Leadership Coaching,Leadership Training,Team Coaching Programs USA» Leadership Lessons

Gaining Loyal Customer By Building a Strong Leadership Brand

Bea Fields — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:13:39 +0000

LEADERSHIP BRANDING: When you read this term, do you really know what it means? I really did not know until the year 2008, when I read the book Leadership Brand by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood. Because I had not heard of the term until then, it made me scratch my head and wonder if others found the term to be something they had not yet heard about.

So, I went out and polled a few business leaders, simply asked them to fill out a form based on what they knew, and many even admitted they did not know what the term really meant…but they took a stab at the questions I asked anyway.

We talk everyday about branding our “company” and making sure that our marketing collateral matches the “company brand”. But what would be different if you branded your company through the eyes of your leadership brand? My hunch is that it would be much tougher, and here is why:

When you build a brand based on true, enduring leadership, each person in the company not only speaks about the brand and and the promises you make to your customers in your marketing strategies, but each person … Read the rest of the post

5 Effective Leadership Skills You Can Use to Quickly Settle a Dispute at Work

Bea Fields — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:33:13 +0000

As a leader, there will come a time in your career when you have to sit down with two or more people and do your best to help settle a disagreement, dispute or conflict. While this is not the activity most leaders enjoy, it is a part of the job, and the best approach is a proactive one that engages the disagreeing parties in a dialogue that ends in resolution.

Striking while the iron is hot is critical in helping to settle a dispute. Many leaders just ignore conflict on their team, thinking that time will heal all wounds. I have observed the opposite to be true. If two or more people on your team are in the middle of a disagreement, negative emotions will build, and team chemistry can fall apart.

So, here is what I suggest trying the next time you are settling a dispute. You will be using these 5 leadership skills:

1. Addressing conflict swiftly.

2. The art of using effective dialogue.

3. Mediation.

4. Holding people accountable.

5. Taking action.

For this post, I am going to use the names John and Sue. Let’s say John and Sue have had a disagreement, are avoiding each … Read the rest of the post

Stop Making New Year’s Resolutions! Start Making Your Big Dream Come Alive in 2012

Bea Fields — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:46:37 +0000

I have been coaching business leaders since 1999, and one constant is this: Every person I have coached tells me about their big dream that they have either given up on OR they have put that dream on the back shelf.

I also hear my clients make “New Year’s Resolutions”, only to fail after a few short weeks. They stop trying to lose weight, drop their big dream or head back down an old worn out path.

While New Year’s Resolutions are great, my big question is always this “Why wait until the first day of the year? Why not start now”? and “What is the big dream you keep putting off? What is stopping you from making that dream become a reality?”

To help get at the core of why this happens, I polled 50 business leaders, and I asked them the following 3 questions:

What is the big dream you have put on the shelf to achieve “later”?
What is stopping you from going for that big dream?
What steps are you committed to taking for the next year (that other people can learn from) in order to move in the direction of your big dream?

While not … Read the rest of the post

5 Warning Signs that Your Arrogance is Tearing Your Team Apart

Bea Fields — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Arrogance is something that we often discuss in the world of leadership. A little bit of arrogance can go a long way in the direction of success, but when overused, arrogance can tear your team apart. The main reason? As a leader, if arrogance is your leadership skill of choice, your team is more than likely feeling devalued, rejected and angry. When I speak in private to team members about their arrogant leaders, they usually shrug and say “It is a waste of my oxygen to mention anything or bring new ideas to the table. He always thinks he has the right and only answer”.

If you are an arrogant leader, these behaviors will be seen by others:

1. You think you have the only answer.

2. You always think you are right and that the rest of the world is wrong. And, your team hears this constantly.

3. You dismiss the ideas of others on your team.

4. You appear aloof and that you don’t really like other people.

5. You pull rank constantly and try to overpower other people.

6. You rarely share credit with others.

7. You don’t take feedback from others as an opportunity to learn … Read the rest of the post

The 5 Things Leaders Hate to Do that Stop them From Being Great

Bea Fields — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:29:13 +0000

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, you probably have heard all about the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. In the book, Collins discusses the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great, and much of this process has to do with the leadership skills of the people at the top.

I have had the honor of coaching over 1000 business leaders in the last ten years, and while I do agree with Collins on the points he makes about great leaders and great companies, I have learned through the years that there are five things that most leaders hate to do. As a result, they push these five to the back burner, and allow the simmering process to burn the team and/or company down…a slow and painful death for everyone, including the leader. I am writing this post today, because I don’t want you to become one of those leaders who becomes a “has been” in the next 1-3 years.

So, here we go: The 5 Things Leaders Hate to Do that Stop them From Being Great:

1. Being open to coaching, hiring a coach and working … Read the rest of the post