Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog

Enlightainment

The emerging creation of "enlightainment" blends life advice with elements of entertainment.

Take some fairly standard self-help advice about focusing on your goals.  Add mysticism and conspiracy theory, along with a dose of Hollywood special effects.  Use word-of-mouth and the Internet to bypass traditional film marketing and get stars to participate for free.

The result is "The Secret," a movie that's emerging as one of the year's most successful multimedia franchises.  The DVD is the No. 5 top-seller on Amazon.com.  A tie-in book is No. 6 on The Wall Street Journal's nonfiction best-seller list and is the No. 8 audiobook on iTunes.  It's also available online as a streaming video for a $4.95 fee.

So, what exactly is the "secret"?

Simply stated it is the Law of Attraction. What you think, happens to you.  Envision what you want, and it will come to you.  The message is elaborated on by the film's cast of 24 advice experts of varying levels of fame, most notably Jack Canfield, author of the best-selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. 

This ensemble of experts proved instrumental to jump-starting word-of-mouth about the film.  Between them, they had direct marketing lists with hundreds of thousands of names.  Before the release, they sent out a mass email linking to the film's trailer.

Another enlightainment getting a lot of buzz is the just-released DVD of "The Celestine Prophecy," the 1993 best-selling novel that blends fiction and spiritual philosophy, from Sony Pictures.  The film sandwiches New Age theories between jungle scenes shot in the Costa Rican rainforest.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2007

Leadership Onboarding

In today's era of increasing activist investors and boards, a heightened focus on fast results is making the first few months for new corporate leaders feel more like a trial by fire than a honeymoon.

"Boards are more willing to toss people out and [are giving CEOs] a much shorter leash," says Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days and a former Harvard Business School and INSEAD professor.  "Many senior executives feel they have a much shorter time frame to prove themselves."

Executive search firms, leadership coaches, and consultants are building specialized "executive onboarding" services to add to their client offerings.  Onboarding, as the name implies, helps new managers get a running start through coaching that assists them with detecting cultural nuances, accelerating strategic plans, and navigating the personality mine fields of their new teams.   The term is also now used to describe orienting new hires.

For some of the biggest search firms, onboarding is part of a trend toward providing broader leadership assessment, development and coaching services.  At a time when CEO failure rates are running at 40%, helping executives "stick" makes sense.

Source: BusinessWeek, February 5, 2007

What happens when attempt to take on a new leadership position without a personal onboarding coach?

Do you need a coach?

You may be a brilliant negotiator, a financial whiz or a technical genius.  But do you have what it takes to manage other high-level employees?  If your communication skills have been a sore spot during your annual reviews, a leadership coach might be able to help.

Once a tiny industry, dominated by boutique firms, leadership coaches have moved into the mainstream.  The trend is driven partly by demographic shifts.  In North America and Europe, the executive-age population--i.e., Baby Boomers--is nearing retirement.  Companies need to start focusing on developing internal leaders, rather than just recruiting from the outside.

"There is going to be a real premium for companies to try to retain talent," says Mark Marcon, an analyst with Robert. W. Baird.  "And the talent out there to replace the people retiring is going to be scarcer and scarcer."

Leadership coaches aren't just for executives who are struggling to get the job done.  Those overlooked middle-managers, in fact, might be prime candidates.  Leadership coaches often work with managers who have been highly successful, but see barriers preventing them from reaching the C-suite.  Some are technical whizzes who don't have the interpersonal skills to manage a large staff.

In other cases, coaches are called in when there has been turnover on an executive team, and the senior officers need to get to know each other.  Leadership coaches can help a new CEO adjust to his or her position, or aid a board trying to develop a succession plan.

Results of the first-ever global survey of coaches demonstrate how the young profession of coaching has gained a strong foothold in the marketplace and now contributes more than $1.5 billion (USD) to the global economy.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) commissioned independent research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct this groundbreaking study of coaches worldwide in order to evaluate the magnitude of the coaching profession.

