Have you ever tried to do Team Building with your management team? If so, you’ll know that it’s difficult because many team programs do not have lasting business results that improve communication, trust, and “de-silo-ing.”

So what do you do? Many people have found success by using a trained management consultant to facilitate their Team Building off-sites who has expertise in sustainable behavior change.  There are a few things you should know before you implement a Team Building initiative to ensure lasting business results.  This post will tell you what you need to know to make sure you design a program that will help you create a successful measurable outcome.

If you’re looking for a solid Team Building program, the best method to ensure you end up with something that provides more than just a good feeling is to design it so you actually increase the individuals on the team’s ability to work together better and by looking for these things:

1. Make sure your Team Building activities are connected to your business goals and objectives. If it isn’t, you’ll have trouble measuring results and making it worth the money spent.

2. Ensure your Team Building has a trained facilitator who knows how to create motivational and communication activities, not just a pizza party or an afternoon of racecar driving (lots of fun but no lasting results).

3. Any good Team Building facilitator should let you participate in the design. This is important because you know your people issues the best and a good design should be customized to address the needs and challenges your people face day-to-day.

While not necessary, some great bonus features of a great Team Building program involves some challenge for the team to figure out together, gives team members ahas and insights as to how to apply what they learned back to the their job, and increases their ability to work together more effectively.

It’s really important to carefully evaluate all options before making a decision on picking the right Team Building program for your management team. Now that you know what to look for, you’re ready to get started without worrying about ending up with a fluffy feel good day without a program designed to give you business benefits.

What things do you look out for when evaluating a Team Building program?”

3 Reasons to Stop Developing the Management Talent in Your Organization

I have been coaching John Smith (you really didn’t think this was his real name did you?) for about a year and a half.  The purpose of his coaching was to develop his management talent and abilities as his boss wanted to increase his role and responsibilities and thought he needed some coaching to help him become a stronger leader first. This week, I met with John’s boss Bob, who was delighted with John’s progress. Bob reported, “John has really taken to his coaching and has made some major positive shifts in leading his team; I’m happy with what I see.  Since he is doing so well, let’s stop his coaching after the next couple of sessions; as he seems he’s all set.”  I was wondering if I heard correctly.  Did he really say, “Things are going great, so let’s take away his support system and one of the tools helping him be so successful?  Really?”

It’s inconceivable to me, why anyone would want to stop developing the top management talent in their organization. Isn’t strong human capital development the most important thing you can do to keep your organization thriving?  When Bob said let’s stop John’s coaching I thought, “Why would we stop, since he is is making great progress, and delivering fantastic results?!”  This would be like saying, LeBron James of the Miami Heat is averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.7 steals in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder and because he’s doing such a great job, he must not need any more support so let’s take away his coach.” This is absurd, right? So why do we do this with our best players?  Why do we think, they are doing fine, so let’s not waste money on their coaching.  

My management talent development philosophy is to select your top players (your senior team) and mentor, train, and develop the heck out of them, continuously.  Why would you even consider not developing your management talent?  Isn’t your game just as important as any sports team’s?  Here are four reasons:

1.    You think you can’t afford it. 

I know you’ve heard this before, but I really believe it’s true; you can’t afford NOT to develop your management talent.  I have one client that I have been coaching since 1997.  No kidding.  He is one of the nation’s most prominent experts in his line of work, although this wasn’t always the case.  When we started coaching together, he was just starting out in his career, his salary was just shy of $100K per year, and he wanted more.  More money.  More prestige. More of an impact.  More work.  More clients.  His first book deal.  You get the idea. Through our coaching and his gifts, talents, and extraordinary focus on excellence, he now is very well known in his field, has written 9 books, been President of a national organzation, and his salary is @ $1M per year.  Is it worth what he’s paying for coaching for all that he has achieved?  Heck yes!

2.    You’re looking for ways to cut costs and executive coaching and management talent development seem expensive.

Cut back on staples on flowers; whatever you do, don’t cut your management talent development budget.  Cutting out training and coaching seem to be one of the first things organizations do when looking for ways to trim the budget.  I can’t figure out why anyone would do this. Your people make your business succeed or fail, not products or services.  Have you ever purchased from Nordstroms, Zappos, LL Bean, or Apple?  I don’t think they are cutting back on training their people to service customers, do you? Once you shop in one of these stores, it’s easy to get spoiled; they’re delightful to do business with and I am happy to go back time and time again. Invest in your people. It has long term benefits that will make your company stand apart from all the rest.  There are other ways to cut expenses.

