by Doug Gray | Aug 3, 2015 | change, Coaching, Success
Thankfully, as a species and as individuals, we know that humans adapt to environmental stimuli.
Behavior changes when we (1) modify the cues (e.g. positive or negative triggers), then
(2) we change the routine (e.g. gestalt, patterns) and
(3) we include regular rewards (e.g. self-care, executive coaching and consulting)
As an example, when you (1) place a white placement at a table, and sit down to eat no more than three times a day (cue), and (2) use a 5” diameter plate that has a smaller serving size than most American restaurants, and refuse to snack (routine), then (3) your reward will be weight loss or weight management.
Same with any behavior change.
Imagine that you are stuck in an undesirable habit, and that you “know you need” some behavior change. For instance, imagine that you desire to build resilience.
Resilience can be defined as “the capacity to adapt successfully in the presence of risk and adversity.”
As a second example, when you pause for 5 seconds before saying or doing your response (cue), using a physical trigger or new activity to anchor the new routine, such as using one hand to pull on each finger of your other hand (routine), then your reward may be guidance from your prefrontal cortex that informs you to reply in some career-enhancing manner. You adapt successfully and build more resilience. Get the idea?
Individual behavior changes faster when others reward us. Find a coach or an accountability partner. You do not need to hire an executive coach or consultant to practice behavior change.
Call Doug Gray, PCC, today at 615.905.1892.
What are you waiting for?
by Doug Gray | Jul 6, 2015 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, strengths, Success, talent, talent assessment
How do you measure learning and development?
The Greeks believed that the “rope of one’s life” was defined by three fates, who spun the thread of life, measured it, and then cut it.
Instead, imagine that your career can be described using a 10’ long piece of rope. If you dropped the rope at your feet it would look like several messy loops. Most of us choose to believe that we have some impact on the “rope of our careers.”
Now imagine that you have a work team of 5 people. If they each had a 10’ long piece of rope and dropped those ropes at your feet, then how would you describe that messy image?
Talent management is a cyclical model frequently described with three loops: attraction, development and retention. Some of those key metrics include efficiency, effectiveness and outcomes. A tremendous resource for talent managers who want to demonstrate accountability, like any CFO or business leader, is at www.centerfortalentreporting.org
The ultimate goal of talent management should be to retain desired employees, not all employees.
There are actually 6 loops in talent management. Think of your process as 6 inter-related loops that include: talent acquisition, learning and development, leadership development, performance, total rewards, and succession planning. Here is a definition of each loop, plus some comments.
- “Learning and development” services support all of the organizational activities aimed at improving the performance of individuals and groups within the organization. The learning and development process includes addressing gaps in skills, knowledge and competencies, and then building the strategic talent capabilities of the organization through a systematic focus on competence required to meet business objectives. Aspects of learning and development may include job profiles, competency mapping, knowledge management, behaviors, skills, ability tracking, learning content, training, coaching and assessments.
Despite the trend toward digital content delivery, adoption of digital content remains below 20% in most industries. Make certain that you are using short, sensational videos, interactive quizzes, and social followers or gamification to promote goals of instructional designers. The bottom line? Be careful if investing in digital solutions and expecting high user adoption rates.
The 70:20:10 model for learning and development is a guideline or frame of reference that is now used to both 1) promote learning and 2) restrict learning. Let us assume that learning results from 70% on-the-job or self-directed learning, 20% from managerial or client feedback, and 10% from courses and reading. Then what does that mean in your organization?
- Do you expect to foster innovation internally, by engaging employees or actively managing their professional development plans?
- Do you restrict that manager who spends more than 20% of her time and energy on that direct report that has high potential, but lacks procedural knowledge of customer delivery?
- Do you invest in external coaching and consulting for your top 20% producers, as a development tool to increase retention some 14 months on average?
We do not need any insight from the Greek fates to measure the impact of learning and development on the “rope of our careers.”
We do need to foster learning communities in order to increase engagement, retain desired employees, and serve our clients and customers.
If you need help measuring the impact of learning and development for individuals or organizations, then contact us today.
by Doug Gray | Jun 24, 2015 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, money, physicians, Success, talent, talent assessment
There is chaos in the executive coaching and leadership consulting industry.
