tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52652913491459656432024-03-08T10:56:53.609-08:00DLS CoachingDr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-65042549148762470432015-06-04T07:17:00.003-07:002015-06-04T07:18:25.386-07:00Finding My back to Bergen Belsen<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div>
I was born in Bergen Belsen in 1948, three years after the
liberation of the notorious concentration camp located in northern
Germany. Last week, I went back to commemorate the 70th anniversary of
the liberation of the place where my parents, Bella Cyprus and Roman
Lichtman, survivors of Auschwitz and Dachau, met and married. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The rise of anti semitism in Europe and the negative feelings being
verbalized against Israel made me want to do something impactful. The
president of Germany would be there. Ronald Lauder, president of the
World Jewish Congress, would be there — and I would be there, too.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I am not active in the Holocaust community. I do not tell my story
at schools or give speeches about my parents and the Auschwitz number my
dad had on his arm. But the death of my mom several years ago — and the
births of my grandsons and what their legacy would be — made me want to
go back and visit the place where everything began for my family. I
needed to understand more about me without knowing exactly what I was
looking for. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
If the current research on early childhood development is correct,
by age 3, your brain and language are virtually formed. I had spent the
first 18 months of my life in a Displaced Persons camp — the largest in
Germany — surrounded by the remnants of suffering, sadness and death.
Did that contribute to making me who I am? Maybe I would find an answer
during my return.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Stepping onto the grounds of Bergen Belsen means setting foot onto a
green lawn where tens of thousands of Jews are buried. There are berms
with stone signs that read: “Here lay 2,500 dead.” There were no
buildings left; they had all been destroyed to wipe out diseases like
typhus; no gas chambers now or before — only small crematoria — nothing
but large, open spaces.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The buildings, each of which once kept hundreds of Jews, were
replaced by trees, all the same height, having grown together over the
last 70 years, but nothing there said “horror” or “evil.” You had to
imagine what had once been at this site. Yes, there was a new museum and
a memorial, but the emotion I expected to feel at this concentration
camp did not happen.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I had cried while watching the films showing emaciated bodies being
bulldozed into pits and the rail-thin survivors, but walking through
the grass with stone grave markers left me numb. Surreal, empty,
disappointed, just not what I expected.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The next day we went to the Displaced Persons camp, which was just
down the road. The prisoners’ section of the camp itself held so many
sick people suffering from diseases within the wooden buildings that the
British army burned everything, and instead used the German soldiers’
barracks and their hospital and buildings for the Jewish survivors.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Today it is a British NATO base. It was here that I saw the
barracks my parents lived in, the hospital where I was born, the street
where I played. We had lunch in the roundhouse, which had been used as a
hospital to treat the thousands of survivors who were dying after
liberation. As I looked up at the fixtures, which had been there since
1930, I thought of my mother, who had been on one of those cots and had
no doubt regarded those very same fixtures during her time there. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
We walked through the DP camp’s cemetery, where the Jews who died
after liberation were buried. My mother had delivered a stillborn baby
boy who was in one of these unmarked graves. I looked and saw, but did
not feel. I tend to compartmentalize my thoughts, but this lack of
emotion was difficult to understand.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I am a college professor, a psychologist and an executive coach. I
specialize in emotional intelligence. I speak about the need for all of
us to have empathy in our work and in our lives.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Yet here I was in a place of personal tragedy for me, a place where
my mother had been tortured, where my aunt had died, where thousands
and thousands of Jews had been savagely slaughtered — and I could not be
empathetic.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
But that all changed as we began to connect with the hundreds of
other survivors and children and grandchildren of survivors, who had
also come back. My husband and I traveled to Bergen Belsen with the
World Jewish Congress along with our friends, Menachem and Jeanie
Rosensaft, whose parents also both lived at the DP camp. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Going back to the hotel in the nearby city of Hanover, where all
the visitors stayed, I began talking to people, looking for a connection
to my parents. No one remembered my mother or father, but everyone had
stories that were the same. What started out as small talk with
strangers became the most important and heartfelt part of the trip. We
all acknowledged how, growing up, we felt different from non-survivors.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
We shared our innermost feelings and, most importantly, we started
to feel like we were each others’ extended families. We did not have to
explain what had happened to our families or what a DP camp was. To each
other, we were the aunts and uncles and cousins that had perished under
the Nazis.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
When my mother was in her early 90s, with slight dementia, my
husband and I took her to our synagogue for High Holiday services. There
were hundreds of people sitting there. My mother stood up, looked
around at the many faces and said in her heavily accented English,
“These are all Jews?” She couldn’t believe it. This was amazing to her. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
When I went to the memorial services at Bergen Belsen, along with
thousands of others, I stood up, looked around at the faces present —
and started to cry. Here, too, “were all Jews,” here to remember and pay
homage to my father and mother and all the Jews who came through this
site. Those who died and those who survived. My mom, Bella, would have
liked to have seen this. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Bergen Belsen was my mother and father’s first home. It is where
they started their new life and their new family. It is where they
learned that life must go on, where you can love and laugh without
forgetting what happened to you and those you loved. It is a sacred
place with green hills and trees, where birds chirp and memories linger.