From September to December 2006, nearly 6,000 coaches (both ICF members and non-members) in 74 countries were surveyed on their coaching practice and client demographic information, as well as revenue details.

The highlights of the survey findings include:

·        The approximate annual worldwide revenue produced by coaching is $1.5 billion (USD).

·        Coaches earn an average of $50,510 (USD) per year.

·        69% percent of coaches are female.

·        The average coach is 46-55 years old, has coached for 5-10 years, and 53 percent of coaches have acquired an advanced level of education (i.e., Master's Degree or Ph.D).

·        The majority of coaches maintain 11 active clients at any given time.

·       

Coaching clients tend to be 56 percent female/44 percent male, and between 38 and 45 years of age.

Sources: International Coach Federation, February 5, 2007 press release and www.Forbes.com, January 12, 2007

The Baby Handicap

A recent decision by Europe's top court rules that male workers can be paid more than similarly employed women who have less time on the job because of maternity leave.

The ruling came in the case of Bernadette Cadman, 44, a health inspector in Manchester, England, who filed suit when she learned that her annual salary was as much as 9,000 pounds less than male colleagues doing the same job.  The company justified the discrepancy by nothing that Cadman had taken maternity leave, and therefore, had fewer total hours on the job than her male counterparts.

Cadman initially won her case at an employment tribunal in Britain, but lost when her employer appealed the case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.  In rejecting the claim, the court noted that length of service was a fair way of deciding pay because experience "enables the worker to perform his duties better."

Jenny Watson, chair of the United Kingdom's Equal Opportunities Commission, suggested employers should "err on the side of caution and ensure that length of service is only used in pay where it can legitimately be justified."

Supporting Working Moms

While women are still scarce at the highest levels of management, some companies have adopted noteworthy initiatives to change that.  Last year, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP created a program called Full Circle designed to keep new mothers "connected" with the firm for up to five years while they are home raising their children or providing care for elderly relatives.

Full Circle members, whether they are taking a temporary leave or have left indefinitely, get coaching and keep up training and credentials on the firm's dime.  They also participate in such events as "moms' nights out" to allow for an easier transition back into the firm.  By 2006, the firm's turnover rate among female employees had declined to 17% from 26% in 2001.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Guidelines

Pregnancy-discrimination filings have risen 23% in the past ten years to a record high last year.  More mothers are claiming their ability to work and advance is hindered by employers' stereotypes and assumptions, not only during pregnancy, but for years thereafter.  In a pattern some people call "the maternal wall," some mothers say they're denied jobs or promotions by managers who assume all mothers should stay home, lack job commitment or don't want to advance.

Female plaintiffs have traditionally had to prove they were treated worse than men in comparable positions to press charges of sex discrimination.  Now, the EEOC says managers' biased statements and behavior may be enough to warrant charges by mothers over job setbacks without any comparative evidence.

Sources: Human Resource Executive, January 2007 and The Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2007 and May 24, 2007

What is mentoring?

Across the country, senior managers are influencing young talent by being matched up with junior staffers interested in the opportunity to understand the corporate culture. 

The mentor and mentee relationship is one of mutual benefit.  The mentor gains the satisfaction of helping develop the talent and mentees get access to "someone who has been there" as knowledge and experience is shared from one generation to another.  This knowledge sharing is important today as Baby Boomers exit the company for retirement.

Companies are hot on the practice these days, believing it encourages loyalty, diversity, and cohesion.  Fully half of the 500 biggest businesses in the U.S. now offer mentoring, up from about 10% five years ago, according to Menttium Corp., which sets up such programs for corporations.

Mentoring takes on many forms.  Mentoring can be a one-shot intervention or a lifelong relationship.  It can be carried out informally, as relationships develop on their own, or formally as part of a highly structured program.  One of the most common problems, especially with formal programs, is simply that the mentor and mentee are incompatible.  Even the best intentions and most thorough questionnaires can't always identify what might really irritate you about the other person.  Many companies have discovered that it is best for the mentee to choose his or her mentor rather than having the company do the matching.

