by Doug Gray | Feb 23, 2017 | Business, Leadership, Leadership Coach Nashville, Managers, organizational leadership, positive psychology, talent assessment
Organizational Consulting and Leadership Coaching
We understand the challenges that executive leaders face. We are experts in individual and organizational behavioral change. Since 1997, we have consulted with hundreds of leaders using the 3A process of (1) assessment, (2) constructive actions, (3) accountability. Our purpose is to help leaders flourish as they achieve business outcomes.
Theoretical models
- Positive psychology (PP) can be defined as the science and practice of well-being or flourishing. Prior to 1998, over 70% of psychological research focused on mental illness. Since 1998, a better balance has resulted from new scientific studies in mental health.
- Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a developmental state comprised of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism. Our research confirms that PsyCap can be developed, and explains up to 71% of engagement scores and 65% of job satisfaction scores.
Value to you
- Modeling evidence-based practices in behavior change
- providing a confidential assessment of individuals and teams
- adding a third party, objective, supportive perspective to your leadership team
- increasing accountability of each leader’s personal and professional goals
- improving specific skills related to each leader’s role, such as supervisory or managerial skills, interpersonal communication, executive presence, conflict resolution, productivity
- sharing world-class techniques from superb organizations that have done similar work
- reviewing strategic business decisions related to operations, customer service, marketing, management or financials
- being a sounding board for communication issues
- preventing problems, thereby avoiding more expensive, time consuming or embarrassing actions
- supporting each leader’s growth past any limiting beliefs
Scope of services
Individual executive leadership coaching typically requires at least 6 months of engagement for over 40 hours. All coaching service levels include an intake session, individual quantitative and qualitative assessments, 360 interviews, written behavioral action plans, milestone meetings with stakeholders, constructive actions, and accountability. We have a network of executive coaches throughout the U.S. All consulting and coaching services are guaranteed.
Expected outcomes
- Develop leadership capacity in areas that are key to each leader’s success
- Drive organizational performance through tactical execution, deliberate practice of desired behaviors, and focused strategic thinking
- Leverage each leader’s strengths and mitigate risks, so that each leader can increase the probability of achieving key organizational outcomes
- Increase retention of desired executive leaders
- Our clients have experienced up to 1,200% return on investment, up to 60% increase in productivity, and up to 300% revenue growth. There are 100+ client testimonials at action-learning.com and on social media. Your outcomes need to be defined.
Next steps
- For products and services visit action-learning.com
- To schedule a meeting or conversation contact:
Doug Gray, PCC doug@action-learning.com at 615.905.1892 today
The bottom line
Action leads to learning.
All leaders require executive coaching at times.
Your most critical investment is to retain your desired employees.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
by Doug Gray | Feb 23, 2017 | Business, healthcare, Leadership, Leadership Coach Nashville, Managers, organizational leadership, physicians, positive psychology, strengths, talent assessment
Leaders practice leadership, just as physicians practice medicine. Here are some details.
Health Care Consulting and Leadership Coaching
We understand the challenges that executive leaders and physicians face. We are experts in individual and organizational behavioral change. Since 1997, we have consulted with hundreds of leaders using the 3A process of (1) assessment, (2) constructive actions, (3) accountability. Our purpose is to help leaders flourish as they achieve business outcomes.
Theoretical models
1. Positive psychology (PP) can be defined as the science and practice of well-being or flourishing. Prior to 1998, over 70% of psychological research focused on mental illness. Since 1998, a better balance has resulted from new scientific studies in mental health.
2. Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a developmental state comprised of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism. Our research confirms that PsyCap can be developed, and explains up to 71% of engagement scores and 65% of job satisfaction scores.
Value to you
• Modeling evidence-based practices in behavior change
• providing a confidential assessment of individuals and teams
• adding a third party, objective, supportive perspective to your leadership team
• increasing accountability of each leader’s personal and professional goals
• improving specific skills related to each leader’s role, such as supervisory or managerial skills, interpersonal communication, executive presence, conflict resolution, productivity
• sharing world-class techniques from superb organizations that have done similar work
• reviewing strategic business decisions related to operations, customer service, marketing, management or financials
• being a sounding board for communication issues
• preventing problems, thereby avoiding more expensive, time consuming or embarrassing actions
• supporting each leader’s growth past any limiting beliefs
Our scope of services
Individual executive leadership coaching typically requires at least 6 months of engagement for over 40 hours. All coaching service levels include an intake session, individual quantitative and qualitative assessments, 360 interviews, written behavioral action plans, milestone meetings with stakeholders, constructive actions, and accountability. We have a network of executive coaches throughout the U.S. All consulting and coaching services are guaranteed.
