Coaching For High Performance

As promised, here are the slides for my session at the Hyderabad Professional Coach Association (ICF Chapter) event.

It was a great evening of learning and connecting. I look forward to more such wonderful conversations...

Coaching For High Performance

View more presentations from Anurag Som.

Article of the Week- Follow- up: a simple leadership tool

In a market place filled with leadership tools and models, a simple and effective tool that comes along is much appreciated. This article "The 1 List That Every Manager Must Work With" is one such bite size - effective tool that I found very refreshing to read. It is a good reminder about the importance of follow-up as a leadership tool and provides actionable tips of including it in our daily leadership practice...

Look forward to your comments...

Leadership Lounge Series

@ the Leadership Lounge with Leo Babauta...

I am really excited to share with you all this exclusive interview with Leo Babauta, the author of my favorite blog Zen Habits - 'a Top 100 blog with 130,000 subscribers — one of the top productivity and simplicity blogs on the Internet. It was recently named one of the Top 25 blogs by TIME mangazine'.

Leo is also the author of The Power of Less , and is considered by many to be one of the leading experts on productivity and simplicity, and has also written the top-selling productivity e-book in history: Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. It has sold thousands of copies and has reached tens of thousands of readers.

Leo is an alchemist who leaves everyone and everything he touches truly transformed....

The Interview....

You are an inspiration to so many people for so many reasons. What keeps you motivated?

Leo: It's been a revelation to me that when I love what I do, and am passionate about it, I don't need much motivation beyond that. I love writing the posts on Zen Habits and interacting with my readers -- I jump out of bed in the morning with excitement.

The encouragement of my readers is another huge motivator for me -- I get comments and emails and tweets every day with kind words and incredible encouragement. It makes my job immensely gratifying, and it's also a powerful motivator because I know my readers are waiting for more. :)

2) Who were/are your role models that have guided you along your path?

Leo: Oh, there are too many to mention! My grandfather was a journalist for over 50 years, my mom is a journalist and one of the best people I know, my father is a passionate artist. Writers such as Joyce, Fitzgerald, Vonnegut, William Gibson, Terry Pratchett, Ann Patchett, Stephen Covey, David Allen ... and so many more, along with countless bloggers ... have inspired me along the way.

I meet people all the time who inspire me to do better -- people who have overcome adversity, who toil every day to do small tasks to perfection, who let nothing discourage them. I can't name them all, but they are my role models nonetheless.

3) What does a typical day look like for you?

Leo: Beautiful, unique and profound. :)

I know, you mean my daily routine, but truth is, it changes regularly, as my goals and my mood changes. I like to shake things up from time to time rather than get into a rut.

But at the moment, here's a rough outline: Wake sometime between 4 and 5 a.m., have coffee and read, sometimes meditate, then write. Then exercise (I run or lift weights) and write again. Then I do email and Twitter, and then write again. Then I do small tasks and try to wrap up my day by early or mid-afternoon, so I can spend the rest of the day with my family. This varies from day to day -- sometimes I walk to a coffee shop to write or meet with someone.

4) What five books would you recommend to someone who wants to pursue their dreams but is afraid to take the risk?

Leo: The Power of Less, to start with. :) But after that, perhaps: The Tao of Poo, Career Renegade, Your Money or Your Life, and Slowing Down to the Speed of Happiness. These won't necessarily help you overcome your fears, but they'll give you the tools to do so.

5) What advice would you give budding authors and bloggers about establishing their footprint in social media space?

Leo: Create amazing and useful content, and give it away for free -- through your blog, ebooks, guest posts, however you can. Be awesome and people will notice. Don't push yourself on people -- let them come to you. Be helpful and friendly, and it will come back to you.

6) What can we expect from Leo in the next three years?

Leo: Other than creating world peace through giving away free cookies, I just hope to continue to enjoy blogging and writing and connecting with readers. I don't plan too far in advance -- I prefer to focus on one thing at a time, and see what happens. I've found that opportunities arise that you could never have predicted even just a few months earlier, so how can you plan for that? I'll just keep doing my best, having fun doing it, and keeping my eyes open for opportunities as they come up.

Oh, I'll probably publish another book, though what that book will contain is still a mystery even to me. Perhaps it will contain poems and recipes and pictures of my children. :)

We can never have enough of Leo...so here are some more links to other great interviews with Leo...

@lifehacker

@thehappinessproject

@SomedaySyndrome

@freelanceswitch

Article of the Week: Who Needs An Executive Coach?

A very prudent question that many global organizations are asking today:

"Who Needs An Executive Coach?"

by: Douglas McKenna

The Forbes Magazine article very succinctly describes some important distinctions of the profession in this well articulated article. I will definitely use this to clarify expectations with my clients hereafter.

Please share your thoughts...

Every Woman Should…

We all get many forwards in our email, some great ones others spam. I feel very lucky to have a few very special people in my life that send me some of the most amazing messages everyday of my life. Here is one such message I received from a dear old friend of mine that I keep going back to from time to time. Thought I should share it with you all…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry..