It breaks your heart, yet soothes your soul. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It is where I was born.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<i><b>Dina Lichtman</b> heads her own executive coaching company and is an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. </i></div>
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Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-565325626121018562014-10-30T14:53:00.000-07:002014-10-30T14:53:14.405-07:00The Cocktail Dress as Newsworthy
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I am a person who loves the news. I watch news shows
throughout the day. I switch from channel to channel, including cable, from
left leaning to right wing. I am also an executive coach who works with
individuals, (many of whom are women) on a variety of topics including
executive presence, emotional intelligence, leadership and other behaviors that
lead to success.</div>
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So you know what I have noticed in the last few years, it
doesn’t matter what news show you are watching or what party or belief system
you are affiliated with, the female anchors or newscasters or reporters all
wear evening or cocktail dresses to give us newsworthy information. How odd it
is to view Matt Lauer in a professional long sleeve shirt and suit jacket
sitting among 3 women wearing sleeveless dresses, often low cut, mostly
emphasizing their breasts and giggling. It is hard to take Natalie Morales
seriously wearing an off the shoulder cocktail dress at 7:00 am talking about
Ebola or ISIS. Is she a serious journalist or looking for a date?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I used to admire Andrea Mitchel and Joy Reid but they too
have succumbed to the cocktail attire. Do they not trust the information on which they
are reporting or the intellect of the audience? I expect this from Ann
Coulter but not Andrea Mitchell.</div>
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Do they think it is mostly men who are watching, therefore
sexy is better than serious, that breasts are better than brains?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When did this change? When did wearing cocktail dresses and
long dangling earrings become the norm? Men are totally covered up whereas
women are exposed.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is easy to blame this on the success of Fox News and their
blonde bimbo newscasters. Yes these smart women purposely accent their bodies
and downplay their intellect. We know this is a strategic maneuver to woo the
rightwing, male dominated audience. They have said as much and for them it has
worked. But MSNBC, CNN and regular broadcast channels ----do these females (or
the producers of these shows) think men will listen more if they try to be sexy
and smart? If Joe Scarborough is wearing a sweater and the male quests are
wearing suits, why is Mika wearing a cocktail dress? Crazy isn’t it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that the colder months are here, I had hoped for more
suitable clothing but that has not happened. The women MIGHT wear long sleeve
dresses (but not all)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but those dresses
still reveal breasts, cleveage and are often too tight for their bodies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For women who have spent their careers fighting to be taken
seriously and not have our male colleagues ogling us, this recent dress change
is disheartening. Is the deep V or off the shoulder at 7 AM really necessary? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my coaching practice I still emphasize the professional
look for all my clients especially females . Too many times their expertise is
discounted because of wearing low cut, cleavage exposing clothes that are too
tight or too figure revealing. I am hired to help them develop an appropriate
style so they can be taken seriously. You don’t need to be dowdy or plain or
even modest. You need to be professional and appropriate.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Everywhere they look, competent women are
playing up their inner “Barbie” and downplaying their “Hillary”. Fat or skinny,
black, white or brown, women in the news are dressing to please the lowest
level of male viewers. How sad!</span>
Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-77498587410648782972013-06-01T04:08:00.000-07:002013-06-01T04:08:09.514-07:00
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">“Give and Take”</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">, and the <b>Successful Leader</b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">There
are always new books being published about what makes people successful, how to
win, how to climb the corporate ladder, how to influence, how to lead and mange
and myriad other options to create wealth and success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an executive coach, I read many of these
books to learn about the most recent research and how it can be helpful to my
