Coaching to Success

Our business is your success

Neil Nutburn

12 areas to focus on to adopt Great Leadership!

I was reading News the other day and it amazed me as to how many ‘Leaders’ in the world of Politics, Sport and Business varied so much in their approach. This in turn set me thinking about this article so, to start your own understanding and development, first appreciate your own ‘thinking’ of what a good leader by jotting down a list of up to 10 words or mini-statements as to what stands out as the definition of a good leader.

You can be a cracking manager without necessarily having leadership qualities, however, it’s imperative that you have excellent management traits to become an outstanding leader.

The processes are the stepping stones to get to the objective. Without these, a leader is someone who leads aimlessly so here’s a dozen ways that Coaching to Success focus on in areas for improvement:

  1. Vision – Being clear and remain focused on final objective.
  2. Motivation – Stirring things up and develop this.
  3. Rapport – Relate. Get engaged.
  4. Role Models – Who inspires you?
  5. SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & time-bound.
  6. Proactive – Set the agenda, don’t wait for others to set it!
  7. Reward – Introduce a ‘healthy’ culture of rewards.
  8. Procrastination – It may be more interesting but if not relevant, don’t let it distract you!
  9. Respect – Show this when others bring forward either concerns or ideas.
  10. Empower – Don’t always take control. Relinquish some responsibilities.
  11. Positivity – Even when under pressure, seek to give positive as opposed to suppressive negative feedback.
  12. Delegate – Understand others can do it too!

Convinced you excel in each area? Go on, I dare you to put out a 360 feedback to all those around. An anonymous tick box asking them to score each out of 10 (that’s a possible 120 maximum). Compare your own score to theirs. If you score less than 90, may I suggest you consider ways to improve your approach when it comes to Leadership!

Rather than being robotic in our methods, here are 5 ways to define a good leader:

  1. Responsibility – Takes while nourishing the team’s interest in results through participation.
  2. Succinct – Relay information without attaching emotion.
  3. Values driven – Acknowledge other’s values while striving towards the ultimate objective
  4. Proactive – Including understanding negative issues raised. Seek reasons and not simply dismiss out of hand
  5. Encourage – Portray yourself as someone who seeks new ideas and involvement. You’ll be surprised as to how others can see things that you may well have missed!

Don’t expect miracles overnight. Remain patient throughout as it takes some time for new methods to be implemented and accepted, besides, there will be old habits needing to be realigned. It’s not a simple journey otherwise the road would have already been taken!

There’s also other barriers such as beliefs pertaining to being too busy to delegate or to be a leader! Remember, leadership helps you become the baton holder and you lead your orchestra to harmonious music, hmm, maybe not the best analogy but you can see where I’m coming from.

Coaching to success have helped numerous individuals and organisations improve performance by ‘Leading’ their teams and the first step is to simply give us a call on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to discuss how brilliant Leadership results in exceptional returns. If you’re looking to Grow quicker than your rivals, we’re affiliated to the Growth Accelerator scheme, so some businesses can obtain government funding too!

8 Starting points to effective delegation

No matter how hard you work, there’s still the same number of hours in a day with a limited number of tasks achievable. With this limitation, your success is further impeded as there are only so many people that can help you!

Well here’s a bit of shocking news, you can continue to shine while reducing your work load allowing you to concentrate on what YOU do BEST! Yep, there are others around you that can take some of your work load off. So throw away the mantle of egotistical self-importance and learn to trust in others.

OK, maybe that was a bit harsh but all too often we believe that others can’t do a particular job as well as we can. Sorry to tell you this but they can, and in some cases, even better! (Hands up from me as I too was once guilty of this!)

Why do we struggle to delegate?

  • It takes up-front effort to organise and monitor (initially!)
  • You know what to do inside out so it will be quicker
  • You believe no-one else can do it

Look at your role. What are you doing that others could actually do to free you. Yes, there may be an expense but if you are able to earn more while someone else handles elements that take up your time unnecessarily, then it’s a false economy to do it yourself and even more so if you’re attempting to grow your business.