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...

Leadership Lounge Series

@ the Leadership Lounge with Michael Bungay Stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations do less Good Work and more Great Work. His first book, Get Unstuck & Get Going on the stuff that matters, won a number of awards and was endorsed by Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, the management expert Peter Block, business author and coach Marshall Goldsmith and many others.

Michael has also created The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun and The 5.75 Question You’ve Been Avoiding, short internet movies seen by millions of people around the world.
Michael was a Rhodes Scholar and the 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year. He is Australian and now lives in Canada.

This interview is a follow up to his keynote speech at the the ICF - DC chapter annual conference where Michael presented his latest work- Find Your Great Work. A true masterpiece and treasure trove of resources...

Q1) What impact do you think ‘Great’ coaching must aim at creating?

There are many definitions of coaching, all of them some of the truth if not the whole truth. I like Marshall Goldsmith's "creating positive behaviour change". I tend to talk about "figuring out what matters - and then doing something about it." It's not very elegant, but it gets to the heart of the matter: the focus to decide what matters to you, the courage to do something about it.

Q2) What qualities make coaches great leaders?

Coaches typically care about people, ask questions rather than provide answers, and think that relationships matter. All good, but not sufficient in itself to be a great leader. I'd say great leaders have coaching ability, but not all coaches are great leaders.

Q3) What according to you is one ‘non-negotiable’ factor in ‘Finding Your Great Work’?

Oooh - just one? That's very hard. The deepest truth about doing more Great Work would be to take, to use Peter Block's words, "responsibility for your own freedom." Taking full responsibility for the choices you make: that's hard, messy and amazing.

Q4) How did you come up with the name “Box of Crayons”?

I was giving a workshop to coaches on branding - and realized that the brand I was using at the time failed all three of my tests. So I sweated it out, came up with a lot of bad ideas, and then on a train the name "box of crayons" appeared in my head and I knew immediately it was the name for me.

Q5) You are one the most creative and fun coaches I know. What keeps you going?

I have ups and downs too - and here's what I'd say helps to keep me going:

1. A bigger vision for doing what I do (it's "to infect a billion people with the possibility virus")
2. An amazing group of people who provide support in various ways -behind, along side and in front of the scene. This really is not a solo act
3. I don't take it too seriously. In the big picture - what I do both does and doesn't matter.

Q6) According to you, what are the top 3 books every coach must read?

My current favs are:

1. Peter Block, The Answer to How is Yes (or actually, anything by Peter)
2. Immunity to Change, Robert Keagan. This is new, and it's superb
3. Fiction. Read some great stories, get lost in someone's imagination. I've just read a Young Adult series: 'Changeling' and 'Fire' - fantastic. Or anything by Michael Chabon.

Thanks Michael!!!

Are We Addicted to Success? reviewing Hurt Locker…

I don’t usually do movie reviews on my blog but this is different…

The movie Hurt Locker begins with the statement: ‘war is a drug’. This caught my attention because this statement could potentially claim that ‘War’ like any other drug could lead to an addiction. And so it turns out in the end…at least for the hero.

What was very interesting about this movie is that there wasn’t the same kind of drama and rush (relatively speaking) associated with typical war movies. Everything in it was so very ‘real’…in the moment, it almost made me feel like I was in the war zone. So much so, that I could relate the war and addiction analogy to many aspects of our lives and careers. Such an analogy so easily fits different life patterns - work, relationships, lifestyle….pretty much anything. In every walk of life there is a potential for an overdose and addiction. Perhaps that is where the quote- ‘too much of anything…’ originates.

There is a kind of rush, exclusivity and madness associated with ‘war’ in the movie. To the extent that when the hero returns home to his family and to a much safer environment, he yearns for the sense of purpose and adrenalin rush of the war zone. Nothing seems to match up, to the extent that he returns to his high risk/stress job- defusing live bombs in war ravaged global locations. It is not about the ethical, political or social causes of the war that drives him. His family life is falling apart, what he does is highly risky and he probably has very few friends or social connection left. Despite it all, he is driven to the battlefield. Just like an addict to his drug.

Makes me wonder if the ethical breakdown in the global marketplace today is because of a similar addiction? Is our leadership running on an overdrive and addiction to success to the extent that values are being compromised? Are competition and victory maddening enough to make us want them more and more with each successful hit?

Did we OD on ethic-less success?

The Balancing Act

I recently started lessons in Iyengar Yoga- a Yoga form developed by Guru B.K.S Iyengar. What drew me to it was it's immense focus on form and alignment. The poses, so far, have been slow and deep, with an intentionality around breath and strength. A great work out overall!

This post is not about the class though. Instead, it is about something my instructor said in class that stood out for me. She said:

The goal of all Yoga...any Yoga... is to silence the constant chatter in our minds and to unite us to the oneness of the energy within...that is, to balance in our unity...

