by Doug Gray | Nov 14, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, Employment, money, Personal Development, strengths
…is as smart as eating pasta without a fork. You can get something done. But it’s messy.
Assessments define coaching success for several reasons. At an organizational level, we define patterns, norms, needs, oddities. At an individual level, we determine job fit, strengths, career path, succession, potential value.
Recently I met a consultant (with an undergraduate degree from Harvard College) who stated, “I don’t need to use assessments in my work.” I discarded his opinion. Rubbish.
We always use assessments. The data is invaluable for coaching and consulting.
How about you?
by Doug Gray | Nov 13, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, exercise, Leadership, Managers, safety, strengths
Reason #9. Rock climbing.
I love to lead climb.
In my 20s I spent several months rock climbing the best cliffs in the United States. For 3 months I lived in a car with several friends, and we travelled to Boulder, CO and Devils Tower, WY. We ate granola. And macaroni and cheese. While studying guidebooks. Or talking with lanky climbers from all over the world.
Boulder Canyon and Eldorado Canyons were meccas for serious climbers. As a lead climber, my partner and I started on the bottom and climbed all day, until we summited on a ledge. Then we rappelled back down, or hiked down. Every afternoon the thunderstorms terrified us. Every climb had terrifying sections. At Devils Tower we did overhanging aid climbs that required swinging traverses. Just like James Bond on the Eiger in Switzerland. We learned to mitigate risks.
When moving on vertical rock, you have 4 potential points of contact. If two feet and one hand are enough, then you can move the other hand. Climbers learn to distribute weight evenly. To select resting places. To control energy exertion. To keep your hands below your heart to reduce fatigue. To ignore fear.
After days or weeks, your hands develop callouses. After many first ascents, your confidence increases. So you try something harder.
And then you fall.
My most terrifying fall was about 40′ late one afternoon. I had felt invincible. Then the crack thinned out. I could not find any placement. My legs shook. I could not climb back down. And my last piece of protection (climbing hardware) was about 20′ below me. Because I had felt so confident… I had climbed higher than I should have.
I recall pausing. There was a choice. And I chose to fall. I still recall that instant, some 30+ years later.
So I tumbled 20′ to the climbing hardware, then another 20′ below that, until my partner saved my life. We were hundreds of feet above the canyon floor.
That instant of choice reminds me that we can choose to be safe, or not.
Just like adults on a job site. Or adults sorting through career choices. Or adults considering a risky move.
What are some reasons why you care about safety?
by Doug Gray | Oct 7, 2012 | Business, change, Coaching, Employment, energy industry, Financial Professionals, Leadership, Managers, money, Resources, safety, Sales, strengths
Let’s reduce some mystery in the consulting industry.
Annual revenue from management consulting in the U.S. was over $58B in 2016.
Question: How much should you invest in your team or group?
Answer: Enough to guarantee that your outcomes are exceeded. Not a dollar more.
Use these Organizational Consulting Activities and Fee Ranges as a guideline.
1. Consulting Day Onsite. Fee Range $3,000-$10,000. The primary reason to invest in external consulting is to accelerate desired change behaviors. The services may include (1) assessments, (2) coaching or consulting, or (3) skills training. Those services may be for individuals, groups (defined as 2+ people), or organizations. Be wary of consultants who bill by the hour, because that practice is transactional and inherently unethical. Be wary of consultants who offer an “in-town reduction,” or who charge additional fees for books, materials, or excessive travel. Only select external consultants who provide tremendous value, clear contracts, expected outcomes, and then exceed any promises. We typically provide three choices. For details click here.
2. Consulting Day Offsite (research, data analysis, assessment development, etc.) Fee Range $1,000-$5,000. The primary reason to invest in such consulting days is to enable an expert to customize evidence-based content for your organization. Be wary of consultants who charge an excessive fee for research on your project. Those consultants may not be subject matter experts- they may be billing you for their self-study. That practice is both expensive and unethical. However, it is fair and reasonable for any consultant to provide a summary of value provided for any offsite consulting work such as customization, research, or data analysis. We always include those expenses in our value-based contracts for services. Click here for details.