So what can we do about it? Well, to begin, look at the following…

  1. Delegate responsibility with authority but remember, ultimately, it is YOUR
  2. Begin with the end in mind (Stephen R. Covey). The end is what is important, not necessarily the route taken. Allow the other person some slack to do it their way thus building trust!
  3. Know the required outcome and be clear in this when passing a task on. Don’t assume they know, inform.
  4. Refrain from belittling due to what hasn’t happened. Yes, this needs addressing but ride the successes. Consider accomplishment rewards or benefits, publically praise their work or express future opportunities.
  5. Support! Be there to answer questions, monitor (but not micro-manage) and ask for progress updates.
  6. Define authority and accountability. What is their level of approach? Do they need to ask what needs to be done next? Set the parameters.
  7. Show due diligence. Agree progress updates. Discuss expected deadlines or timelines. Take time to read submitted reports or have discussions. Where necessary, make relevant adjustments.
  8. Yes, you could probably do it quicker and more efficiently. With a little time up front, you will soon hand over relevant tasks allowing you the time to concentrate on what you do best.

The head of an orchestra can’t necessarily play every instrument but they know how to get the whole group to create a beautiful symphony due to their skill in management. This is no different for you.

5 Chairs to conflict resolution!

I got myself into a potentially heated discussion the other day through a dismissive comment I made that hit a raw nerve!

After receiving a barrage of aggression, I realised how easy it is to upset someone. So what did I do? Stand and fight back, but to what end? Just to prove I was superior in the use of the English language (that’s not to say I was!), only to create the catalyst for a break down in our relationship over a petty remark?

Now, I realised that I was at fault and should have refrained from using flippant remarks. The situation dispersed straight away when I put my hands up and announced “my bad, I only meant to make light of the situation”. At this point, the hypothetical inferno that could have potentially gone out of control was eliminated.

All too often, we allow simple situations to spiral with both parties wanting the upper hand. It’s not a sign of weakness to back down, more of strength, as long as you are doing it for the right reason, ie I was in the wrong, not to simply appease the other person.

So what happens when it’s gone beyond the niceties and there is a definite issue, with seemingly little resolve due to the fact that “I’m not in conflict, they’re simply WRONG!”

This tool is best handled with someone to arbitrate and ask the questions. It involves 4 chairs facing in on each side of a square and 1 chair to the side.

  1. Person one. Directly opposite is…
  2. Person two. The chairs on either side will be…
  3. The company/boss/family and opposite…
  4. Outsiders looking in.

The 5th chair is for person ‘2’. Observing only.

Person ‘1’ sits in chair 1. Questions are asked concerning their views, reasons and thoughts behind what has started this conflict. The arbitrator’s task is to ask questions while insuring person 2 doesn’t interrupt.

Once person 1 has exhausted their thoughts, they are then asked to sit in chair 2 and express how they think person 2 feels about the situation. This is the critical stage for person 2 to listen and realise how their actions affect the other person.

When complete, asked them to move to chair 3. How would the company/boss or family look at what it going on and eventually to chair 4 representing someone who could potentially be effected by this.

Once complete, the whole exercise is repeated with Person 2 starting off in chair 2, then 1, 3 and 4 and the first participant in the observation chair.

When completed, all parties are brought together having a clearer understanding of cause and effect, working to resolve issues as logic has had an opportunity to step in rather than allowing emotion to gain full control.

The physical movement between chairs is an NLP trick that triggers the brain to realise they are leaving one post behind and can see clearer in the next post.

Debate adds energy to new potential ideas. Conflict dampens the thought process and the potential of moving forward. This can be costly not just for business but the morale too.

Coaching to success know the right ‘incisive’ questions to ask as we’re trained in this process to alleviate the tension and build on answers given. If you have conflict and are looking for a resolve, then make your initial enquiry with Neil either via the phone on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk for a friendly, informal chat to see how we can help.

5 things to consider when attempting that all important decision

Historically I’ve had to make decisions and kept looking at the options without really knowing what the blazes to do. Instead of gaining clarity, the more I looked, the more frustrated I became!

Knowing I’m not alone on this, today’s article is based on how to put some steps into action to aid that final decision, so here goes.

You know what it’s like, you make correct decisions, woohoo, everything pops up with that wonderful fragrance of roses. However, when it goes wrong, all you can smell is that stuff you put around the base of them! So surely it’s imperative that we offer some mindful consideration that isn’t blinded entirely by emotional outcome.

Here’s Coaching to Success’ hit-list of things you should do to take steps in achieving the required goal.