This is the first time I GOT IT..really GOT IT!

The what, how, why...all fell into place. What I have been experiencing in my body after every yoga or meditation session, I now know how to express in language. And, with this new awareness I feel more in tune with events in life that throw me off balance. Not just a physical state of balance but deeper- the mental and emotional aspects too. And just like in yoga, I refocus my awareness on breath and strength. I remind myself to stay aligned to my values and goals and focus on the unity within not the turbulence around.

Leadership Lounge Series

@ the Leadership Lounge with Suzi Pomerantz, MT., MCC.

Suzi has been coaching leaders and teams in 135 organizations worldwide for over 16 years. She's an award-winning master executive coach, blogger, author of Seal the Deal (HRDPress 2006), contributing author to The Business Mom Guidebook, and author of 25 publications on coaching, ethics, and business development. She teaches at top coach training programs worldwide, and has coached executives in seven of the Fortune 100 companies about strategy, influence, leadership, and business development. Visit Suzi at: http://www.suzipomerantz.com/

1)You are one of the few professional women I know who juggle work and life meticulously. You are a successful coach, have a thriving business, have written a book, and are a social media expert! How do you do it?

Uhhhhh....smoke and mirrors? :) Lack of sleep? :) Just kidding. I'm ridiculously disciplined when it comes to my time, because my first priority is to my small children, now 7 and 5. Everything else has to fit in around them. But, something does have to give, of course. I don't exercise as much as I should! And my sink is often full of dirty dishes. I have learned to let go of how things are supposed to be and I've learned to laugh at how imperfect I am. I also outsource a whole lot of stuff. I have a virtual assistant as well as a bookkeeper in my business, I have a company that mows my lawn, I have a cleaning service, etc. Nobody can do it all. My husband is also incredibly supportive, and he does a lot with the kids and handles a lot so that I can work.

2)What lead you to write your book’ ‘Seal the Deal’?

There were many factors that led to writing Seal the Deal. I found that whenever I went to any gathering of coaches, whether for ICF events or any number of coaching networks, most of the time I was being asked the same questions by many who were new to the field; "How do you sell coaching? What do you say when you talk about coaching to potential buyers? How did you manage to get coaching gigs in seven of the Fortune 100 companies?" Eventually, a colleague urged me to teach a teleclass on the subject. That became a series of teleclasses, which were (much to my surprise) mostly attended by PhD psychologists who wanted to be coaches, and by folks I'd consider senior coaches who had been in the business more than 5 years. The teleclasses were the basis for the book. It came about because I was sick of hearing how coaches aren't making a living and the percentages that came out in Stephen Fairley's book were just appalling to me. This is one small thing I could do about it. It came from my commitment to (and passion for) stewardship of our profession. That, and the fact that I was tired of saying the same thing over and over again, so now it's in a book and I can direct people there. :)

3)What do you think is the latest trend in business development and social media?

Well, that's a tough one. I think given the market place today, there's not any trend I'm seeing beyond creative survival. However, thinking more broadly than the current times, I see that it is critical for everyone to be active in social networking. You don't have to be a nut-job about it like me and join 25+ online networks, but it is worth figuring out which are the ones that serve you best and resonate with your business development strategies. To that end, my favorites are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I wrote a blog post about them ( http://www.suzipomerantz.com/social-media/whats-better-for-coaches-twitter-linkedin-or-facebook/ ). I liken it to the days when we mainly corresponded by postal mail. Then the fax machine came and took over business communication. Then, e-mail took over as the preferred method. Now, and in the near future, we will see more and more of social media and streaming conversation online as the norm.

4)I remember when I joined Twitter you sent me a welcome message encouraging me to keep at it and that it takes a while to ‘find your twitter feet’…what was your journey like from being a social media novice to now actually teaching classes about it?

I was determined to crack the code. I had signed up for Linked In probably 3 years ago, and never "got it". About a year ago, I had signed up for Twitter, but hadn't done anything with it. My philosophy originally was that I'd just be on these things and someday, somebody would be able to tell me what to do with them or what they are for, and then I'd be ready with my networks in place. Well, I'm still getting the hang of LinkedIn, but Twitter I dove into head first. I spent countless hours on it asking questions, figuring it out as I went, learning from kind and forgiving souls on Twitter, and researching online by reading all the blogs I could find on the subject, and exploring a lot of the third party apps that make Twitter effective. I didn't go into it planning to teach Twitter to anyone, but the more I played on Twitter, and the more results I saw in my business, I realized that I have to spare my colleagues the painstaking, time-consuming approach I took and share what I've learned. It's really an ideal vehicle for coaches. I have a vision of having a worldwide, ongoing conversation of coaches on Twitter someday. :) It is so not intuitive, and many people give up before they see the value. I want to get everyone in the game, because the more people are using it the more valuable a tool Twitter becomes. It also completely aligns with the Nine Mindsets of Networking I wrote about in Seal the Deal, so in that sense, it is the social media platform that is MOST like real life networking.

