Coaching is best described as,

• Development
• Relationships
• Direction
• Accountability
• Results

Coaching is the tool or mechanism to really keep everything together in your business.

Strategic thinking is a skill that anyone can use in any role. Applied strategic thinking is practical, ongoing, and informal. Strategic thinking is helpful when it is linked and aligned with grand corporate strategy.

The first thing you should take note of is to “let go”.  Trust your employees to do their jobs correctly and finish their tasks.  Do not attempt to micro manage your employees, or you will end up working some very long hours and eventually burn yourself out in the process.

Next, “be ethical” in all of your business dealings.  All good leaders have to be ethical!  If exposed, the damage will be one hundred times worse as a leader than if you were a normal employee.  You need to set a positive example; follow all of the rules, even if they appear to hinder rather than help the situation.

Third, remember to be “composed.”  Nobody likes to be forced or threatened, especially in the work place.  Be the leader who has a cool exterior and one that takes action based on logic, not emotions and not known as the leader who berates employees in public, or the leaders with the hot temper.

Last, persevere.  Real leaders never give up!  If they fall, they get up again and keep pressing on.  Only through perseverance can you stay on the right path and achieve all of your goals and the goals of your team.

If you take time to implement these things in your life, not only you, but your entire team will be showing these same qualities and achieving far more than other similar teams in your organization.

Every spring, Alaska hosts the Arctic Winter Games. Similar to the Olympics, thousands of athletes participate. However, these athletes are the native peoples from the frozen north, the Yukon, Canada, the Russian province of Yamal, Greenland, and the Sami people of Norway and Finland. The skills of these athletes are quite different from the skills of the modern Olympian as the Arctic Winter Games grew out of native survival skills.

One event, the High Kick completion, began as a communication technique for a hunting party to send a message his village. When the messenger was within visual distance, he would kick one foot high into the air thereby giving a message that a whale has been shot, or that caribou are running near. A two foot kick meant a whale was caught and the people would immediately prepare themselves for beaching. This style of communication was simple, precise, and completely understood by anyone in the village.

21st Century Communication
Today, we give succinct information to our team mates thought instant methods such as emails, text messaging, and phone messages. It’s easy because it doesn’t require much physical, such as the high kick, effort or thought to type and send a message. You don’t have to travel or struggle handwriting memos, you don’t have to hear your message aloud or have a third party offer suggestions to your ideas. Just jot down a few quick words and push a button.

However, team members perform better if they are knowledgeable about the team’s priorities, goals, and progress. Dr. Steven J. Stowell and Ms. Stephanie S. Mead state in their book, The Team Approach; With Teamwork Anything is Possible, “Good leaders know the power of words; skillful communication helps team members see a leader as a positive force for improving the team.”

As a leader, your messages must be clear and complete; your reader needs to understand your true meaning. Fellow team mates need to be able to translate your words, into directions, ideas, or suggestions and then into practical application. Queen Elizabeth I was a leader who became admired by millions. Dr. Stowell and Ms. Mead explain, “She was explicitly clear about the reasoning behind her decisions and actions, so understanding and commitment to her leadership was enhanced.”

Tips to Remember
To communicate more effectively always take time to think about what it is you want to say then edit anything you write before sending it out to others. Always use good grammar and complete sentences. Remember, to use periods, commas, and semicolons and that a paragraph develops an idea not three.

Emails and text messages can often be cold, unfeeling, and misunderstood. Face to face discussions with team members can often get your message across more effectively. Body language, eye contact, unspoken emotions or passion can increase the importance of a project; make a larger impact on the receiver. Similarly, a smile or a pat on the back with a verbal, “job well done” can do a great deal to increase commitment.

In the north, the High Kick brought people together; staccato electronic messages can keep people at a distance even though their offices are across the hall. Perhaps, we should be just a bit more athletic in communicating with others by taking time to think about what we want to say or by walking down the hall to talk with our team mates in person.