The top 6 reasons for that chaos include 1) low barrier to entry by anyone who chooses to call himself an “executive coach,” 2) low accountability for the coaching process, 3) unclear business agreements and ROI, 4) proliferation of “certification programs” (often by self-congratulating organizations and/or universities that respond to perceived market opportunities), 5) digital overwhelm of choices at low cost and variable quality, and 6) clients or buying agents in organizations who fear taking action. My opinion is that the chaos in the coaching industry can be reduced.
So here is my effort to reduce the chaos, by providing fee ranges and best practices. Please forward this page to your colleagues.
1. Individual Coaching or Consulting Services. Fees range from $3,000- $50,000 for 6 months. Individual coaching may be defined as a customized leadership development process that enables leaders to practice new skills or behavioral outcomes. Individual consulting may be a more directive style, where we provide expertise based on world-class examples or evidence-based recommendations to accelerate your leadership development. The average executive coaching engagement is $25,000 for 6 months, about 40 hours. The average small business coaching engagement is $6,000 for 6 months, about 18 hours. Typically, an individual coaching process includes an intake, meeting with key stakeholders, written action plan with behavioral outcomes, clear measures of success/ KPIs, quantitative and qualitative assessments, satisfaction survey, and demonstrated behavioral outcomes at completion. Be wary of anyone who offers a term of engagement shorter than 6 months, because behavioral change takes time. Be wary of anyone who provides an hourly rate, because that is a transactional approach and it may be unethical (Do I really need to extend this coaching engagement if we have not met the desired outcomes within 6 months?) Be wary of additional fees for assessments, a sample intake, books, materials, or excessive travel… Only select coaches who provide tremendous value and exceed that promise. Only select coaches who guarantee results for their services. Only select coaches with many testimonials demonstrating clear behavioral outcomes. Still confused? Then call us for details or schedule a complimentary, confidential session here.
2. Team Coaching or Group Coaching. Fees range from $1,000 per person to $4,000 per person for 6 months. There is a trend toward providing coaching services that bundle clients together by team (e.g. the IT department in Houston) or by group (e.g. all district managers or all newly promoted supervisors.) Many coaches bundle these services for one reason– because the coaches then make more money. We all need to make money. However, that is not a compelling reason to bundle valuable services into a commoditized market such as “online team-coaching modules…” We do not recommend these online modules because there is no evidence that the results are significant. There is conflicting data on the significance of team coaching engagements. These programs must be customized for specific organizational needs, they must have executive sponsorship, and they must have milestones for phases of success. Yes, we can provide team coaching programs for any organization. Contact us for details or referrals.
3. Organizational Coaching or Consulting Services. Fees range from $15,000- $100,000 per person for 6 months. Fees vary by role of the leader (c-suite or a HiPo), geography (Asia or North America), and client expectations. There is massive value to any organization if you can be guaranteed access to pre-qualified coaches in New York as well as Mexico City or Paris. We are affiliated with CoachSource, the largest global provider of executive coaches, in over 1,000 in 45+ countries. These service providers can provide breadth for any initiative in any geography, thereby increasing the likelihood of your organizational alignment or new program implementation. If you are interested in a scaled solution for a specific industry or business need, then you need to select an organizational coaching service provider. We have selected and managed hundreds of executive coaches at multiple F500 global organizations since 2005. Contact us for details.
4. Organizational Assessment Services. Fees range from $500- $28,000 per person. Assessments range from an individual validated tool such as the Hogan Suite or DISC (there are over 15,000 validated assessments) to multi-rater, multi modal assessments with high predictive validity. We can provide virtually any individual or organizational assessment. Assessments are essential to leadership development. Just as you would never go to a physician until the nurse provides your vitals, we recommend using validated assessment tools to measure behavioral changes over time. We often provide assessments by themselves for your new hires or a newly promoted leaders. We always include assessments in coaching solutions, as part of the process. Contact me for details or referrals.
Since 1997, we have seen tremendous changes in the business and leadership coaching services industry. As a timely example, minutes ago I received a cold call from a “leader” in the sales coaching software industry. I quickly learned that he knew less about the industry than he should, and I excused myself from the call. You can avoid the chaos.
If you are interested in seeing trend survey reports from the coaching industry, or from our research on the relationship of positive psychology on business leaders and executive coaching, please contact us.
Now you have some pricing numbers and best practices. So what is your next step?