5)There are a lot of coaches who admire you. What are some qualities that new and aspiring coaches can definitely hone to leverage what is out there today in the social web space?

I think that the game of marketing has gone so far beyond just having a website, that coaches and all professionals MUST engage in the online social media space for many critical reasons. Your online reputation is open for anyone to write anything they want about you. The only way to have any control over what your online reputation looks like is to put it out there yourself. Your profiles on Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook will rank highly in the search engines when people search for your name. It's not enough to just have a website. We must also be blogging and on these other social websites. If you are spending any time at all getting your message out to market, or creating an image for your business, then you will need to "get out there" on the social media platforms as part of your marketing strategy.

6)Who was/were your role models that have guided you along your path?

I've had many wonderful teachers and role models. Too many to name here. I've always had coaches, who I adore and owe so much to. Just a few: Jackie Eiting, the late Dan Luczak, Jane Reilly, Linda Lang, Mike Kraus, Merry Marcus, my mastermind group, and dear friends and family. I seek guidance everywhere! My children are often my best role models and teachers. :)

7)Which 3 books would you recommend every leader to read?

You mean besides, mine? :)

The Power of Full Engagement (Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz) Leadership and Self Deception (Arbinger Institute) The Inner Game of Tennis (Tim Gallwey)

Tony Award-winning monologist Sarah Jones at her best...

Article of the Week: How the Crash Will Reshape America

How the Crash Will Reshape America

By: Richard Florida

I read this article a few weeks ago and remember having liked the simple, clear and yet thorough explanation of the economic crisis. Weeks later, I stumbled upon the article again and read it the second time and liked it very much, again. It might have to do with the fact that the article gives hope without being too optimistic or grim. A ‘matter of fact’ approach to a topic that has been rubbed in over and over across all media and more…

Also, it raises many questions about the best leadership styles and traits that may emerge as a result. What kind of people are most suited to lead through such change? Leaders who are highly educated? Or perhaps highly flexible leaders? Maybe, a whole new leadership focus will emerge.

This article will leave you with a lot of food for thought as it has me. I would love to hear what you have to say. It ends on this note:

"The Stanford economist Paul Romer famously said, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” The United States, whatever its flaws, has seldom wasted its crises in the past. On the contrary, it has used them, time and again, to reinvent itself, clearing away the old and making way for the new. Throughout U.S. history, adaptability has been perhaps the best and most quintessential of American attributes. Over the course of the 19th century’s Long Depression, the country remade itself from an agricultural power into an industrial one. After the Great Depression, it discovered a new way of living, working, and producing, which contributed to an unprecedented period of mass prosperity. At critical moments, Americans have always looked forward, not back, and surprised the world with our resilience. Can we do it again?"

Do leave your comments behind…

Book Review: Leadership Presence

Leadership Presence

by: Belle Linda Halpern & Kathy Lubar

I was at the ICF-DC Capital Coach Conference last week and the keynote speaker- Kevin Cashman said something that stood out for me. Presence, he said, was something no leader could get away without today. According to him there are many diverse competencies and qualities of effective leaders but ‘Presence’is something that is a non-negotiable.

This is exactly the point made in this book. It is a great resource to teach and learn about elements of presence using dramatic techniques. A must read for anyone who is in a role that demands leadership and influence…

I am sharing with you a simple model discussed in detail in the book about how presence can be practiced by leaders depending on the role they play in the organization. According to this model presence could manifest across four leadership styles:

Captain: where the use of authority becomes important. What the authors call the “do it this way” approach.

Conceiver: here, a shared vision becomes the core of leadership. Also called the “Here’s the future. Follow me” approach.

Coach: here the leader predominantly uses guidance and education as tools to lead. The “you can do it” approach.

Collaborator: the leader in this approach works as a partner and co-creator. The “I’ll help you do it approach”.

Overall, a great book with many similar tools and practices to improve one’s skills and presence. Enjoy!

Article of the Week: Crisis Raises New Issues for Executive Coaches

Crisis Raises New Issues for Executive Coaches

by: John Baldoni

Top coaching objectives for 2009, per the author, include:

- Build/Align/Motivate Team
- Executive presence
- Effective communications
- Interpersonal savvy
- Strategic thinking

Please share your thoughts...

Leadership Lounge Series

@ the Leadership Lounge with
Doug Moran...

Passionate Writer, Insightful Coach, Technology Leader, Compassionate Friend and a Wonderful Parent are some qualities that stand out for me when describing Doug. It is a great pleasure to kick-off the Leadership Lounge series with Doug. I am sure his story and words will inspire you all…

Q) How has your transition been, from being a Technology Leader to now being an Author and Coach?

It has been an exciting transition. The biggest change for me has been the shift from corporate executive to entrepreneur. I am thrilled with the prospect and challenge of being on my own and following my dreams. Honestly, it can also be a bit daunting. I have spent my career working in large organizations. That gave me a great deal of stability and identity. Now I am building my own brand and identity.

