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 | Apr 21, 2016 | Business, Coaching, Leadership, Managers
The short answer is, “Corporate coaching works inconsistently.”
Corporate coaching is commonly an internal form of talent development. Think of three pillars in talent development: (1) acquiring people, (2) developing people and (3) retaining desired people. Corporate coaching can be used to develop and retain desired employees. Not everyone is a desired employee.
Like all organizational responses, the success of any initiative designed to provide corporate coaching depends upon the organizational culture. Culture can be described at three levels: (1) artifacts (observable structures or processes, often hard to decipher), (2) stated beliefs and values (goals, values, not always aligned with artifacts), and (3) basic underlying assumptions (unstated or unconscious patterns that often define outcomes. See Schein, 2010.) Get the point? Corporate coaching may or may not work consistently. Consequently most organizations require external consultants to design and deliver results.
Now it is 2016. The trend toward packages that “Assess-Debrief-Design” for Individual Development Plans (IDPs) is now a large market led by KornFerry and DDI and others. Sadly, they are limiting themselves by selling those services as “corporate coaching packages.” Too often they are assessment requirements, often driven by HR or legal compliance needs. By analogy, after a physician diagnoses a concern they recommend but cannot require treatment. So it is with too much corporate coaching. Another provider that delivers corporate coaching globally is CoachSource. (Disclosure: I am one of 28 engagement managers, we provide unparalleled corporate coaching services.)
On a related note, corporate coaching is not a commodity. There is a trend away from resource-based views of talent as a fixed commodity (like a manufacturing unit) to a dynamic resource with unlimited potential and higher engagement. (But that is for another post or direct discussion!)
Should you have any questions it may be better to chat directly by calling Doug Gray, PCC, at 615.905.1892 or by contacting me here.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
by Doug Gray | Mar 28, 2016 | Coaching, exercise, Leadership, Personal Development, Success, talent
When 5” of powder blessed Breckenridge, CO, yesterday, I took this stunning video and wrote these thoughts. Here are three short perspectives on skiing above treeline, and strategic leadership.
- Flow is designed. Flow can be defined as that timeless psychological state when challenge and skill are in balance. Most people cannot imagine skiing double-black diamond runs down 1,500’. Most people should never try extreme skiing. Skiing above treeline, like any hobby, is an opportunity to experience ekstasis, that state of being literally outside of time and space. Flow occurs when we take one turn at a time. We live in the moment. We proceed to a new place. Yes, you can design flow into your life. There are seven contributing variables for designing flow. Contact me for details or read this book or this book.
2. Leaders are creators. Leaders build products or services. Doubt me? Then read any biography. Only those extraordinary leaders with an obsessive focus make the history books. Average leaders do not warrant attention in the history books or the biographies. How about you? By definition, leaders create value for their followers. And all significant leaders create great teams. If you were to say “yes” to that idea, or create something new, or delight a client, today, then you would see for yourself. One example of a significant leadership event in Nashville, TN is here.
3. Technology follows goals. Many years ago I climbed this mountain using backcountry ski mountaineering gear. It took all day. My goal was to experience grandeur. The adventure was exhausting but wonderful. Two years ago new lift lines made it possible to ascend to the same elevation without sweating. The technology followed my goals. Ironically, those ski trails are now called “Wonderland”, “Bliss” and “Euphoria.” Get the point? There is plenty of grandeur to be found when we ski above treeline.
March is a great season for strategic thinking.
March is the season of heavy snowfalls, springtime flowers, new birth, opportunity, and clear intentions.
You may never ski above treeline. But you can certainly make smarter decisions about your professional and personal goals.
Some coaching questions include: (1) How can you design flow in your life or business? (2) What can you create today? (3) What goals will inspire grandeur?
Then let me know your answers. May you excel!
Doug Gray, PCC, CEO/Founder of Action learning Associates, Inc, www.action-learning.com today at 615.905.1892
by Doug Gray | Jan 19, 2016 | Business, Coaching, Leadership, Managers
Systems Thinking is a process that describes complexity and builds learning organizations. The five disciplines of learning organizations are:
1) Personal mastery
2) Mental model
3) Building a shared vision
4) Team Learning
5) Systems Thinking (Senge, 2006).
This morning I explained Systems Thinking to a client who owns a small leadership development business using professional actors. This CEO was struggling to articulate the unique value of his company. And he needed to prepare for a big meeting with a prospective buyer tomorrow that could lead to 10x his previous revenue for 2016. I mentioned leverage, and the idea from Archimedes that “with a big enough lever one could change the world.” When he wanted examples, I described the applied systems thinking that Macdonald, Burk and Stewart (2006) implemented at entrenched mining companies in Australia. He remained confused. He needed to see a model. He wanted to find simple words to describe the cascading effects of organizational change, so I drew a model with concentric circles like a bulls-eye. The smallest ring was unlabeled, to represent the chaotic core of deep change, the next ring was individual, then team, then organizational, then societal. That model helped him to describe the levels of systems thinking at the prospect’s organization. He has the words and a model. He met the prospect and wrote an excellent proposal that solves their problems. Now I am looking forward to hearing if he closed the business.
This afternoon I met with a fellow board member of the Nashville, TN Association of Talent Development (ATD) chapter to plan 2016 activities. She leads Learning and Development at Bridgestone and I discussed Systems Thinking with her. She needs to replace an aging workforce, and has developed programs with the largest university in the state, MTSU, using values from their company and partnering with the US Naval Academy and the US Army at West Point. In short, they desire to teach essential leadership skills using their company values at a public university. Concurrently, Bridgestone needs to relocate 30-50% of their senior leaders from two other states to their new corporate headquarters in Nashville, without losing significant intellectual capital. She is excited and overwhelmed about the changes ahead for Bridgestone. We discussed ways to apply Senge’s (2996) model of a learning organization to those changes. She has the right words. And a mental model. But I do not know if she can develop a learning organization.
Notice the pattern? We can have ready examples and academic references to share with others. But ideas are worthless without action.
How about your organization?
Does your business need to improve by applying systems thinking? If so call Doug Gray, PCC, today at 615.905.1892 or Contact Us Today!
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
References
MacDonald, I., Burke, C., & Stewart, K. (2006). Systems Leadership: Creating Positive Organizations. Hampshire, England: Gower.
Senge, P. M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: the Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Random House/Currency.
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