Mentoring programs can be very helpful in achieving corporate objectives:

* Developing emerging leaders

* Retaining highly qualified employees

* Used as a recruitment tool and getting new staffers up-to-speed

* Provide guidance on work-life balance, navigating company culture, handling conflict resolution and learning specific skills

Sources: BusinessWeek, January 29, 2007, www.MENTORINGandCOACHING.com 

Don't Send Your Resume

When an executive is looking for another job, a huge mistake is to send his or her resume to prospective employers.

Why? Because prospective employers are not interested in your past responsibilities, education and experience.  You will only turn their heads by being clear as to what you are looking for in a position with their company, what you have accomplished in your life and past work experiences, what your signature talents are and what other firms you may be considering in your job search.  My coaching clients include those four elements on a one page document that they get into the hands of prospective employers.

Here are five tips on how to put together your solid accomplishments:

1.  Think of your list of accomplishments as sharing the results you have delivered for others in your professional and personal lives.

2.  Ask yourself the following questions about each of your previous jobs:

*What was your impact on your team, business unit, division, company and enterprise?

*What would not have happened if you hadn't been there?

*What are you proudest of during your career with each previous employer?

3.  Look over old performance reviews and note what your boss praised you for doing well.  Are your accomplishments listed in the document?  What do letters of recommendation or company newsletters say about the results you achieved in the organization?

4.  If you have increased profitability and/or decreased costs, list these accomplishments by applying numbers where possible, using percentages, dollar signs and time qualifiers.

5.  If your employer or industry association has recognized you with an award, cite it.  But make sure any award you cite is based on you making something positive happen.

Source: Career Journal, The Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2007

Work Life Discontent

In poll after poll, most executives and employees report discontent with their work-life balance. 

However, this might be the year to ask for more job flexibility....because more prospective employees want more control over their time at work.

What's hot is informal flexibility that allows employees to alter their hours or to work at home on a more casual basis.  Some work teams are eliminating firm office hours and handing employees control over when and how they achieve corporate goals.

What's not: Rigid policies for specific flexible setups such as job-sharing or part-time work that are seldom used and damage the careers of those who do.

As more employers recognize they need to embrace job flexibility, they will turn heads of prospective employees.

Source: Work & Family, The Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2007

Impact of Vacant Homes

A large number of homes for sale in the U.S. are unoccupied.

In the third quarter, there were 5.7 million vacant housing units for sale or rent, accounting for a record 4.6% of all U.S. homes.  The average in the 1990s was about 3.5%.  To get this ratio back to normal, 1.3 million vacant homes would need to be occupied.

High vacancy rates have other effects, points out Credit Suisse analyst Ivy Zelman.  When an occupied home gets sold, the seller has to buy or rent another home.  That sets off a chain reaction that ripples through the housing market.  When a vacant home gets sold, the seller doesn't have to do anything.

The good news is that trouble in housing hasn't spelled trouble for the rest of the economy......yet.  And low interest rates give households more buying power.

Source: The Wall Street Journal's AHEAD OF THE TAPE, January 8, 2007

Bad Bosses

Many managers fear that their subordinates will learn how inadequate they feel in their jobs.  Although hiding vulnerabilities is hardly new, this concern has been exacerbated by a new fear of either becoming obsolete or technology-driven toast in a world of business transformation. "I've never seen businesspeople have to fake it more," says B. Joseph White, past business school dean and interim president at the University of Michigan and now president of the University of Illinois.

Four out of ten newly promoted managers and executives fail within 18 months of starting new jobs, according to research by Manchester, Inc, a leadership development firm in Bala Cynwyd, PA.  "Failing" includes being terminated for performance, performing significantly below expectations or voluntarily resigning from the new position.