3. Keynote or other brief speech. Fee Range $2,000- $15,000. The primary reason to invest in a motivational speaker is to introduce a new topic or to accelerate learning. For instance, when we speak on “How to Apply Positive Psychology to your organization” the material is customized for your specific learning outcome. Too many professional speakers (including some distinguished members of the National Speakers Association who endlessly self-promote) are struggling to survive. (We have met many of them. In fact, Doug’s brother, Stuart Gray, was featured on the cover of NSA Magazine.) Only select speakers who can provide video evidence of their relevant expertise. There is little evidence validating a long term impact from any motivational speaker. The real value of speaking is to integrate customized learning into your business outcomes. For recent details on our speaking expertise click here.
4. Half-day workshop. Fee Range $2,500- $7,500. There may be a compelling business reason to provide content in a half-day workshop, rather than a full-day workshop. For instance, when we provide workshops we integrate virtual or digital training into the process, with pre-event assessments, a digital playbook, and post-event impact boosters. Those are evidence-based aspects of our process; therefore, we provide them at no additional cost for a workshop of any length. Some consultants will have additional expenses if, for instance, we have 200 attendees instead of 20. Those are real costs for assessments, customized program materials, group coaching, etc. Be wary of any leadership program that is “off the shelf.” There is little evidence to support their value. And be wary of the assumption that a consultant can “condense a full-day into a half-day.” That assumption is absurd. Half-day workshops have different business outcomes from full-day workshops. For details on each workshop design, contact us here.
5. Full-day workshop. Fee Range $5,000- $15,000. Only select proven consultants who provide tremendous value. Adult learners require meaningful experiential events. Anything else is a waste of time, money and energy. Leader development must be customized if you want impact. Consider these facts: Your operational investment into your full-day workshop is multi-fold. The direct costs of the facility ($5,000) plus the direct costs of 20 people away from their desks ($20,000+) plus the real business lost from that day ($20,000+) mean that your investment in that full day workshop for 20 people actually exceeds $45,000. We strongly recommend that you invest in expert consultants facilitating a complete process of pre-event assessment, customized delivery, and post-event impact boosters tied to business outcomes. We have delivered hundreds of these programs. For details contact us today.
6. Executive Retreat, per day. Fee Range $10,000-$50,000. Executive leaders have unique demands on time and energy. They require condensed leadership development experiences. Those experiences must be remarkable. We have facilitated executive retreats with private chefs in the mountains, and with professional actors in the city. The reason to invest in an executive retreat program is to accelerate new learning in short, remarkable periods of time. The goal is strategic transformation or breakthrough. The action learning model is designed to foster breakthrough experiences. Customization for your executive team is critical. That process requires partnership with external trusted consultants. That’s why you should call today. For details, contact us.
7. Systems Implementation (e.g. talent assessment, organizational culture change, succession planning initiative). Fee Range $10,000- $50,000. Organizational leadership may be defined broadly as a series of phased interventions toward desired business outcomes. That process requires ongoing active leadership from external consultants. We provide the objective assessments that you require. Be wary of any consultants who depend on online talent assessments for lower level employees, or those who sell boilerplate programs. 60-80% of change initiatives fail to be adopted. Contact us for the detailed citations. Do not waste any time or money. Your success requires executive sponsorship, valid assessments (often at individual, team and organizational levels), proven process steps with measures for accountability, and specific expertise. We are the experts. We typically provide three choices or a phased set of solutions. For details, contact us.
8. Employee or Customer Surveys. Fee Range $15,000- $100,000+. Caution: the ability to create an online survey does not make one expert in the use of surveys. The primary reason to invest in any survey is to assess a population and make informed recommendations toward some desired business outcome. Valid data requires external consultants with a reliable process. Internal “consultants” or departments may be self-serving, because they are required to justify their importance. Consequently, their survey findings may not be valid. External service providers are absolutely essential for an objective assessment of your organizational performance. The scope of your investment in these external surveys must vary with the scope of your business needs. Assessments are (1) quantitative, (2) qualitative, or (3) mixed. We strongly recommend that you hire an external consultant for surveys. Contact us for details.
9. Strategy Formulation. Fee Range $50,000- $150,000. One definition of strategy is a 3-year horizon line of behavior that reinforces the organizational culture. The process of strategy formulation requires expert facilitators who can assess purpose, mission, values and culture. External consultants with unrelated expertise may provide the best value to your organization. For instance, we have worked with attorneys and accountants for 20+ years. Recently we were hired to work with a mid-sized company of IT providers who required a new way of thinking about strategy. They were delighted with their new strategy. Be wary of the consultant who says, “I have no bias.” We all have biases, and expertise, that will affect any investment in strategy formulation. Our bias is based on evidence-based research in positive psychology that assumes a growth mindset that groups can flourish. Our strategy formulation services are always provided in measurable phases with milestones, so that all parties are delighted. For details contact us.