clients. Since I am also an executive coach at the Wharton School’s MBA
Program and heard Adam Grant, a renowned social scientist and the youngest
tenured professor at the University of Pennsylvania, speak to our group; I was
especially intrigued to read his new book, "Give and Take". His
concept of giving as a more productive way to work, was highlighted in a recent
cover story in the NY Times Sunday Magazine article: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/is-giving-the-secret-to-getting-ahead.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/is-giving-the-secret-to-getting-ahead.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">His
basic premise is that the "givers" in the world are happier, have
more focus and willpower, create more successful teams, are better negotiators
and make more money. The ‘givers” care about others, go out of their way to
develop people, are fair and honorable in what they<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>do, are empathetic in their interactions,
and view the world as a trustworthy place. They are authentic in their
"giving" behavior as opposed to being a "Matcher", (you do
for me and I will do for you,) or a “Taker” who tries to fake giving in order
to get what they want with little regard for others. Givers need to be able to
ascertain between “takers” and matchers or else they risk landing at the bottom
of the success ladder and becoming “Chumps not champs”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Many
of my coaching clients are senior executives, either <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CEOs, vice presidents, CIOs, CTOs, directors
of risk, cyber security or IT audit. Since I teach a class at Temple University's
Fox School of business to Master students in IT audit & Cyber Security. I
was particularly interested in how Dr. Grant’s book would work within the
specialized IT arena.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Knowing
that the CIO and the IT team have many goals in the organization that require
setting internal and external strategy, anticipating new and necessary
technology to both internal partners and external customers, while maintaining
the highest levels of security, I was curious if Dr. Grant's “Give and Take”
would answer the question of how the IT organizational and it's leaders can be
successful givers. When I asked Dr. Grant about this, this was his response” For
IT and CIOs: "Building a culture of givers is a key step toward
encouraging knowledge sharing, which in turn promotes creativity and
innovation.” This is vitally important especially in the IT world.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">“Give
and Take” is easy to read, filled with interesting examples and convincing
arguments supported by well documented, cutting edge research that looks at the
world of work and how "giving" impacts all aspects of life, team
success, salary, and happiness.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Some
of the surprising insights in this amazing book about "Givers” include :</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">1)
“Powerless communication makes people look more approachable, warmer, more
trustworthy and humble. When givers use powerless speech, they show us that
they have our best interests at heart" according to Dr. Grant. A
giver leader can use powerful speech and powerless speech as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Here
is a link to Adam grant giving a TEDx talk on Powerless Communication</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ffqEA8X5g&feature=youtu.be"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ffqEA8X5g&feature=youtu.be</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">2)
“Takers” typically spend more time talking and less time listening. They
also have a more difficult time accepting others ideas if they conflict with
their own. Dr. Grant writes" whereas takers often strive to be the
smartest people in the room, givers are more receptive to expertise from others
even if it challenges their own beliefs". For the CIO and the IT team to
succeed, the best ideas must be heard regardless of where they come from.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">3)
Givers seek advice from others by asking questions, asking for input and recommendations.
Doing this type of questioning will have an influencing affect on them.
"When we seek advice from others, they feel flattered, and are more
inclined to take our perspectives and become our advocates "so writes Dr. Grant.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">4)
Offer help and seek help as well.” If you want other people to be givers, one
of the easiest steps is to ask for help” writes Dr. Grant. This gives people a
chance to feel valued and needed. Reunite with dormant colleagues and offer to
help them or connect them with others.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">People
who are givers do these things naturally. Research has shown that givers
are represented at the top of organizations in the same proportion as takers.
