Process Innovation: Linking Strategic Intent to Everyday Execution

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Entrepreneurs' Successful Exit

The elements of a successful exit breaks down into four stages: exploration, strategy, execution and transition--all potentially tricky.

Entrepreneurs who leave their positions with a sense of accomplishment, feeling well compensated and secure in the belief that their employees would be treated well by their successors, feel better about the move.

Some advice for anyone who owns a business or is planning to launch one:

If you haven't already begun thinking about your eventual exit, now is the time to start.  You should do so even if you currently believe that you'll never want to sell the business.  For your sake and your company's sake, you should begin to think now about the circumstances under which you might leave and do all you can to ensure that the company could be sold at some point for as much money as possible.

As noted, there are four stages in the exit process, and doing the deal comes not first or second, but third.  It's preceded by the strategic phase, when you build into the company the qualities and characteristics that will allow you to have the kind of exit you want.

The timing has nothing to do with whether you want to do it.  It's just the right time to sell.  You sell when the selling is good, not when you think you'd like to.  Doing anything else, you run the risk of leaving a whole bunch of money on the table.

The more prepared you are when that day comes, the more likely it is that the parting will be a happy one.

Source: Bo Burlingham: Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top

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Leaders Build and Maintain Trust

Trust is something that the highly successful leader constructs over time and then nurtures over the course of any relationship.

When you do things that increase the level of trust, your capacity to build relationships, create and seize opportunities, and achieve success increases substantially.  When trust is high, you become more effective and influential in all aspects of your life.  Even the most complex interactions and transactions become significantly easier when there is a high level of trust.

If you want to influence, do business with, or interact safely with others, building trust is essential.  If you are trusted, people will generally be relaxed around you.  They will be confident that you will treat them well and fairly.

Here are a few specific actions you can take to make yourself worthy of trust:

Do high-quality work and finish it on schedule.

Be consistent so that others will see you as reliable.

Be predictable.  Have a reputation for following through on what you say you will do.

Be open in communicating commitments, and be willing to have your performance measured.

Give trust.  As with most other things in life, you get what you give when you practice the Law of Reciprocity ( http://LawofReciprocity.com ).

Tell the truth.  If you are hiding something or telling half-truths, eventually you will get caught up in your web of lies.

As you achieve trustworthiness and meet the expectations of others, you will experience peace and balance in your life.  Your relationships will be more rewarding, you will be better able to resist negative influences, and you will build self-respect.

Source: Steve Shallenberger: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

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Women Leadership Voices

Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., Chief executive of the Y.W.C.A. USA:

"There are so few women in leadership, and the burden on women who are leaders is so high, because you’re expected to be everything to everybody, and to pave the way and bring more women in, and root out all the bad stuff."

Sharon Napier, Chief executive, Partners + Napier, an ad agency:

"I love to see someone at a lower or a midlevel position walk into a meeting and know what their role is and have a point of view. Don’t sit quietly and think about things and maybe whisper to somebody or tell people afterward. Put yourself out there, and get involved in the conversation."

Jody Greenstone Miller, Chief executive, the Business Talent Group, which finds projects for independent professionals:

"If you just ask me about things that affected my career, being a woman would not be on the list. I really don’t think of it that way. I also don’t think the discussion is healthy about, “Here’s how women lead. Here’s how men lead.”

I believe that for two reasons. One is that I think there are lots of different kinds of women leaders and lots of different kinds of men leaders. There isn’t one type of leader who is different because of sex."

Jenny Ming, Chief executive of Charlotte Russe, a clothing chain:

"A store director once said to me: “Jenny, you’re just too nice. You let people walk all over you.” When people say those words, they put you in a little box, and the message is that you’re not leadership material. So I realized early on that you need to let people know what your expectations are, but not tell them specifically what to do."

Source: The New York Times, Sunday Business, November 16, 2014

 More at: Career Women Coaching blog at www.CareerWomenCoaching.com

  When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women 

 

  Women and Time Management

 Can't Get Enough Leadership

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  Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge.

 

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Be the Best Bad Presenter

  According to Forbes, 90% of all people have anxiety about public speaking.

Everyone's heard tips like "Picture your audience in their underwear," and "Practice in front of a mirror," but Karen Hough has written "Be the Best Bad Presenter Ever" to help the 90% feel truly confident in presentations--by being our authentic selves.  You can't be authentic if you're following rules that drain the life and personality out of your presentation, Hough says.  It's authenticity and passion that win people over, not polish.

You have more potential to give great presentations than any polished phony on the planet.  Because guess what?  You're not innately a terrible presenter.  Someone else's rules are making you "bad"--rules from Presentations 101--the rules that box you in, regulate everything you do, and define "good" presentations.

Don't worry about all the rules you've been taught.  People would rather see you, warts and all, if you can communicate with passion.  And that's when all the things you want will follow--jobs, funding, support, partners, believers.  So do it Your Way.

 Be Passionately Bad

 Just like Michael Jackson, you are now bad in the coolest way. 

Passion--what you care about most--is the core of authenticity.  It's the real deal, and you have it.

It's a special part of our psyche, values and beliefs.  We can talk about our passion for hours, and it's always interesting to us.  And the best part is that in a presentation, passion overrides technique.