As far as technology leadership, I still keep my hands in technology. I consult and serve on several technology advisory boards. I can’t imagine not working in and around technology.

Q) What were some key decisions you needed to make before you finally took the plunge?

I was drawn to technology leadership for two reasons. First, I enjoy the challenge of solving difficult business problems. Second and most important, I love helping people reach their full potential. Several years ago, I realized that leadership development was my true calling. I knew that writing and coaching would give me a great opportunity to share what I’ve learned with a much broader audience. I really took the plunge early last summer. One night I was wasting time watching bad T.V. As I sat there, I realized that I could use that time to start putting my thoughts into words. So I turned off the T.V., turned on my laptop, and started writing. Within six months, I had quit my job, enrolled in the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program, and started my company, If You Will Lead, LLC.

Q) What is your book about?

If You Will Lead: Enduring Wisdom for 21^st-Century Leaders is a book for those who choose to lead. Based on the poem “If-“, by Rudyard Kipling, my book argues that leadership wisdom is timeless. The poem describes sixteen leadership attributes that I call the “If 16”. A leader’s ability to develop and use these attributes is essential to success. In each chapter, I use an historically significant event to demonstrate how a great leader successfully led by using a specific attribute. One of the most important lessons I try to convey is the importance of hard work and dedicated practice. Leadership requires more than a title. As leaders, we must all invest in our leadership skills to the same extent we’ve invested in our technical skills.

Q) When can we read it?

I am actively marketing the book to publishers, and I anticipate seeing it on bookstore shelves in early 2010. Until then, I will be making excerpts available on my website and blog. To learn more, please visit http://www.ifyouwilllead.com/.

Q) What advice would you give all the budding authors out there?

Write because you have something to say that others want to hear. Write because you are passionate about your message. Don’t do it for fame, money, or vanity. It is a long and difficult process, but it is also very personally fulfilling.

About the Leader:

Doug Moran

http://ifyouwilllead.com/

Doug Moran has more than twenty-five years of leadership experience in a variety of industries. Doug is the author of the forthcoming book, If You Will Lead: Enduring Wisdom for 21st-Century Leaders. He is also the founder of If You Will Lead, LLC. His leadership consultancy focuses on leadership development, executive coaching, organization excellence and infrastructure strategy. His book, speaking engagements, coaching and consulting leverage the power of story-telling and traditional wisdom to help leaders and their organizations excel and grow. Doug spent ten years with Capital One Financial Service. Most recently he served as the Divisional CIO for Capital One’s Financial Services Division – with domestic and international responsibilities. Doug served the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Social Services, and the state’s Telecommunications Director.

Doug is married and has two children. He is active in the community and has served on numerous boards and commissions. He currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program Advisory Commission and on the Better Housing Coalition.

Launching the Leadership Lounge…

My last blog post on different leadership groups made me think about Leadership and how it manifests in our lives, communities and the world at large. We often hear and adore leaders that are well known, globally influential and those who have made a gigantic mark for themselves in this world. These are the ‘Strivers’ who are in the limelight.

With all due respect and recognition to our 'Strivers', I believe there are other leaders- ‘Sustainers’ who make a very significant contribution in our life. They are the ones with the stories of struggle, commitment and contribution that does not get the attention it deserves, for various reasons. Through this blog I want to bring these silent leaders to light. The unsung leaders that tirelessly continue to shine within their communities and domains for what they contribute…

Stay tuned to this space for the launch of the…'Leadership Lounge'…

Coming very, very soon….:)…

Article of the Week- "Leadership Development: What Do You Do With The Rest Of Your Leaders?"

Leadership Development: What Do You Do With The Rest Of Your Leaders?

by: Wally Bock

Just finished reading this article and really like how the author classifies leaders into 5 groups:

Strivers- high potential on the C-suite track...
Sustainers- who keep the day to day tasks on track...
Sabbaticals- on a break for personal development/reasons...
Sergeants- first line supervisors...
Sneakers- who can't/won't perform...

From how I look at it, no one leader can be classified in one group or the other...and most often perhaps, a leader transitions from one group to another given their circumstances...

Hope you like the article...leave your comments behind...:)

Linkedin…professional networking and more…

Last week I spoke at a brownbag about social networking and the use of Linkedin. Some great discussions came about as a result. I was also told that the aspects of Linkedin discussed were useful and some even new for many participants. Thought I would share them here for my larger audiences…

Some basic features of Linkedin:-

The Online Profile: almost becoming an alternate resume for many, Linkedin is by far my favorite resume building tool. In addition to having my profile available on a link, the recommendations feature is an excellent way to gather testimonials from across your educational and work history. Many times when asked for my resume, in relations to potential speaking engagements, or coaching clients, I just email my Linkedin – profile link…like this: http://www.linkedin.com/in/anusom

Database of Contacts: the ability to keep all your contacts in one place and have access to a universe of other relevant contacts is yet another basic and powerful feature of Linkedin.