A Side Note
The rules of the Arctic Winter Games state that a participant must begin the two-foot event standing with both feet on the floor, jump vertically, and kick a ball suspended three feet or more over the participant’s head. They kick the ball with one foot and then land on the same foot, demonstrating balance to the officials. The ball is the size of a small tangerine. The record for this Arctic two-foot high kick is 8′8″. In another event the Arctic one-foot high kick, the sequence is done beginning and ending with the participant standing on one foot. Every movement in the event is done with the same foot. The record for this event is 8′10″.

On one occasion, we had the pleasure of working with a great individual who was helping to clean up after some remodeling. Benny was dependable, worked very hard and focused on the projects he was assigned to. Because of his dedication, we specifically requested his assistance from the temporary labor agency we were working with to assign him to us.

Background On Benny
One morning I was asked to pickup Benny on my way into work. During our drive to the office, Benny talked about his personal life. He was barely making ends meet it life and had some health issues. If I had to guess, he was in his late 50’s but looked much older. Benny had spent most of his life working on labor intensive jobs permanently in construction. While he liked this type of work, it was not very rewarding. Too many of the individuals he had worked with throughout his life were very autocratic and dictatorial and having spent some time in this industry myself, I knew the type he was referring to.

The Job Site
Benny worked on multiple job sites for us. One day a few of us decided to jump in and help Benny load some broken concrete into a dumpster. This would help get the next phase of this particular project a jump start and give Benny some much needed help and a bit of motivation to the backbreaking work.

After the dumpster was fully loaded, we took a break from the searing heat and dust. As we were sitting in the shade, someone said to him “Benny, you have been great! You’re such a hard worker and I appreciate your effort and attention to detail. I don’t know where we would be without you this week.” After the rest of us confirmed this comment, there was a pause for a few seconds. Benny responded with a quiver in his voice, “I really try to work hard and do a good job, but no one has ever told me that. Thank you. You guys have been good to me.”

The Impact
When Benny made this comment, you could see he felt undervalued for much of his life. I thought to myself, how unfortunate it is that no one has ever told Benny he does a good job. A simple “JOB WELL DONE” can go much further than we might ever think.

The Lesson - Talent Retention
As I think back on this, I wonder how many managers and organizations lost out on Benny? The concept of providing appreciation to employees is nothing new, but if it is not being communicated or taught to leaders and managers, organizations ARE and will lose great talent. It is not uncommon to hear that employees leave their managers and not their jobs. We can change this by providing some simple appreciation and recognition.

Application
Today, celebrate a success with your team.

The article and game caused me to think of Generation Y. Throughout this past year I’ve been asked on numerous occasions if companies are experiencing difficulties with teamwork between older employees and younger generation employees. I have heard this from multiple organizations and I am sure that it’s a challenge that won’t go away anytime soon.

It’s always funny to me how certain age groups are categorized by the generic Generation definitions. I myself am on the border line, but more on the Generation X side. I guess it fits me fine. I like to think of myself as much younger in spirit than many in my age group and especially those just a couple years older.

There are those who might feel the younger generation has been raised on video games and have missed out on developing social skills. I’m confident that there is a bit of truth to that, but I also believe they have learned a new form of social skills that many of us have missed out on. Communication and personal interaction, today, often involves the internet or teleconferencing.

Working remotely or tele-commuting is becoming more popular all the time, especially, with rising costs to commute. The reality is face to face interaction may become less prevalent - for good or bad. Those in the workforce who grew up playing these types of video games may have an advantage. The teamwork skills they’ve learned while playing these games may allow them to better utilize technology in their organization or team.

This being said, tele-commuting can also cause a person to feel disassociated with the team. This younger generation may be those who remember our remote employees and teach us how to include and engage them. Ensuring remote employees are involved in meetings, discussions, and decisions will make a team feel more connected and increase overall performance.

