Managing Resistance: Change is just a kiss away
No doubt you’ve experienced at least one of the following situations during your career: The announcement of a new Board member or a change in organizational structure A new IT system or software upgrade A company merger or the decision to outsource operations to a low-cost region An office move or a new player on the team…
Is there a magic formula for leading high-performing teams?
What makes teams that are continuously and consistently high-performing unique? Is there a secret ingredient that makes them click? How can executives support and accelerate this process? In order to be successful, every team needs a common goal that is known, understood and accepted by all members, each feeling individually responsible for its accomplishment. In their book ‘The Wisdom of Teams’, Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith state ‘high performance teams typically reflect strong extensions of the basic characteristics of teams’. These ‘strong extensions’ grow out of an intense commitment to the team’s mutual purpose. The following characteristics exhibited by high performance teams differentiate them from ordinary teams: A deeper sense of purpose and reason for being High output and high-quality targets compared to average teams Efficient working methods, excellent problem-solving skills and respectful collaboration Acknowledgement of their joint accountability towards the common purpose, in addition to individual obligations to the specific [...]
Energy Leadership™ – Energize, Manage & Lead, Inspire, Develop
The Executive Challenge: Channeling Energy for Inspirational Leadership In these times of fast-moving change and troubled economies, company executives are increasingly challenged to find new and effective ways of energizing and engaging their employees. Inspirational leadership continues to be one of the most valuable skills required by today’s corporate leaders. Leading is a conscious act of energetic purpose which can be described as the directing, focusing, or shaping of energy towards a desired objective. Skilful leaders sense which type of energy is present in their organization and know how to use it to facilitate change, enable growth, and empower their teams to achieve the company’s objectives. They also utilize this knowledge to find the best opportunities to educate people, develop their commitment and promote their abilities further. Defining Energy: Catabolic and Anabolic Albert Einstein’s theorem E = mc2 has forever defined our understanding of the way the world [...]
Got an executive dilemma? – Tell it to your rubber duck!
Picture this scenario: You are global head of a sales force in the financial industry, confronted with the decision as to whom to promote to the next level. You’re feeling very ambivalent about one particular candidate: He has generated the highest revenues, been very successful in pitching for new business and contributed tremendously to the overall P&L. However, the feedback you have been hearing for a long time is that this sales rep is not a team player at all: He doesn’t share information within the team nor with other departments and doesn’t help more junior sales people, although he has agreed to mentor them. Basically, he works by himself, almost in isolation. If you were to promote him, what signal would that send into the organization? How would this impact the energy in the team? What effect would any decision on his promotion have on you as his line [...]
Energy Leadership™ Assessment
Annette’s client, Emma*, is a young key account manager working for a mid-size consulting firm advising international companies in the financial industry. She holds master’s degrees in Economics and English and has spent half her life living abroad. Situation She contacted Annette because she felt stuck in her current work situation; having already tried various different approaches to push forward her career, all to no avail. She felt she was standing in her own way and was desperate to dissolve whatever it was that was hindering her progress. Goals Emma appeared very ambitious and slightly impatient; she wanted to see results fast. To jump-start the coaching process, she was keen to complete the Energy Leadership™ assessment that Annette had suggested to her. The purpose of the Energy Leadership™ assessment is to see how different types of energy present themselves in your home and work life zero in on [...]
Leadership Inspiration from the Dance Floor
Fred and I love to dance the slow fox. As the music begins to play, we adjust our posture to find our starting position and a comfortable stance. Concentrating on the beat, we focus our minds on the dance and each other and let our feet find the rhythm. Fred sets the pace, guiding me with a gentle but firm hand and, intuitively sensing his direction, I mirror his moves. As we dance, we pay attention to each other’s body language, subtly re-aligning our posture to allow each other space. All around us, we subconsciously observe the other dancing couples, even though we are in a world of our own... Leadership can be found in every activity and every situation in life; and dancing provides a great setting in which to discover metaphors for the business world, since all leadership principles are as true on the dance floor as they [...]