Inbox: I also really like the messaging feature of Linkedin which allows one to exchange messages without necessarily sharing one’s personal email id. This is a relatively new feature of Lineked.

Speaking of new features, I am hooked to the Updates & Blogs features also. The Updates feature is similar to the twitter updates or facebook updates that allows your network access to your in the moment happenings. For example: ‘getting ready to board a flight to NY in 20 mins…waiting at the DCA terminal right now’… And the Blog feature allows you to update your profile with your latest posts and also allows you to track posts from people linkedin to you…
Also, you have access to some basic information about your networks such as: updates on contact’s profiles, visits and searches to your profile, calendar events shared by your contacts, job posts made across your networks etc. These features can be upgraded by subscription to an advanced version…

Some advanced features:

Linkedin Answers: post any question you have under the sun and get responses from across the globe. This feature also allows you to post your expert views on issues and questions. There are tons of categories that questions get indexed into and you have access to pretty much all…so if you have a topic of interest (for example- innovation) just Search Answers for your keyword and you have access to all questions related to innovation…respond, read other’s responses or even pose a counter question back…

Groups: you have access to tons of groups that host live discussions and meet ups across geographies. Fortunately or unfortunately, at any given time, you can be a member of up to 50 different groups. I say fortunately because it allows you to be focused enough to learn from and contribute to different forums. Though, there are days when you come across a group that caters to your interests but you may not have access to them because you are over your limit of 50. Great feature all the same…

Applications: there are some really cool applications to pick from. My favorites being the Blog Link- which allows you to tag your blog posts into your profile and also capture the latest posts of your contacts. Another great app is Polls- this allows you to post polling questions to your contacts and gather data, with a few auto analyses features built in. For example, I took a poll on how much time people spend on social networking (this is still live- go ahead and post your responses)…Linkedin collects the responses and offers me analysis based on age, job profile, gender etc…Some other equally cool and interesting applications include: Amazon Reading Lists; Slideshare Presentations; Company Buzz, etc.

There are many more features and I am happy to spend time one-on-one with anyone interested in exploring these features further. Shoot me an email or leave a comment and I will get in touch with you…

Photo credit: google images...

Soul Food…

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous…
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone,
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

- Marianne Williamson

Article of the Week: Indian Women Leaders: The way forward

Women in India have contributed to the nation’s workforce for many decades now. The challenge faced today is their dearth in the higher rungs of the corporate ladder. We do have many prominent women leaders but they are still a tiny percentage of the population. Here is an article that I wrote about this issue…

Indian Women Leaders: The way forward

Working women have been around in India for a while now. The issue faced today is not one of encouraging women to get educated and find jobs. Rather, it is about transitions. Transition into leadership roles, transition into roles of authority and transition into becoming a member of the ‘boy’s club’. What measures will ensure that our women blossom into leaders in the new economy? An economy that is dynamic, emerging and rich with opportunity. Who will play the key roles in ensuring there is a just distribution of space across diverse talent divides, the most blatant being the gender divide. This article is my attempt to explore these questions and define trends that are emerging in the area of women and leadership development.

As we progress into the 21st century and move towards a global economy, increasing number of women are graduating from colleges with business and professional degrees. Today, over 50% of the workforce in the USA, which has the world’s largest economy, comprise of women (Pollard, 2005). Despite these large numbers, the proportions of women represented in leadership roles within these organizations are relatively low. Women comprise only 10% of senior managers in Fortune 500 companies and comprise less than 5% of the top corporate earners. It has also been observed that as women approach the top rungs of management in companies, they jump off the wagon as a result of disillusionment and frustration with the business world (Metyerson & Fletcher, 2000). What could be the source of such frustration and disillusionment? Could it be related to meeting expectation of leading in a world full of role models from the opposite gender? As Sandra Tsing Loh beautifully states: “A clutch of books suggest they (women) can’t rule like men. But there are other ways to run the world”.

Many factors contribute to the dearth of women leaders. A critical one being the lack of a general understanding about the differences in career stages of men and women. Believe it or not, in a growingly egalitarian society, women still bear an unequal share of household responsibilities. This is truer in India than perhaps its other western counterparts. Women have interrupted career progress as a result of marriage and motherhood. The lack of flexible work hours and dearth of policies that support working from home affect women more than men. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for men in similar life stages to be bestowed more work responsibilities and added work hours given that they now have a larger family to feed. No such sympathy is bestowed on women. Many women chose to opt out of full time work and sometimes leave their careers completely as a result. This greatly impacts their career progress once they reenter the market (Eagly & Carli, 2007). A systemic approach to educate and level the playing field is the need of the hour.

Now let’s take a closer look at traits of women as they are associated with traits of leadership. Leadership, at least traditionally, has been associated with predominantly masculine qualities of assertiveness, passion, practicality and logic based decision making skills and the control and command style of management. Women on the other hand are labeled as emotional beings, who are too sensitive and compassionate to lead. Such mindsets prevail despite scores of evidence of successful women leaders. Efforts need to be made to establish new and generative mindsets. Those that are based on real life examples of women leaders who have made their mark in the world of leadership excellence.