One of the major differences is that givers cared about those around them, their
teams, their partners in the business, their customers, as well as those not
directly related to them. Givers were other directed not self-directed, while takers
care more about themselves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As
the CIO and the IT team must listen and ask questions, be influential in their
impact, have teams that are valued and trusted, it is not only possible but
necessary that the IT world should be filled with "other focused
individuals" who are givers. After all, their job is to make the
organization, both their internal intellectual capital and their external
customers, secure and safe in this Internet, digital, computerized, selfless
technological world. So are you a “Giver, a Matcher or a Taker”?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">If
you want to see if you are a giver or a taker, Dr. Grant has a free on line
survey on his website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.giveandtake.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">www.giveandtake.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">He
also lists 10 different websites in the last chapter of his book that offer
many other ways to collect information. This becomes very useful for anyone
interested in setting up a culture of giving.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-53041690947759193342012-10-01T08:13:00.004-07:002012-10-01T08:15:00.588-07:00What's Wrong with Introverts? Nothing<style>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In this age of constant and continuous communication from TV
commentators, it is interesting how surprised they are that people in power are
introverts. They are talking about the two folks running for the highest office
in the land and comparing them to Bill Clinton, a true extrovert.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The assumption is that if you are a leader, you must be extroverted.
That it takes a bubbly personality who enjoys the constant interaction with
people to make a leader successful. That being aloof, internally focused
and more comfortable being alone will result in failure, or at least, less
success.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">So what does that do for the individuals who are introverted and have
some difficulty being the social butterfly.This would include many people in
the technology ,finance and engineering world, as well as scientists, doctors
and many people in the C suite.In fact, introverts are everywhere in every
occupation, yes even sales, and they not only succeed but often become the
leader of the organization.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As an executive coach, I work with many individuals who are by nature
introverts. (Including CIO and CTOs) As leaders , they are very successful who
lead with confidence, determination and superb business acumen. These
introverted leaders know that to be even more successful, they need to
understand themselves and the external world better.They need to increase their
social and interpersonal skills so that their employees feel valued and listened
to. To communicate a shared vision to an organization, the introverted leader
must first learn how to communicate successfully and then to get others to
executive upon that strategy, leaders must make others feel listened to and
valued. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">To an extravert ,engaging a team and building consensus seems so
simple (like saying good morning or making eye contact) Yet for many
introverted leaders, knowing what they should do and being comfortable doing
it, are very separate and difficult things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As a coach I work on all the aspects of Emotional intelligence. The
technology individuals I coach are already successful They have a coach to help
them become more outgoing. Knowing how to read a room, what it takes to engage
an individual or group, and how to empathize with others, leads to better
employee performance and an atmosphere of trust and success. These individuals
are still introverted, it is their behavior that has changed.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">To paraphrase Daniel Goleman from his seminal work on "What Makes
a Leader"in the Harvard Business Review,2004. People who can
self regulate and self correct their emotional impulses are often seen as cold
fish. For some reasons there is a belief that emotional outbursts and fiery
temperaments are charismatic and evoke leadership. In fact, it is that exact
behavior that often produces negative results. Successful leaders know who they
are and have control of their emotions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Yes you can change your behavior. You can still be who you are
(authentic) and yet include behaviors that seem out of your comfort zone. You
can be an introvert who ,in specific situations, behaves like an extrovert.
Being self aware and learning what it takes to succeed, results in appropriate
and successful behavior. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a leader
allows you to hire in areas that compliment your style. Understanding
interpersonal and social interactions, can be taught. It is the willingness to
learn that is unique. The introverted leader who is eager and willing to learn
how to be more socially adept, will be more successful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">It takes self awareness and hard work but it can be done. </span></div>
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Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-50165441980235095572012-06-13T17:03:00.001-07:002012-06-13T17:03:14.761-07:00Innovative Instruction for IT Auditors<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; margin-bottom: 13.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As an executive coach skilled in navigating the business
environment, the worlds of academics and of IT are somewhat foreign territory.
What do my areas of expertise – soft skill training and interpersonal
communication -- have to do with highly skilled technology and finance
students? Turns out, they are a perfect match.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; margin-bottom: 13.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">At Temple University’s </span><a href="http://community.mis.temple.edu/"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Fox School Department of Management Information
Systems (MIS)</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">, administrators hold the</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">
innovative idea that increasing social awareness, the ability to self-regulate
impulses and enhancing communication skills, will produce better IT auditors.
