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What is leadership?

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:

How can I lead my self?

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:

How can I sell more to existing customers?

I do not know the answer for you. Yet.  And it would be presumptuous or disingenuous if I offered a trite response.

 

Instead I will give you some facts. Then the process. Then what I do know.

 

Many studies confirm that your cost of good sold (COGS) is 7x higher for a new customer than for a returning customer.  So you should focus on providing new value to old customers.

 

There is a former client who comes to mind.  He happened to be a 30 year old financial advisor.  But the story is relevant for most of us in specialized fields.  He wanted to grow his business. After 3 years he had exhausted leads from his friends and family.  He had networked so often that people avoided him at chamber and business development groups and even at Rotary meetings.  I asked him, “What kinds of clients do you want to serve?”  and “Who is likely to retire in 10 years with a strong book of business that needs to sell the bottom portion to a younger professional like yourself?”  and “How can you guarantee that you provide excellent service to that older partner or lead source?”  As you can imagine, he had a new partner and provided tremendous value for that person’s clients for many years.  However, his answer is not your answer.

 

I do know the answer for hundreds of other business leaders who are former clients. Since 1997 I have consulted and coached business leaders in manufacturing, health care, education, HR, safety, technology, finance and accounting. I have guaranteed results for clients ranging from executive teams at F500 companies to small business owners struggling to make ends meet. I can provide best-of-class solutions or referrals to other consultants who can likely help you solve your problems.

 

I do know the process.  I do know what works.

 

Here you go:  you need to 1) define the problems, 2) provide solutions, 3) model accountability.  I call this the “3A Coaching process.

 

These “A letter” words are Assessments, Constructive Actions, and Accountability.  Too many  “coaches” stop after providing assessments, or constructive actions, because they do not know how to provide individual or team accountability.  That’s about as smart as running 2/3 of a marathon and stopping.  Make sure that you hire a coach who will get you past your finish line goals.

 

You are probably struggling with the following challenges:

people challenges
strategy challenges
execution challenges
cash and financial challenges

 

Typically, I define the problems using organizational and individual assessments. I determine where you are making money. And where you are losing money.

 

I may ask the three big questions: 1. can you define the problem? 2. do you need to solve that problem? 3. who can solve that problem? In today’s market, the buyer-seller dance has evolved into a transparent process of answering those 3 questions. Then adopting the best solution. Vendors are secondary.

 

Then I provide a host of best-in-class solutions for you to sell more to your existing customers. They already know you. They are inclined to purchase more products and services.

 

Then I model accountability so that you move beyond good intentions. I want you to sell more services.

 

Ready to talk? Call us soon at 704.995.6647 or contact us here.  Once we determine your needs, then we can define a more specific answer to this question.  Schedule your initial consultation here.

 

We all need to sell more to our existing clients.

 

What are you waiting for?

Download this list of services and investment levels now:

How can I lead others?

This is a common question.  With both a simple answer and a complex answer.

The simple answer:  Serve others well.  Provide tremendous value.  

The complex answer has at least the following 5 points.

 

1.  Choose a BIG WANT.  Humans are aspirational- we aspire to do constructive work.  We aspire to build families, companies, wealth, happiness.  Our aspirations are reflected in art, architecture, net worth, hobbies, etc.  However, too many people lose their focus.  Perhaps you are representative.  As a child you may have had aspirations defined by others; such as get a job, or go to college or take care of your siblings.  As a young adult you may have had aspirations defined by you; such as, build a happy family, serve others, develop my business.  And all of us struggle.  Challenges exist.  Suffering exists.  In response, we need to choose an aspiration that is BIG.  When we choose a BIG WANT, not a small want such as material comfort, we become leaders.  The bigger our want, the bigger our impact as leaders.  A key coaching question is “What is your BIG WANT?”

 

2.   Choose a GREAT TEAM.  Humans are social creatures.  We evolve as a result of strong relationships.  Selling is based on strong relationships.  We can assess the market needs.  We can assess the strengths of others.  And we can build a great team to respond to that market need.  The most successful leaders have at least 6 people on their team who create creative tension and focus on results.  You may need to hire or develop a great team.  A key coaching question is “Who can you add to your team?”