Another trend that hampers women professionals is the lack of opportunities to nurture social connections. Because of familial and parenting responsibilities many women in modern India still hold back on building those essential contacts that can provide them the professional leverage to showcase their talents. Further, most social events that are organized outside of the work environment revolve around male oriented activities such as rigorous outdoor tasks, golf, etc. These usually inherently discourage women from participating. Women need to be provided with a wider variety of social avenues to participate in and allow themselves be heard. Organization supported avenues such as coaching and mentoring of high potential women leaders, development of peer networks, professional partnerships can play an important role in accomplishing this goal.

Most of the gender issues that exist within organizations today are disguised or hidden from public awareness. Gender Diversity education must be included within an organization’s strategic vision with concrete goals and follow up mechanisms in place. It is very important that such a change is initiated from the senior management level and any progress communicated down the ranks (Kropf & Gerkovich, 2003). Furthermore, gender sensitive performance measures must be put in place where work performance is not completely associated with number of hours worked especially within the knowledge industry.

Another way to ensure that more women are given equal consideration for leadership recruitment is to utilize open recruitment tools such as online job banks rather than depending solely on referrals through social networks. There is research that suggests that such a method increases the pool of women in the recruitment cycle (Eagly & Carli, 2007). Family friendly human resource practices and encouragement of male participation in family responsibilities are some other measures that can help increase women’s participation in work settings providing opportunities for increased leadership roles.

In the Indian context the aforementioned roadblocks and opportunities can take on a unique cultural meaning. The Indian society, traditionally patriarchal, has attributes and traits that are novel to the western experience. Even though globalization and westernization have made their mark on India, there are several cultural undertones that need to be tackled when studying the issue of under-representation of women leaders in the Indian organizations. Organizations should “take risks, learn new ways, experiment—incrementally making their way forward as they invent a different kind of organization” with unique opportunities for its women (Stark & Ely, 2003).

References

Eagly, A.H., and Carli, L.L. (2007). Women and the labyrinth of leadership. Sloan Work and Family Encyclopedia.

Kropf, M.B., and Gerkovich, P.R. (2003). What’s holding women back. Harvard Business Review, June - online edition.

Loh, T. S. (2008). Should women rule? The Atlantic Monthly. Nov – 10727825

Meyerson, D.E., and Fletcher, J.K. (2000). A modest manifesto for shattering the glass ceiling. Harvard Business Review. Jan-Feb – online edition.

Pollard, P.L., (2005). Critical analysis of the glass ceiling phenomenon. Sloan Work and Family Encyclopedia.

Stark, M., and Eli, R.J. (2003). Women leaders and organizational change. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. Dec – online interview.

Social Media Management...

When I said I am a hoarder of websites, I wasn’t joking. Everyday I get online hoping I will track back and review my netvibes collection, facebook networked blogs and my favorite list on my laptop that I have accumulated over time…and then even before I have read through two or three of them I discover another 10 I love…and instantly I go hoarding away...

If you are also suffering from favorite blog and website overload, here is a nice way to organize things. Now, I am not giving you another way of organizing the websites…you could do that through myriad online services (also mentioned in point 2 below)...

What I have for you are steps to organize your mind…methods that have helped me stay media wise so as not to get overwhelmed by the millions of cool websites you come across daily…

1) Limit your capacity: ensure you don’t have more than 20 favorite websites hoarded. Yes, I said it…no more than 20 at any given time. If you find yourself dying to add a new one make sure you get one off the list first. This will become you dynamic database of highly focused reading list for the next day/week/month...the good thing being you have total control to add and delete...

2) Use ONE organizing tool: at least till you have a handle on all those links. Choose one feed organizer rather than collect feeds across different organizers. I use netvibes because that is what I started with and have gotten comfortable using over time. You could use google reader, my yahoo, digg, delicious and many many more...all are good and give you different kinds of features…experiment with two or three and finally decide on one…

3) Magical number 10: unless you make a living off of researching internet sites (I just do it for the fun of learning)…make sure you limit your number of new discoveries to a maximum of 10. No more than 10 new sites get added to your dynamic list. Anything more than 10 I feel is a killer waste of time…you get too caught up in discovery…and get very little else done…

4) Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner time Blogging: I am not recommending that you blog during meal times, rather before or after might work since these hors are usually distinctly separated for many of us. I give myself 3 – one hour slots (morning, afternoon and night). If I overspend during one slot I cut back on another slot...