Your expected outcomes
Develop leadership capacity in areas that are key to each leader’s success
Drive organizational performance through tactical execution, deliberate practice of desired behaviors, and focused strategic thinking
Leverage each leader’s strengths and mitigate risks, so that each leader can increase the probability of achieving key organizational outcomes
Increase retention of desired leaders
Our clients have experienced up to 1,200% return on investment, up to 60% increase in productivity, and up to 300% revenue growth. There are 100+ client testimonials at www.action-learning.com and on social media. Your outcomes need to be defined.
Your next steps
For products and services visit us a twww.action-learning.com/action-leadership-store/ or here
To schedule a meeting or conversation contact:
Doug Gray, PCC here or call 615.905.1892
The bottom line
Action leads to learning.
All leaders require executive coaching at times.
Your most critical investment is to retain your desired employees.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
by Doug Gray | Jan 5, 2017 | Coaching, Leadership, talent
Introduction
The topic of leadership in virtual teams is increasingly popular, so this conversation requires a few definitions. Leadership can be defined as the act of influencing others through socially acceptable behaviors that encourage desired behavior and the pursuit of a common goal. Virtual teams can be defined as (1) physically dispersed people, (2) using some digital connectivity process or software, (3) with a shared task or outcome, and (4) some groupware, hardware or computer-mediated communication (CMC). An example would be four authors collaborating to design a website. The focus of this conversation topic is an exploration of leadership in virtual teams.
Research findings
Leading virtual teams has become a popular topic, with research focused on how virtual teams differ from face-to-face teams in terms of coordination, communication and collaboration (Malhotra, Majchrzak & Rosen, 2007). Special consideration has been placed on communication technologies needed to facilitate virtual work and knowledge sharing; however, the skills required to lead teams that have both geographic dispersion and innovation problem-solving challenges have received little research attention to date.
Researchers tend to agree that leaders of all teams, whether geographically dispersed or collocated, need to be engaged. Virtual teams are required to solve problems, adopt a range of responsibilities, including articulating a vision for the team, communicating that vision with passion, setting the executive plan and forming coalitions (Malhotra et al, 2007). Hence, leaders of virtual teams face some of the same issues as leaders of collocated teams. All teams struggle to maintain engagement levels when solving problems. However, leaders of collocated teams have the advantage of physical observation and can correct ineffective behaviors, or detect when the team needs a direct meeting to rebuild momentum, or when teams need to redirect resources; virtual team leaders do not have the same power of physical observation (Malhotra et al, 2007).
Virtual team leaders must establish norms, overcome team member feelings of isolation, build cohesion and motivate team members to make a major commitment to the team’s mission. Malhotra et al, 2007 recommend six practices for effective virtual team leaders, which are: (1) establish and maintain trust through the use of communication technology, (2) ensure that diversity in the team is understood, appreciated and leveraged, (3) manage virtual work cycle and meetings, (4) monitor team progress through the use of technology, (5) enhance external visibility of the team and its members and (6) ensure individuals benefit from participating in virtual teams.
Kayworth and Leidner (2002) identify effective virtual leaders as those who demonstrate the capability to deal with paradox and contradiction by performing multiple leadership roles simultaneously while demonstrating a high degree of empathy toward team members. They also state that highly effective virtual team leaders should adopt a mentoring role and assert their authority without being overbearing or inflexible (Kayworth & Leidner, 2002). Finally, an effective virtual team leader must be efficient at providing regular, detailed and prompt communication with subordinates and peers when articulating role relationships among the virtual team. One conclusion from this research is the critical need for virtual leaders to model engagement in the work process, as well as optimism that the team members can complete the tasks as required.
Gaps in the research
A notable gap in the research to date is the ability of leaders to develop and maintain engagement for members in virtual teams. Most team members are familiar with direct face-to-face contact, direct relationship building, trust development and subsequent knowledge sharing. Virtual team processes and technology may be less familiar to many team members. Several studies have examined the role of knowledge sharing and the impact of IT on the engagement of virtual team members, but the studies to date have focused on the dichotomy of virtual teams communicating through technology versus collocated teams not utilizing technology as their primary form of communication. The field would benefit from further examination into the leadership styles, competencies and activities that develop and support engagement and knowledge sharing in virtual teams on a continuous (e.g., what type of IT, frequency of use, level of use, level of user training, level of IT support, availability of technical assistance) rather than dichotomous (e.g., have or have not) basis.
