Carl's Coaching Tips

"This blog is 'rocket fuel' for the new manager!"

What, How, Why

Posted on November 30, 2017
What, How, Why

Setting a goal is one thing; actually achieving that goal is another. 

The best way to go about achieving a desired goal is to establish three important points: the What, the How, and the Why.

  1. The WHAT:  Have a clear understanding of the objective. You can’t achieve something if you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve.  
  2. The HOW: Don’t waste your resources (time, money, energy, effort) on trying to achieve the What, by not considering the How.  Take time to formulate the best approach to meeting your goal.  Plan, organize, and continually evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.  
  3. The WHY: The more invested you are in your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it.  The meaning behind the goal will provide the motivation, as well as a sense of purpose. If you’re not committed to the goal, you won't work towards it.   

Know your What, How, and Why, and there is no limit to what you can achieve. 


© 2017 The Growth Group, LLC - All rights reserved.

Team Talk

Posted on October 31, 2017
Team Talk

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
 

-Vince Lombardi

 

 

Over the years, I’ve been invited to sit in and observe meetings of management teams.  I generally don’t have a speaking role; I’m just there to gain valuable background information about the organization and some of its strengths and challenges. 

Here are some behaviors I look for in the group setting that help determine the effectiveness of the meeting, as well as the team itself:

• Is there a clear understanding about why the topic is being discussed?

• What is the purpose of the discussion?

 Is it:

   Information sharing?

   Problem analysis?

   Problem solving?

   Assignment of blame?

   Excuse embracing?

   Delaying of action?

   Determining action steps to be taken?

• How effective is the leader of the meeting?

• Who is:

            • The Mediator?

            • The Summarizer?

            • Keeping the meeting on track/managing time?

            • Dominating the discussion?

            • Seeking the opinions of those who might be more reserved?

            • Introducing solutions?

            • Demonstrating possibility thinking?

            • Stating reasons why things can’t be done?

• To what extent is there a commitment to follow up or follow through?

• What unspoken tensions seem to be present?

 

Effective team communication is the building block of an effective-and succussful-organization.  How is your Team Talk?


© 2017 The Growth Group, LLC - All rights reserved.

Intentional Goals

Posted on September 30, 2017
Intentional Goals

“On the racetrack of success can be found the champions who focused their energies on their Intentional Goals.” ---Carl Hicks

 

It still surprises me that some people avoid setting and pursuing intentional goals. 

Is it because they don’t feel comfortable committing to something they might not achieve? Is it because they are too busy to crystalize their thinking about what they want? It is due to a lack of structure and organization? Perhaps.

But whatever the cause, the absence of an intentional goal deprives a person of some essential ingredients of success, such as: 

• a future state to focus on

• a strong picture of achievement that acts as a “pulling” force

• a destination for the steps of their journey

• a positive conclusion for one’s efforts.

How intentional are your goals?


© 2017 The Growth Group, LLC - All rights reserved.

Building a Great Team

Posted on August 31, 2017
Building a Great Team

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.  You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime."  

- Babe Ruth

An organization with high performance teams will go further, faster.  And yet, building a productive, cohesive team out of a group of individuals can be a challenge.  After all, teams are nothing more than a collection of people from very different backgrounds, with different personalities, and different communication styles thrown together in order to accomplish difficult tasks.  

So, how do you build a great team?

Here are a few helpful first steps:

1. Don’t rely on hunches or intuition to figure out how to work together.  Take the time on the front end to consider the differences among the team.  Be intentional about learning each other’s preferred styles. Ask questions. Open the line of communication. 

2. Build trust.  Invest yourself in the lives of others. What does this mean?  Help others achieve their goals and objectives. Find out what motivates them to get out of bed each morning.  What do they want out of life?

3. Don’t treat people the way you want to be treated; treat them the way they want to be treated. 

While it takes time to develop a high performance team, these steps can accelerate the process and put you and your teammates on the path to success.

 

© 2017 The Growth Group, LLC - All rights reserved.

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