First, take a hard look at yourself. Dr. Stephen J. Stowell and Ms. Stephanie Mead explain in their book, The Team Approach: With Teamwork Anything is Possible, that they believe there are three types of qualities that make a good team member; Fundamental, Primary, and Secondary. The first set, Fundamental Qualities, are the characteristics of being a decent human being. They include competence, integrity, commitment, and support. The Primary Qualities are those basic traits needed by members to help a team operate. These are collaboration, candor confidence, flexibility, and intensity. Finally, the Secondary Qualities are those behaviors a team member exhibits to achieve and sustain a high level of performance. People with these qualities are continually learning, will take calculated risks, and are innovative, optimistic, and passionate. Do others see these qualities in you? If not, take time to reflect on why and what steps you need to take to change your behavior.

Next, ask yourself if you are unconsciously judging your team mates by your personal perceptions and standards. A team is made up of many diverse personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs. Because these members are different, they won’t see the same situation the same way you do. Try the following tips to develop strong relationships with your team mates.

• Stop trying to change the other person; be accepting of his/her uniqueness.
• Allow differing opinions. These can lead to even better options.
• Don’t assume you know everything, if you are unsure, ask.
• Seek to understand. Try to perceive the situation from their point of view.
• Let go of resentments, especially petty ones. Indulging in this emotion not only doesn’t change the situation but can creates health issues in you.
• Get priorities on the same page. Talk with others about their desires and your needs and then build on mutual priorities.

Certainly, there are team members who are difficult. There isn’t too much you can do about that. Reasons may be partly their personalities, partly their environment both past and present, or simply the current situation. But remember, you have the choice to be upbeat or angry, vengeful or understanding, bitter or cooperative. Listed below are a few types of difficult people and how you can relate to them (giving them what they need).

The Bear: This person knows the facts before any conversation takes place. He/she has made a decision and is dogmatic about it. He/she is hard to change.

-Ask questions, listen to him, agree when you can and disagree only when you know you are correct.

The Cat: This person never seems to show interest and often seems unresponsive to interaction.

-Ask open-ended questions; wait for answers quietly. Be patient. Remain friendly but never push.

The Badger: This person wants others to believe as he/she does and will continue to argue his point until they do.

-Be on the formal side with this person. Listen politely; answer him/her concisely and clearly. Avoid arguments as it won’t resolve the issue.

The Magpie: This person seems to find fault in everything. He/she often uses sarcasm and criticism in conversations.

-Don’t overreact to this person. Ignore any sarcasm and stay focused on the issues.

Dealing with people can be frustrating, but it can also be rewarding and even a bit amusing, if you remember to take others, as the saying goes, with a grain of salt.

The story involves Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hughes and a local mosque. His mission was to ask for help from the cleric in organizing the distribution of relief supplies.

However, fearing the soldiers were coming to arrest their spiritual leader or destroy their mosque, a holy shrine, a mob gathered. As hundreds of devout Muslims surrounded the soldiers, waving their hands and shouting, pressed in toward the heavily armed platoon. Hughes thought fast.

Hughes picked up a loud speaker and told his soldiers to “take a knee” meaning kneel on one knee. Then he ordered them to point their rifles toward the ground and “Smile.”

The crowd’s mood quickly changed. A few people still yelled, but the majority began to smile in return. Some people even patted the soldiers on the back as Hughes ordered them to walk slowly away, backward and still smiling.

Courage to Trust
Think about the trust that these soldiers had in their leader. A large group of people is moving towards their smaller group. The people are angry, frightened, and clearly agitated enough to cause bodily harm. Then their leader says, drop to a submissive position.

Would you do it? You are in high stress. Your body is telling you to fight or flee. You don’t want to hurt anyone; your purpose is to give aid. But you don’t want to be hurt or killed either. So, it takes a great deal of courage for you to follow this type of leadership. The deciding factor is your trust in this person, gained over time and with personal interaction. Trust is not developed in a moment. In their book, The Team Approach, Stephen J. Stowell and Stephanie Mead explain, “Trust and respect are fragile and are earned over time through genuine actions.”

