by Doug Gray | Jan 7, 2014 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, safety, strengths, Success, talent
My definition: Safety Leadership Coaching is an emerging field of professional development for yourself and others.
TIP: Scan the words in bold. Then apply them to your world. Then call me to discuss.
The phrase “emerging field” recognizes the fact that the safety business is new, since OSHA gained influence in 1970. Prior to that time, workers were measured by hands, feet or hours of productivity. The early “safety professionals” were compliance-driven people tasked with issuing fines, citations, tickets, and quotas. At some companies, “Safety Infraction Report” mandate was required by 4:00 each afternoon; and if you received 3 SIRs then it was time to find another job. Many safety employees were former police or military. The “Safety Cop” compliance requirements remain a powerful legacy today.
In the 1990s the safety industry, like most industries, was affected by global trends including humanism and diversity. Individual choice was recognized more than ever. Leadership and organizational development programs emerged as professional schools of research. In the workforce, safety leaders supported individual choice, good judgement, and reinforced desired behaviors. “Safety coaching” emerged as the dominant methodology to observe and recommend desired behaviors. The Certified Safety Professional Program, endorsed by BCSP, gained impact as a minimal standard for hiring and program implementation. Safety leadership coaching emerged as a field of professional development.
The phrase “professional development for yourself” recognizes the fact that all change starts at an individual level. As a species, humans change in response to external influences that promote our survival. If we need to learn a new skill, or relocate to the next job site, we do so. In the U.S. most people now have 5 careers on average. However, too many safety leaders only have one career. Too many people resist change. Safety leaders can embrace coaching and training; or they can ignore it. They can embrace career changes; or they can ignore them. Too many safety leaders ignore career development opportunities. Safety leadership coaching encourages people to explore choices and develop their strengths.
The phrase “professional development for others” reinforces the job description that safety leaders typically “observe and recommend” desired behaviors. They typically have broad access to all aspects of a job site or company. Consequently they have vast potential impact on all aspects such as quality, operations, sales, business development, etc. However, safety leaders do not embrace their potential impact. Too often they “stick to their own business” and “keep their heads down.” That limits their impact as leaders. Safety leadership coaching leverages the vast access and potential impact of safety leaders. Safety leadership coaching helps leaders obtain desired results.
There is an old story about the student who seeks a teacher. He travels to many lands and reads a lot, stares at a mirror, and generates lists. He is lonely, alone. One day he realizes that he learns best when he is in relationship with others.
So it is with safety coaching. Humans learn best when we are in relationship with others.
Here are some simple coaching questions:
1. Who is the wisest leader you know?
2. How can you develop better relationships with others?
3. What are you afraid of in your career?
4. Who needs you to coach them?
Send me your answers, or comment below.
BIO: Doug Gray, PCC, has coached 50+ safety leaders and learned from their expertise. He knows nothing about fall protection standards. www.action-learning.com or 704.895.7479
by Doug Gray | Sep 25, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, digital, Financial Professionals, Leadership, Managers, money, Personal Development, Sales, strengths, Success, talent
FYI in 2007 I submitted the following articles to Horsesmouth.com, a digital library designed to accelerate business development for financial advisors.
You can apply any of these articles to your business or service.
1. 10 Tips for Distinctive Client Service Distinctive client service separates you from everyone else who talks about professionalism but doesn’t deliver on it. Take action with these 10 tips from a recognized, distinctive financial professional.
2. 4 Principles of Selling in the Trust Business Selling defines success. Nothing else is more important in your business. So what is this notion of the trust business?
3. How to Act With Courage Excellence springs from courage, but not everyone chooses to be brave. These advisors share how and why they acted with courage, and how it benefited their business. Consider their insights into the nature of courage, and start using it to build your business, too.
4. 5 Keys to Solid Cold-Calling Performance If your prospecting strategy requires you to consistently make outbound calls, you must pay attention to these five vital elements of a strong cold-calling practice.
5. Customer Delight: 8 Tips for Creating It This top producer creates more than customer satisfaction. He creates customer delight. You can too, with these eight tips.
Call me at 704.895.6479 to discuss HOW you can apply these great ides to your business!
by Doug Gray | Jul 31, 2013 | Business, digital, Financial Professionals, Leadership, Managers, money, Sales, Success
Too many “sales experts” have fuzzy theory and fuzzy results.
Here is a template that I have developed over time. It works great. Steal this template. Call me for details if needed.
Notes:
- Accountability is a hard task. Most people hate it. Most salespeople really hate it. Most software, like Salesforce or Act or the latest app, is a pain to use. You can use this excel spreadsheet, or a pad of paper. Start now.
- Accountability determines success. The three top words in sales are “relationships, relationships, relationships.” Use the attached format to build relationships, be strategic, provide value. Or not.
- These 4 roles determine sales: champions, economic buyer, technical users, consumers. You need all 4. Complex sales evolve. They only succeed when you focus on all 4 roles.
- All successful sales people have accountability metrics and teams. Do you?
Call me at 704.895.6479 or contact us or subscribe today.
by Doug Gray | Jul 29, 2013 | action learning process, Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, Meetings, money, organizational leadership, Personal Development, Sales, talent
Action Learning is a behavioral change process model that works 1) for groups and 2) for individuals.