As a result, I am currently teaching a class in a newly formed IT Auditing
Masters program.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Typically, I
work with organizations that want to increase the success of their executives,
and in turn, business revenue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This usually
involves developing emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills among
business leaders. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Magic of IT</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I have
always admired IT departments and tech businesses that are crammed with technical
geniuses who, seem to make the impossible, not only possible, but actually
quite ordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Achievements like tablets
or smart phones that play music, show movies and act as a TV, camera, encyclopedia,
classroom, radio and a video camera, are truly magical. And now I am getting a
closer look at these magicians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; margin-bottom: 13.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I have learned that the Fox School of Business’s new </span><a href="http://community.mis.temple.edu/blog/2012/02/01/new-ms-in-it-auditing-and-cyber-security-launched-in-january-2012/"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">MS program in IT Auditing and Cyber Security -</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">- one of only three such programs in the
country -- is based on ISACA, a global association of information systems
professionals. Students are trained to complete the Certified Information
System Auditor (CISA) exam at the end of their studies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Based in
Philadelphia, the Fox School of Business in general, and my class specifically,
is an amazing place filled with students from all over the world who come here
to study and learn. One of my goals was to culturally prepare and acclimate students
for the business world, including the interpersonal skills an auditor needs to
be successful. The classes include individual personality assessments and
real-world feedback from the head of audit of a major financial institution about
what makes a successful auditor. We also practice interviewing skills, what
good negotiation looks like, and discuss how emotional intelligence plays a
major role in working with clients and stakeholders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Learning Subtle Skills</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Obviously,
the first measure of success as an IT auditor requires excellence in the
technical side of the job. But to get business constituents who are being
audited to change their behavior, involves much more subtle communication and
negotiation. How we say what we say, how much we listen to the verbal and the
nonverbal language around us, and how comfortable we are asking and disseminating
difficult information, often determines the outcome of any meeting—and any
career.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Students
learn that an IT audit meeting, which often involves much nuance and potentially
negative consequences, is difficult under any circumstances. Therefore, knowing
how and what to communicate, adding value to the conversation, and trying to be
as objective as possible, will also determine the success of the IT auditors’
outcomes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Teaching
this wonderful, dedicated group of students is a unique and fulfilling
experience and it proves that executive or business skills coaching is valuable
in every setting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-32720816010504784772011-12-14T05:32:00.000-08:002011-12-14T05:32:13.111-08:00Should You Have A Coach<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Should Every Executive Have a Coach?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">You are at doing well in your career. You are dedicated, skilled, technically competent, a recognized leader in your company and a valued employee. Your performance reviews are excellent, and your manager has complete confidence in your abilities. So why would you want (or need) a coach?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">In a recent article in the New Yorker Magazine, (Oct 27, 2011) a renowned surgeon talked about getting a (surgeon) coach who could give him feedback on how he performed in the surgical suite. Although his outcomes were good, his reputation was impeccable and his interpersonal skills were excellent, he felt himself too comfortable, and wondered how he really did in all aspects of his work and what he could improve.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Knowing that he could not be objective about his own behavior, he decided that an outside set of eyes and ears, would provide a mirror to his actual behavior. He wanted to improve how he worked, so he hired a coach who in fact did help become a better physician.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">The Yale Center for Parenting looks at different aspects of parenting. One aspect of their research is how parental behavior contributes to the continuation of tantrums in children. By changing behavior in the parents, and coaching them in new behaviors, both verbal and non-verbal, the behavior of their children changed, and the tantrums were diminished or eliminated. Even a different way of offering praise to already well behaved and smart children, produced better results in the kids. Parental coaching changes behavior, in both the adults and the child’s, resulting in better behaved children and more relaxed parents. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">In his book "Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives", Nicholas Christakisn writes about how changes in medicine, technology or finance will not work effectively without the appropriate behavioral change in the user. You can give out millions of mosquito nets to prevent malaria, but if people do not use them, they are useless. Vaccines prevent illnesses, as long as people get vaccinated. He calls this phenomenon "bio social science" and thinks that in the 21st century, it will be bio social science that is key to changing behavior.