10. Organizational or Group Assessment. Fee Range $20,000- $200,000. External consultants are the ONLY people capable of providing objective data about your organization. Internal consultants have an inherent bias that limits their effectiveness. We partner with your internal leaders to provide the data you need to make informed decisions, reduce cost, or mitigate risk. For 30+ years we have provided expert organizational and group assessments. We know that the best talent assessment methodology includes a multi-rater (2+ consultants) multi-method (quantitative and qualitative) design, because the result has high predictive validity and reliability. However, your group may only need a quantitative assessment. Assessments are (1) quantitative, (2) qualitative, or (3) mixed. Our theoretical model focuses on positive psychology, therefore we make recommendations based on your individual and organizational capacity to flourish. Then we help you implement those recommendations. Those details are here.
What are you waiting for? Contact us today.
Download this list of services and investment levels now:
Now you have some numbers. So what?
Contact us today.
Or call us at 615.905.1892 or schedule your initial consultation here.
by Doug Gray | Sep 24, 2012 | Business, change, exercise
Happiness is elastic.
Like a giant rubber band. Thankfully, we can stretch and create more happiness when we are intentional.
We experience happiness at different times, and some people are more happy than others. We know the reward mechanisms of the brain are reinforced when we do certain activities. And when we reinforce those behaviors, we can be happier. Some activities, such as mindfulness, are now being taught in MBA programs… so that people become more happy.
Here is step 5 of 5:
5. Give.
The happiest people give generously. They give time. They give talents.
John Maxwell, the “Leadership Guru of the Decade”, calls this the Law of Reciprocity. The more you give, without expectation of direct return, then the more you will receive.
In Rotary the motto is, “Service above self.”
The happiest people give because they choose to do so. And in return, those who give report tremendous feelings of altrusim and compassion.
Did you know that our brains are hardwired? When we do certain behaviors, we can see electrical and chemical activity in certain portions of the brain. For instance, consider this experiment. Imagine that we select two sets of people, randomly matched. What would happen if we gave $100 to each person? Anything different? Now imagine that the first set was asked to invest the money on others. The second set was not given any instructions, they could use the money in any way they desired. Now, would you expect anything different? What would their brain images indicate?
The first set of people, who were asked to invest $100 in others, had different brain images. They reported it as “happiness.” And we can see the impact on their brain imagery in bright colors. One conclusion from this study is that we are hard wired to the reward mechanisms in our brain. Another conclusion is that when we choose to give, we can create happiness in ourselves and others.
So, who can you give something to, today? What can you give away, today? How can you help someone else experience happiness?
A friend recently overheard someone state that he had a bicycle on layaway. He used the bicycle daily. So my friend quietly paid off the debt. Anonymously.
What can you give, right now?
by Doug Gray | Sep 20, 2012 | Business
Happiness is elastic.
Like a giant rubber band.
We experience happiness at different times, and some people are more happy than others. We know the reward mechanisms of the brain are reinforced when we do certain activities. And when we reinforce those behaviors, we can be happier. Some activities, such as mindfulness, are now being taught in MBA programs… so that people become more happy.
Here is step 3 of 5:
3. Take Notice.
Our awareness defines our reality. That fact may seem obvious, but the results are nothing short of spectacular.
Consider your current level of awareness in these ways:
- your internal physical state
- your emotional state
- the external weather
- the political climate in your home town
- who you listen to (new sources, influential people…)
We know that cognitive behavioral theory is defined by reinforcement. For instance, if you listen to political or social or economic views from only one source, that will reinforce your perspective. We take notice. In fact, we have a “confirming bias” which inclines us to believe what we already know or believe.
And those beliefs are reinforced at a neuronal level in our brains.
Until we notice something else.
Like a seasonal change, an Arab Spring, a joyful neighbor…
Happiness occurs when we take notice of the joys and pleasures around us. We label them. We affirm others. We celebrate.
So, how do you take notice? Who do you need to call or take notice of today? What would happen if you took notice of that person right now?
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