by Doug Gray | Jul 25, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, family, global, Leadership, Managers, money, Sales, strengths, Success, talent
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?
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by Doug Gray | Jul 22, 2013 | change, digital, Employment, global, Leadership, Managers, money, Resources, Sales, Success, talent
Open your eyes! How much time do you spend with millenials? Not only do millenials consume the most products, they also expect results. They are 50% of the workforce in 2018.
To ignore millenials is to commit some form of suicide.
Here are 6 steps for you and your company:
1. Mobile web-based experiences are a $10 billion dollar industry, with over 7 billion phones. We now have nearly 4x more mobile browsers than the number of desk-based browsers. Follow the numbers. Follow the money.
2. We can provide emotionally-provocative experiences that combine digital and physical activities. Here are several examples. When you go to the zoo you can now rent a GoPro or Segway to make your experience unique. When you go to a park you can use your mobile device to geocache. You can have a “Yelp Night” and move from restaurant to bar in any unfamiliar city. When you go to a conference you can tweet about and score the presenters, in real time. However, at most amusement parks and concerts we are not doing anything about the visitors who are standing in a line (bored) or tweeting or Face-booking their friends to “stay away” from your business or event. As a more costly example, we are not doing anything about low compliance with incentive reward programs. In fact, industrial organizational researchers tell us that some 35% of the US workforce is not engaged in their jobs. We sorely lack emotionally-provocative experiences that combine digital and physical activities.
3. In response to these market needs, I have developed a mobile web-based app that can guarantee engagement for any clients. This app enables clients to have a pre-visit and post-visit experience that integrates their event with any content. The event becomes a process. For instance, if a client wants to assign pre-visit training or reading content, the app can assess their engagement. Using a leader board and social media, they can increase accountability. They can market and promote the company. They can include video and photo uploads. They can earn points by doing more activities. They can return to the venue. The app can be delivered in hours, under any name. And it can be scaled for any sized organization.
4. Large corporate clients expect global delivery capacity. Every successful Free Agent has a network of alliance partners. The myth of the solo-preneur as a lone wolf is dead. For instance, the largest provider of leadership development coaches is www.coachsource.com, founded by Brian Underhill and Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall is described as the #1 leadership consultant in the U.S., according to Harvard Business Review. I am the southeast engagement manager, and represent 1,200 leadership coaches in 60 countries. We can provide expert leadership coaching to any clients. A bold claim, but a well validated claim. We can deliver the value of global leadership coaching to your current clients. And we can design programs that include a cycle of regular visits to any location with reinforcements from the very best leadership coaches. Those individual and group agendas typically yield a 500% ROI.
Digital and Global solutions not only satisfy millenials. They lead to results. They are required solutions.
If you are a solo-preneur, develop strong alliance with the smartest partners that you can find. Today.
If you are a business leader, call Doug at 615.236.9845 If I cannot help you I will find someone who can. Today.
Comments?
by Doug Gray | May 12, 2013 | change, Employment, Leadership, strengths, talent, talent assessment
Throughout my career I have always done one thing: leadership development.
And my career has catapulted at many times… Specifically, whenever I partner with smart people doing great work.
In 2012 I partnered with Adam Ortiz, PsyD, Chris Leupold, PhD, and the team to provide predictive talent assessments for a large global F100 company.
These multi-rater, multi-method assessments are described below. The process is the most effective, valid talent assessment I have experienced to date. Please call me at 704.895.6479 to learn how we can provide this assessment for your senior leaders.
Executive Development Consulting
As a premier provider of executive assessment and coaching services, we excel at understanding our clients’ situations and helping them drive business results. EDC employs experts who are Ph.D.-level Organizational Psychologists, and possess more than 15 years of consulting and corporate experience working with C-suite and senior-level executives. Our depth of experience in working with companies of all sizes, and across the globe, is a key differentiator, and rather than relying on abstract concepts, EDC integrates proven methods for assessment and development. We design these methods to work within the parameters of your environment and can be tailored quickly and cost effectively. Our solutions equip individuals and organizations with the tools they need to achieve their goals.
Our Approach
Understanding what is required to excel is critical to individual and organizational advancement. We systematically define success in each client’s organization by asking questions that hone in on core competencies and underlying behaviors. We then use in-depth, behavioral interviews, 360-degree assessment, and psychological inventories to objectively assess those competencies and behaviors. Our goal is to provide a clear, accurate and relevant picture of your talent and where to most meaningfully invest your resources.
How We Add Value
We help our clients identify and develop their number one resource, their people. We do this by partnering to define the competencies critical to success, measuring them and developing the organization’s leaders with those competencies as the focal point. We equip individuals and organizations with the tools they need to turn executive assessment and development into sustainable advantage. Our practices are proven to achieve and sustain higher levels of leadership effectiveness, and are based on best practice research of leadership development strategies.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy on development and coaching is that people grow by applying learnings to real world situations. EDC directly links executive development to individual and organizational needs by addressing values, motivations and behaviors in ways that support the achievement of development targets. Our approach links self-awareness with business results.
by Doug Gray | Apr 28, 2013 | Business, change, Employment, energy industry, money, Personal Development, Resources, strengths
In February, 2012, we surveyed 24 energy industry leaders in the Charlotte, NC region.
Here are their responses to the question: What are the most significant challenges facing your company in the next 12 months?
What do you think of this data?
1. To see the complete survey results from the 2012 Energy Leadership Project, reply here.
2. To be included in the 2013 Energy Leadership Project, click here.
3. For comments or questions, call Doug at 704.895.6479.
by Doug Gray | Apr 23, 2013 | Business, change, Employment, Leadership, Managers, money, Sales, strengths
Hello Ric,
So nice to see you yesterday. (I’m excited about the volunteer work we are doing for …)
Yesterday we talked about the possibility of providing assessments for senior leaders at Company ABC.
We have never discussed your need for multi-method, multi rater assessments that have tremendous predictive validity. This methodology is much better than any assessments I have found, in 30+ years of assessment work. If interested, I encourage you to forward the attached information to your colleagues for review.
How much would you be willing to invest in information that predicted your senior leadership talent and bench strength and succession needs? I would like to meet with you or your colleagues who might need such predictive assessments.
I have partnered with Adam Ortiz, at Executive Development Consulting, to do this work for other clients. We would love to provide these assessments for Company ABC, at any location.
Your benefits include:
- Scalable, duplicatable model with external objective assessors
- We have the capacity to deploy immediately, with teams of assessors already working throughout the world
- Doug and Adam bring expertise with a career of assessments, plus leadership coaching expertise throughout the world.
- This multi-method, multi rater assessment process can be replicated throughout any division at your firm, and the reliability and validity is extraordinary.
- Cost effective assessments that provides objective data, with tremendous predictive validity, that have extraordinary value to you and your colleagues as you make strategic decisions about senior leaders.
If you have any interest in discussing any coaching or assessment work, please let me know.
I am confident that we can provide tremendous value to your firm.
Respectfully, Doug Gray, PCC
704.895.6479 office, 704.995.6647 cell
https://actionlearnin.wpengine.com/
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