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Behavioral change requires a change in how we perceive the world and a trusted way to learn the new behaviors. Coaching can do this. Having a coach to reflect and build on what you do well, is part of how extremely successful people stay at that uppermost level. Having a coach, who can assess your skills and work on nuanced behavior, may result in better outcomes for you and your team.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">We become complacent in what we do, we stop striving for better outcomes when we are already successful, we assume we cannot change others behaviors and we think executive coaching is for the new, problematic or dysfunctional individual. Many organizations hire coaches for new employees to insure a successful transition into a new culture. Other organizations hire coaches for the top employees to maintain the level of success already achieved does not diminish. In fact all of us could benefit from that outside perspective of our behavior that coaching provides.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">If the best singers have singing coaches, if the most celebrated athletes continue working with coaches, even when they are regarded as the best in their sport, if the top CEOs have coaches to use as sounding boards and offer unique perspectives, shouldn't you have an executive coach as well?</span></div>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-62941134391549309822011-10-19T17:24:00.000-07:002011-10-19T17:24:02.619-07:00Self Assurance and Listening - The Need for BalanceThis wonderful article was written by my good friend,<b> Bob Gillmett.</b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is doubtful that anyone in their personal or professional lives will dispute that there comes a time when they need a little (or a lot) of guidance and advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many cases it is not a matter of “if you do”, but rather one of “acceptance”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acceptance on two levels:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1) accepting the fact that someone else’s opinion or advice might be valuable and, 2) accepting the advice given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To some extent we are all guided by what we see and hear and how we assimilate that information into our actions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However the outcome of that assimilation can vary greatly by the degree to which we are willing to change based on what we see and hear and the extent to which we may seek further direction from others.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These dynamics shape our personalities, our actions and how we grow – ourselves and/or our business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To become individuals and develop individual style, we need to listen to ourselves and act upon our instincts and intuition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But from time to time we also need to listen to what others are telling us and adjust our actions accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a delicate balance – too much of either one can result in dysfunction that impacts the individual and those around him/her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With the recent passing of Steve Jobs we’ve heard a lot about the fact that he trusted his gut and very rarely listened to others. To some extent that is true, to be sure, but in point of fact he was an ardent supporter of customer satisfaction feedback and he monitored customer experience in stores and on-line on a daily basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A key to garnering more customers is to get current customers to talk favorably about your product. Customer satisfaction and the attention paid to maintain and grow that satisfaction is critical to developing a successful business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jobs definitely listened.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ira Waldbaum grew his family grocery store business from a “mom & pop” operation selling produce and grocery staples in a street corner location in Brooklyn, NY to a 2 billion dollar company with 140 stores employing over 7500 people in three states in 1986, when the company was sold to A&P.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was known as a man who adhered to strict ideas of store management and worked on instinct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a brief excerpt from his obituary in 2002 paints a slightly different picture: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“When Brooklyn customers asked for cartons for moving, he asked where they were going. ‘When they mentioned Kew Gardens’, he said, ‘I decided to open a store there.’ “<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ira listened too. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Neither man gave up on their strong adherence to instinct and intuition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However both men realized the needed to listen to others as well. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Achieving the proper balance of self assurance and guidance from others will equip you well for success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it’s in the digital world or the produce aisle, you will sell a lot of apples. </span></div> <b><br />