3.    Coaching isn’t forever is it? Shouldn’t my people be able to work on their own without a coach by their side?

NPR recently had a great article, “Athletes Have Coaches, Why Not Everyone Else”, that outlines many different individuals and jobs that could benefit from coaching.  You can hire a coach because something is going wrong that you want to fix or because everything is going well and you want to continue to grow and expand.  Personally, I’ve had a coach since 1995.  Why?  Because it gives me the opportunity to stop and assess what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, and how I might make myself and my results even better.  We cannot see ourselves objectively, so the only way I can make changes is to have another set of eyes on my business and how I am responding to all that it requires.  A coach is a confidential personal advisor, a strategic partner, and someone to tell all your concerns to without reprocussions (because it is an outside resource) personally or professionally.  A objective thought partner who has only your best interests at heart is priceless.  Why wouldn’t everyone and anyone interested in creating amazing results and who hasa desire for continued personal and professional success have a coach!?  Of course they would!

I beg you, do not stop developing the management talent in your organization.  Don’t cut back on one of the key factors that can help your organization be successful. Investing in your people to the max will only benefit you, them, your customers and the organization. What success have you had yourself or seen in others where management talent development really made a big difference?  Others reading this might benefit from your experience.

I had a wonderful time in San Antonio, Texas recently at a leadership development seminar and conference.  This is my 4^th year attending this event and it’s one of the professional development activities I participate in each year to grow my skills as a master certified coach and to network with other like-minded professionals.  (Can you find me in this picture taken by Doug Ellis in this swarm of executive coaches?)

photo by Doug Ellis

Why should you go to Leadership Development Seminars?  Many of the senior level individuals I coach tell me they are so busy that they don’t have time to go to industry events or conferences.  I too feel busy and my to-do list is never ending, however as Steven Covey in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” says, we must prioritize activities that are important but not urgent.  We know theoretically how important it is to get out of our offices, away from our desks, and network with others but do we make enough time for our own leadership development? I strongly believe the benefits of immersing ourselves professionally away from the office, far outweighs the challenges of being away from work for a few days.  Consider these five benefits for yourself and see if participating in a professional leadership development seminar might be worth your while.

1.  Get an outsider’s perspective on some of your most pressing challenges.

Thinking about something by ourselves just brings us back to what we already know and does not give us a new perspective.  None of us can observe ourselves in action. We actually need outside advice to stimulate our thinking. I’m currently writing a book and am at a crossroads deciding whether to go the traditional publishing route or self publish.  I met a number of authors at the recent leadership development seminar I attended that gave me advice and helped me see the pros and cons that I was not aware of since I have never written a book.

2.  Develop a network that you can re-connect with once you return to work.

An outside network can be invaluable.  New people, new ideas, and access to a whole new network, theirs!  A few years ago, I met a wonderful talented woman at a leadership development workshop and she and I now work together providing Strategic Decision Making and Mastering the Art of High Stakes Conversations leadership workshops to managers in corporations. I might not have met her if I had not gone to that workshop and talked about a current business challenge I was facing.  (If you want info on either of these, email me mailto:info@visionquestconsulting.com

3.  Develop a connection that might help you with future employment.

You may or may not be looking for a new job at the moment, but you never know when you might be or when someone you know might be.  The more connections we have the better we are positioned when the time is right to make a move.  I’m not looking for a job myself, as I am happily self-employed, but I did just hire a marketing person who was a referral from someone I met at a leadership development conference. You never know who you might meet that might know someone looking for just your skill set.

4.    Step back, sort through, think creatively, reflect, re-invent and experience work from a whole new perspective.

This is one of my favorite reasons for attending leadership development seminars and conferences.  I can think bigger and more creatively once I get away from my desk where the day-to-day issues and challenges rule my days.  I came back from CAM a few weeks ago with an idea to develop video descriptions of my Leadership University seminars on my website, which I can easily film at the TV studio where I produce my monthly cable show. It’s sort of a no-brainer but it had not occurred to me until someone else was talking about using videos in their business.  I also met 4 colleagues that are interested in forming a traveling mastermind group and we decided we are going to start our group by taking a tour of Zappos and then brainstorm how we can take what we learned back into our businesses.   New perspectives are priceless!