Source: Karen Hough: Be the Best Bad Presenter Ever: Break the Rules, Make Mistakes, and Win Them Over

Andy Balser: Power through Presentations: Tips and Tricks to Build a Better Slide Deck

Leadership in the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

  

RVIA Membership Directory

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Special Award Presented to an individual within the RV industry who has made extraordinary contributions to the industry's overall success. 2012 Norm Jacobson Lance Camper Manufacturing Corp. 2011 Sid Johnson Jayco, Inc. 2010 The RV Financing Community 2009 Pete Liegl Forest River, Inc. 2007 Wade Thompson Thor Industries 2006 Jim Sheldon Monaco Coach Corporation 2005 Don Walter Starcraft RV 2004 Mel Adams Airxcel, Inc. 2003 B.J. Thompson B.J. Thompson Associates, Inc. 2002 Thomas Faludy Carefree of Colorado 2001 Bob Tiffin Tiffin Motor Homes, Inc. 2000 Warren F. Jones Hehr International, Inc. 1996 Elden L. Smith Fleetwood Enterprises 1995 Robert Strawn RVDA 1994 Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association 1993 Allen Yoder, Jr. Jayco, Inc. 1991 Thomas Corson Coachmen Industries 1989 John C. Crean Fleetwood Enterprises 1988 Dale Robertson U.S. Forest Service 1987 Family Motor Coach Association 1986 Warren F. Jones Hehr International, Inc. 1985 William F. Morie Georgia Automobile Dealers Association 1984 Vice President and Mrs. George Bush 1983 John Agno Thetford Corporatlon 1980 Sheldon Coleman The Coleman Company 1979 Hon. Richard Lugar U.S. Senator (R), Indiana 1979 Hon. John Brademas U.S. Representative (D), Indiana 1979 Hon. Birch Bayh U.S. Senator (D), Indiana 1979 Foremost Insurance Company Grand Rapids, Michigan 1979 Ford Motor Company Detroit, Michigan

Hello Deflation

Deflation Rearing its Ugly Head in Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Ways Around the Globe

By Steve Hochberg and Pete Kendall, Elliott Wave  International

The following article  was adapted with permission from the November 2014 issue of The Elliott Wave  Financial Forecast, a publication from Elliott Wave International, the world's  largest market forecasting firm. Follow this link for the complete article.

According to the latest figures, deflation is now perched on  China's doorstep.

In September, China's consumer price index was up 1.6%, but  its producer price index fell 1.8%. The CPI increase was its lowest since 2010.

Economic growth is also receding. It's hard to pinpoint the  exact figures, because Chinese economic data is notoriously sketchy. But in  September, demand for electric power, a "bellwether for China economic  activity," fell 8.4% from the prior month, the second straight monthly  decline.

"Deflation is the real risk in China," stated the  chief economist at a Hong Kong bank.

In Europe, deflation is no longer a possible risk; it's  reality.

In September, eleven of fifteen European Union members  experienced lower goods prices, and the latest quarter-over-quarter Eurozone  growth in real GDP is zero. The next chart shows the Eurostat Eurozone  year-over-year change in goods prices, which is -0.3% in September.

Follow  this link to continue reading about the latest deflation figures from the U.S.  >>

P.S.  This event is open to current Elliott Wave International subscribers and Club  EWI members only. If you do not yet have a free Club EWI account, you can  follow this link to set up one now.

About the Publisher, Elliott Wave International:  Founded in 1979 by Robert R. Prechter Jr., Elliott Wave International (EWI) is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

 

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Capitalize on Your Strengths

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer"  --Albert Einstein

Malcolm Gladwell suggests that 10,000 hours is the period of time required to reach critical mass in terms of expertise and insight.  The main point is that hard work, not just natural abilities or high IQ, often determine a person's ultimate success and level of expertise in a particular domain.

Numerous studies have shown that expertise and creativity emerge in relation to a particular domain of knowledge or activity. For example, we might say that a particular person is gifted as an artist, a musician, a writer, or leader.  Human beings exhibit an astonishing array of strengths and abilities.  To become really good or even "gifted" requires that we spend considerable time developing our innate talents, strengths and abilities.

You may discover your signature talents by using tools to assess your multiple intelligences.  Once you have taken some assessments, you will become more clear of those signature talents.

The interesting thing about your unique personal profile is that it represents two things: areas of strength and areas for development.  How strong you are in a particular intelligence is a measure of your abilities and how much time you have spent in that domain of knowledge.

It is up to you to decide where to put your time and energy.  It is important to look at the combination of strengths that you possess.  The top two or more strengths create composites that map to other macro qualities such as jobs and professions.

Source:  Eric W. Stein: Fostering Creativity in Self and the Organization: Your Professional Edge  

 Tom Rath: StrengthsFinder 2.0

 

 Marcus Buckingham: StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution

 

 John G Agno: Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge.

- See more at: http://www.coachingtip.com/2014/10/your-professional-edge.html

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Conflict Intelligence

How well do you manage conflict with your boss or other superiors at work, or with the more difficult employees you need to supervise?

Conflict is a lot like fire.  When it sparks, it can intensify, spread and lead to pain, loss and irreparable damage.  It can distract, distance, derail and occasionally destroy opportunities and relationships.

Understanding how conflict and power affect each other is vital to effective conflict management, but talking about power differences openly is still taboo in most places in society.  Power and authority differences between disputants can radically change the nature of effective conflict management.

But conflicts up and down the chain of command are a different game completely; when the rules change, so must our strategies and tactics.  Conflict-prone professional environments and political networks require leaders, managers and employees to have a wide array of conflict management strategies and tactics and to be able to employ them artfully and effectively.

"MAKING CONFLICT WORK: Harnessing the Power of Disagreement" by Peter T. Coleman and Robert Ferguson is about conflict, power and change.  It chronicles the challenges and opportunities we face when we find ourselves in conflict with those in authority and with those we have authority over.

Source: Peter T. Coleman: Making Conflict Work: Harnessing the Power of Disagreement

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