</b>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-63206993506366900282011-09-21T09:53:00.000-07:002011-09-21T09:53:28.394-07:00Leadership: Apple Style<style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The bulk of the work that I do as an executive coach involves leadership both development and enhancement. It doesn’t matter the type of organization, the level of the individual or the functions involved: it always is about leadership. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often I am asked to coach a new leader to make sure she/he is successful quickly; or to increase emotional intelligence (EIQ) in very brilliant introverts, whose teams are not performing as well as they could, or high potential executives who need coaching to insure continued success. For the most part, executive coaching works to develop and enhance existing behaviors as well as adding new skills deemed necessary.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Often the major skills or behaviors I am asked to work on include impulse control or self-regulation, which is one of the internal EIQ subsets. At times I am retained to coach an executive <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">who is brilliant but comes across to her/his team as manipulative, scary, narcissistic and highly volatile</b>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The organization wants those behaviors eliminated from the executive and new more collaborative behaviors instilled.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yet it is exactly those “negative” behaviors that organizations deem inappropriate and harmful that Steve Jobs displayed as the leader of Apple. From what you read about him, it is exactly these traits plus his brilliance and passion that made Apple so successful. So, the question becomes, are we entering a new era of what leadership looks like and what motivates and drives a successful team? Are the countless surveys and studies that state that leadership based on collaboration, and more humanistic approaches outdated and ineffective now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is Steven Jobs really more in touch with his EIQ than we think?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Steve Jobs was aware enough to know that his volatility and emotional outbursts would test the strength of his staff’s convictions, but he also knew that he needed someone to pick up the pieces of his destruction. The COO who is now his successor, is a compassionate, silent type who makes sure things work operationally. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps Steve Jobs did know what he was doing after all.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So maybe being as brilliant and forward thinking as Steve Jobs, coupled with self-awareness about what he can and cannot do, and whom he can intimidate and whom he needed to praise, is a possible way to lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just make sure you are as brilliant and adventuresome as Mr. Jobs and are willing to accept the consequences.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-40933466163675922012011-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:002011-07-21T07:47:03.259-07:00The Future of Technology and Executive CoachingThe Future of Technology and Executive Coaching<br />
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As a non-technology individual and by that I mean I really don't understand how it all works (it feels like magic). I am a consistent user of all that keeps me informed and connected to the wider world. I can get information on any subject at any time in virtually any place. Recently Google reported that it had over a billion discrete hits on its sight. That is one in 7 people has used Google since its inception. The use of technology has revolutionized all aspects of our daily lives. Watson, the IBM built computer won on the game show Jeopardy. Computers now can beat the best chess champions in the world. Robotic arms and lasers are all digitally modulated to reach precise locations in our bodies. The use of technology has no boundaries and feels limitless.<br />
So what does this all mean and where do we as leaders in organizations need to do to be ready for the next wave of personal technology.<br />
<br />
The futurist Ray Kurzweil writes that in the not too distant future, technology will be part of the human body. Already we have cameras that patients swallow to see the inner working of the body (they are eliminated through the digestive system), and information chips that let us know where our animals are and to whom they belong. Kurzweil writes that these technological marvels will tell us everything we need to know about what is going on inside our bodies. He also writes "Intelligence will become increasingly non-biological and trillions of times more powerful than today".<br />
<br />
What will not change is the human components, the emotional awareness, the ability to understand, all the aspects of our emotions that make great leaders today, will still be what makes great leaders in the future. No technology will take the place of human awareness. It is how the leader interacts with the individuals, influences decision-making, motivates and rewards the individuals, which will result in success outcomes.<br />
It is the responsibility of the technology leaders to understand that the human component of behavior and emotional intelligence is always going to the most important factor in success. Emotional Intelligence is the cutting edge no computer will ever get and that sets true leaders apart. It is here that executive coaching can help leaders accelerate their success.Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-3802887589796064842011-03-21T09:06:00.000-07:002011-03-21T09:06:07.110-07:00"The Good Boss", Google Style and Executive CoachingAs an executive coach, I have had many clients where the individual needing the coaching was not a good manager or a strong leader. A poor manager impacts the team negatively which often leads to lower productivity and inadequate results.<br />
I have also coached great leaders, adored by their teams who accomplish amazing results but cannot get along with a terrible boss.<br />
In both cases I wonder, what is a "good boss" and why does coaching work to make them more successful?<br />
<br />
A recent New York Times article, March 13, 2011, described the process that Google, (the mega giant of information) used in ascertaining what is a productive, successful leader as measured by their teams. The Google HR folks looked at several years worth of data, massaging the information into numerous categories in order to discover what made a "good" leader. After the complex process was completed, Google's HR folks came up with 8 significant traits.<br />
What was so interesting about the ranking of these 8 traits was that coming in dead last - remember this is Google, the king of technology, the master of information - was "technical expertise'!<br />
<br />