For groups, Action Learning occurs when stakeholders use real problems to acquire learning and implement system-wide solutions.
For individuals, Action Learning is a behavioral coaching methodology that applies the same 4 steps.
The Action Learning change process model includes four steps:
1) decide what breakthrough requires you to invest resources,
2) act with a talented, cross-functional team and executive endorsement,
3) reflect on steps achieved, and
4) connect or expand the results across business or functional lines, to new markets or clients.
We have facilitated organizational Action Learning change using both virtual and direct processes:
1. Technology processes: SharePoint, Action Item task lists, virtual teams, e-coaching and e-consulting, digital consulting and short implementation teams.
2: Direct meeting processes: assessments, facilitation in a series of workshops, coaching and consulting, project initiatives, leadership off-site retreats, strategic reorganization
For a summary of consulting fees and investment levels for organizations click here, and for individuals click here.
Our Services typically include:
Assessments (e.g. individual, group, organizational, strategic)
Qualitative or Quantitative 360 assessments
Organizational Culture Assessments
Leadership competency assessments
Leadership consulting and behavioral coaching (e.g. individual, team or group levels)
Strategic planning and organizational redesign
Videography
Shadow Coaching
Facilitation, training, retreats or workshops
The result is that the Action Learning process helps individuals and groups become true learning organizations.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
Please contact us or call immediately at 704.995.6647 or schedule your initial consultation here.
by Doug Gray | Jul 28, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, Personal Development, Sales, strengths, Success, talent
This could be a long discussion. But I’d rather keep it short.
Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.
The word “influence” implies results. The influence may be slight or even negative. The influence could be momentous. The influence could be focused on relationships, such as the number of new people you meet each month, or the value you provide to others. The influence could be focused on results, such as the number of new sales per quarter, or gross revenue per year, or goal attainment percentage.
If you need an academic definition of leadership, here is a current favorite: Leadership is defined as the process of influencing others, and facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Yukl, 2013).
Too many people confuse the words “leader” and “manager.” So perhaps another definition is helpful. Here is a distinction based on Marcus Buckingham’s research of the Gallup Poll data, plus interviews with thousands of people.
Leaders: by definition, rally others behind a vision of a better future. The core skills of leaders are optimism and public. Think of your self, or your favorite leader, on a stage, leaning forward, describing a better future. They have influence. Or not. The capacity of leaders is infinite, based on research in positive psychology.
Managers: by definition, maximize the productivity of others. The core skills of managers are coaching and private. Think of your self when you need to make sure that others produce a result, such as increase a sale or host a remarkable executive retreat. Note that the skills you use are different than the skills you use as a leader. You will coach Shawn differently than you will coach Ellen. No one likes to be managed. And no one boasts about being a manager. But when I ask an audience “How many of you are managers?” over 60% will raise their hands. Virtually all managers are now “working managers” tasked with both maximizing productivity and getting the work done.
However, everyone wants to be a better leader.
A key coaching question is: What influence are you having on others?
Call Doug at 704.995.6647 today if you want to have a greater influence on your self or your team.
Or schedule your initial consultation here.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
by Doug Gray | Jul 27, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, Featured, Leadership, Managers, money, Personal Development, Sales, strengths, Success, talent, Uncategorized
Many people ask me this question. So you are not alone. In fact, self-leadership is an ancient subject turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. It is MUCH harder to lead my self than it is to lead others. And it requires daily deliberate practice for me to lead my self.
My purpose in life is to teach others how to be better leaders. I know what works. Hopefully the following two steps will be useful to you.
There are two ways to lead your self:
1. self awareness
2. self care
Self awareness requires core skills such as openness, self appraisal, clarity, self esteem. There is a massive amount of research in psychology and organizational development on the subject of self awareness. There are countless religions and faiths and daily practices on the subject of self awareness. Amid these conflicting and spurious theories there is a need for clarity. We use assessments to provide data. There are over 15,000 validated assessments. We can provide assessments for any individual behavior or competency imaginable. Evidence-based consulting is mandatory in any profession, from law to healthcare to psychology.
A key coaching question is “What assessments do I need to increase my self awareness?’
Self care requires core skills such as expression, sustainability, resourcefulness, action. Consider the fact that humans now have more digital information available than EVER in the history of mankind. We now KNOW what we should do. However, we do not always DO what we should do. Imagine a grandmotherly person. She towers over you with an apron and shakes a wooden spoon… as she tells you what you should do. That image of a wise, older person may help you.
A key coaching question is “How can I take care of myself today?”
One more point. There is a myth that leadership is a personal act. By definition, the word “leadership” means influence at two levels: on my self and others. The goal of self leadership is not to attain some mystical state in isolation on a mountain. Humans are defined by relationships. No one develops as a leader when living in isolation. And too many people spend hours alone, writing in journals, or focusing on their weaknesses. When Maslow described self actualization it was not thought to be a resting place. The goal is to improve the quality of relationships with others. Leadership is both a personal act and a team act. We adopt evidence-based research in positive psychology because it works. We want YOU to flourish.
The goal of self leadership is to have a greater relationships with my self and others.
We all need a coach at times. Call me at 704.995.6647 or subscribe now or schedule your initial consultation here.
What are you waiting for?
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
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