  1. The Gathering – I’m not reminiscing about Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert in Highlander but talking about information! Look within yourself as well as factual or logical sources. Are you comfortable with the potential outcome and have you the skill-set to manage it. What information do you need? Write these down so they’re not scrambling for positioning or confusing your thought process.
  1. What else? – As you gather your data and information, be sure not to become blinded by a singular path to find the answer! By this, I mean that we often will find alternative ways of doing the thing we seek. Keep these and add them as possibilities to your list.
  1. Get the scales out! – All areas of decision can be measured and these values weighed. For example, create a pros and cons list such that you rate each item by a score of up to 10.Write a split list of pros on one side and cons the other. Try not to be biased but look at each item independently and weight it according to your chosen criteria. Now bring the emotional elements on how it will affect you with the practical, logical or financial ones. Tot up all the scores to see which comes out strongest.
  1. Bite the bullet, make the decision – How often do we jump the gun (there’s a theme here!) and make a rash decision that doesn’t work out as hoped? From this, we assume other decisions will end in similar outcomes, however, using the above, your decisions won’t be so random but rather calculated!
  1. Take action – Create a timeline, a plan with dates and order. This is your measure to insure that your decision is correct. As part of this sequence, set in review dates or times to asses and make sure that your decision is still the correct one. If it’s a purchase, allow time before making it, checking there are no other unconsidered areas.

These are but an informal way of introducing ways to help decision
making. Coaching to Success utilise these and other tools to help you with the process. Al
ong with other areas of making positive change, we invite you contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation to discuss
areas we can help you prosper.

Our business is about your success and your future successes are in your hands so give us a call so we can help you turn the ideas into reality.

How do you define a good leader? 15 areas to assess and 5 to adopt…

Is it true that leaders are born, not created? Be careful not to misinterpret the vociferous amongst us as being good leaders. Natural personality often means these people end up at the front, leadership is actually a set of techniques and skills anyone can learn to adopt.

A good leader will require excellent management skills, whereas a good manager, may not actually require leadership skills!

Having looked across many different areas from the legal fraternity, general offices, retail to call centres, I am amazed at how many are feeling downtrodden and lacking enthusiasm to do better, why is this? The reality is often a need in improvement of leadership skills!
Leadership is about the people, management the process. Another observation I’ve seen is management need to do things right whereas leadership requires you to do the right things.

So to help, here’s a list of 15 leaders’ typical behaviour pattern. Give
yourself a mark, or assess someone who is in your organisation that is classed as a leader, out of ten and scribble it against each.

  • Patience to allow time for individuals to change
  • Attitude to earn rather than demand respect
  • Confident
  • Mistakes are dealt with justly allowing lessons to be learned
  • Exceptional role models
  • Deal with causes of issues rather than firefighting symptoms
  • Willing to upset the equilibrium for positive change
  • They say what they mean, and mean what they say
  • Decisive
  • Seek and endorse ‘new ideas’ culture
  • Do not create ‘favourites’ or ‘cliques’
  • Refuse to blindly follow the norm
  • Understand importance of adequate rest and relaxation
  • Focused on positive outcomes rather than negative personality traits
  • Face reality and if it’s not great, they don’t pretend that it is.

The maximum possible score is 150. Any areas below a score of 7, questions should be asked pertaining to what’s needed to do to raise the level. Below 5 and urgent attention is required!

Great leadership isn’t something learnt over night. It is a malleable form, growing and developing. More natural rather than simply logical. It’s a change of belief and a re-adjustment of values. Although I consider myself to be an exceptional leader, hmm! I still refer back to the basics to see where I can improve!

Talking of which, here are 5 areas I use towards becoming that better leader. Even the most successful leaders among us can use this as a reminder.

  1. Focus on the team members regarding the framework of the organisation’s mission, developing a clear vision.
  2. Be realistic with goals and tasks as well as expectations
  3. Set an excellent personal example for others to follow
  4. Authorise staff to make the vision a reality and support them
  5. Focus on team behaviour with positive expectations

These are but a few small areas to build upon. There are other tools and exercises Coaching to Success can help you or members of your team to develop with the end goal of being so much more productive resulting not only in more profitability but a happier workplace where growth simply escalates.

Contact Neil to arrange your free consultation either by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or calling 07761 187238 and let’s work together to create the ideology of excellence in leadership and the rewards that this will bring.