The two most vital traits for successful leadership as a boss was having a clear vision for the team and connecting with the team members in more social terms. In other words, good bosses know where they are going and make consistent, quality time for the individuals needed to get to the goal. The individual team members willingly followed bosses they trusted with the team's success.<br />
<br />
It turns out that even at Google, leadership is not about the hard skills, but rather about the soft ones. People leave companies when they have a bad boss. They thrive when they feel involved, valued, communicated with, and trust their leader.<br />
I am not sure that hundreds of pages of data was needed to prove that the leaders and bosses at Google have the same traits as the leaders elsewhere. Research has shown the same results over and over again. Yet, when Google did their analysis, the results were similar.<br />
<br />
Executive Coaching enhances the social soft skills and eliminates behaviors that get in the way of success. So what does Google do for their less than good leaders, you guessed it. They get the individual a coach!!Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-87195350662447933772011-01-26T09:21:00.000-08:002011-01-26T09:21:13.963-08:00Organization Politics and Executive Coaching:How to Navigate When You Don't Play Politics<style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Organizations are complex entities.<span> </span>They have specific cultures and rules. Navigating the different channels: working up, down and across the organization while executing on strategic goals, makes successful leadership difficult.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Who are the influencers and who are the least powerful? How does an executive learn organizational savviness while remaining as positive as possible? How do you motivate your team and align with the senior management? What if you see yourself as” not being political”? What do you do then?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Executive coaching</span></b><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> is a process that enables the executive to understand themselves, the team, the organization and the rules that are in play. It is a concrete process that results in deliberate behavior changes. By learning which behaviors work in what situations, the leader learns what success looks like. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Everyone is political. I am going to repeat that statement, everyone is political. Just as making no decision is making a decision (to do nothing), claiming not to be political is being political. And that has consequences. A good coach will work with the leader to understand themselves and all the aspects of the organization as they relate to the leader and the goals that are necessary for success. Being political does not mean betraying your values but rather understanding how to succeed in an environment and what the rules are. According to Ephraim Schacter, “executive coaches help senior leaders deliberately chose behaviors to optimize organizational results.” In other words, be political.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-77791193645378213222011-01-21T05:28:00.000-08:002011-01-21T05:29:27.649-08:00Tiger Moms and Executive Coaching: How they relate<style>
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There has so much been written in the last few weeks, both pro and con, about raising children in the “Chinese” tiger mom method. Included in this method is having high expectations, practicing behaviors that give rise to success, and being totally committed to that success. (I am not going to discuss what success means in this blog posting or go into <b>Amy Chua’s</b> book).</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the underlying assumptions in this Tiger Mom philosophy is that intelligence is the most important piece and that focusing on those skills that enhance academic accomplishment, will lead to success. What is not stressed is the importance of Emotional Intelligence and how self-awareness and being socially savvy leads to higher levels of success.</div><div class="MsoNormal">From <b>Willie Geist</b> (no this is not sarcasm on my part) of <b>Morning Joe</b> who spoke of the best leaders are the ones who can build strategic relationships, or <b>David Brooks</b> of the <b>NY Times </b>who wrote<b>, “They (the kids raised this way) grow up skilled and compliant but without audacity to be great”, </b>the notion that there is more to happiness, success and greatness than academic excellence or high IQ.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>So what does all this have to do with Executive Coaching?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Over the years, I would say that the majority of coaching I have done is to enhance and build on executives’ emotional intelligence. Executive coaching is first and foremost about believing that the executive will succeed. It is similar to the tiger moms’ belief that the child will succeed. Both the coach and the tiger mom look at building new skills through practicing new behaviors. One of the major differences, and there are many, is that my executive coaching stresses the importance of emotional intelligence. It is as important, if not, more important that the technical and scientific skills that got the executive to their current position. Many executives reach a level where leadership is required and that means knowing yourself and how to get others motivated to reach a goal. This is where EIQ comes in.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The people at the top are not always the smartest in terms of IQ, but most have superb emotional intelligence.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265291349145965643.post-9719154656396255462011-01-19T11:39:00.000-08:002011-01-19T11:39:21.345-08:00Can We Change?Yesterday I had lunch with an old friend who is also the COO of a major organization. He asked me if people can really change. If someone as high up and capable as he is questions this possibility how can I convince him?<br />
YES people can change behaviors. With practice, positive rewards and a change in their belief system, they can be different. I have seen it work.Dr. Dinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01765854928030805554noreply@blogger.com0