doug smith training

  Ever hear a piece of advice and think "yeah, that's a hard no..."? Or how about this -- ever offer someone a piece of excellent advice and watch them completely ignore it? Advice is funny like that. It's not good advice if nobody takes it. -- doug smith

I once had a boss who had higher standards than me. Every day seemed like a challenge. There just wasn't any pleasing this boss. I'd get to a new level and she'd urge me to raise the level again. "Keep learning," she'd say. "Keep developing. Make your customers unforgettable and they will never forget you..." She was right. The chase is endless. The effort is unrelenting. And the joy, ah the joy becomes inexhaustible. If your boss has higher standards than you do, raise your standards.  -- doug smith  

It's that simple: yes, or no. I've heard many leaders bemoan the trouble it takes to get a lazy worker to work. If that's really the problem, the possibilities but be fewer (and more immediate) than you think. A poor performer can be redirected, re-skilled, and learn to improve. Some of the best performers on teams that I have worked with struggled at times, but turned it around because they applied themselves to the mission, to the vision, and to their goals. Heck, I've struggle as well and in some cases without the valuable feedback and coaching that was provided I probably would have crashed and burned. But someone who simply refuses to perform thru laziness simply must go. Yes, or no -- are they willing to work, or no? As someone in one of my workshops once said, "sometimes you have to help them prosper -- some place else." -- doug smith  

Who provided you with the best coaching ever? It could have been an athletic coach, a choir director, a business coach, a therapist, maybe even a partner -- someone who listened with your own best interests in mind and then provided you with a skillful combination of support and challenge. Support because stretching yourself can be tough, too tough to do all by yourself,  and challenging because we tend to relax into being relaxed, assuming a kind of stasis that leads nowhere. Whoever that person was, imagine how much tougher it would have been for you without them. And, if you don't have someone like that you remember, imagine how wonderful that is -- because it is indeed wonderful. It doesn't always feel wonderful at the time, but the results are splendid indeed. In that sense a coach is a bit like a meditation partner. A bit like your inner voice who keeps you alert when you tend to relax too much, and a calming support when you tend to get too frantic. Coaches help us stay

What is coaching? High performance leaders do lots of coaching. If you asked your team members which would they prefer more, coaching or commanding, what do you think they'd say? Probably, coaching. Coaching is helping someone improve their performance without crushing their spirit. Coaching is providing candid feedback without causing scars. Coaching is knowing how much to push and how much to hold up. Coaching is a balance of challenge and support. Coaching is encouraging, and when necessary redirecting. If you want to lead in ways that people respond, coaching is you're calling. Who are you coaching today? -- doug smith

What's your focus on coaching and where does it start? People do respond too coaching. When asked what kind of leader someone wants, very often they will say "someone who is a good coach." We like coaching. We benefit from gentle guidance and persistent insistence on improvement. But where does it start? With goals? With targets? Does it start with charts and plans? Coaching doesn't start with performance; it starts with a relationship of understanding. As a coach, work on understanding first. As someone being coached, work on understanding first. Coaching starts with understanding. -- doug smith

Find out what your team means to each team member and then build from there. -- doug smith

From Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach, comes this is a great way to share fast, low risk coaching with a number of people. The three steps are simple and easy: Write down an area you'd like to improve that would have a big impact for you Ask for 2 positive suggestions for the future that would help with that area Repeat getting positive suggestions from others in the group There are two simple roles for the process: No talking about the past No judging or critiquing ideas Here's Dr. Goldsmith describing the process in one of his highly useful videos: I found this article and video from one of my favorite sources of leadership advice, GetLighthouse.com, here .

High performance leaders spend much of their time coaching their people. We coach so that our team members can learn to generate the energy and effort they need to do their best work. We coach so that our team members will light up. But, sometimes, the light within our team members wanes. Sometimes, they need a boost. Sometimes they need us to light the way for them. Bring the light. Light the way. Keep them on track. Then, watch them shine. -- doug smith

High performance leaders are also coaches. There is no avoiding the need to give your team members feedback. The most robust way to develop a culture of feedback in your team is to coach - not just a little - but constantly. Coach, coach, coach! Lead with inspiration of course, and also lead with coaching by sharing deep conversations with your people about performance. Appreciate the good work. Redirect the sloppy work. Fine tune the vast amount of work that fits somewhere in-between. It's good for your team, and it's good for you. There are so many benefits to coaching, including: Better performance More comfort at giving AND receiving feedback Stronger relationships More effective communication Faster response time on urgent team needs A closer, more cooperative team You can probably think of even more benefits to coaching. Any time we coach another we are also coaching ourselves -- and that is enough of a benefit to keep coaching no matter what. When you

Have you ever been given bad advice? No matter how much someone insists that they know what they're talking about, maybe they do and maybe they don't. Have you ever given advice that might not have been the best? If you have, it probably wasn't intentional and you might not even remember it now. We sometimes give advice with the best of intentions but that advice is not exactly what is needed. Before taking the advice of someone else, here are some of the things I look and listen for: Do they understand my situation? Do they have my best interests in mind? Have they asked enough questions to determine what is needed? Have they ever experienced the same kind of situation - and if so, how did that turn out for them? Will they be there to help with the implementation of their advice? Ask these questions first before jumping to that advice. Giving advice is often the first sign that a person is not qualified to give advice. Everyone's got an opinion

We might not like the part of coaching that holds us accountable but we sure do need it. Embrace accountability, even when it hurts. -- Doug Smith

What is the next step after you've set a meaningful goal? You need a plan, of course. And, you'll need to relentlessly follow that plan. You'll also need a team of helpers. People who will propel you forward. Someone who will hold you accountable. Someone who can see what you miss and give you feedback on moves that you make. It might even be the kind of goal that leads to a vital, energized project team.  Who will be your team? Who will be your helpers? Why go it alone? Anyone can help you set goals. Who do you have to help you achieve them? -- Doug Smith

How much attention are you giving your team? One of the toughest lessons I learned when I was a beginning supervisor was to give my people enough attention. The struggling performers need attention. The superstars need challenges and support. Everyone on the team needed something, even when (especially when) they didn't make those needs clear. High performance leaders find ways to give each team member the attention needed. Attention is useful. Attention is immediate. Attention is critical. Attention is the sincerest form of energizing your people.  Energize your team. Give them the attention that they need. What's the best and easiest way to do that? Talk about it. Initiate conversations with each team member. Take the talking just a little deeper than usual. Talk about what matters. Ask how they feel. Listen to their hopes, their goals, their motivations. That kind of attention is pure magic. -- Doug Smith

Do you think that people can achieve their goals without some sense of accountability? There may be some people who are so focused and so dedicated that they truly act relentlessly on their goal action plan and always achieve their goals. But some of us need help. Some of us benefit from an accountability partner to check in, ask how we're doing, and advocate for staying the course when temptation or lethargy threaten to derail our goals. Who holds you accountable for achieving your goals? Is it worth finding someone who will help? -- Doug Smith doug smith training:  how to achieve your goals Front Range Leadership:  High performance leadership training

How good are your listening skills? If you listen first, communicating your message becomes much easier. When does listening matter? Listening comes first when you want: -- More productive meetings -- Deeper conversations -- True dialogue -- More powerful presentations -- Coaching -- Conflict resolution -- Creative writing Listening matters. How will you listen more effectively today? -- Doug Smith