Courage to Lead
Maybe more important to this incident was Hughes’ courage to ask his team to take a precarious position. It was possible that the situation would not have defused. It was a calculated risk. Dr. Stowell and Ms. Mead emphasize that, “Courage is primarily learned. It is something that team leaders must seek out, study, and emulate in response to specific obstacles and defining moments. Great leaders generate courage in the moment and recognize when action is required, regardless of the risks involved. Courage can be refined, and it becomes easier through regular practice.” Lt. Colonel Hughes’ courage was developed through dedication, conviction, and clearly defined values exercised daily. He was confident in his beliefs that he could respect the Mosque and what it represented. He was also not afraid to acknowledge the behavior that infuriated the local people and then take immediate action to rectify the error.

These qualities must have been demonstrated and observed long before this crisis incident. His team had to have seen his commitment, felt his conviction, and understood his values well enough to know that he would not easily risk their lives.

How does your team respond in a crisis? Do they trust you enough to follow a calculated risk? Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your leadership style.

The Real Story
The real story, of course, is the community in which Lightning learns to become a team member. He is forced to interact and communicate with a diverse group of personalities; crude and naïve, secretive and bossy, nosy and busy, hard of hearing and shy, foreign and domestic, pro and anti military. The story shows that it takes hard work to become a team and members don’t always make the right choices. Yet, when a group works together and, yes, finds time to play together a deep and strong bond or “community” is developed. This diverse community opens up opportunities that cannot and will not occur if team members had to work alone.

In their book, The Team Approach: With Teamwork Anything is Possible , Dr. Stowell and Ms. Mead describe this community as “the relationships, culture, and environment that create a sense of kinship or special chemistry in a group of people who are working for a shared purpose.” This type of community has to be created and sustained. It doesn’t develop naturally and if it is not nurtured, the community will fail.

The Community
An organization or team can be the whole or, simply, a part of a community. In the movie Lightning McQueen becomes a member of two communities. His first is the racing community consisting of his sponsor, Rusteze, Mack the truck, and the pit crew. Lightning resists and even resents these characters. The second is a dying community of quite eccentric characters. They teach Lightning to care about others by their example of integrity, honesty, and open respect, acceptance, and compassion for each other.

This type of community is critical to the development of quality teams. Teams need members with high integrity, compassion, acceptance, and a deep sense of respect for others. A team cannot achieve amazing results when its members are intent on fulfilling individual goals, too often at the expense of other members, and oblivious to team needs.

Unfiltered Feedback - These comments has been modified to ensure anonymity
“I think Mark has good intentions, but lacks some people skills in general. He’s a good programmer and sales rep, but seems to be rather abrasive as a manager. The all-star athlete doesn’t always make a good coach. Mark tends to think it is his way or the highway. Team meetings are viewed as ‘time to get beat up’ sessions…”

“The sales team feels constant pressure to perform at a level beyond common sense. We all know there is pressure from the top down to “make the numbers,” but lose sight of the fact that our customers drive the business. Our promises to Wall Street should not influence how we treat our customers……We think short-term and are managed accordingly. Our success is based on long-term professional relationships with customers we care about and treat right. As long as we deliver what we promise and provide solutions that customers are happy with, we will do well…”

“I am VERY uncomfortable with having to share this information at this time. I fully expect to get in trouble for being open and honest and sharing this information.”

Our Summary of These Comments: The translation of the above comment is that this person loves the job, but feels changes are drastically needed for the department. It is clear that this person has also reached a tipping point where frustration will lead to radical change for them as an individual; the person may leave, start to resist, or even break down emotionally.

All-star performers often accomplish more and in return often expect more from those they manage. I don’t see anything wrong with expecting more, so long as these all-star athletes are equipped and continually develop interpersonal communication skills. The big question is have these people been identified in your organization?