- You have to vet coaches. Call 3-4 of the best. Read their testimonials. Make sure that they are working on their own professional development. I have hired sales coaches at times. And business coaches at other times. The terms were clean. Their value was tremendous. I currently work with 2 of the best coaches in North America. (Perhaps I need more help than most people.) Make sure the consultants that you select focus on value, and guarantee their work.
- Take a small step: Contact us. Or call 704.995.6647. Or schedule your initial consultation here.
There is no reason to be fearful amid the chaos.
by Doug Gray | Jul 19, 2014 | Business, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, Meetings, safety, Success, talent
Yesterday I was asked to “step in” as a speaker for the Tennessee Safety Congress on Monday, July 21, 2014 in Nashville, TN, at the Opryland Conference Center. Today is Friday. I said, “Sure. Glad to help.”
The title is “Trends in Safety Leadership” and the main points include data and examples on 1) Frontline Decision Making, 2) Privacy and Control, and 3) technology.
The powerpoint content is located here: TN Safety Congress
Share this slide deck with your colleagues and friends, then contact us.
I have also added content from recently published articles in Professional Safety, the Journal of The American Society of Safety Engineers here for your convenience.
Initial consultations are free. Please give me a call at 704.995.6647 to discuss trends at your business.
I would love to learn what you need!
by Doug Gray | Feb 8, 2014 | Business, change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, strengths, Success, talent assessment
Motivation is a messy subject. Perhaps each of us has wondered, “Why do people do what they do?” Or, “Why is my child acting like that?” or “How can I understand why I want that shiny object?”
Those three questions are mirrored by academics, who state that all definitions of motivations attempt to explain 3 qualities:
1. What originates, and energizes human behavior
2. What drives human behavior toward/away from goals
3. How behavior is maintained via systems orientation.
So how do you apply these 3 qualities to your business or your life?
Start with Expectancy Theory. It is a valuable theory because it is new, treats both internal and situational forces, and assumes that each individual is rational and capable. Expectancy Theory assumes that behavior is determined by a combination of forces, that people make independent decisions for subjective reasons, that differences can be studied systematically, and that individuals make decisions based on their perception of a likely reward makes intuitive sense. A rational view for any business leader.
The 3 main concepts of expectancy theory are described as: 1. performance – outcome (the belief that behavior X will likely lead to outcome Y), 2. Valence (different value or subjective worth,) and 3. Effort-performance expectancy (the belief that effort level X will lead to outcome level Y.)
Let me explain expectancy theory with a common example. Imagine a manager of sales people. For 12 years she has monitored sales goals (e.g. reach and frequency metrics) and her district has won national awards. But the stretch goals are created by a third party vendor, using complex algorithms, that cannot be modified by the sales representatives. Their performance-outcome is beyond their control. Too often, their sales goals are set 120% or more above the previous year’s goals. The result is de-motivating. Sales representatives hope for goal correction in the third quarter, so that they improve their national standing before the forth quarter returns. As described by the effort-performance aspect of expectancy theory, some salespeople simply cannot exert enough effort to yield a desired outcome. Expectancy theory assumes any value, when multiplied by zero, will yield zero motivation. Sadly, that was true year after year for too many sales people.
Perhaps they needed to apply expectancy theory to their management tactics!
Expectancy theory has value to managers because it has predictive validity, respects subjective differences of direct reports, can be applied to SMART goals for performance reviews, outcomes can be directly linked to reward systems, and is simple to apply (especially if managers ask people, “What motivates you?)
Expectancy theory has value to organizations because outcomes can be tied to rewards and compensation, it acknowledges different designs of jobs and roles, and it acknowledges influence of groups with different membership needs.
So, can you apply Expectancy Theory to your compensation rewards? Or to your business?
If stuck, contact Doug Gray at 704.895.6479 or at www.action-learning.com.
If academic, here are some good sources:
Porter, L. W., Bigley, G. A., & Steers, R. M. (2003). Motivation in Organizations. Motivation and work behavior (6th ed.) (pp. 1-39). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Robbins, S.R., & Judge, T.A. (2012). Essentials of Organizational Behavior (11th ed.) (p. 18). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
by Doug Gray | Jan 22, 2014 | change, Coaching, Employment, healthcare, Leadership, Managers, organizational leadership, Personal Development, positive psychology, Sales, Success, talent, talent assessment
Doug Gray, PCC, is a Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach.
