Archive for November, 2011

Coaching Pitfall – Skill vs. Commitment

You can see someone who has a lot of commitment, but does not have the skill.  In coaching this is one of our common diagnostic tools.  Do I think this person really wants to do this or do they have the skill?  Do not confuse the two.  Furthermore, is the person able to develop the skill?  So if you decide they do have commitment, they just do not have the skill, remember some people are not able to develop certain skills.

  • Posted by Coach Pete
  • Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
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Coaching Pitfall – Can’t Model

One of the most common problems I see is leaders who espouse certain values and beliefs, but they are not willing to be held accountable to their beliefs.  The executive who says, “Everybody’s equally important in this company,” yet gives preferential privileges to themself and other members of the executive team. The CEO who says, “Integrity is a key component of the culture,” yet they talk behind people’s backs.

You can put any pretty words you want on the wall, but if you are not able to set the tone and be the example, it will never work, period, end of story!  It is not realistic to expect that you are going to be perfect 100 percent of the time – that is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is an extremely high level of integrity and ability to model the values and if at some point you miss the mark, be transparent with your team and apologize for your mistake and recommit to the values. People can actually respect you more when you can demonstrate your vulnerability and be accountable for it.

  • Posted by Coach Pete
  • Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
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Coaching Pitfalls and Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno’s situation amplifies pitfall #8 from Coach to Win the Leadership Game…Assistant coaches who betray the coach’s core values.

8. Misaligned Assistants
I have worked with organizations that have senior executives who are able to model the company’s values, yet allow a few of their mid-level managers to act in ways that are not in alignment with company stated values. The most common reason for this is that the mid-level managers are technically excellent or produce high levels of financial results, but are unable to model the company’s values.
You can see the slippery slope this creates for senior executives. This behavior sends the message, “We really believe in our core values and want everyone to follow them but when it comes down to it we are tolerating misalignment because certain people produce great (technical or financial) results and we are unwilling to draw a line in the sand.” That is a recipe for disaster from a leadership standpoint.

Stay tuned since we will discuss the other 7 pitfalls that will undermine coaching!

Deliberate Practice – Daily Gratitude Practice

Work on one of the most important muscles you can build especially right now in the world we live in – that is GRATITUDE! Start every morning with 2 minutes of gratitude and think of all of the things you have to be grateful for in your life – health, family, friends, job, etc.

Keeping a mindset of gratitude will make such a difference throughout the day as you look at what’s possible and what’s going on in the world. I am convinced that the media is all about what not working – what’s going to keep us upset and frightened. You really have a choice to set your own mindset. Like all mind rituals and practices, the more you do it, the more it will become your fixed perspective on the world. Having a mindset of gratitude will make all the difference!

Reach out to someone you don’t normally connect with or haven’t connected with in a while. Express gratitude to everyone you interact with – flight attendant, mail person, tollbooth worker, etc. Make sure to express gratitude to everyone on your team! Get into the mindset of expressing gratitude to everyone you come in contact with throughout your day. That will make a big difference.

 

Practice this gratitude ritual the first 2 minutes of every day! Let me know what impact this new practice has on your life.

  • Posted by Coach Pete
  • Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
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