I write about anything that can help leaders gain a snappy, specific set of skills for managing up and managing teams.
You Have Ideas: Put Them Into Start, Stop Continue
Start, Stop, Continue is one of my favorite brainstorming and organizing techniques.
I use it often in executive coaching discussions, and over the past month, I’ve been using it to spring clean my mind and my business.
Let me explain.
I’m sure you’ve found yourself feeling like this at some time, probably recently.
You want to say something, you need to tackle something, you have something brewing in your mind, you have ideas for brainstorming yet somehow putting them on paper or in a Miro board or typing them feels too hard.
The problem seems too big to get ideas out. Because your ideas feel small. Or too simple. Or too few for, again, a big problem.
You have stuff to say, but you need categories or prompts to begin to organize and validate your thoughts.
This is where and how the model of Start, Stop, Continue comes to your rescue.
It’s as simple as it looks and sounds.
Ask...
I’m a bit angry, and I have some thoughts that you will find useful if 1) you are a leader and/or 2) you need to learn about what good leaders do (and what bad ones tend to never think about).
If you want the one-sentence version of this newsletter in one sentence, here it is: be clear on who you are, what you do, and then what you say.
This story starts with someone who had a title, gave it up, and now is adopting the title that once belonged to the CIO: the Chief Information Officer.
Prince Harry (yes, that prince) is in the news again. He’s the new Chief Impact Officer for BetterUp. BetterUp is (their website says so) described like this: “The BetterUp experience brings together world-class coaching, AI technology, and behavioral science experts to deliver change at scale.”
Harry is a royal, a former military officer, a friend of Oprah’s, a husband, a dad, and, oh, yeah, a guy with Spotify and Netflix deals.
...
It's the truth. We (you, me, humans) aren't great at talking.
Here's why.
Most of us get a failing grade at conversations because we:
#5 is my favorite one to tackle with clients. They often want to break down what they are “going to tell” others.
Here’s a peek into how that plays out in a coaching conversation:
Client: "I'm going to tell [insert most anything]."
Leila: “Cool. You go and . . . tell them. And then what?”
C-level person/Founder/VP/leader: “What do you mean ‘and then what’...
Most of us agree that building trust is essential at all levels of our careers.
And most of us don’t give much thought to how to go about building trust. We assume that people will see our work, see that we’re good at it, and then start to trust us. Bingo. Trust built!
That's far from how it works.
Building trust doesn’t have to be complicated, and it’s something you need to be aware of and be actively working to make happen. Since most of us are continuing to work from home, it’s even more important to ensure your employees know that you’re there still for them and that they can still rely on you.
During 2020 it was easy to think, “We just need to get through this year.” As a result, you might have put off some necessary and hard work around building trust with your team.
I get it! It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that how we had to work in 2020 was the way we would be working in 2021.
I...
I find it very tempting to look at the date--December 3--and just wish January 1, 2021 were here. Wish that this year was over. Refund, please. Or, do-over, please.
In 2021 we will still be wearing masks.
In 2021 there will still be a pandemic.
In 2021 there will still be uncertainty for many people: job, home, food, paycheck, money, safety, health, you name it . . .
In 2021 there will be still a lot of the same, and so, it's tempting to sit back and let 2021 arrive.
I think that's lazy. I think that's a lazy move for all leaders.
So, I invite you to join me for a webinar on December 9. An anti-lazy leader webinar.
On December 9 at 9 am PT/12 pm ET/5 pm GMT, join me for a webinar titled, Plan Your 2021 Leadership (and Have Fun & Stay Sane at the Same Time).
Here are details:
50% Complete
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I have the conversations listed and sample questions to get you going today.
Even if you’re not a new manager, you may be surprised that you’ve never had some of these conversations. So, start talking, manager!
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