Coaching and Consulting Experience
Since 1997, Doug has partnered with hundreds of executive leaders in the Healthcare, Energy, Manufacturing, IT, Construction and Financial industries. He is quick to say that he has “just enough expertise to support leaders, without too much complicating industry-specific knowledge.” His clients agree. Doug typically uses customized assessments to assess organizational and individual strengths. A popular speaker and facilitator, Doug loves to facilitate experiential leadership training programs and strategic planning retreats. His recent speaking topics include “How to Apply Positive Psychology to your Business” and “How to Increase Employee Engagement.”
Doug knows how to manage and lead teams. Doug brings a unique background as an educator, administrator, and non-profit director to his clients. That background enables him to help leaders who are passionate and need his direct, supportive expertise. He is regarded as an expert facilitator using Action Learning methodology. And he will bring strategic focus, humor, and proven expertise to maximize your consulting investment.
A representative list of leadership coaching engagements and clients include:
- CFO and 20 leaders in finance and accounting, Fortune 500 energy construction company, who needed to embrace a redesign without losing productivity
- team of EVPs tasked with redesigning the IT needs of their F100 healthcare company
- MD struggling with burnout who needed confidential consulting (e.g. anonymity from his employer and insurer)
- CEO in a technology company recently promoted to replace the founder
- President and 18 members of executive leadership team, Fortune 500 energy construction company, who needed to demonstrate alignment within 6 months
- SVP and site managers at a nuclear power construction site who needed to increase alignment with business partners and avoid negative media
- SVP in functional but de-centralized group who needed to assimilate 20 leaders, using action learning methodology in direct meetings, coaching, and SharePoint to drive accountability
- Small business owner of a franchise who needed to fire an employee after 11 years of good service
- SVP, global bank, who needed to reorganize a division
- VP, global bank, seeking career opportunities
- newly hired VP who needed to develop radical transformation of a functional group that required external coaching and team building leadership training using a customized app
- Newly promoted director who lacked interpersonal skills to manage 33 people
- Founder of an IT company who was not able to develop new business
Business/Organizational Leadership Experience
Doug has been a successful business owner since 1997; he knows the challenges and “what works.” He co-developed the Leadership Development Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park and taught there for 7 years, and he is a former adjunct faculty member at several colleges including NC State University. He directed a non-profit agency in Washington, D.C. for 9 years and grew it 900% while managing 120 people. As a former world-class athlete, Doug knows that the rigor of change requires regular support from experienced consultants, plus a dash of humor.
Education and Training
Doug’s graduate research at Dartmouth College included development of an assessment to determine risk tolerance and risk aversion. That theme of mitigating risk in business and leadership has prevailed in his continued learning from clients and colleagues in the safety, consulting, executive assessment, and leadership development industries. He is certified in the Hogan suite, DISC, several 360’s, several EI assessments, and 5 coaching certification programs. Since 2000, Doug has been a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation. A perpetual learner, he is a doctoral candidate at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Organizational Leadership. His research interests include the effect of positive psychology on business leaders, managers, and executive coaches.
Publications and Appearances
Doug loves to share his expertise as a speaker, facilitator and a writer. As a keynote speaker, he has addressed annual meetings, executive retreats, and nonprofit leaders. As a facilitator, he has partnered with clients to design experientially memorable leadership training solutions that range from boot camps to strategic off-sites to contests using customized mobile apps. As an author, he has frequently been published in journals ranging from the American Society of Safety Engineer’s Professional Safety to Financial Advisor to webinars and hundreds of guest blogs.
He is a published author of articles on leadership development, physician burnout, healthcare, analytics, safety and productivity. Doug has published two books: Passionate Action; 5 Steps to Creating Extraordinary Success in Life and Work (2007), and Adventure Coaching; A Guidebook for Action-Based Success in Life and Work (2006) that can be purchased here and here.
Consulting Value Proposition
“Developing smarter leaders. Faster.”
Doug will not waste any of your time or resources. He expects you to achieve great results. And he always guarantees exceptional value.
Call him now at 704.995.6647 or contact us here or schedule your initial consultation here.
For biographies on other Action Learning Associates, Inc leadership consultants and executive coaches, contact us here or review the list of our partners here. We also provide scaled solutions for any-sized organization, anywhere in the world.
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