5) Journaling: last but not the least…maintain a journal (could be a blog) where you keep track of all that you are discovering- about the world of internet and yourself. You could make this a 100% private blog that only you have access to. We are designed to be ‘meaning making machines’ (don’t remember who said this). Going by this philosophy…you get more from your investment if you can measure what you are gaining from your exploration…

Last but not the least…if you are reading this, you are already on your path to becoming the new generation of technology adopters…the newest civilization on earth creating it’s own legacy for the future…feel special about being in this unique spot…you have a gift and talent to offer the world and world wide web is your stage…

Article of the Week- "The crisis: Mobilizing boards for change"

Mindset changing steps for boards in action…

Being party to many decisions and changes at Satyam, one that feels most impending is the new Board’s decision on the organizations new direction. With this on my mind, when I saw the article on ‘mobilizing boards’ I had to make it my pick of the week…

There are some really nice mindset related ideas imbedded…hope you like the weekend reading…

The crisis: Mobilizing boards for change
By:
Andrew Campbell & Stuart Sinclair
in The McKinsey Quarterly
February '09

Open Source Technology…

My Grandfather always reminded me as a child that unlike most material things, knowledge was something that grew when shared…I am sure he would be very pleased to see how knowledge gets shared in the world today…

Open source technology is changing how people learn and teach…almost anything and everything can be found on the internet…all one needs is – an interest to learn and a decent bandwidth…literally…

Here is an example of an awesome link to a six week mindfulness meditation course for everyone’s taking…Enjoy…

Introduction to Meditation

Secret to Happiness…

The one thing everyone, everywhere wants is HAPPINESS. The more I ponder, read and follow the simpler the formula gets. Maybe I am being too simplistic in stating it so simply. You judge for yourself. Here are my ingredients to happiness…also works as a daily checklist…

Love Recklessly
Eat Well
Sleep Well
Exercise
Work Recklessly

It is not about doing some of the above more than the others…rather it is about balancing them all in any given day in our life…Seems simple but definitely not easy to do. And that is why perhaps Happiness is so difficult to achieve…

Old Learning Habits Die Hard…

Have you ever failed in a class? Or, tried learning something new (a skill, an musical instrument, a subject, language…) but failed at it miserably?...

I was trying to learn a few financial concepts and felt the same way. I just couldn’t grasp the material. All the formula just fogged my thought process and all I could think about was how I hate math and how this is just not my cup of tea…and then suddenly I paused and asked myself…

What is this about?

And in came flooding my past experience with learning mathematical concepts or physics formulae back in high school…in the education system I come from we literally had to learn by rote long and complex formulae which we reproduced in tests…never being good at this process I have some terrible memories of failed efforts at learning similar concepts (as the ones I was just trying to learn) …and perhaps because of this association with a less than enjoyable learning style from my past, I just keep recreating similar experiences even today when in reality I am no longer bound by the old strict academic rules and structures…today I choose to learn and I also have the liberty to pick my pace and process…there is tremendous freedom in active choice making…and today I discovered one such choice- the liberty to learn truly and sincerely that which I chose to learn despite my history with it….and it feels great…

This also bring to my attention the importance of gauging our students’ learning styles (for those of us who are into child/adult education). Not just the generic methodologies but the cultural histories of those we teach and how much they influence classroom/virtual dynamics…and how best to design what we have to teach…and have them learn…

Ride the Tide…

There is so much change in the world today. Starting with the financial crisis in the last quarter of last year to the entire Satyam debacle (for those who don’t know…I work for Satyam). It has been one bad news after the other. Even for an optimistic person, like me, it sometimes gets difficult to be positive and proactive. There are days when you just want out…and those are the exact days I find my analogy (described below) rather calming…I use it a lot especially these days..as a visualization tool…and somehow it always works.

Many years ago I went white water rafting with a few friends. Having never been athletic or outdoorsy before, I had no idea what to expect or what was expected of me. Anyway, so as we geared up and started, things seemed in control and I felt I could take this challenge on- no problem. That changed pretty soon though. As we moved into greater levels of challenge- treading the white waters- things went out of control. The boat rocked, got caught on rocks, one of my boat mates fell off in the midst of treacherous rapids and finally at one point we were stuck- right in the middle of it all, while the rest seemed to move along just fine. In fact some kids on a different boat found it quite amusing that we were stuck and started ridiculing us. That’s when we realized that our boat had just one person who had ever been white water rafting before, for the rest it was the first time. Anyway, after struggling for a while we pretty much gave up. Then came along this other boat. Folks on this one seemed a lot better that the one before. They rescued us, we joked and we moved along. As we went on we started learning new skills- both to avoid trouble and ways to get out of them. Eventually we did manage to finish and all was well.

This one experience has taught and continues to teach me a lot about change management and working through tough situations. A few lessons I learned were-

• Life is always going to throw challenges at you...and you will not always be prepared for them.
• There will be all kinds of people in your life – disruptive/supportive; kind/hurtful …
• Sometimes it is best to accept defeat and let someone else help you out in difficult situations
• Be patient with yourself

And the one most important lesson I learned was…

When the waters are rough and run deep and you feel out of control…just stay calm and ride the tide…go with the flow and eventually you will come out of troubled waters…and if you are lucky…you will make some lifelong friends in the process….:)…