 

3.  Choose constructive DAILY ACTIVITIES.  Leadership is not an occasional event.  Leadership is an ongoing process of daily activity.  Choose your activities carefully.  You have access to more digital information than ever in recorded history.  You should know WHAT works:  Good diet.  Regular exercise. Focused activity. Finding problems.  Solving problems.  Serving others.  Tracking activity.  A key coaching question is “How are you certain that you are making constructive daily activities?”

 

4.  Measure your Key Performance Indicators.  KPIs are used in all businesses.  What we measure leads to results.  Sadly, too few people measure their leadership efforts.  For many years, I have provided scoresheets, templates, spreadsheets to help others measure their KPIs.  A little structure helps.  Daily and weekly accountability sessions help.  Metrics define the score.  They are data points.  Like a line on computer software, KPIs determine your impact as a leader.  A key coaching question is “What KPIs do you need to measure today?”

 

5.  Remain humble.  I have had countless great teachers, from the finest universities on the planet.  Clients are the most instructive teachers.  Children are a close second.  All constructive leaders in recorded history shared the same trait:  we are all humble.  A key coaching question is “How are you showing your humility?”

 

If I had more time I might add more to this list…

 

Bottom line:  YOU can save time and money.  YOU can be a smarter leader today.

 

We all need coaches at times.  Call me at 704.995.6647 or subscribe now for details.  Or schedule your initial consultation here.

 

What are you waiting for?

Download this list of services and investment levels now:

How can I sell more to new customers?

I do not know the answer for you.  Yet.

 

I do know the answer for hundreds of other business leaders.  Since 1997 I have consulted and coached business leaders in manufacturing, health care, education, HR, safety, technology, finance and accounting.  I have guaranteed results for clients ranging from executive teams at F500 companies to small business owners struggling to make ends meet.

 

I do know the process.  I do know what works.

 

It costs much more money, time, and energy to attract new customers than it does to upsell to existing customers.  That is a fact.  Expenses vary from 2-7x the cost of upselling an existing customer.  Acquisition costs can be reduced when we work together.

 

You will need to 1) define the problems, 2) provide solutions, 3) model accountability.  I call this the 3A Coaching Process.

 

You are probably struggling with the following challenges:

  • people challenges
  • strategy challenges
  • execution challenges
  • cash and financial challenges

 

Typically, I define the problems using organizational and individual assessments.  I determine where you are making money.  And where you are losing money.  I determine how you need to present solutions to your target markets.

 

Then I provide a host of best-in-class solutions for you to sell more to your potential new  customers.  They must learn about you.  You must provide tremendous value.  (This website is an example.)  When your prospects receive tremendous value, then they will be inclined to purchase your products and services.

 

Then we model accountability so that you move beyond good intentions.  We want you to sell more services.

 

We have hundreds of executive consultants and behavioral coaches, with expertise in sales, so we can help you immediately.

 

Call Doug Gray, PCC, at 704.995.6647 or contact us to help you sell more of your services to your existing customers.  Schedule your initial consultation here.

What are you waiting for?

Download this list of services and investment levels now:

8 reasons why you need a list of qualified alliance partners for your business

Business has always been defined by who you like and trust.  Those who deliver get the best results.

Future business will be defined by the quality of your web of qualified alliances or partnerships.

A friend is a successful realtor.  When people call he asks, “Would you like a list of qualified services that may be interested in helping you and your family?”  They typically say YES!  And he hands them a list of his favorite plumbers and dentists and… you get the idea.

As an expert in leadership development, here is my current list of qualified alliance partners and experts:

  1. Assessments.  www.action-learning.com Doug Gray, 704.895.6479;  www.edc-llc.com  Adam Ortiz, PsyD, 704.248.0863
  2. Coaching and consulting.  www.action-learning.com Doug Gray, 704.895.6479
  3. Change management.
  4.  Strategic Planning.  www.avivconsulting.com Aviv Shahar, 425.415.6155
  5. Business development and sales
  6. Operational efficiency.
  7. Marketing.
  8. Social media.
Note:  I am expert in only 2 of these 8 categories.  I am delighted to post only 2 other service providers.  I am glad to provide the remaining names and links upon request.
Please call me at 704.895.6479 now for the remainder of the list.  Or to discuss your needs for your business.
If you think you belong on my list, please contact us.
If you are serious about your business, create your own list now.  Why wait?  I have 8 reasons listed above…
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