5.    Learn something that changes your life (in a good way!).

As you can see I go to these leadership development seminars and workshops with big intentions for myself.  Why not discover something that makes a huge difference for me personally or professionally, or both!?  This year, I had a deep learning about who I am and how I want to be in the world whether I am at work or not.  I discovered that I am someone who is inspired about thinking of myself as “Serenely Ambitious”.  (A special shout out and thanks to Jim Selman, an expert in the field of organizational transformation and change, who coined this phrase, which I have now made my own).   I love this phrase as it covers both sides of me that I am cultivating and celebrating. One side of me that is at peace, happy, and present and the other that is materially solid and driven towards success, but not at the expense of being spiritually bankrupt.   I am learning to accept that all is perfect and unfolding in my world even if I am uncertain where it might lead, and at the same time I am committed to a larger possibility for myself and others and being constantly dissatisfied.  Serene Ambition will be one of my leadership practices for this year as I strive to become masterful over time.

Float Your Boat.  You never know what you might learn about yourself or your business until you get away from it.  Think about attending a leadership development training workshop, program or conference this year as a professional or personal gift to yourself.  Find something that looks like it has the possibility to really float your boat.  Maybe it’s something you want to learn more about or something you want to immerse yourself in, or maybe its something completely new to take yourself out of your box.

A couple of years ago, I attended something out of the box for me, a course called Entrepreneurial Thought and Action run by Charlie Kiefer of Innovation Associates and Len Schlesinger, President of Babson College.  It rocked.  I learned a lot about running entrepreneurial ventures, which came in handy while I was starting The Magic Parties, (an organization of women supporting women to make their next bold moves) and I made some wonderful new friends and colleagues, including Len and Charlie.

If you are someone who is interested in exploring your next bold move professionally, might I shamelessly suggest a workshop I am conducting on November 2^nd, “Your Next Bold Move Business Workshop.”  It just might get your juices flowing and your actions aligned with what you really want professionally.

Be conscious and deliberate about what and how you are stretching yourself professionally and personally. We all need to re-assess where we are, what we want, and how the heck we’re going to get there.  Where will your next bold move be?

Business coaches are called by many names.    Executive Advisors.  Leadership Coaches.  Executive Coaching Consultants.  It’s less important how you refer to these experts and more important to find the right person to work with you and your team; someone who is experienced with what you are trying to accomplish.  So how do you work most effectively with these Executive Coaching Consultants, Advisors, and Coaches?

Here are the 3 Ways to Effectively Use an Executive Coaching Consultant

1.    Know What Problem You Are Looking to Solve.

I got a call from a client the other day who said they wanted to hire me to come in and work with one of their managers to help her develop stronger leadership skills.  Pretty straight forward, right?  Well, not really.  I started the assignment by conducting stakeholder interviews and it turns out this manager’s interpersonal skills wer so aggressive people did not want to work with her.  Yikes.  This did not resemble developing leadership skills.  Really what they needed was interpersonal communications coaching aka charm school to help her soften her communication and learn to play nice in the sand box not leadership development. Be clear about what you need what problem you are trying to solve.

2.  Find a Good Match.

Make sure before you select an Executive Coaching Consultant to work with that it is a good match. A good match consists of the Executive Coach having the right amount of prior experience working in your industry.  A good match consists of a Coach who has right personality and style to work with those you want to develop.  Find someone who is masterful at working with organizational change, managing high stakes conversations, developing strategy, executing with excellence, and knows how to grow and develop teams. The martial arts says that doing something 10,000 repetitions has one operating at the master level.  Does this Coach have 10,000 hours behind them in the arenas in which you need the most help?

3.   Incorporate Feedback Everywhere.

As individuals advance to the executive level, feedback, especially development feedback, becomes increasingly important, and somehow even though it is more important it is often more infrequent, and more unreliable.

Thousands of companies have made coaching a core part of their executive development process. The reason for this is that, under the right circumstances, one-on-one objective feedback with an Executive Coaching Consultant who is an objective third party, can provide a focus that other forms of organizational support simply cannot.  Although Executive Coaching Consulting was once viewed by many as a tool to help correct under or poor performers, today it has become more mainstream and widely used in supporting top producers. In fact, in a survey by Right Management Consultants,  86% of companies said they used coaching to sharpen the skills of individuals who have been identified as future organizational leaders. Executive Coaching is a fabulous tool to develop leaders in the context of their current jobs, by providing them with real-time developmental feedback without removing them from their day-to-day environment, roles, or responsibilities.

All of the Executive Coaches that work for our firm Vision Quest Consulting are master-level coaches.  If you want to talk to us, with no obligation or charge, we would be happy to hear about the leadership problem you are trying to solve.

Check out our new TV show episode on Developing Leadership Skills: 3 Secrets to Successful Decision Making.  It’s a free resource to help you develop your leadership skills.

http://www.visionquestconsulting.com/resources.html