Managers often fail for a few common reasons: due to unclear or outsized expectations, a failure to build partnerships with key stakeholders, a failure to learn the company, industry or the job itself fast enough, a failure to determine the process for gaining commitments from direct reports and a failure to recognize and manage the impact of change on people.

Those all-to-common poor managers create plenty of problems for companies as well as leading to poor morale, less production and higher turnover.

FSU Survey Sites Worst Boss Offenses

Nearly two of five bosses don't keep their word and more than a fourth bad mouth those they supervise to co-workers, a Florida State University (FSU) study shows.  The FSU survey included more than 700 people working in a variety of jobs and asked how their bosses treat them.

"They say that employees don't leave their job or company, they leave their boss," says Wayne Hochwarter, an associate professor of management in the College of Business at FSU.  Employees stuck in an abusive relationship experienced more exhaustion, job tension, nervousness, depressed moods and mistrust, the researchers found.  The findings include:

39 percent of workers said their supervisor failed to keep promises

37 percent failed to give credit when due

31 percent gave them the "silent treatment" in the past year

27 percent made negative comments about them to other employees or managers

24 percent invaded their privacy

Workers in bad situations should remain optimistic, Hochwarter said. 

Keep doing your job in the best way possible while being tolerant of your boss...who may be trying to learn how to best manage you and others.  If your boss has been recently promoted or recruited, you can expect that he or she will be incompetent for the first 9 to 12 months in the new position.

Source: Brent Kallestad, The Associated Press

Your Blog and the Internet You

There is no such thing as an eraser on the Internet.

Search engines provide endless opportunities for ego surfing, Google bombing (influencing traffic so it spikes a particular site) and Google juicing (enhancing one's "brand" in the era of micro-celebrity).  Overshare and follow yourself too closely: Google narcissist.

But Googling people is also becoming a way for bosses and headhunters to do continuous and stealthy background checks on employees, no disclosure required. 

Google is an end run around discrimination laws, inasmuch as employers can find out all manner of information--some of it for a nominal fee--that is legally off limits in interviews: your age, your martial status, the value of your house (along with an aerial photograph of it), the average net worth of your neighbors, fraternity pranks, stuff you wrote in college, liens, bankruptcies, political affiliations, and the names and ages of your children.

"There is no way that in the next couple years people aren't going to Google you before they hire you---or invite you to a party," says Debbie Well, author of The Corporate Blogging Book. 

How to take control? Start a blog and put your name on it.

You should expect modest results from your blog---an estimate that the average blog has one reader is "probably generous," says Derek Gordon, a vice president at Technorati---but the 12 million Americans who blog don't seem to care.

After you've polished your thoughts in a slick looking blog, don't mess it up with a silly Web address like http://coachingtip.blogs.com/so_baby_boomer/ Instead, get a vanity address that expresses the nature of your blog, like: www.SoBabyBoomer.com.  It's never been easier or cheaper to get an Internet domain name, the .com or .net address that you type into a browser to find a website.  For as little as $9 a year, you can make it easy to land your own address and point it to your blog.  You can also use the domain as a permanent email address, with the mail sent automatically to any mailbox you choose.

Here are some tips to clean up your digital dirt:

1.  Register with a free online profile manager such as LinkedIn.

2.  If you must MySpace, refrain from posting the risque; consider cloaking or using an avatar.

3.  Order a background check and then contact vendors if you find incorrect information.

4.  Think before you blog.  Anything personal that you post may come back to haunt you.

5.  Fight fire with fire: Drive traffic with your own blog or by hiring a search-engine optimization outfit.

A Closing thought:

35% of executive recruiters, who use the Internet to check out prospects, say they have eliminated candidates based on what they have found online (up from 26% in 2005).  Although 82% of job candidates expect recruiters to look them up online, 33% of job candidates have never conducted a Web search on themselves.

Sources: BusinessWeek, June 26, 2006 and March 27, 2006, U.S. News & World Report, December 25, 2006