Practical application
- Engagement surveys. Multiple vendors and researchers have validated engagement surveys that help to assess engagement levels within teams. Examples include pulse surveys, exit surveys, customer engagement surveys, employee satisfaction surveys. It is imperative that leadership is fully engaged in the team, and both expects and nurtures engaged team members. For details for additional consulting, please contact any of the authors of this blog.
- Executive coaching. All leaders need to periodically objectively review their strengths, leadership behaviors and their derailers – the behaviors that prevent them from being effective leaders. Most organizations now expect managers to coach direct reports, which sometimes leads to a conflict of interest and lack of confidentiality. The advantage of internal coaches is cost effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals. The advantage of external coaches is objectivity, best practice knowledge from global clients and the capacity for global scale. All leaders need to invest in and be active practitioners of their leadership skills.
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What are you waiting for?
Contact Doug Gray, PCC, today at 615.905.1892 or contact us.
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
References
Kayworth, T. R., & Leidner, D. E. (2002). Leadership effectiveness in global virtual teams. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(3), 7-40.
Malhotra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. (2007). Leading virtual teams. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 21(1), 60-70.
by Doug Gray | Nov 9, 2016 | change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, positive psychology
Today, the morning after, I have had three sessions with leaders who represent the division and polarity of our country. One is an EVP in technology, born in India, whose 14-year old son is afraid to go to school today because he is Muslim. One is a female senior manager in healthcare who voted for Trump even though she sees him as yet-one-more sexist bully in a patriarchal system with a double standard. One is a director at a F100 who does not know how to respond to the rumors in his organization. Notice the fears from each of these leaders?
Consider 3 lessons:
- Timing. Coaches focuses on the now and the future, by definition. So when should coaches encourage leaders to act on their convictions? Assume that 50% of the people you meet today are delighted because Trump won, and 50% are sad because Clinton lost. Further assume that within each group 50% are hopeful that the election will lead to a better future, and the other 50% are frightened or uncertain. In short, only 25% of the populace is hopeful because their person won, and 75% are uncertain, sad or fearful. Positive psychology coaching requires that we 1) define a hopeful future state and 2) act toward that hopeful future.
Possible actions: Celebrate your freedoms, TODAY, with your loved ones. Plant a garden. Pick up your children early from school. Call your loved ones. Model a hopeful future, with others, immediately. Leaders model a better future. Great leaders model a better future more frequently than average leaders. TODAY is the best day to model your leadership capacity.
- Precedent. For the first time in U.S. history we have a president elect with no experience in the military, and no experience in political office. Trump will require executive coaching. Experienced leaders will need to teach him how to be a great president. Who will share that expertise? If business leaders or political leaders withhold information, or drive agendas that further their best interests, then history will teach us some negative lessons. The pollsters and Washington, DC-based media underestimated the voters. What does that fact mean? There is no precedent for coaching Trump. His advisors demonstrated mastery with the media and attack ads. Does that fact imply that leaders should tolerate foul language in our families, schools and organizations?
Possible actions: Take a stand for your core values, whatever they are. Share hope and optimism with others. Discuss the balance of power in the U.S. constitution, and the global influence of decision-making. Re-read Jefferson’s opinion that revolutions prevent despots from dominating. Model ethical leadership in your organization, family, or schools.
- Embrace change. We just elected another candidate who is thought to represent change. What does that really mean? No one likes to be changed. Yet all leaders like to make changes. At a recent conference I heard a perspective that may be useful. We may complain about the rate of change, especially technologically-driven change that reduces jobs with automation or transparent access to data. However, the rate of change, TODAY, is slower than it will ever be for the rest of your life. As coaches of leaders, that fact implies that if we embrace change, TODAY, then we will be better prepared to embrace other changes tomorrow. How can it be otherwise?
Possible actions: Talk to someone from a different racial, economic or political group and listen carefully to their concerns. That is what coaches do. Hire a coach or ask someone to be your mentor. Select a mentor who is younger, or quite different. Then listen carefully. Assess your psychological capital (Psy Cap). We are a resilient species. When we embrace change from multiple perspectives then we model a more united states.
So, what are you going to do TODAY?
Contact your coach today. Or your clients.
Then let me know what you choose to do TODAY. Contact Us.
To you, at your best, Doug Gray, PCC, call me at 615.905.1892.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
by Doug Gray | Jul 15, 2016 | Business
Your resume, however brilliant, only deserves 6 seconds. At most.
The infra-red images mirror the amount of time a recruiter scans your resume. See this image from my friends at CEB.
And 65% of applicants do not meet the basic requirements for jobs they apply for.
What are you waiting for?
We all need coaching at times. Call Doug Gray, PhD, PCC, at 615.236.9845 today.
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
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